Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

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Woodserson
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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by Woodserson » Wed Jan 05, 2022 9:40 pm

mca80 wrote:
Wed Jan 05, 2022 7:30 pm
Have you tried different inserts in the Alfa that might add volume and tightness at the heel? Given how pleased I am with the Birkenstock insert in hiking boots, I am tempted to start trying it in ski boots.
Many here use inserts and extra soles in their Alfas with great success. Some searching in the review thread might bear fruit. My problem is that it doesn't easily take up room around the heel and second, I needed a bit more length-- and was maxed out at 47. Adding inserts only decreased the available length, so I was screwed either way. They may work great for you. Lundhags too-- if you can find them. Lundhag Guides... Let me bellow into the tundra for a certain odorous recalcitrant animal that paws around here breathing the Lundhag propaganda. @Musk Ox

After a lifetime, I'm starting to see Compeed in the States. Wonderful blister/anti-blister tape from Euroland. Been using it since forever. So fucking good. 10 bucks on amazon.

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Musk Ox
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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by Musk Ox » Thu Jan 06, 2022 3:22 am

mca80 wrote:
Mon Jan 03, 2022 6:10 pm

Done. 190s, nnn bc, 45mm mohair x skins. Felt good to click that button. Should have done this sooner, got over 6 inches on the way Tues/Wed. And still need to spend a whole day driving to Duluth to try on the Alaskas.
Hooray! I really think you'll love them, @mca80. My wife's had the 185s and the 190s... the 190s are the ones!

It's such a relief to pull the ski trigger.



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Musk Ox
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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by Musk Ox » Thu Jan 06, 2022 5:26 am

Woodserson wrote:
Wed Jan 05, 2022 9:40 pm
. Let me bellow into the tundra for a certain odorous recalcitrant animal that paws around here breathing the Lundhag propaganda. @Musk Ox
Moo! Someone has shone the musk-signal into the frozen sky. And here I am to confirm that Lundhags are indeed the shit.

EDIT, all right I should add a little. The Lundhags Guides are excellent and extremely comfortable. I have wider forefeet. My soles and heels are wonderfully steady in these boots. Snug and fixed. When a Rottefella sole (bar) failed and I sent them back to be repaired, I bought a pair of leather Scott something or others on sale because we were going on a little mini-expedition overnight and I got insta-blisters and had to use my wife's Compeed (@Wooderson another endorser!)... I have spacers for my Lundhags hiking boots and put them in it was a little snugger. Never any trouble with the Lundhags. But I do know they're hard to track down outside of Europe and expensive even in Norwegian terms.



mca80
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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by mca80 » Sun Jan 16, 2022 5:39 pm

Nansen 190s arrived, bought Alpina 1600 from a shop here, waxed the skis this morning and tooled around with them for the first time, on my property and just briefly. Tomorrow will drive 5 min to the wilderness and ski the hiking trails for 3 hours or so. Initial impressions from someone who has only been on one pair of skis prior to this in his short skiing life: I think the 190 recommendation was good for increased speed, float, etc., but I have questions given my brief 30 min experience today--whether my technique is poor, or I dont weigh enough for them, or if it's wax or some combination. Contrary to waxing advice I received here, I took them to a shop and they glide waxed the tip and tail and used a binder in kick zone and some polar and green. I may have to end up redoing it following Gareth's old school technique of ironing polar into the whole ski, as Woodserson told me I would if I had a shop do it with glide wax, but I at least wanted to try this way first (and got a first hand demonstration of everything, which I find better than youtube). Anyway, I noticed I was slipping backward a bit, mostly going up hill (there's a fairly steep hill on my property and I am bad at judging grade but I am able to walk up it with the rossi ot65 in 185 with only a little slippage). Going down I was able to turn fantastically well compared to the old skis. On flats I was flying (soooo impressed with how much faster, easier and quieter they move compared to the rossi waxless) except even there on rare occassions I slipped a bit both sideways and backward (mostly in compacted snow from where I snowblowed a long path previously and where the dog walks and I have skiied the rossis as well; in the deep powder I sunk down quite a bit which surprised me, I thought there would be more float). So I put a thin layer of blue extra on top of the green. Grip was better, still zipped in glide, but snow was gathering in kick zone. Maybe I put it on too thick? Anway since they are brand new skis, after that I brought them inside and let them warm up, scraped off the kick zone and redid it with polar and then green, trying to do it as thin as possible. Also I went an inch maybe two past the skin inserts to see if that would give me more grip. Will find out tomorrow. Might need blue but not sure.

