Fischer E-109 vs. Asnes Ingstad

[athabascae]

And it only took 38 pages of convincing before you got them LilCliffy

I'm taking my Ingstads for a short tour today in the White Pass - we just got 10-15 cms of fresh snow Then playing disc golf with one of my sons in Skagway, Alaska, after dinner - love this time of year.

What do folks think of the edge sharpness from he factory of Asnes skis?? I found my edges came too sharp and finally took a soft gummy stone to the tips and tails yesterday to detune them. They shouldn't be so grabby now. I'm mostly in tour mode so don't need such sharp edges.

Tom

[MikeK]

They are WICKED sharp. Nothing like any of my others skis were when new.

[Teleman]

Edges? Sure need them on ice which was what Telekid got Friday while taking some High School youngsters over to Stowe....Grooming had gone amuck....Frozen all to.....First time the Kid was behind while the kids waited for him....He on 6-7 foot skis...they on three footers....Moguls separated the boys from the men....heh....Oh and the tm22's had no or rounded edges.....Telekid was left shaking his head....And anybody.....tell me why I should get a set of 109's.....Thanks....TM

[athabascae]

You betcha. I learned to alpine and tele ski mostly in Quebec and New Hampshire. Lots and of skidding down on ice this time of year is what I remember. The noise! Chatter chatter chatter. A number 5 basted file always in the pack to sharpen up...

[Teleman]

#5 basted file....Used to have a sharpener for edges but it's long gone....Even used files for chain saws and don't think that worked too good....Thanks...TM

[Teleman]

Final question on the 109;s.... With a hole in the middle of the ski for skins.....what does that mean for jumping off small ledges, stumps and logs?.....All you engineers out there.....And while my "air" is limited...Telekid and Teleking will scope these skis out....They will hit stuff where they will land with more force....Thanks...TM

[lilcliffy]

Hi T-man,

No idea how the easy-skin slot affects the strength and durability of the ski.

To be honest I am more concerned about the strength and durability of the cores of this current generation of "xtralite" Fischers. Skiers are breaking them.

Fischer is still making the regular waxable and waxless E99. The E109 is only available in the waxable "easy-skin" and the waxless.

I just bought the E99 waxable "easy-skin" on clearance. Will find out how durable it is! I push my skis hard as well. Durability is a big issue in the backcountry.

Lightness is important- but it's not everything.

[Cannatonic]

if you don't mind scales the 200 and 205 E109 are now down to 163.18!! These do have super-thin edges and air channels, don't know how long they'll last. I'm sure you'd get some good skiing out them. too bad I'm tapped out after the asnes spree…..

http://www.campsaver.com/e109-crown-xtralite

[Teleman]

Air core...That's scary words....Told this before but waaay back Fischer came out with some e99 air core skis....I bought two pair one for the King and one for me....Headed up to Camels Hump and scored a couple thousand feet of mostly deep powder but at one point turned a corner, hit a logging road and the snow went from 4 feet to two inches....THE WIND!!!!! We put it all into cranking turns to slow down and get back around the corner...Put them to the stress test....Both of us were higher than kites....from the ski guys...At a gas station Teleking went inside and something caught my eye. One of the Kings skis had a line in it...Upon close inspection he had split his ski from tip to tail...the entire length....Almost split a gut laughing as he, an engineer, had said they wouldn't hold up...Didn't tell him right away because he hadn't paid for the skis and they broke on the first run!!!!! Next day got my skis out, still laughing....My skis were split tip to tail....four skis totaled by putting it to them....Anyway they supplied me with two more sets of skis and three to King....free...but they were good for cruising and deep powder....King still has a set...So air core worries me....And a hole in the middle?....Will be interested LC in what you feel about them...TM

[athabascae]

Tom,

More questions when you get the chance as I know you've been out on your skis. Mine are stored in the basement until there is sufficient snow for sliding and cold temps for waxing

Anyway, what have you found having them out and about? How do they slide? Float? What kind of wax pocket are you using with them?

Have you descended any with them? If so, how did they do?

I've been on the Asnes Ingstads about 8 times so far - I have to admit that I'm mostly skiing my Bonna Conquests (e89 class ski) because they are so fun and fast, and most of my skiing as of late has been on trails close to home. I am really happy with the Ingstads though.

The Ingstads glide quite well. While I have no experience with similar-sized skis (e109/eon/S78), I am most impressed with the kick and glide performance of the Ingstads. Of course, they are not a double-cambered e89 class ski, but they hold their own quite while, and covering some miles is effortless and fun. I use NNN-BC and Alpina Alaskas.

Flotation is a world of difference from my e89 class skis - as can be expected. While they do sink quite a bit in the real deep, loose snow, much of the skiing I've done so far has been across lakes that have a firmer base and I have rarely sunk any deeper than my boots. I'm sure Hoks or Annums would float better in the bottomless stuff, but, for me, the Ingstads offer a great balance (compromise) between flotation and kick and glide performance when in tour mode.

I've used a variety of temperatures of swix kick waxes so far - for temps from -18 to +2 C - and have been waxing about two inches back of the kicker skin attachment point to my heel. The Ingstad handled them all quite well and that felt like a good grip wax zone for me (195 lbs on 200 cm skis) - great grip and glide. I'll mostly stick with that for now. There is no doubt that an adequate wax pocket is retained. Its a noticeably big area to wax, given the width of the Ingstads!

Unfortunately, I'm not in downhill mode this spring 'cause I tore ligaments in my knee around Christmas. So, while I have the doctors okay to gently ski on relative flats, more turning-focused trips have to wait until next winter. Then again, I'm more of a tourer anyway... The few small, low angle hills I've descended using simple wedge turns or stem christis, however, have been a breeze. While I don't plan on steering these skis too often, I find that on small hills at low speeds they do steer quite nicely.

Not much of a summation, Mike, but suffice to say, they are so far exceeding my expectations as a BC touring ski. I'm quite happy with them. I can't wait to do a multi-day tour with the Grey Man...

Tom