Ideal 2 Ski Quiver for PNW Backcountry?

[ey_allen]

After a gear explosion on my most recent outing, some hard introspection about what I need in a touring setup, and some advice from trusted friends that have many more days under their belts I'm starting to think about completely reworking my BC Quiver. This is for PNW touring mainly around Stevens with some volcanoes thrown in and a once a year hut trip. No real multi-day usage, no need for massive outings, and not typically skiing deep powder unless the stars align.

What I am settling on are two skis as the basis and go from there.

Ski #1 - Hard snow, spring skiing, lightweight (~1300-1400g per ski) but firm enough to handle hard snow and crud. Quick turning for navigating trees and steeps. Thinking 85-95 underfoot with a lightweight and dead simple race style binding. Skis in this category I'm digitally fondling include SCOTT Superguide 95, Salmon MTN Explore 88, DPS Pagona Tour 87.

Ski #2 - Most days, soft snow, but can handle the deeper stuff. 105ish underfoot and ~1600g or so per ski. Mounted with a slightly more feature rich binding (G3 Ion). Digital sleuthing has be looking at the Atomic Backland 107, Navis Freebird, and the Helio 105.

What are other mags running for their quiver in the PNW? Am I on the right track for a quiver of 2, or are there any skis I should seriously eyeball?

[skibrd]

I’d go:

Salomon MTN Explore 95 with a G3 Ion 12

K2 Mindbender 116c with Kingpin 13 or CAST

That for me would be a good volcano/corn ski, and a good soft snow ski. Not sure what length you are looking for but the MB116C is very light for it’s size.


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[SoVT Joey]

Corvus Freebird and a zeroG 85, both with alpinists or atks

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Corvus Freebird would work but I think something like the Prior Husume or similar would be better in our maritime snow around the passes. Stiff with lots of taper and minimal sidecut


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[Norseman]

What are other mags running for their quiver in the PNW? Am I on the right track for a quiver of 2, or are there any skis I should seriously eyeball?

For the 2 main BC rigs in the PNW, I use:

*Volkl BMT 94 with Dynafit SSL2
*ON3P BillyGoat 108 Tour with ATK FR14

For fringe use:

*Lightweight custom fishscales w ATK Trofeo and carbonated bewts
*full core BG118 w Cast and Lange XT3 140

[f=ma]

I run

Line Vision 98 with MTN's
Corvus Freebird 108 with tectons

Probably going sell the Corvus Freebirds and go wider to 116. Not a huge fan of Corvus's right now.

[XavierD]

ZeroG 95
ZeroG 105 or Billy Goat 110 tour

Honestly plenty of great 105-112mm touring sticks out there. Hard to go wrong with many of them. ZeroG 95 is IMO a significant step above all the others so long as you posses a significant and sincere appreciate for camber.

[Falcon3]

I can’t imagine only having 10mm between your two pairs is the best use of a 2-ski quiver. The 105 won’t be that much better than the 95 when you want it to be.

ZG95 is good.

Step up to BGT110 or Deathwish Tour at 112 for your bigger ski.

[benk]

In my experience you’re gonna want a slightly heavier second option, thinking ON3P Billy Goat/tour. Volcano skis will mostly ski the same across hardback conditions but not all mid fats are built to deal with our heavy and often wind buffed snow like an ON3P

For skinny volcano option I’m happy with my camox Freebird but like other have said. Plenty of good skis in that category.

If you have room for a third, a 118mm+ is really nice to have for those few days a year

[Samski360]

I live in the PNW too. I think something like the Zero G 95 or Black Crows Camox FB are awesome skis for this region. Zero G is more directional, Camox is a little easier to pivot, and floats better. I’ve skied both extensively. Used to have zero g, now have Camox. I like how the Camox ski more, but zero g is a fair bit lighter.

I have a Navis FB too,and really like it for most PNW skiing, especially in the alpine or when it’s steep. In low-medium angle tight trees, they’re not that much fun compared to other options. I have not skied the Helio 105, but my impression from reading other opinions is they’re not great in variable snow, so unlikely to be a good pnw ski (but entirely defer to those with experience). I used to have Corvus Freebird; I didn’t think they floated meaningfully better than the Navis and were a chore to ski in variable snow and tight trees or terrain. Stupid fun if you can get them up to speed.

Something like the 4frnt raven could also be good if you like reverse camber.

