The Great North American ASNES FEVER!

[akmtnrunner]

One more perspective on the Gamme . . . I've had these out a half-dozen times so far since getting them about a month ago. They really are perfect for going fast in gentle terrain. Good camber to lift kick wax off of the snow, yet easy to compress it down and kick well. Descending, they track straight as an arrow but they can be thrown sideways in a hurry to dump speed as long as the snow isn't deep. The width is great. Wide enough to give some floatation in deep snow but still narrow enough to be very fast in gentle rolling terrain.

[jyw5]

Thank you both so much for the information! There is alot there for me to study and think about and will probably take me a while to digest and respond. I just got back from a wonderful bluebird day of skiing after a huge blizzard yesterday that dumped 9 inches of snow. I skiied on my FT62s and Guard Adv and it was amazing.

So I will start with this:

What I am trying to do is stay away from using my fat alpine skis zipping down chutes and big moguls at the resorts as I get older so I don't end up with knee and hip surgery. I want to ride the mellow green and blues but find that most of the time, they are icy in the cold morning and soft/slush in the afternoon. I want the best possible Asnes ski that can handle that crusty aweful snow...something very narrowly focused. I find that the FT62 and S112 are definitely not the right skis for that.

I am going to see if my local shop can help me add a loop so I can attach a leash as there is nowhere to put one on a BC NNN binding.

I definitely agree that BC NNN with the Alfa Guard Adv. at the resort would be a blast. The only reason for me suggesting 3 pin is for attaching a leash.

So based on the analysis above, perhaps the Nansen or the Ingstad at the right length would be a good ski for crusty icy groomers in the cold shaded mornings at the resort. However, I also like the possibility of using a shorter Gamme 54. Hard to say...would be nice to demo the skis!

As for the Nosi 76, based on Johnny's review, it seemed like a good one for downhill performance in slightly wet and deeper snow vs the FT62.


And lastly, my addition of the MR48 is simply because the ski trails are groomed inconsistently and snowmachines roll through them illicitly and dog walkers, snow shoers also mess them all up too from time to time. Some trails can be a free for all on some days and other days, they are pristine XC trails with classic tracks. The temp is all over the place as well.
-10F one day then 42F the next. There is so much variability that I figured a BC nordic ski is needed for full enjoyment of these trails...and also, my old NNN boots dont feel as good as my alfa quest core BC NNN.

Thanks for the online shops recommendations too!

Cheers,

Joe

[Nitram Tocrut]

So another 120" later, it is still snowing. It was complete white out today. just to see where we were going, I had to use glacier mountaineering skills by waving my pole in front (really needed to tie some neon yarn to it). Took almost 2 hours to break 3 miles of trail...wooo! My trusty Asnes FT62s were amazing on all that soft deep snow.




Resort/Backcountry off piste / deep powder tele:
Asnes Rabb 68 + Voile 3 pin cable traverse with risers 172cm
Alfa Greenland, 41 EU

Any thoughts, comments, and criticisms appreciated.

After being summoned by both Fisheater and LilCliffy to share my experience with both the FT62 and the Rabb 68 I had no choice but to jump in

Due to a very sever case of Asnes fever that I have been suffering for the last year I bought one too many pair of Asnes skis... and that ski is the Raab. From my own experience I would not recommend you buying those skis although your snow conditions are way different than mine. I never had the chance to Rabb in deep powder, the most we had this year was probably 10 to 15 cm so not much compared to what you described. I found that the Rabb are not really enjoyable under those conditions as they tend to sink a lot and that render them so slow... As a comparaison I also own 205 cm Ingstad and the new FT62 and both are way better than the Rabb in deep snow. I think that the new FT62 is stiffer than the Rabb and that gives them an advantage despite being thiner underfoot. Don't get me wrong, I think that the Rabb 68 is a very good ski but I don't see the need to buy them if you already have the new FT62. I guess it is not a issue here, but i find the FT62 to be WAY better than the Rabb for XC as the Rabb are so squirelly. If I want to use the Rabb as a tour for turn ski I have to wax almost the entire surface to make them enjoyable for the touring part. I used the Rabb once at the resort but only on groomed track and only the easier runs. I could actually ski intermediate run but I had to go parallel. I must say that the Rabb were mounted with simple Voile 3 pin with cables and I had T-4. Like Fisheater suggested, the natural step from the FT62 if you stick with Asnes skis would be the Tindan or why not some of their wider skis? I can't be of much help for those but as I said, I don't think the Rabb 68 is the ski that will fill your need for a deep powder tele ski. I hope I did not burst your bubble... but I would say to be careful not to get too excited when you read the review of the Rabb... I did but finally it was not up to my very high expectations

[jyw5]

well that is a bummer to hear that the Rabb 68 didn't meet your expectations... I do love my ft62 but unfortunately, I'm only good on them when the snow is good. I feel a bit discouraged that after 60 days of skiing this winter that I have so much trouble when the snow just changes slightly and becomes less ideal. I guess there is no possible way I will ever even come close to skiing leather NNN BC and skinnies like I do on fat downhill skis, frame bindings, and plastic boots. It is all tradeoffs I suppose. There must be a setup out there that would do well at the resort on groomers and less than ideal powder (the terrain I don't do well on the FT62s)

The Tindan 86 looks good, but Asnes doesn't recommend telemark bindings and not leather boots. I think if I got the Tindan, I would mount AT bindings, great for Alpine touring. But I like the extra width of the Fjoro...especially for the deep snow that we get.

