Light, shred-worthy touring sticks

[Benneke10]

I have never heard of anyone saying good things about the Superguide Freetour who wasn't paid by Scott, while it seems pretty much everyone loves the ZG105. I'd be curious to hear if there are other perspectives on the Scott though.

[LeoK]

I own the Zero G 105's. They are excellent. I previously owned and enjoyed the Zero G 108's. I once bought a pair of the older Scott Superguide 105s, but never mounted them. The were stupidly stiff and the quality of construction was subpar. The just looked sloppy. Hopefully the new ones are much better.

Listend to a blister podcast thing - seems the new ones are much better. But apparently the 105s sucked for real. So better does not mean a lot. But they are getting good reis for what I am looking for in the blister buyers guide and some other german speaking sites...

[NorCalNomad]

Diggin up this old thread as I am in a similar situation as the op.

Skiing the alps, only touring, 180cm, 75kg. Looking for a directional reliable ski for tours around 1400-1600m a day.
The ski will get ATK R12 and bootwise I am in Blizzard Zero Gs. I have powder skis (Lotus 120s), I have a ultralight pair (old pre-rocker movement Logic-X) and now I am looking for something in the middle. Lowdowns 102 not available anymore... would have loved a long radius.

Torn between Blizzard Zero G 105 and Scott Superguide Freetour. Any more info on the free tours an how they compare? Or general reservations on any of the brands (build quality and so on)?


thx!

Don't discount getting a pair of the ZG 95. Really light and amazingly damp for their weight. Plus less Euros making fun of for touring on "powder skis" ie anything over 100 to them :P

Sorry never been on the Scotts

[tang]

With huge caveat that I haven’t received or skied yet, I ended up ordering SGN Hurrungane Carbons in 182 for long mission duty. Sub 1400 gr, modern shape (tip tail rocker, longer radius, low camber). Goal is to better handle inevitable variable snow on bigger vert days, vs more traditional blizzards (at least ZG85 - 95 and 105 more versatile I hear). Not quite the Down Lowdown but in the ballpark. I have high hopes! Also comes in a 188. Under the radar so worth pointing them out.
https://sgnskis.com/products/hurrungane-carbon

[profm]

Speaking to the Vision 108's that have been mentioned a few times in this thread. I'd agree that for the PNW specifically, it's one of the better options for a do-it-all backcountry ski. Can handle the deep stuff mid-winter, but still fun on volcanos in the spring. Should be a serious consideration with how light they are for what they're capable of.

Very fun, forgiving, and predictable, but I have felt that they can get tossed around a bit more than I'd like at times. But no more than what I'd expect for a ski I enjoy so much on the uphill.

Definitely more stable options out there, but, as we all know, therein lies the rub - weight always comes at the expense of stability.

[Hicks]

Out of the intro choices I scored a screaming deal on the M-Tour 99s - will report back after trying them out.

[Lord Thomas]

Fuck yeah. There are multiple of us waiting to hear more feedback on the M-Tour

[altacoup]

4frnt Raven. Skis all conditions really really well. Maybe not super light. But very shred worthy.

[LeoK]

very intriguing with the long radius, but I guess I am looking for a bit lighter (with the downsides of this idea) maybe and for a something with chamber...

I found some deals on last seasons Zero G 105s (blue, red waves design) - are those the same ski as the current blue/black ones? I am just to stupid to figure this out for sure...

[cat in january]

According to the interwebs, yes

[DarthMarkus]

I don't have experience on it, but I've seen an increase in popularity lately for the Fischer Hannibal. May be worth looking into.

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

[schindlerpiste]

Kastle TX98 is light on the up and bomber on the down.They are as light as Hannibals, and ski as nicely as Bones.

[twat]

very intriguing with the long radius, but I guess I am looking for a bit lighter (with the downsides of this idea) maybe and for a something with chamber...

I found some deals on last seasons Zero G 105s (blue, red waves design) - are those the same ski as the current blue/black ones? I am just to stupid to figure this out for sure...

Yes they are

Fantastic ski imo
Dont downsize. They ski super easy.
I went with shorter ones for long tours. Body size -cm (172)for kickturns etc and uphauling
Almost tempted to buy the 180 for powderturns.

[LeoK]

@Nordkette: what ski are you talking about?

[twat]

I am talking about the zerog 105.

[zion zig zag]

Diggin up this old thread as I am in a similar situation as the op.

Skiing the alps, only touring, 180cm, 75kg. Looking for a directional reliable ski for tours around 1400-1600m a day.
The ski will get ATK R12 and bootwise I am in Blizzard Zero Gs. I have powder skis (Lotus 120s), I have a ultralight pair (old pre-rocker movement Logic-X) and now I am looking for something in the middle. Lowdowns 102 not available anymore... would have loved a long radius.

Torn between Blizzard Zero G 105 and Scott Superguide Freetour. Any more info on the free tours an how they compare? Or general reservations on any of the brands (build quality and so on)?

thx!

I’m the same height, weight and wants as you. I may even go to that boot next year (Scarpa Maestrale now). I’m torn between the Zero G 105 and the Faction Agent 3.0.

Can anyone compare those two skis or have thoughts on either one? I’m a little concerned about the 180 length in both but don’t want to jump up to 188 in a touring ski.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

The Zero G 105's run short (I think the 180's measure more like 177) but they don't skis short. They're very strong on hard snow, but don't feel locked in. If you plan to use them in deep snow a lot I'd go longer, but that's not really what they're for. Great skis that never feel out of place- one of the pairs I don't think about replacing.

[zion zig zag]

The Zero G 105's run short (I think the 180's measure more like 177) but they don't skis short. They're very strong on hard snow, but don't feel locked in. If you plan to use them in deep snow a lot I'd go longer, but that's not really what they're for. Great skis that never feel out of place- one of the pairs I don't think about replacing.

Copy thanks. Yeah wouldn’t really be for deep powder as I have some Vwerks Katana’s for that. What got me thinking about this was skiing in Europe where to get to the good snow there was usually a tight entrance with steep, hard snow/ice. The Volkl’ s were fine-ish, but not great for that.

I also have some Atomic Backland 95’s in 178. Do you think the 105’s could replace those as a spring ski and still be a winter daily driver?

[zion zig zag]

Copy thanks. Yeah wouldn’t really be for deep powder as I have some Vwerks Katana’s for that. What got me thinking about this was skiing in Europe where to get to the good snow there was usually a tight entrance with steep, hard snow/ice. The Volkl’ s were fine-ish, but not great for that.

I also have some Atomic Backland 95’s in 178. Do you think the 105’s could replace those as a spring ski and still be a winter daily driver?

Bump. Can anyone speak to the Agent 3.0? I searched here but didn't find a ton. They're quite a bit heavier than the Zero G but probably some pay off to that.....?

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Do you think the 105’s could replace those as a spring ski and still be a winter daily driver?

The 105's are my main spring skis. They are excellent on steep firm snow and better than skinny skis when corn turns to mush, or heavy spring pow. The only time I don't use them is for long days with a bunch of sidehilling and kick turns when a narrower ski is just easier.

I prefer a wider, looser ski in the winter, especially in CO where low angle pow is often the only safe choice.

[zion zig zag]

The 105's are my main spring skis. They are excellent on steep firm snow and better than skinny skis when corn turns to mush, or heavy spring pow. The only time I don't use them is for long days with a bunch of sidehilling and kick turns when a narrower ski is just easier.

I prefer a wider, looser ski in the winter, especially in CO where low angle pow is often the only safe choice.

All makes sense, thank you.