Which bindings with which ski?

[jerr]

I kind of know what I want to do but I thought I'd see what ideas people had.

In the quiver already mounted, being used, and staying are

193 Bliz Titan Pro w 916 - charging
192 Lotus 138 w 916 - pow/spring slush
188 Volkl G4 w 914 - rock

The bindings available are

916
914
duke

The skis to be mounted are

08/09 184 LP
187 LP XXL

What bindings would you put where and why.

Considerations are

- NZ skiing, not so much powder, but not ec
- Commitments mean I have to be within an hour of the car, so slack country will be the majority of the touring I get this year.
- I think the LP's will be my go to ski
- The XXl's will be my powder/crud trad cut option

Have fun

[nick > jesus]

there are 197 XXL's? do you mean 194?

but i would go 916 on the LP and duke on the XXL

[jerr]

there are 197 XXL's? do you mean 194?

Good point, actually they are 187. Where I ski is step and pretty featured. I recon about 5% of the time I'll think "I wish these 187's were longer" but I would spend 20% of the time wishing 194's were shorter. And then I've got the Titan Pro's to well and truely cover the long stiff option; admittedly they're not so wide at 95 but stupidly stable and bust through anything.

Why would you choose the XXL's for slack country over the the LP's?

Cheers,

[nick > jesus]

when you go out for slack country you are going pow (or one would assume) and XXLs are superior in pow, while still being versatile (or so i have heard).

[Phill]

XXLs with dukes is a killer setup.

I'd say more versatile than the regular LP.

[PNW Skier]

I'd say put the dukes on the xxl's and forget about everything else.

[mountain_man]

08/09 184 LP: 916's (reliable and bomberer)

187 LP XXL: Dukes (fatter for sidecountry where you presumable heading for softer snow)

[CarlE]

A bit off-topic, but still not... I'm getting a pair of 184 LP for next season, after skiing alot with my Lotus 120, my 185 Scratch BC WRS feels like noodles, well they're not that fun anymore... I got STH16 on the Lotus, and i can't redrill anymore for a pair of Dukes (which would be super-sweet) so I'm thinking about putting Dukes on the 184 LP. Is it in any way a stupid idea? I should point out that I'm from Sweden, which is far from a powder paradise, at least most of the time... Offpist is sometimes very hard in Sweden, and a narrower and stiffer ski is def. a good idea!

[Ottime]

- NZ skiing, not so much powder, but not ec
- Commitments mean I have to be within an hour of the car, so slack country will be the majority of the touring I get this year.
- I think the LP's will be my go to ski
- The XXl's will be my powder/crud trad cut option

Have fun


when you go out for slack country you are going pow (or one would assume) and XXLs are superior in pow, while still being versatile (or so i have heard).


08/09 184 LP: 916's (reliable and bomberer)

187 LP XXL: Dukes (fatter for sidecountry where you presumable heading for softer snow)

I'd put the Dukes on your LPs based on your considerations. If you are experiencing firmer snow and it is your go to ski, it just makes sense. You want a ski that inspires confidence for OB.

I was recently wishing I had my Dukes on the LP. It is fine in soft snow, but excels in firm snow. I've found most of my days in the BC have been in variable conditions. I just did not prefer my larger softer ski for it. I find myself inbounds when it is a mostly powder.

[jerr]

^^^ Yeah, this is kind of what I was thinking. NZ is all alpine mountains, not just snow covered hills. So often when touring the aspect you're heading for is in between wind swept faces and you often have to ski sections of them to get to the good stuff.

Having said that it is way tempting to just put up with the xxl's on firmer surfaces in favour of a bigger ski underneath me.

Thanks for the thoughts, all.