Wilderness Skiing

Shoki

Shoki

Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
7,395
Hey guys, anyone cross-country ski? I did for a bit when I was a kid and I'd really like to get back into it but I honestly don't know where to start. I used to just ski the wide,level, and well-manicured trails in my town and the going was pretty easy.
What I'm wondering is, how many of you have good luck with skiing 'off the beaten track'? There are plenty of trails in my area but we have a huge tourist presence and part of the reason I go into the woods is for the solitude, not to chat with tourists and dodge snowmobiles.
Since this is a relatively new thing to me, I'd like to hear if any of you guys; have had good luck skiing, find that skis don't get you to places snowshoes might, think the risk of injury or broken equipment in dangerous weather is too great to be alone and away from civilization. Any opinion is welcome. Thanks!
 
I would recommend you look into what gear the Scandinavians use. Seems here in the states the preference is towards lightweight gear, with the emphasis on skiing more as a cardio-vascular excercise than a mode of transportation. Fischer ( www.fischerskis.com ) makes some very nice skis and boots for the wilderness traveler. Their ads in the Norwegian publication Sno&Ski ( Snow & Skis) show x-c boots with vibram lug soles that can be worn as a stand alone boot, and broad skis suitable for carrying heavy loads while breaking trail. A lttile snooping around on their web-site will probably yield worthwhile results.
 
I X-country skied back in the day, but after breaking several skis, I switched to snowshoes. While you of course can't go as fast on snowshoes, I prefer the safety pluses that you mentioned, and the ability to carry a heavy load.
 
A proper pair of cc skis can carry all the load one wants, quite a while ago our standard carry weight in the military was about 25 kg, on long hikes 35 kg. No problem with the right equipment.

Ski trekking is fairly popular in certain circles. On mountains I guess I would prefer snowshoes but almost everywhere else (ok, no thickets) I prefer skis, then on the other hand I can't remember learning skiing so I guess I was about 4 at the time. Safety means one learns to handle the equipment before trying anything too hard. The basics are turns (no down hill) and how to raise oneself after falling down.

TLM
 
I didn't even think about the weight issue and needing a wider ski. Fischer looks like they carry more of what I'd be looking for as far as back country gear. I wonder if it would be a good idea to strap a set of snowshoes to my pack as a backup.
 
I feel much more freedom to explore with snowshoes. I guess it depends on your goal (sport or recreational).
 
I like my metal edged, three-pin, waxable set-up for off trail skiing. They offer great control in challenging conditions. I haven't bought new x-c boards in more than ten years, so I haven't kept up with the latest tech, but you can probably find some sweet deals at your local ski swaps (now's the time).

Jeff
 
TLM said:
A proper pair of cc skis can carry all the load one wants, quite a while ago our standard carry weight in the military was about 25 kg, on long hikes 35 kg. No problem with the right equipment.

Ski trekking is fairly popular in certain circles. On mountains I guess I would prefer snowshoes but almost everywhere else (ok, no thickets) I prefer skis, then on the other hand I can't remember learning skiing so I guess I was about 4 at the time. Safety means one learns to handle the equipment before trying anything too hard. The basics are turns (no down hill) and how to raise oneself after falling down.

TLM
Click to expand...

Mountains are all I have!
 
It all depends on what you need. If you're running a trap line, snowshoes for sure. If you've got many miles to cover, skis rule the day.
 
I used to cross country ski/backpack lots 30 or so years ago. It was great fun and exercise. I've been thinking of getting back into some sort of snowsport again and I would like to try snoeshoeing. I think it would be a little more " my speed" in regards to doing bushcraft and such. I do remember X-country skiing being very physically demanding , at least where I used to go. But we covered a lot of distance. Nowadays , I want to slow down and observe more.
 
there are a lot of good backcountry touring skis/boots out these days. if backcountry travel is your goal I'd avoid the very wide, short telemark ski/boots- these are for making turns down a mountain, not so much for getting you to said mountain

Fisher Silent Spider, Rossignol BC 65 or 70- just to name a few- these are wider than "exercise" ski's, but not overly wide (the above will still fit in a groomed track- barely)- they also have metal edges which is a must have in the backcountry

both Fischer and Rossignol (and many others) make appropriate boots as well

for bindings the NNN backcountry bindings are a good choice (the bindings also dictate what boot can be used- there is a "regular" NNN binding that won't work w/ backcountry boots)

I just bought my wife a pair of Silent Spiders w/ Rossignol BX2 boots, NNN BC bindings and poles- they were sold as a package on LL Bean- I also happened to have a 25% coupon which made it a really good deal- she's patiently waiting until Christmas to break them out (making do w/ her old ones for now) :)

She does ski in the evenings at the golf course so I had to insure the skis would be suitable for that as well- it appears any of the skis mentioned above would fit the bill for that as well

I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy a setup as well, our outings have had me on snowshoes and her on skis- which doesn't work out really great. There is a lot of country where she can really eat up the miles vs me on snowshoes (there are occasional spots that are better suited to snowshoes, but she gets by w/ skis just fine even in those)
 
Mountains are all I have!
Click to expand...

Well that complicates things a little, on steep mountain sides skis need a lot of experience. On "round" shapes skiss work quite well. A few years ago a magazine tested snowshoes against skis on cc trekking in wooded area. Skis averaged about double the distance than snowshoes over several days. It is really a matter of taste and what one knows and prefers.

On soft snow I would say about 2400/70 mm is the minimum size, NATO bindings are not bad but fairly heavy, there are nowadays better and lighter trekkin bindings, some of which take almost any type of shoes.

The one main advantage of snowshoes is that ones hands are free (unles one uses poles, then things are even).

TLM
 
Love backcountry skiing, too.
They are very quick and fast to move compared to other way of going.
I do alpine backcountry skiing as most of the field of Japan is mountainous.
I go skiing to Mt. Fuji every Spring.
 
I "backcountry ski" - using an alpine touring set-up. For uphill, I apply climbing skins and can easily climb 30 deg slopes etc. When you reach the top, lock your heels in and ski down. You can go anywhere you want to go. Generally a better set-up for mountainous areas. Snowshoes are fine and a hell of a lot cheaper, but no where near as fun if you're exploring the mountains. One place I go often takes about one hour to skin/climb up and about 8 minutes to ski down. With snowshoes on it's an hour up and an hour down!

Just an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGmZi3cK3ok

New Hampshire would be great for backcountry skiing.
 
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