Winter Sports World

Discussion in 'Outdoor World' started by spwath, Dec 28, 2018.

  1. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Yeah, but mine are pretty beat up. My own fault though, I do some stupid stuff on them. Hence how I broke my first pair going over a jump...
     
  2. Prydz

    Prydz Friend

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    You can grind them, its not very expensive to get a dealer to do it. However, it cant fix everything like very deep cuts.
     
  3. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Ill have to look into that, probably for my next pair of skis though, These ones have some real deep cuts, and a piece of the sidewall is missing (don't know how that one happened).
     
  4. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Ah the Adirondacks. This is what its all about. 3' of snow, 30 degrees, correctly waxed skis, narrow, curvy, steep trails like bobcat there on the sign. This is what I live for.
    IMG_20190222_155400263_HDR.jpg
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2019
  5. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Was a good weekend. While I was there I took a back country lesson, and learned how to do a Telemark turn. This Friday I'll be taking my back country Nordic skiis to a downhill place and do some Telemark skiing (plus you don't have to pay there if you ski up the mountain instead of using a lift)
     
  6. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    Man i want to snowboard so much but it's damn "sportlov" when all the kids are free from school and usually go to ski.
    Hopefully i can go next week and avoid 20 min queues.
     
  7. Prydz

    Prydz Friend

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    Any interests in the Cross Country WC here?
    Its nice to be norwegian! We have 7 gold so far, and should get atleast 2 more, maybe even 4.
     
  8. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    In name of all my swedish colleagues at work:




    :D
     
  9. WhiteNoise

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    Been skiing since I was 11. Took a bunch of breaks during the years but currently ski when I can.

    [​IMG]
     
  10. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Hoping to get some snow eventually. Waxing my skate and Backcountry skiis.
    IMG_20200115_152753717_MP.jpg 15791202329232320864974095552059.jpg
     
  11. Walderstorn

    Walderstorn Friend

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    I went snowboard once only. Came on summer vacations during winter to the Caribbean and went snorkeling/diving. Was great!

    I dont think i need to wax my cross-country skis but i hope that i can learn to do it better this year.
     
  12. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Recently moved to Taos, and am missing the heck out of hiking.

    What entry-level-but-not-shitty snowshoes should I consider?
     
  13. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    What about lightweight ski touring gear instead? More fun on the downhill...
     
  14. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    My Backcountry skiis are kinda like a lighter touring ski, with metal edges and a more supportive boot and binding than traditional cross country skis. Plus have grip section to go up hill/across flat and a space for a climbing skin for steeper hills. I also added a loop for a ankle strap so the ski doesn't get away if it falls off. Haven't gotten to use them in too extreme situations yet, but a little bit.
     
  15. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    I'm intrigued.

    I've done some downhill decades ago. Is the learning curve significant for touring/backcountry skis?
     
  16. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    The curve is as steep as the hills you attempt.

    The thing with touring/backcountry is that since you are not on trails, there are trees and other stuff to hit.
    Another thing is cost. I don't know about touring (probably more expensive), but for a decent backcountry setup, you are looking at $200-$300 for skis, $100 for bindings, $50 for poles, and $100-$200 for boots. Though a few weeks ago I picked up another set of backcountry skis (not as nice as my main ones though) for $10 at goodwill, with bindings on them.
    Most cross country skis people use are the waxless ones.
    Waxable are faster, but for classic skiis you need to get the kick wax just right. For skate skis the waxing matters less.
     
  17. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Learning curve is pretty easy if you stick to lower-angle terrain to start with. The main issues are safety -- especially avalanche safety -- that are to some extent common with snowshoeing. I don't know Taos, but around Tahoe there are several backcountry ski stores that rent gear and arrange for introductory outings for people interested in trying ski touring. These people I just found via Web search would be able to give you some suggestions.

    There are a few different versions of the sport with different risk profiles and equipment requirements:

    1) Low-angle ski touring aka "meadow skipping" is closest to cross-country skiing, typically practiced with light setups with skis that can climb gentle slopes thanks to fish scale patterns on the bases underfoot. Climbing skis are useful to carry but not often used. Avalanche danger is less if one sticks to low-angle (<20 degree) terrain without major overhangs.
    2) Full-bore backcountry skiing involves slope angles up to anything you'd find at a ski resort, including the prime avalanche angles (30-40 degrees approx). Heavier alpine touring gear (boots, bindings, skis, climbing skins) somewhat closer to alpine skiing in downhill performance. This is what I do mostly. Avalanche safety training, experience, awareness essential. Guided tours recommended at least to start with.
    3) Ski mountaineering adds steeper terrain that may require technical climbing, glacier travel skills, crampons/ice axes/ropes/... I've done this on occasion in the Alps with guides. A whole different set of considerations.
    4) Skimo is a lightweight version of 2-3 focused on speed, Skimo races started in Europe, now spread to North America. Very lightweight gear, Lycra clothes, ridiculously high aerobic output.
     
  18. Prydz

    Prydz Friend

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    Kick wax isent that hard to get right. Usually the problem is wrong kick zone, or wrong ski's for the riders skill level.
     
  19. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    No, but its harder to get right that fish scales in which you don't have to do anything.

    I should actually re measure my kick zone. I did it in high school when I weighed about 50lbs more then I do now...
     
  20. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    My gear is more suited to lower angle skiing, though on the higher side of the low angle. My boots are about as supportive as they can be with a NNN-BC binding. Also my skis are decently wide at 88mm. Nice place to start, though I would eventually like to try some steeper slopes. Need to get nice and good at less steep terrain before going to something steep though.
     

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