Ski Bindings

[Toddykins]

Put another way, this strikes me as a dubious strategy for anything that involves actual skinning.

[Lionel]

Completely agree. For skinning you need appropriate bindings and boots. Anything else would be a nightmare after 20 minutes.

[Bongobob]

I don't skin so just relaying what friend's daughter said. The days she and her friends do skin they typically will skin up the Middlebury Snow Bowl, do some touring on the Long trail above the Snow Bowl. Then they will take runs at the snowbowl. Being former D1 ski racers, she and her friends ski kind of fast, and hard.

[Lionel]

Modern bindings like Marker Kingpin can be skied very hard and fast.

[vertical_doug]

Toddy and Lionel,
You are overthinking what Bongobob wrote. She is referring to Middlebury snowbowl and not too serious. What you are really doing is just a little side country. Hell, you can boot pack it. I think for bobonli with young kids, all he really needs to do is goof around in a little side country. East coast is tight space. Totally different from out west or Europe.

If I was Bobolni, I'd just head up to Jaypeak on a snowy weekend, and hit the glades. or Sugarbush and hit slidebrook basin. I really enjoyed hitting the trees with my girls when they were younger.


Although, this year is crap.

[Toddykins]

Yeah - I have been to Middlebury Snowbowl (Shout out to my fellow NESCAC alumni!) and i understand you can bootpack or skate for 100m in alpine gear. But the statement that ‘normal’ alpine boots should be used for any activity that requires actually attaching skins to skis could not exist unchallenged on the internet. I feel I am doing future generations a service here...

[Toddykins]

Sidenote - My friends that coach use touring boots because they are more comfortable for standing around on the hill for hours at a time. Tell her to get on that!

[vertical_doug]

Yeah - I have been to Middlebury Snowbowl (Shout out to my fellow NESCAC alumni!) and i understand you can bootpack or skate for 100m in alpine gear. But the statement that ‘normal’ alpine boots should be used for any activity that requires actually attaching skins to skis could not exist unchallenged on the internet. I feel I am doing future generations a service here...

Snowboard boots are even more comfortable. And you get the enjoy the snowshoe death marches.

But I hear what you are saying. Generally, once you are a dad, the things you want to do, are not the things you will get to do. I've been grounded for 20 years.

[Toddykins]

20 pages on the buy Lionel a splitboard thread then?

[lumpy]

Snowboard boots are even more comfortable. And you get the enjoy the snowshoe death marches.

I'd be extremely UNcomfortable in snowboard boots on a steep boot ladder unless I had crampons. I see people doing it though.

[Bongobob]

Being an old fart, I don't always write very well. Abby did not say you should use alpine boots. She said you could in a pinch, if you do not intend do do much skinning. Think Abby uses coaches' boots. Have not attended a carnival race in at least 12 years, or been a gate keeper in 14, so I have not seen Abby's gear lately. Abby has been coaching at Middlebury College for 11 years, previously at St. Lawrence for two years while she was getting her masters degree. Think she has her gear dialed in by now. Yes, the Snow bowl is not huge, only 1000 vertical.

[Bobonli]

Toddy and Lionel,
You are overthinking what Bongobob wrote. She is referring to Middlebury snowbowl and not too serious. What you are really doing is just a little side country. Hell, you can boot pack it. I think for bobonli with young kids, all he really needs to do is goof around in a little side country. East coast is tight space. Totally different from out west or Europe.

If I was Bobolni, I'd just head up to Jaypeak on a snowy weekend, and hit the glades. or Sugarbush and hit slidebrook basin. I really enjoyed hitting the trees with my girls when they were younger.


Although, this year is crap.

Sounds about right! We skied our first glade this past week at Gore. And I hesitate to use the word 'glade' because it was really a small goat path connecting trails, but the kids enjoyed the adventure of navigating trees.

[Lionel]

20 pages on the buy Lionel a splitboard thread then?

Never snowboarded, never will I think. Have 5 pairs of skis though :) Like bikes the do it all skis are not quite available.

[vertical_doug]

100% stoke plus Drone.... some of the freshest footage I have seen in a while. .



Mustang Powder Cats, take me please.....

[Lionel]

I am so ready for ski season.

[72gmc]

Have Marker and Salomon been suggested? Yes? Good. Now, where’s the snow?

[climbgdh]

I’ve ski toured extensively for the last 20 years and I’d highly recommend nothing but pin bindings. Anyone that says they can’t be skied hard is full of it. For the skiing you’re describing I’d recommend the Salomon Shift bindings or Marker Kingpin’s. I’ve never skied either of these since I have dedicated hill skis and several pairs of dedicated touring skis but I have heard fantastic reviews on the Salomon Shifts. Boots with the tech fittings nowadays are awesome. Right up to a 130 flex. Can’t wait for ski season to start!!!

[72gmc]

If you follow The Fifty video series (highly recommended) you can see Cody Townsend ski some serious terrain on Shifts.

[Paul Jacobs]

This is interesting for me because I used to ski and ski tour several times a year for many decades but I stopped over 10 years ago and, reading this thread, touring bindings and boots have clearly moved on. In the 1990's and early 2000's I used the same skis and boots for piste skiing with friends and family as well as touring, that was Scarpa Denali touring boots and Fritschi Diamir bindings. I was more than happy with these for all piste skiing in Europe and I remember my gear exciting some interest in the lift queues at Squaw Valley in the 1990s. I also toured extensively including skiing from Argentière to Zermatt, the classic Haute Route over the Plateau du Couloir, in three days with the same kit (plus skins obviously).

I see the Fritschi Diamir binding is still available and the Marker F12 Tour EPF Bindings look to be something similar. I guess boots have improved too but 20 years ago it was much more comfortable walking to the lifts and around the resorts in Scarpa Denalis than in the usual downhill boots of that time.

I wish those of you who do still ski the very best of coming conditions and experiences.

[slwrnu]

i have skied toured for quite a long time on the same dynafit pin bindings, scarpa touring boots, relatively skinny and short (light) skis because I like the sensation of skinning up with minimum effort and then skiing in the snow rather than on it. If there is fresh snow on the piste and it has been groomed it is fine to ski this set up as long as you are quiet with the edges. You can front side those skis if you are not careful.