Noob in Yellowstone considering Alpina Discovery 68, Alpina XP, Xplore, etc?

[snow-mark]

I think the advice to not necessarily invest in the latest and greatest (Xplore) is reasonable. It’ll cost you quite a bit more and so it may be worth waiting till you learn more and figure out what your specific objectives will be. So I’d go with NNN-BC.

As far as ski, fisheater’s offer for the Alpinas would be a great start.

Then just add boots that fit you well. Don’t skimp on the boots. It’s cold in Yellowstone and it sounds like you may be out for long days. A good boot that fits well and leaves some room for thick socks and enough space to wiggle your toes will keep your feet comfortable.

[fisheater]

However for skiing with the Discovery 68 NNN-BC is all you need. Now I am not kicking the Discovery 68, I think it is a great ski. You will not outgrow it, but you may end up with more specific task skis and not use it as much. However it will always be a solid ski. So if you want to save a few bucks go NNN-BC. However if you are thinking about more performance oriented skis down the road, perhaps the extra expense of Xplore is worth it to you.
If you have a way of picking up the set I have in Michigan (the Discovery 68 @170cm) you can have them. They have been drilled once for 75 mm bindings

@fisheater cool you have experience with the discovery! Would you be willing to ship the skis?

As far as NNNBC vs Xplore, which one would be easier to learn on? I assumed the better tech might make it easier but maybe not.

@GrimSurfer thank you for all of that pole advice!

@JohnSKepler Thanks, yes I may rent and take lessons first. I just saw some deals online and wanted to pull the trigger but I haven't yet

PM sent

[WMAR]

Honestly, I would really consider renting first before buying gear. Newer tech is not really going to help you learn faster. I am 5’7 122 lb female.I wear a size 8.5-9 and I wear a 41 in the Alpina Alaska. I wear a silk liner sock and then a somewhat thin wool sock. Lucky you getting to ski regularly in Yellowstone! I love winters there. You didn’t say what side of the park you will be skiing in, I’ve only skied the the northern part, I didn’t think there was much in the way of groomed tracks but I know on the west Yellowstone side there is much more of that. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you view it lol! There isn’t going to be one ski that is going to excel in both groomed tracks and the back country exploring. That is why I think renting or maybe purchasing a used set up to just get you started might be a good idea. I would also recommend some lessons, you can learn more about the gear from an experienced skier as you go. Having said all that I will tell you what I am skiing on nowadays and that would be the Asnes Tonje and Alpina alaskas. They are the womens version of the Ingstad and I just love them. I find them to be light, fast enough and turny enough for me. Also, I think the skin set ups of the asnes is really fantastic.Having spent SO much time skiing crap conditions in the past, I really only go out when the conditions are fair to divine, fortunately I live somewhere where that happens a lot. This set up would not work for me if all I wanted to do was make turns on steep terrain in really crap snow. But for cruising around in mixed terrain none of being what I would call very steep it is perfect. For groomed tracks classic I have waxable racing skiis.

[lilcliffy]

Hello and welcome staralfur!

XC-BC ski touring in YELLOWSTONE!!! FANTASTIC!

Job/decision #1- find a BC-XC boots that is warm, comfy, supportive, light and flexible.
The Alpina Alaska BC/XP/75 hits the bulls eye here if you find a pair that fits you properly.
The binding system won't really matter at all- not for the skiing you describe.

Pick the boot first- then the binding. If you prefer the fit of the Alaska XP vs the Alaska BC/75- then go for it.
Have you tried it on?

My only word of caution about Xplore is not price- it is durability and reliability in the wilderness- it is not proven yet.
BUT- if you are just doing day touring within easy reach of base- then XP should be just fine.

Decision #2 is the ski.
My primary advice is WAX. In your local conditions- grip wax will be the bomb- and you will have endless days of Swix Green-Blue-kick-wax heaven.
If you have a tight budget look for a used waxable Fischer E99 or E109 Tour.
If you are wanting to buy new...

WMAR's Asnes Tonje is an incredible ski- though it is not great on "groomed" trails due to its rockered shovel.
But- if what you mean by "semi-groomed" trails is broken-out ski tracks in backcountry snow- then the Tonje would be great. If you want something that performs well on both soft fresh snow as well as consolidated track (e.g. snowmobile track), I would suggest a ski with less rocker than the Tonje.

Regardless- WAX!

