Show us yer Touring Quivers!

[JPaul]

If anyone is casing my place, FYI this is all you'd be getting for your B&E*.

Had them all lined up because they've all seen use this week, so figured I'd put them here:




Bottom to top, exactly how I stacked them for the photo:

1. 196 Carbon Protests w/ION LT - These guys are going to kill me one day. They must have been hearing about big lines, Japow, FWT, etc. in the factory, but only get to do low angle powder and spring corn harvesting with me. I'm a bad dad.

2. 184 Denalis w/Kingpin 10 - Before you tell me to throw out the Kingpins before they grenade on me, go look up the reputation of the Denali. This setup was specifically curated so the skis break before the bindings. Fearing the worst, I store them in a steel outbuilding with a Halon system just in case. FWIW, the speedskins are awesome.

3. 192 Watea 101 w/Barons - This is the ski I end up wishing for on the downhills 90% of the time. Pretty much 100% inbound duty now, prob shouldn't be in this photo. What do I replace them with?

Critical to my quiver, my kids skis:

4. 175 VJJ w/Tour 12s - My 14-year old's skis. She seems to finally get it this year (i.e. asking to go hiking instead of to the lifts). Looking for a 165cm GPO to replace these if anyone is holding.

5. 118 Mantra Jrs quiver-killed with Contour Startups - My 10-year old's skis. She's a pro at this & her enthusiasm translates directly into more gear for me

* Way better off seeking Mr. Lau's address.

[thecazdog]

I'll have one of everything please.

[swissiphic]

Any way to adjust for that neutrality with your boots' forward lean? Skied an old pair of La Sportiva Siderals and ATK's and felt like I was in a stovepipe. Straight up and down.

hmmmm; i find that boot ramp, binding ramp and forward lean are three mutually exclusive variables that must be optimized independently for eventual perfect combined synergy for ski/binding/boot love feel.

For example, went heliskiing yesterday on my Darksides and had to use my garmont delirium boots in lieu of my optimized vulcans cause the vulcans are in tear down mod mode on the bench. Ramp angle was too low in boots (forgot to install my usual heel wedges) and i was continually fighting to stay on balls on feet and had to ski with power strap off, top buckle on loosest setting and ankle cuff buckle second from loosest to get more forward...and shoved a bunch of tissue to add more forward lean to a rear spoiler. The feeling was workable but never as neutral feeling as my really high ramp angle Dynafit Vulcan setup. Kinda sucked though knowing that perfection was just a boot away...while heliskiing in incredible kneecap/lower thigh deep blower in the driest, deepest most midwinter feeling April Pow in steep trees i've yet to ski.

[Toddball]

^ nice... what's up with the toe holes on the 4FRNTs / 0Gs? everything inserts?

Looks like an ATK Freeraider 14 toe hole pattern. I guess there are 8 toe screws but you don't actually need to use all 8. At least I thought I read that you don't.



Cool quiver, mine is the same except no Ravens, ZeroG 108s, Movements, Salomons, G3s, Atomics...

[Toddball]

3. 192 Watea 101 w/Barons - This is the ski I end up wishing for on the downhills 90% of the time. Pretty much 100% inbound duty now, prob shouldn't be in this photo. What do I replace them with?

Is that the one with the boat-hull tips? If anyone's looking for a pair, there were several of various lengths at Boomtown Sports in Nelson in February. Can't imagine they've gone anywhere.

[JPaul]

Is that the one with the boat-hull tips? If anyone's looking for a pair, there were several of various lengths at Boomtown Sports in Nelson in February. Can't imagine they've gone anywhere.

No, this is the last year before the boat hulls & multiple sizes.

Thanks for the heads up on the ones in Nelson. I'm sure they haven't gone anywhere!

[TrueNorth]

I'll have one of everything please.

Very nice, but I feel like we need a binding quiver pic to go along with it...

How do you find the Movement Alp Tracks? Not a lot of real reviews on them out there.

[thecazdog]

Thanks guys. Yeah, bindings are mostly ATK freeraiders. I use all the holes on the toe because I use a shim.

