Fischer E-109 vs. Asnes Ingstad

[bgregoire]

Nansen is a great XCd ski, now used primarily for multi-day backpack trips with 75mm in Scandinavia. Ideal for more arduous and hilly traverses. Were still talking hardpack, wind exposed open tundra. There was a time when Nansen's grampa was a Tele-ski, but those days are mostly long gone as that world has evolved.

I'd say that the Ingstad is as XCD as you can get (if not too long).

[MikeK]

I really wish I'd been to NB. I really have no idea what the terrain is like, but here we have very little natural 'tundra'.

I get the impression it's like the Northwestern Adirondacks i.e. low rugged mountains, mixed Boreal forest. The only real openings you have are beaver meadows, oxbow river beds, lakes and ponds. Pretty much everything else is forested, and especially on public land because it's been allowed to revert back to wild.

It's quite possible why a ski like the Eon is somewhat preferable to a E99/Glittertind here. Very rarely do you have deep powder but also just as rare is snow like they would have in Scandinavia.

[Woodserson]

I'm following you- but aren't the new Fischer "xtralites" just wood-air channeled?

Yes, I believe so. Most of their models have air channels though. I think the S Bounds do. It might be a difference in how aggressive they are in removing wood and adding air.

Grab a flashlight, strong one, and go in a dark room. You can see the air channels, especially if you remove the bindings (if you were swapping). I think the S Bounds are kept solid under binding placement, but my E99s have channels that run the whole way thought. Maybe it was a mistake, I don't know. I could see the glue pooling under (on top of) the waxless pattern base. The mounting area should be solid wood, end of story.

[MikeK]

Grab a flashlight, strong one, and go in a dark room. You can see the air channels, especially if you remove the bindings (if you were swapping). I think the S Bounds are kept solid under binding placement, but my E99s have channels that run the whole way thought. Maybe it was a mistake, I don't know. I could see the glue pooling under (on top of) the waxless pattern base. The mounting area should be solid wood, end of story.

The S78 (and S88 I believe) has a special 3mm plate there - I'm not sure what the material is, might just be plastic... I don't know what the deal is with the S98, but I don't think it has that plate. Maybe it is solid under the binding mount area. I'll check it with a flashlight.

Yes the binding area should be solid or have a that plate at minimum, although 3mm isn't exactly a lot of screw engagement.

If you are just screwed into the composite you are asking that ski to split there IMO.

[Woodserson]

No more plate this year on any of the SBounds, I checked. Maybe something else inside, I don't know, I didn't mount them this year. The problem with the 99 is the air channel running directly down the center of the ski-- there's no engagement! I bought mine used, and the 3 pin bindings had the center top screw loose... I thought that was odd, took them off, and then put on my NNN-BC bindings, and I almost punched right through the base of the ski with the drill because after the topsheet, there was nothing there.

[bgregoire]

Mounted E99Xlites and E109 Xlites last year, same observation as Wood-man. Air channels right under the bindings. I was surprised but gathered Fischer knew what they were doing, maybe the screw placement and number on an NNN-BC would mostly compensate.

Like I said, I did a very long trip on E99 Xlites, they did fail but not there. Rather, the metal edges under my foot started cracking up and then a seam grew between it and the bulk of the ski. Our local Fischer distributor would not take them back at first so I had to call them up and insist. My Gfrid was with me on the trip on E99s that are at least 10 years old and stiff going very strong!

[Woodserson]

Here's another Scandi video to help wile away the time while we wait for the snow to start

[youtube][/youtube]

[MikeK]

Ok found it!

You guys will love this!

Cannondale, this is Gamme's Papa!

All you have to do now is learn Norwegian!

http://www.fftv.no/fjellskiskolen-ep-3-valg-av-ski

Ahhh... I know this guy.

I can't understand a damn thing Gamme the Elder is sayin', but I know a thing or two about graphs.

Without even translating the axis labels, I could tell what they meant. Vertical axis in turning (literally steering/turn), horizontal axis is glide (literally fastness/cross-country).

So the interesting thing about this chart that may help our friend...

The 109 is the second slowest and second most turny ski in their chart. Only the Storetind (a shapely, rockered ski) is rated slower and more agile.

The Ingstad is about half way in the chart. Kind of what I expected for this ski if it's a stiffer cambered Eon/S78 class ski. The Nansen is actually rated slower and more turny, which I would assume means it has a softer camber seen as how it's a narrower ski with less sidecut that the Ingstad.

That would sum it up for me if it was the 109 vs the Ingstad (assuming you trust Gamme the Elder's judgement).

[bgregoire]

I'd trust Gubbe Gamme 100%, however I would not trust a quick DIY translation of him blindly!

Now, remember how i mentioned there were three dimensions to the graph, that third is flotation. And flotation is very important to us north americans! Yes, the size of the red circles are just that, how easily the skis stay on top of the fluff. In that regards, obviously, the Ingstad will submarine much less than Nansen or E109....Something to think about for sure!

Oh, and while we're at it, here's Andrew Skurka's review of the Nansen:
http://andrewskurka.com/2015/gear-list- ... i-touring/

[MikeK]

It's usually fairly easy to determine float based on widths, etc... I would surely agree the Ingstad as a better soft snow ski based on the that.

I couldn't figure out the circles though. The Amundsen throws me off. If a larger red circle means better float, then why does that ski have a large circle? Maybe it's relative to that group? It really doesn't have much different dimensions than an E99.

I would assume based on that chart that the Amundsen has a hellified camber!