Best wishes and keep in touch- let us know how you make out!
Gareth

[CMS]

I learned how to ski in Yellowstone.
If you are working out of Mammoth the snow pack is thinner with lots of elk tracks and beds to ski through, you will need a ski with metal edges, and for a beginner get fish scales. Forget all the camber talk. Something around 60mm-80mm wide under foot. The wider the ski under foot the shorter you can go, easier to turn. Boots need to be warm and have good ankle support. To learn to turn get cable bindings not NNN BC. This set up will also be fine in the groomed track like out on Blacktail. If you are working in the interior of the park most of the skiing is flatter track skiing so you could use a lighter setup. If you are in Bozeman go to Second Wind Sports they have everything you need, slightly used. The gear you want is available on the cheap, because most people around here are skiing resorts or steep BC.

[GrimSurfer]

I learned how to ski in Yellowstone.
If you are working out of Mammoth the snow pack is thinner with lots of elk tracks and beds to ski through, you will need a ski with metal edges, and for a beginner get fish scales. Forget all the camber talk. Something around 60mm-80mm wide under foot. The wider the ski under foot the shorter you can go, easier to turn. Boots need to be warm and have good ankle support. To learn to turn get cable bindings not NNN BC. This set up will also be fine in the groomed track like out on Blacktail. If you are working in the interior of the park most of the skiing is flatter track skiing so you could use a lighter setup. If you are in Bozeman go to Second Wind Sports they have everything you need, slightly used. The gear you want is available on the cheap, because most people around here are skiing resorts or steep BC.

I’d say, learn how to ski first. Diagonal stride, stepping in and out of tracks (which is good prep for step turns), snow plow, snow plow turns, step turns, herringbone climbing.

Once those skills are well established, a novice skier can start to think about parallel turning. You don’t need cable bindings to do this. The binding-boot interface on a NNN BC supports this.

The reason cable bindings were invented was because boots of that era weren’t grooved. All lateral forces were through the toe lock. Times have changed, though there is still a role for cable bindings, it’s waaay to early to throw in the mix for a novice skier.

When a skier gets to the intermediate level, they can decide whether to go the full telemark route. By that stage, they will have done tele turns on 75mm, NNN BC, or Xplore and can decide if they need the assistance of cables for their brand of skiing… or move even further forward with plastic boots and bindings.

[lilcliffy]

I really really want to get the new Alpina Alaska XPs and Xplore bindings. Looks like they will fit a 68 width ski?

I don't know offf-hand what the Outback "68" is underfoot- 60mm?
(Fischer drives me nuts- naming skis after their max shovel width)
The "68" is irrelevant with regards to mounting a binding.
My limited understanding is that an Xpore binding has the same maximum width binding footprint as 75mm/NNN/NNNBC.
So- yes- you can mount Xplore on the Outbak "68".
But, the Outback "68" is not 68mm where it matters.

[lilcliffy]

I learned how to ski in Yellowstone.

VERY cool. Supere coole as they would say a Montreal.

and for a beginner get fish scales.

I have no experience with this locale-
but isn't the deep winter at this location cold, dry, stable, continental?
Wouldn't grip-waxing be easier than coasting downhill on a balance bike?

Forget all the camber talk.

What do you mean by this?

To learn to turn get cable bindings not NNN BC.

Bit of an absolute statement- and I personally did not get "downhill" skiing as the objective in the OP- perhaps I missed this? You know the locale better than I, so perhaps the terrain nescessitates BC downhill skills and associated equipment?

This set up will also be fine in the groomed track like out on Blacktail.

The groomed track there is 80mm wide? Wow.

[CMS]

There are not many groomed trails in Yellowstone Park. My recommendations are a way to have fun without picking your self up out of the snow so often.

While I love to use a good kick wax it takes good technique to make it work, which beginners never have.

Buy used gear, after you learn or ski with a few people you will figure out what you need.

Ski Snow Pass sometime, a very popular ski out of Mammoth, then tell me what gear you want.

[staralfur]

I really really want to get the new Alpina Alaska XPs and Xplore bindings. Looks like they will fit a 68 width ski?

I don't know offf-hand what the Outback "68" is underfoot- 60mm?
(Fischer drives me nuts- naming skis after their max shovel width)
The "68" is irrelevant with regards to mounting a binding.
My limited understanding is that an Xpore binding has the same maximum width binding footprint as 75mm/NNN/NNNBC.
So- yes- you can mount Xplore on the Outbak "68".
But, the Outback "68" is not 68mm where it matters.

Are you saying its the center width that matters? I saw somewhere that Xplores fit "68" width skis but not sure if that meant the middle/center width. In which case Xplore would not fit on Fischer Outback/Alpina Discovery "68"s bc that refers to the top width and the center is narrower? Am I understanding this correctly