A bit of a mix of other bindings for the skimo stuff - Plum 150s, Trab Gara Release. Not skiing them so much presently.

All the big boy skis (like the 4FRNTs, ZG108s) will be getting a Shift next month

As for the Movements, I have only skied them a few times, and on boots that were too soft. Crazy light going up. Pretty versatile - could ski soft stuff but still held a decent edge. Apologies for not much else - ask me again in a few months!

[LeeLau]

Got a boot problem.

His and hers. Mostly his

[margotron]

Tell us more about the ZGTP and Lupo 130C!!! Like does the Lupo ski 500 grams better because it is that much heavier!

Got a boot problem.

His and hers. Mostly his

[Andyski]

Got a boot problem.

What is right of the Dalbellos?

[LeeLau]

Tell us more about the ZGTP and Lupo 130C!!! Like does the Lupo ski 500 grams better because it is that much heavier!

They ski different. Lupo is stiffer.

[LeeLau]

What is right of the Dalbellos?

Just Dynafit One

[Andyski]

L-->R
Everything has Sollyfits.

-Wife's 168 Nina99 hybrids in the corner. She loves them in the BC, but too turny inbounds (shocker).
-177 Praxis Protest: No idea what layup/vintage, but they weight 2150 per ski. These were sitting brand new in a second-hand sports store in Issaquah for MONTHS. I'd stop in and fondle them at regular intervals. My wife got them for me for Xmas when they got down to like $300. That was a very good Xmas. These things are riot for pow touring around here - they make the low-angle tree days infinitely more fun.
-186 RPC Pure 3: Love these. Ski longer than their radius most of the time. They see plenty of lift skiing as well. I grab these for pow touring when it's likely to be mixed conditions of there's a weird approach/deproach as they deal with dogshit low-elevation Cascadia way better than the Protests.
-178 W105 Pure 3: Acquired late last summer so don't have any time on them in the conditions I mostly got them for: Volcano corn. I do have ~10 days on them, 7 touring in various forms of pow, and they're very solid and true. I find myself grabbing them more and more for touring as the lighter weight and smaller footprint helps my out-of-shape desk jockey ass keep up. That said, I'm kinda lusting for the Steeple 98 (same weight, radius but more rocker), as the better pow performance might make that something I'd use 70% of tours.
-(Not facing camera cuz I forgot) 176 Dynastar LP (97MM version) - these were sitting around the garage for years, so I said fuck it and put a spare pair of Sollyfits on them. They weigh the exact same as the Protests and RPCs, which is funny. Will probably use them to mess around or ski steep things.

Boot: OG Vulcans with the power strap and bottom buckle removed (1350 grams per boot at 25 mondo with a ProTour).

Currently making bedroom eyes at lighter post-consolidation volcano skis. Volkl Nanuq or BMT 94 (due to longer radius) are rising to the fore on that front.

[mall walker]

I feel like it's getting there. Left to right:

171 Ski Trab Sintesi with Speed Rad toes / Plum 150 heels. 1300g/foot incl bindings. Racing, huge vertical days, long dirt approaches.
177 Movement Response-X with Ski Trab Gara Titans. 1400g/foot incl bindings. 95% of soft snow days, corn days. My primary go-to ski.
179 Down Countdown 102L with Speed Rad toes / Kreuzspitze SCTT heels. 1585g/foot incl bindings. When conditions are variable, unknown, sketchy, etc. My secondary go-to ski.
180 G3 Manhattan with Radical STs. 2675g/foot incl bindings. Rock touring skis basically, occasional resort use.
189 DPS Lotus 120 Spoons. 2000g/foot. Waiting on, I think, Salomon MTN bindings (the blue ones obviously). For the truly deep days, the 18" days.