[Toddball]

For a two-ski quiver, I would look for either:

(1) a 10x ski that is competent on long spring tours with the possibility of steep and firm snow + a fun-shape 12x ski, or
(2) a 9x ski that is really competent on steep/firm/etc + a fun-shape 11x ski

Basically you want to cover your bases between big objectives, big storms (potentially with high avy danger), and the many days where you will experience amazing bottomless powder on some aspects and elevations but very different snow on others. You then end up deciding if your variable-conditions day ski is the more powder-oriented ski in your quiver, or the more firm-snow-oriented ski.

My touring quiver consists of Meridian Tours (107mm, reverse-camber, almost symmetrical), ZeroG 85s, and Lotus 138s. Last season I skied the Meridian Tours for almost all of my touring days (including volcanos and various big days), the 138s maybe twice, and the ZeroGs zero times. It was pretty nice having a somewhat more substantial ski at the end of long spring days when you have the great pleasure of skiing sticky glop, and the Meridian Tours are good enough on firm snow to make that tradeoff worth it to me.

[CirqueScaler]

For your "lightweight" touring ski (although 1300g is not that light), the Aski Verglas could be really fun depending on your ski style. For steeps, I imagine you're just jump turning, which it would be good at, but not great in tight trees. Better for open volcano faces with a lot of fall line ahead of you - that's where it would come alive.

Another good ski in the 1300g range could be the Ski Trab Stelvio. Bombproof construction and a 3 yr warranty. The skis keep the traditional trab ski shape which is very stable at speed w/ the nice split tail but bump up the core which adds weight, reduces cost, and improves dampness. Very damp ski for the weight - damper than the zero g for sure. Not to shill my own stuff, but I have a Ski Trab Maximo (90mm wide; stelvio is 85mm wide) for sale in a 171.

The last ski to consider if you want something easier skiing than the Aski or Trab would be the Atomic Backland 85 or 95. Easy to ski, big sweet spot, very well-liked.

Lots of people are telling you to get a zero g without asking you what kind of skier you are. Maybe they know you well already. But the zero g is a very demanding ski, so if you aren't a very good & aggressive skier, it's probably not the right ski for you. Additionally, depending on width and length, it's a bit lighter than your 1300g preference. The zero g is moderately damp, but it's still light, i.e. it gets bucked around. If you know that you don't want to ski a light ski, it might be better to stick in the 1300g range.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

For your "lightweight" touring ski (although 1300g is not that light), the Aski Verglas could be really fun depending on your ski style. For steeps, I imagine you're just jump turning, which it would be good at, but not great in tight trees. Better for open volcano faces with a lot of fall line ahead of you - that's where it would come alive.

Another good ski in the 1300g range could be the Ski Trab Stelvio. Bombproof construction and a 3 yr warranty. The skis keep the traditional trab ski shape which is very stable at speed w/ the nice split tail but bump up the core which adds weight, reduces cost, and improves dampness. Very damp ski for the weight - damper than the zero g for sure. Not to shill my own stuff, but I have a Ski Trab Maximo (90mm wide; stelvio is 85mm wide) for sale in a 171.

The last ski to consider if you want something easier skiing than the Aski or Trab would be the Atomic Backland 85 or 95. Easy to ski, big sweet spot, very well-liked.

Lots of people are telling you to get a zero g without asking you what kind of skier you are. Maybe they know you well already. But the zero g is a very demanding ski, so if you aren't a very good & aggressive skier, it's probably not the right ski for you. Additionally, depending on width and length, it's a bit lighter than your 1300g preference. The zero g is moderately damp, but it's still light, i.e. it gets bucked around. If you know that you don't want to ski a light ski, it might be better to stick in the 1300g range.

Your suggestions are great for the Wasatch but not really appropriate for the area that the op is posting about


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[chicken feathers]

When I lived in the region I had Volkl 108's and Navis Freebird. I went back and forth between camox freebird, mtn 95, bmt 94 and zero-g 95...ended up with Navis freebird/ G3 Ion LT because thats what I could get a deal on. I would've preferred a mid 90 ski to it.
My wife had Volkl 108's too and Fischer Hannibal 96.
I think the OP has the right idea.

[Pins and Skins]

Toddball, what binding do you have on the L138s? I have the same but am deciding on between beefier bindings (think Kingpins) or simpler/lighter ones (Alpinists, ATKs, etc.).

For a two-ski quiver, I would look for either:

(1) a 10x ski that is competent on long spring tours with the possibility of steep and firm snow + a fun-shape 12x ski, or
(2) a 9x ski that is really competent on steep/firm/etc + a fun-shape 11x ski

Basically you want to cover your bases between big objectives, big storms (potentially with high avy danger), and the many days where you will experience amazing bottomless powder on some aspects and elevations but very different snow on others. You then end up deciding if your variable-conditions day ski is the more powder-oriented ski in your quiver, or the more firm-snow-oriented ski.

