Gear All Mountain Skis for Resort and Touring?

[Snowflake2420]

I tour about 10-20% of my time and therefore I have resort skis and one pair of skis with touring bindings (powder skis with Kingpins). They have worked great for winter trips and are serviceable in spring, but are a lot to lug around when the snow is slushy. While I like the Kingpins, I wouldn't ski these full time in the resort.

What I really lack right now is a good everyday all mountain ski and/or skinnier, lighter skis for spring touring. In my search for an all mountain ski for resort, I'm thinking maybe I can get away with getting one pair of skis with dual use, particularly with the Shift binding on the horizon. However, I've also seen deals for skis like the Volkl VTA 98....

What do you all think of the Voile Supercharger 164 or the Kastle FX 95 157 (non-HP) as this double duty ski with a Shift binding? Am I silly to get skis that attempt to serve two purposes? Or just simply divide and conquer with 2 sets of skis, particularly during sale season?

I've skied both the Supercharger and FX 95 HP, however, probably in too long of lengths 171 and 165, respectively. I've also demoed the Shift (downhill) and was impressed. I'm only 5'2" on a good day so I don't need monster skis. I've skied the Nordica Santa Ana 100 as well, which I liked, but don't think it would be great for touring.

 

[Analisa]

Totally doable to have a ski do double duty. I skied with a 1 ski quiver inbounds and out for the first two and a half years I skied since it was already expensive to size up in the length as I progressed. I've been touring on a Pandora 95 that I love and even though I've found a dedicated inbound ski, I haven't liked it nearly as much. I'm considering getting quiver killers since the Shift is a little heavy for multi-day trips or volcano skiing in the PNW, and I tend to wait a season to make sure it holds up to the safety and performance that they're seeing in the pre-launch testing.

Looks like Powder7 demoed out the Kastle 95s on your list at some point with a (frame) AT binding, so you're not the only one to see those as a good inbound/outbound option.

 

[Pequenita]

It's reasonable to get lighter touring skis for spring skiing because -- assuming your weight is relatively proportional to your height -- each pound has a greater impact at smaller sizes. Is your current resort ski not fun in spring conditions? I'm not sure why the 3rd pair of skis needs to serve a dual purpose if you already have a resort ski -- do you need to sell it in order to get another b/c setup?

The challenge I found with having only one ski doing resort and backcountry duty is that my backcountry ski is soft and short, and so it is mediocre when the resort hasn't had snow. I used one ski in and out of bounds for a season.

 

[markojp]

One ski touring/resort quiver.... I'd look seriously at an Armada Tracer 98.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I just remounted my Fischer Ranger 98s (188 cm) with KingPins. I haven't toured them but am confident they'll tour well. I have also been skiing them in the resort. I find the KingPins quite good in the resort. I know they tour well having used them on my Carbon MegaWatts. I mounted them for touring especially for spring conditions. I loved the Rangers when they were mounted with Aaatacks. I like them as much with the KPs. The binding is remarkably strong. Your touring requirements sound like a perfect match for the Shift, a not so light touring system that skis great.

@SkiFiore , what is your height and weight?

 

[Primoz]

I have no problem getting 3000m of total ascend in some 7h out in backcountry with my Rossi Super7 and Marker Duke on (probably it couldn't get any heavier then this), but for spring I still got myself another pair... Rossi Seek7 and super light Dynafit binding. It's just so much easier and more fun then dragging wide and heavy pow planks up the mountain when there's no need for that. So my suggestion is to keep pow skis for pow and get pair of light more narrow skis for spring.

 

[Snowflake2420]

Thanks so much for the responses!

@Doug Briggs @Pequenita I'm 5'2" and 125lbs. I've been skiing Nordica La Ninas 161 a lot this year even if its not a big powder day. I have two pairs of La Ninas, one with resort bindings and one with Kingpins. I could probably part with one of them, but was able to get them very cheap so I'm fine keeping both.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I agree with @Primoz about a powder and a non-powder setup for backcountry.

My asking about your height and weight was due to your ski length selection. Your reply allayed my concerns about your going too short.

 

[Crank]

I have been skiing on a pair of G3 Saintes for the past 4 seasons with old fashioned Fritschi Freeride bindings for both resort and touring. They are 93mm waisted with a bit of early rise and 177cm. A little bit short for me resort and open powder wise but I wanted them short for easier maneuverability in tight eastern woods. They are fine for me in resort settings, but I don't do a lot of high speed groomer zooming and am generally a slowish, soft snow seeking skier.

I am probably going to get a pair of Head Kore 105 waist and put some tech bindings on them sometime in the next year or so.

I am not a quiver guy and tend to not ski on hard snow if I can avoid it. When I do I just make what I have work as best as I can.

 

[Ken_R]

I tour about 10-20% of my time and therefore I have resort skis and one pair of skis with touring bindings (powder skis with Kingpins). They have worked great for winter trips and are serviceable in spring, but are a lot to lug around when the snow is slushy. While I like the Kingpins, I wouldn't ski these full time in the resort.