Fischer Carbon Travers boots, ~1050g/foot

[NorCalNomad]

lol those G'3 look like they have 200g's just of stickers on em :P

[mall walker]

lol those G'3 look like they have 200g's just of stickers on em :P

lol, I have thought about taking them all off and cleaning them back to stock with gasoline or nail polish remover or something, just seems like a lot of work... I don't love the way they ski anyway, so I doubt they'll ever really be a go-to quiver spot.

might scrape em all off though just to measure the difference in weight

edit:



stickers were ~130g/ski, 2547g/ski incl bindings now

[homebrewd]

L-->R
Everything has Sollyfits.

-Wife's 168 Nina99 hybrids in the corner. She loves them in the BC, but too turny inbounds (shocker).
-177 Praxis Protest: No idea what layup/vintage, but they weight 2150 per ski. These were sitting brand new in a second-hand sports store in Issaquah for MONTHS. I'd stop in and fondle them at regular intervals. My wife got them for me for Xmas when they got down to like $300. That was a very good Xmas. These things are riot for pow touring around here - they make the low-angle tree days infinitely more fun.
-186 RPC Pure 3: Love these. Ski longer than their radius most of the time. They see plenty of lift skiing as well. I grab these for pow touring when it's likely to be mixed conditions of there's a weird approach/deproach as they deal with dogshit low-elevation Cascadia way better than the Protests.
-178 W105 Pure 3: Acquired late last summer so don't have any time on them in the conditions I mostly got them for: Volcano corn. I do have ~10 days on them, 7 touring in various forms of pow, and they're very solid and true. I find myself grabbing them more and more for touring as the lighter weight and smaller footprint helps my out-of-shape desk jockey ass keep up. That said, I'm kinda lusting for the Steeple 98 (same weight, radius but more rocker), as the better pow performance might make that something I'd use 70% of tours.
-(Not facing camera cuz I forgot) 176 Dynastar LP (97MM version) - these were sitting around the garage for years, so I said fuck it and put a spare pair of Sollyfits on them. They weigh the exact same as the Protests and RPCs, which is funny. Will probably use them to mess around or ski steep things.

Boot: OG Vulcans with the power strap and bottom buckle removed (1350 grams per boot at 25 mondo with a ProTour).

Currently making bedroom eyes at lighter post-consolidation volcano skis. Volkl Nanuq or BMT 94 (due to longer radius) are rising to the fore on that front.

How has the dentistry field suited you? (JK just jelly of the solid quiver line up)

[Andyski]

How has the dentistry field suited you? (JK just jelly of the solid quiver line up)

Stay in school kids .

Online shopping sniping got me those two. RPC were blems (had “demo” stamped on them, but otherwise perfect) and 105s were $450 new. Protests were $300 from a second-hand sports store!

But, yeah, I’m a fancy boy.

[hafjell]

I feel like it's getting there. Left to right:

171 Ski Trab Sintesi with Speed Rad toes / Plum 150 heels. 1300g/foot incl bindings. Racing, huge vertical days, long dirt approaches.
177 Movement Response-X with Ski Trab Gara Titans. 1400g/foot incl bindings. 95% of soft snow days, corn days. My primary go-to ski.
179 Down Countdown 102L with Speed Rad toes / Kreuzspitze SCTT heels. 1585g/foot incl bindings. When conditions are variable, unknown, sketchy, etc. My secondary go-to ski.
180 G3 Manhattan with Radical STs. 2675g/foot incl bindings. Rock touring skis basically, occasional resort use.
189 DPS Lotus 120 Spoons. 2000g/foot. Waiting on, I think, Salomon MTN bindings (the blue ones obviously). For the truly deep days, the 18" days.

Fischer Carbon Travers boots, ~1050g/foot

How do you like those boots? Are you using them to drive all of those skis?

[mall walker]

How do you like those boots? Are you using them to drive all of those skis?

I am using these boots to drive all the skis, though I haven't yet had the L120s mounted, so it remains to be seen how they'll do there.