My touring quiver consists of Meridian Tours (107mm, reverse-camber, almost symmetrical), ZeroG 85s, and Lotus 138s. Last season I skied the Meridian Tours for almost all of my touring days (including volcanos and various big days), the 138s maybe twice, and the ZeroGs zero times. It was pretty nice having a somewhat more substantial ski at the end of long spring days when you have the great pleasure of skiing sticky glop, and the Meridian Tours are good enough on firm snow to make that tradeoff worth it to me.

[Andyski]

It was pretty nice having a somewhat more substantial ski at the end of long spring days when you have the great pleasure of skiing sticky glop, and the Meridian Tours are good enough on firm snow to make that tradeoff worth it to me.

This is where the “pre vs post consolidation” point gets made. Pre, I’m right there with you- go 105-110 for the inevitable glop sequence. Post, glop is rarer, and 85-95 is sweet. In a 2-ski setup, keep trucking on the wider ski pre.

[Jason4]

This year I’ve been spinning laps on a pair of Lib Wunderstick 106s that I really like. I also have a pair of Hagan Boost 94s with Hagan Core 12 Pros. I spent the afternoon skiing groomers on the Boosts to feel them out before I commit to any touring on them. If I wanted a daily driver touring ski I think it would be the Wundersticks with Core 12 bindings on them. I also have a pair of Bentchetler 120s for deep days.

[HAB]

Toddball, what binding do you have on the L138s? I have the same but am deciding on between beefier bindings (think Kingpins) or simpler/lighter ones (Alpinists, ATKs, etc.).

I'm not Toddball but I'm also in the PNW and tour (sometimes) on L138s.

Mine are inserted for both CAST and G3 Zeds. Zeds work, but but I've found that I tend to grab the L138s when it's nuked, avy danger is high, and I'm doing smaller days in lower angle terrain and looking for mini golf lines and the like, and CAST feels more appropriate for that use. YMMV.

[nickwm21]

BMT109
BMT90


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[Toddball]

Toddball, what binding do you have on the L138s? I have the same but am deciding on between beefier bindings (think Kingpins) or simpler/lighter ones (Alpinists, ATKs, etc.).

I have Dynalook plates with SSL 2.0s, which have the B&D adjustment plate so the heel matches the Radical pattern, and then a shim under the toe to fix the delta. Don't do that, unless you need to get around an old mount like I did. I'd go for a light pin binding. I've skied my 138s inbounds with PX14s a few times, and while they're fun on untracked snow, my other inbounds skis are fun when it gets tracked out, too. My 138s are pretty light (old Pure construction), so they get bounced around in variable snow.

But, I've never tried a burly touring binding. Sounds like HAB has a setup that works for him.

[RudyGarmisch]

BG Tours with Shifts, 96 Woodsman Tour with Dyna Speed Rads

[Pins and Skins]

Thanks a lot and thanks to HAB as well. Yah I'm leaning towards a lighter pin binding as well, will only use them in the deep stuff so a burly binding may not be necessary

I have Dynalook plates with SSL 2.0s, which have the B&D adjustment plate so the heel matches the Radical pattern, and then a shim under the toe to fix the delta. Don't do that, unless you need to get around an old mount like I did. I'd go for light pin binding. I've skied my 138s inbounds with PX14s a few times, and while they're fun on untracked snow, my other inbounds skis are fun when it gets tracked out, too. My 138s are pretty light (old Pure construction), so they get bounced around in variable snow.

But, I've never tried a burly touring binding. Sounds like HAB has a setup that works for him

[Lord Thomas]

For me it's a BMT 109 and 94 with Zeds. Both skis cover a surprisingly wide range of condition with ease and float better than they should. 94's do just fine on refrozen and wind scoured then don't miss a beat in the deeper goop. For the heavy and funky snow in the PNW, especially more toward the westside, I would avoid skis with a wide, stiff, flat tail. I've found them to be a real pain in dense or crusty snow when you can't keep it pinned on the fall line. Also, I'm starting to get all wrapped around the axle thinking about an L138 in the touring role, could open up a whole new world and significantly expand the low country touring season on both ends

[Kootenai]

Another vote for BG tour/Steeple 108

[fleaches]

I'm not in the PNW exactly, but in the Sierra I have been extremely happy with the zero g 95/bgt 108 combo.

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