Gamme/Amundsen....again....sorry

[fisheater]

I would like to add an aspect of Gamme turning, that could be assumed or taken for granted by those experienced with these skis, but not spelled out. As @lilcliffy stated you are not going to bend the Gamme into a turn. However in ideal conditions, which are for me a couple inches of soft over a consolidated base. The rocker on the Gamme will bend in that little bit of fluff, utilizing a bit of rotational turning will allow me to drop a knee with the Gamme. Granted true bliss might be linking two dropped knee turns on my local trails, but I sure do enjoy that! So for me, I am very pleased I have a Gamme.
I wanted to check the Asnes website to confirm what I believe to be true, but I couldn’t get onto their site.I weigh 86 kilos, I’m on a 210 Gamme and a 196 FT Xplore. I believe both these skis are one size over recommendations. Perhaps you don’t want to size up, but I can say without reservation do not downsize on the Gamme.

[dave52]

For those with Gamme or Amundsen, when descending down breakable crust or deep fresh snow, do you have to contend with your skis nose diving, deep into the snow? Wondering if the Gamme's rocker would help here, or not enough.

Skiing with the USGIs on hiking trails, sometimes I'll bounce and shift back to adjust tips up, it's kind of a pain since it's nice to lean forward on descents so find myself in an unbalanced pose, but I've had the skis catch tunneling down into a harder layer of snow below and toss me forward a few times

The Amundsens sound really nice. Looking for a lighter ski like Gamme/Amundsen this year to demote the USGIs to rock skis.

@lilcliffy do you find your 201 Amundsen useful, or would you say 208 all day?

[lilcliffy]

For those with Gamme or Amundsen, when descending down breakable crust or deep fresh snow, do you have to contend with your skis nose diving, deep into the snow? Wondering if the Gamme's rocker would help here, or not enough.

Skiing with the USGIs on hiking trails, sometimes I'll bounce and shift back to adjust tips up, it's kind of a pain since it's nice to lean forward on descents so find myself in an unbalanced pose, but I've had the skis catch tunneling down into a harder layer of snow below and toss me forward a few times

The Amundsens sound really nice. Looking for a lighter ski like Gamme/Amundsen this year to demote the USGIs to rock skis.

@lilcliffy do you find your 201 Amundsen useful, or would you say 208 all day?

I ordered the 201 and 208 (both on clearance) because I simply coul not decide on length and was worried that the Amundsen was going to be even stiffer and more cambered than the Gamme 54- it is not.

I LOVE the 208- as a straight ahead mile-destroying backcountry-xcountry ski- it is SUPERB in all snow conditions- including deep snow and breakable crust. Even in steep terrain- it is so light- yet stable- I can easily manage it coming down steep, tight wooded trails- using step, striding and jump turns.

I kept the 201 for my son who is lighter than me.

The Gamme is certainly easier to turn- it has more sidecut and a shorter effective edge- much easier to initiate and setup on a turn. HOWEVER- it is still a very stiff XC ski- one needs a lot or room to complete open, full, linked turns with the Gamme. In tight steep terrain I end up using the same downhill techniques as I use with the Amundsen.

[tkarhu]

For those with Gamme or Amundsen, when descending down breakable crust or deep fresh snow, do you have to contend with your skis nose diving, deep into the snow? Wondering if the Gamme's rocker would help here, or not enough.

For me, Gamme tips float nicely in 10-30 cm deep powder downhill. See photo of this year’s first turns. But I guess breakable crust will be another story because a tip might not make its way back up through the crust.

With 83 kg and 180 cm, my 201 cm Gammes are fast enough for me to keep up with XC skiers on groomed tracks. That is with grip wax.

[tkarhu]

For those with Gamme or Amundsen, when descending down breakable crust or deep fresh snow, do you have to contend with your skis nose diving, deep into the snow? Wondering if the Gamme's rocker would help here, or not enough.

FYI I tested the edges of Gamme downhill capacity today. In 50-60 cm powder, and 10+ degrees slope, the skis sank so much that I would slide by gravity only, when I went straight down a fall line. The weight of snow became another issue. When I tried to initiate a telemark turn, the skis felt heavy and stiff to turn.

However, in 30-40 cm powder the Gammes ran 10-20 cm under snow, but found enough support and float to maintain enough speed. Also turning was OK. Only spots of packed snow caused challenges, when crossing pulk and off-piste snowboarder tracks.

At the 50+ cm powder piste, one contributor to slowness was vegetation, I think. Now at the beginning of a season, we have bottom to top powder. Sliding down a meadow, the skis just sank suddenly sometimes, I guess when vegetation was uneven below snow (small bushes etc).

I would say the 200 cm Gammes have just too little surface to float my weight (83 kg) in 50+ cm powder. I do not think that any ski design (e.g. nordic rocker) could change that limitation of physics.

Yet I do believe that the rockers certainly are useful in powder. At least the Gammes float a lot better than my earlier BC skis (Karhu XCD GT, Swedish army wooden skis). I think managing 30-40 cm powder downhill is already amazing with skis that fit to groomed tracks on the other hand.

[GrimSurfer]

30-40, 50+ cm of powder? Wow. Gotta love that Gulf Stream!

No such luck here (eastern Canada). We might get 30 cm here in the next day or two but it will be on top of the 5 cm or so we have at the moment.

[tkarhu]

30-40, 50+ cm of powder? Wow. Gotta love that Gulf Stream!

No such luck here (eastern Canada). We might get 30 cm here in the next day or two but it will be on top of the 5 cm or so we have at the moment.

This does not happen that often here, either! I do not know if you should actually call the snow all powder because some of the snow is 1-2 weeks old. Yet the old and new snow feel the same in places, where no one has visited. It has been frost all the time, so none of the snow is refrozen yet. Normally temps hover around zero here in Southern Finland, and we have lots of refrozen snow most winters.

But well, the 50-60 cm was actually too much for my skills and equipment Maybe I will test on Friday, if it has become better, when someone has skied it a bit probably.

[Inspiredcapers]

One never has to apologize for bringing up Gamme, it’s a consistent performer and frequently surprises it’s user.
Kinda curious as to any chance of there being a third generation. Still hoping to find a 210 Green Man some day…

[lowangle al]

For those with Gamme or Amundsen, when descending down breakable crust or deep fresh snow, do you have to contend with your skis nose diving, deep into the snow? Wondering if the Gamme's rocker would help here, or not enough.

For me, Gamme tips float nicely in 10-30 cm deep powder downhill. See photo of this year’s first turns. But I guess breakable crust will be another story because a tip might not make its way back up through the crust.

With 83 kg and 180 cm, my 201 cm Gammes are fast enough for me to keep up with XC skiers on groomed tracks. That is with grip wax.


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Those turns look real good, both skis carving nice. Nice hill too. Do you ski up, skin up or other?

[tkarhu]

Those turns look real good, both skis carving nice. Nice hill too. Do you ski up, skin up or other?

Thanks, Al Nice to hear such feedback from a more experienced guy. I have climbed mainly using herringbone technique, and skied less steep parts. I come from XC touring, and that is how I am used to climb there.