What I really lack right now is a good everyday all mountain ski and/or skinnier, lighter skis for spring touring. In my search for an all mountain ski for resort, I'm thinking maybe I can get away with getting one pair of skis with dual use, particularly with the Shift binding on the horizon. However, I've also seen deals for skis like the Volkl VTA 98....

What do you all think of the Voile Supercharger 164 or the Kastle FX 95 157 (non-HP) as this double duty ski with a Shift binding? Am I silly to get skis that attempt to serve two purposes? Or just simply divide and conquer with 2 sets of skis, particularly during sale season?

I've skied both the Supercharger and FX 95 HP, however, probably in too long of lengths 171 and 165, respectively. I've also demoed the Shift (downhill) and was impressed. I'm only 5'2" on a good day so I don't need monster skis. I've skied the Nordica Santa Ana 100 as well, which I liked, but don't think it would be great for touring.

The Shift binding is awesome. I used it at Loveland recently on a pair of 2019 QST 106's and it skis just like a good alpine binding. The step in was a bit firm. I am used to that since I mostly use Marker royal family bindings but im 185 lbs. Be aware of that and demo if you can.

Regrading the skis... humm. I demoed a bunch of skis this season and several stood out to me that could do double duty well. The Head Kore 93 was undoubtedly one of them. Loved it. The Tracer 108, the 2019 QST 106, the DPS Wailer 106 alchemist and maybe even the Rustler 10 were awesome skis that I would not mind using for double duty. In my case I would go shorter. Loved the 188's but would choose the 180cm's for double duty to reduce weight and bulk. Of course, In your case that is a non issue since you ski much smaller sizes (length) and can choose narrower skis as well.

I own a pair of Black Crows Navis Freebird skis and really like them but they are a bit too light feeling for typical resort conditions here out west even in the 185cm length that I have. They hold a great edge but are a bit jarring in firmer conditions.

 

[tromano]

I don’t think 1 rig setups make sense unless you ride the lifts to tour. Just IMO.

 

[Lauren]

@SkiFiore - Based on everything you've described it sounds like you're trying to kill two birds with one stone, when two small stones will do much better.

My 2 cents...buy an all-mountain set up that compliments your La Ninas. And get a lightweight ski for touring and move your Kingpins onto that ski. All said and done, you can probably get out of it around the same cost as buying one pair of skis and the Shift bindings. You would then have a three-ski-quiver that compromises a lot less than if you're trying to combine an everyday ski and a touring setup.

 

[Mothertucker]

^ ... and sell the KP's and replace with Alpinist. They look delicious.

 

[Snowflake2420]

Part of my problem is I want all the skis haha

@elemmac You are correct. I've crunched the numbers I could get something like Santa Ana 100s + Volkl VTAs for the cost of one new Shift set up.

 

[Ken_R]

Part of my problem is I want all the skis haha

@elemmac You are correct. I've crunched the numbers I could get something like Santa Ana 100s + Volkl VTAs for the cost of one new Shift set up.

Also, have you considered a frame binding? They can be had for low prices and work well for occasional touring. I have a pair of Marker Barons on my powder skis but you certainly do not need something that beefy. There are other options that would work very well for you if you want something different than the KingPins for mostly resort use.

That way you can get a OSQ setup mostly for resort use that is touring capable but at a lower price and keep your other skis. I agree that you should compliment the La Niñas.

 

[Snowflake2420]

@Ken_R I don't mind having a quiver and maybe the answer is I go for a light touring ski like VTAs (there is an unbelievable sale right now on them for the small size) and have a separate pair of All Mountain resort skis. Either way I think it'll work out. A lot of the gear out there today is awesome, just a matter of what's optimal, preferred, etc.

 

[BTaylor]

My ski collection is beyond trying to get to one all-mountain ski...but I have had a lot of fun this season at Summit County resorts and backcountry with Kastle TX90s and a Dynafit Radical FT tech binding. I don't usually take the Kastles out on days at Breck with hard snow conditions, but they do just fine when there is 2" or so of soft snow surface of one type or another. The setup is so light, it encourages jump turns sometimes just for the heck of it. Pretty hard to find the Kastles on much of a sale, however.

It's almost a year until the next demo sale, but Wilderness Sports in Dillion sells their entire AT demo fleet in mid-April each year. They were selling DPS Wailer and Black Crow Navis packages earlier this month, including Dynafit Radical bindings and very nice skins. The skis I saw were in really good shape and had just had a full bench tune. They sold the entire 2017-18 fleet in 2-3 hours.

 

[DanoT]

The Head Kore 93 is super light weight (no metal) but is a fairly stiff ski that might be too stiff for the OP or it might not as they do make it in 153cm and 162cm. Head also makes a Wild Joy woman's ski that is very light and 90mm wide.

 

[Snowflake2420]

The Head Kore 93 is super light weight (no metal) but is a fairly stiff ski that might be too stiff for the OP or it might not as they do make it in 153cm and 162cm. Head also makes a Wild Joy woman's ski that is very light and 90mm wide.

I'll take a look at these!

 

[Crank]

I've been wanting to try the Head Kore 93. Love the 105 but I hear they do not ski the same.