It would be nice to find a good ski for skiing greens and blues at resorts the day after a snowstorm... something that would work on and off the groomers in less than perfect snow (i.e., not the FT62).
(Or just maybe I need to become a better skiier and remount the FT62 with 3 pin Voile bindings?)

I did try the FT62 on some steeper icy packed trails with some fat bike and snowmobile ruts...wow, it was not fun. I felt like I could faceplant at any moment ...I was very tense and nervous going down at just 15-20 miles per hour (which felt really fast... for comparison, I regularly go 40-50 mph at resorts on alpine skis and feel great)
that is what has led me on a quest to assemble a new quiver of skis (not right away because of COVID-19, I'm not working right now)

[MartinF]

... for comparison, I regularly go 40-50 mph at resorts on alpine skis and feel great)

Same here, sometimes even much faster. Speed is always relative (yeah, of course, but I mean psychologically). On technical mountain-bike trails I might need so much focus that I can't even glance at the speedometer. So it feels seriously fast - but when I calculate the average later on, that 'speed' can work out to as little as 15 km/h.

Meaning to imply: Don't measure speed. Measure excitement.

[fisheater]

Perhaps the reason I like my FT downhill is the 3-pin cable bindings and my Alico Ski March boots. I don’t think I could do the same in my Alaska BC

[bgregoire]

Perhaps the reason I like my FT downhill is the 3-pin cable bindings and my Alico Ski March boots. I don’t think I could do the same in my Alaska BC

Maybe you need a second pair of FT62 w/ NNN-BC just to double check? This is the Asnes FEVER thread afterall. lol.

Be safe!

[jyw5]

I am assuming you are speaking of using the Gamme 54 at a groomed hill as a downhill ski? Interesting.
The Gamme is a very stiff and cambered ski (not as cambered as a track Classic XC ski- the Gamme is tuned for BC snow). You might need a Gamme shorter than 180cm- at your weight- if you hope to compress that camber and pressure this ski into turns...You mentioned the Cecile/Nansen in your other post- I would think that the Nansen/Cecile might be a better ski for this...Why would you not try your FT62 in this context?
You mentioned the FT62 vs Ingstad BC in your other post- they are very different skis in terms of flex and geometry. The Ingstad has camber and stiffness underfoot that is very similar to the Gamme 54 (but its over all flex and geometry is very different from the Gamme)- very different from the FT2. With its considerable tip rocker- the Ingstad BC has a much shorter effective edge than the Gamme or the Nansen (though I assume that the camber of the Nansen is easier to compress and pressure than the Ingstad/Gamme). Though I have never even seen a Nansen- the descriptions of its flex pattern remind me of the FT62- though it is more cambered than the FT62 and has no tip rocker.

Now that I am back and have rested after an intense ski mountaineering/climb last week, I can finally respond.
I think the Cecilie Skog ski or the Nansen with Alfa guards may be good for icy groomers and some light dusting of powder at the resort. I tried skiing some moderate sloped icy groomed trails with the FT62s, they were fast, slippery, and difficult...maybe its my lack of skill.

Resort/Backcountry off piste / deep powder tele:
Asnes Rabb 68 + Voile 3 pin cable traverse with risers 172cm
Alfa Greenland, 41 EU

A number of skiers now have the Rabb 68- don't know how stable it is in deep snow...

after reading the mixed reviews, I will pass on the Rabb 68. The Nosi 76 would be cool to try out.

variable XC:
Asnes MR 48 + manual NNN BC, 190cm
30mm mohair Xskins

Why the MR- need something that will work in a groomed track?

The MR48 would be great for the variable trails and conditions that we have...some trails are groomed, others are not and still others are destroyed by walkers, sledders, and fat bikers.

[Johnny]

Aaaahhhh...! October at last! My favorite time of the year... When the backyard is covered with a beautiful carpet of golden pine needles... When the forests turn into the greatest show on earth... When the mountain tops become covered with snow... The first turns of the year... When the apples are perfectly ripe in the trees... When the delicious organic pomegranates from California are in season... The time to fire the wood stove...

But mostly, that time of year when a big huge box falls from the Norwegian skies!
What did you guys buy this year to quench your fever?

[fisheater]

More importantly, what did you buy that you really don’t want, but I can’t live without? Too many Nansen poles??? 30 mm X-skins?

I did buy a pair of Alaska boots in 75 mm. I already have a pair of BC. I am very pleased!!! I believe these boots will just make me put all the more miles on my FT. I couldn’t be more pleased.
I also couldn’t have been more wrong about this boot until I finally had one in my hands

PS I think you were very good this year. The box should have been much bigger!