Advice on BC Skis for a Newbie Please

[WindBiter]

Hello. So I've been renting skis from my locals sporting goods store to get into the sport. The only options they have to rent are classic skis. Around where I live there aren't really any groomed trails so there is no good reason for me to pursue classic skis as I get better at skiing unless I want to travel a lot to ski (which I don't), although I am enjoying learning with them. I'm looking to invest in buying my own gear that would be more suitable for what I have to ski on (ungroomed trails and impassable, snowed over dirt mountain roads) and that will be good for off trail exploration when I get competent enough. My sporting goods store carries BC skis like Rossignol BC 90s, Fisher S Bounds 98s, Excursion 88s, and various other models. I'm pretty new to skiing and have no experience with BC gear yet, could anyone tell me what I should be looking for and maybe even about the ins and outs of those particular models mentioned? I would really appreciate any help. Thanks.

 

[tromano]

I have an BC125 with dynafit speeds which can tour for miles and turn really nicely in fresh snow and a NNN-BC setup with BC65s which work well as gliding snow shoes for ungroomed trails and also slow for classic but fit into a set track.

The skis you are looking at probably won't fit into a set track. I would set them up for making turns, a 3pin with cable/wire, light tele or light tech binding. If you just want a gliding snow shoe and plan to use NNNBC class I would get a narrower ski in case you go to a nordic center.

 

[scottyb]

The folks at WG do pretty well on those Rossi BC waxless skis with the NNN system.

I like to meadow skip on my Tele gear sometimes but tour to turns are calling for tech binders.

A good set of leather pin boots on some woodies just feels right at a groomed track set spot.

 

[Slim]

@WindBiter , all those options would be good. In general the shorter and wider, the easier to turn, the longer and straighter the easier to move forward.
Get some (BD)kicker skins to fit your skis too. If there is descending and turning, 3pin is the way to go. that way you can always move up or down to a lighter or beefier boot and binding as needed, but it will all be compatible.
NNN-BC is a great option for ease of use, but never as beefy on the descents as 3 pin(or at least, 3pin+cable).

If you ever want the option to hit tracked trails you need to stay <65mm wide.

 

[tch]

Questions: are you looking to go uphill and then downhill? Or are you skiing trails or roads that are reasonably flattish (with some rolling features perhaps)? Where do you live? Ever going to go to a xc ski area? How deep is the snow generally? How much do you weigh?

Slim has some good info, although I don't see the need for skins unless you're really climbing. I ski untracked New England woods trails with Fischer S-Bound 88's and some relatively beefy NNN-BC boots (Alpina 2250) and NNN-BC bindings. Great solution for me @ 175 lbs and with about 5-8" of snow. If you go cable bindings, you'll lose striding glide and gain weight, so I don't recommend unless you're going up so you can ski down.

If the snow depth is shallower or been tracked or snowmobiled, I also ski a Fischer Spyder 62 with standard NNN bindings; it has metal edges, but will fit in groomed tracks, and has some "pop" that true BC skis won't have. But they are not as "floaty" or stable as the wider S-Bounds.

You really need to think about most common use; I suspect you should end up in the 88-98 shovel width skis with NNN-BC bindings OR three-pins.
Personally, I like the Fischer S-Bounds, but I don't know if they are that much better than other similar skis.

 

[WindBiter]

I live in Wyoming. The roads and trails I've been on aren't completely flat but not too arduous and there are a lot of rolling features where I'm at. I don't plan on being mainly a climber but yeah I'd like to be able to climb uphill and go downhill reasonable well.
Snowfall varies but it is the rocky mountains so theres no lack. Only weigh about 145 lbs. There are a few groomed trails in the area but not enough that I think I should let it dictate my gear unless I wanted to do that skiing mainly. I'm much more interested in exploring. Hope that makes some stuff clearer.