If anyone has any suggestions or comments I would love to hear, being a real newbie to this. Overnight low will be warm, 14F and I will head out in morning when its high teens and ski into the high of the day which should be 22.



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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by Musk Ox » Mon Jan 17, 2022 3:41 am

mca80 wrote:
Sun Jan 16, 2022 5:39 pm
Maybe I put it on too thick? Anway since they are brand new skis, after that I brought them inside and let them warm up, scraped off the kick zone and redid it with polar and then green, trying to do it as thin as possible. Also I went an inch maybe two past the skin inserts to see if that would give me more grip. Will find out tomorrow. Might need blue but not sure.

If anyone has any suggestions or comments I would love to hear, being a real newbie to this. Overnight low will be warm, 14F and I will head out in morning when its high teens and ski into the high of the day which should be 22.
Congratulations on the Nansens!

Yes it sounds like a sensible idea to to go past the snakebitey skin insertion points with your wax. Go well over! Why not. You’ll see where your kick zone functionally starts by where the grip wax has been rubbed off at the end of your tour, which is always useful information. Your speed isn’t going to be affected enough to really notice when you go forward of that spot but it might solve grip issues. Maybe make hills easier.

It might be an idea to try it out without Polar for a couple of trips out too, just so you can see what’s what. It’s genuinely fun to work out what’s appropriate where if there’s an ounce of dork in you.



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Woodserson
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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by Woodserson » Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:26 am

mca80 wrote:
Sun Jan 16, 2022 5:39 pm

If anyone has any suggestions or comments I would love to hear, being a real newbie to this. Overnight low will be warm, 14F and I will head out in morning when its high teens and ski into the high of the day which should be 22.
These are insanely ideal temps. Maybe start at Green and then Blue Extra.

Start harder, then add warmer. Take it all the way up if you need with the green, like Musk Ox said. Subsequent layers could be shorter. You'll get it.



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lowangle al
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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by lowangle al » Mon Jan 17, 2022 9:18 am

Welcome to the world of kick wax, I see it didn't take long for a newb to see there superior performance.

One tip I have is that if you are getting some kick but not enough, add more of the same. You may need to extend the kick zone a bit and /or just make it a little thicker, Too thin doesn't always do it for me. If you get no kick at all then you probably will need to go to a softer wax.

Woodersons and Musk Oxs advice is spot on for the conditions you describe.



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CwmRaider
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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by CwmRaider » Mon Jan 17, 2022 10:06 am

My experience with the Nansen is that its camber profile makes it very forgiving and easy to wax, compared to rockered skis where grip waxing a hit too far forward will reduce the glide zone more noticeably.. You can extend the wax zone forward quite a bit and still maintain enough glide zone.
Note that kick wax won't stick to glide wax so you should remove the latter first with a base cleaner.
And honestly I haven't found an inconvenience with using polar all the way forwards that is noticeable in normal use. Just cork it in nicely to make it smooth.



mca80
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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by mca80 » Mon Jan 17, 2022 3:19 pm

Went out for 3.5 hours today in the wilderness area. Mr. Nansen provided a whole new level of enjoyment I didn't know possible. Thank you all for the advice. Can't believe I was skiing those Rossis for the past year. Couple questions: first, if I detune the tips for fear of hitting the dog, what will be the net effect on how the skis perform in varying conditions? Second, what kinda Asnes do I get next? Haha.
20220117_103109.jpg



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Musk Ox
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Re: Yet another newbie "what skis should I buy" question

Post by Musk Ox » Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:23 pm

I love my Nansens with every fibre of the vulcanised walnut that passes for my heart.



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