I absolutely love the boots. The best boots I've ever owned. My previous touring boots were green TLT6Ps that I skied typically with tongues in, sometimes Expert booster but eventually ditched them. The Fischers flex juuuust about as stiff, though somewhat more progressively, if that makes sense. They ski 95% as stiff and 100% as well, and they do everything else so much better. The walk/skin/boot/etc difference is staggering, I just chuckle seeing people rave about the walk mode in their Maestrales or whatnot. It's all about perspective. Compared to the TLT6P, the rearward motion alone gives me another 4 or 5 inches per stride. They're much warmer. The BOA lower gives a better fit than any other buckle system I've had. It's actually nice being able to buckle the top strap for firm cramponing and leave the boot in walk mode. They drive all of the skis I have mounted in that picture wonderfully even in rough conditions, and they're warm and comfortable enough that I don't mind being in them all day. I can easily drive my car wearing them. If they fit your feet, and a TLT6P is or was ever good enough for you, IMO this boot is a big step up as a dedicated touring boot.

All of this said, I came to AT from tele, and haven't skied a pair of proper alpine boots in a decade, so I suspect I am unusually more tolerant of softer boots than most folks here. I skied some 190 Liberty Double Helixes with some old soft Garmont Megarides, largely inbounds, so I'm not really worried about driving the 189 L120s in the conditions I'm going to be skiing them in (the maybe-five-days-a-year-maybe-ten-if-I'm-lucky 18"+ I'm-never-leaving-Utah conditions we are lucky to get here). I have skied them inbounds on the Manhattans for two days, and again... beats tele! Inbounds I noticed the performance difference from the TLT6Ps most. I don't usually have more than a couple of days inbounds a year though, so I haven't really cared. I'm also 5"10", 155lbs, and not a super aggressive skier. YMMV a lot depending on all of those factors.

[NorCalNomad]

l

stickers were ~130g/ski, 2547g/ski incl bindings now

lololol

[hafjell]

I am using these boots to drive all the skis...I absolutely love the boots. The best boots I've ever owned...All of this said, I came to AT from tele, and haven't skied a pair of proper alpine boots in a decade, so I suspect I am unusually more tolerant of softer boots than most folks here...I'm also 5"10", 155lbs, and not a super aggressive skier. YMMV a lot depending on all of those factors.

Hmmm. I've tried on a pair and they fit like a glove. Almost custom. Glad to hear they're warm as that's a factor for me.
Given that this will be my only boot for this season, I'm curious how they'll handle steep (45-50 degrees) and firmer/icier snow. I'm 6'4" 200lbs and ski worse conditions than you. This would be the only boot I'd buy and use for the season. Both kids are learning to ski so my inbound days will be with them--subpar on piste isn't a deal breaker. As long as you think they can hold up reasonably well on mid-weight skis under 110, I'm not worried about the IB.
Any thoughts on this or their durability?

[swissiphic]

2018 late season update; added some 180 and 184cm Salomon Rocker 2 122s to the quiver of skis. In the boot lineup, the old beat down Dynafit Mercuries got pressed back into service for summer gravel skiing. Found a pair of free womens Garmont Lusters which seem to fit just fine so might as well use em.

[mall walker]

Hmmm. I've tried on a pair and they fit like a glove. Almost custom. Glad to hear they're warm as that's a factor for me.
Given that this will be my only boot for this season, I'm curious how they'll handle steep (45-50 degrees) and firmer/icier snow. I'm 6'4" 200lbs and ski worse conditions than you. This would be the only boot I'd buy and use for the season. Both kids are learning to ski so my inbound days will be with them--subpar on piste isn't a deal breaker. As long as you think they can hold up reasonably well on mid-weight skis under 110, I'm not worried about the IB.
Any thoughts on this or their durability?

I've skied em on plenty of steeper stuff, certainly up to 45º, and put about 150k' human powered vert on em last year. They held up great. There's a little piece of accessory cord to make the ski/walk lever easier to move, that tore off and I was too lazy to replace it. Otherwise zero complaints. I have heard that the liners wear out quicker, haven't noticed it myself but you're a bigger guy, so you may want to think about having a backup liner or swapping for an intuition. You'll definitely have worse conditions than me in NH, but I got into some pretty variable stuff.