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In Bounds Touring Without Touring Specific Equipment?

Jerez

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Sold my tele skis and frame AT bindings last year thinking I was getting too old for uphill. Dang!
I still have the skins and a I have walk mode on my Scarpa boots. How crazy would it be to try to skin up in alpine bindings? Not steep and not a long way, one run for exercise and a lark. Somehow that sounds less horrid than snowshoeing with a pack and skis with boots in the bindings.
So to answer my own question. Yes it works just fine as long as the slope up isn't terribly steep and you don't mind a couple of kick turns. Slapped the old skins on my Liberty skis with Look bindings, put my Scarpas in walk mode for the first time in 3 years and voila! Changed my avatar. :daffy:

Course it was 1.5 hours up and 5 mins down. But the first 20 or so turns were freshies. The rest - where lots of folks had walked - were pretty tooth rattling... but still fun. Tons of people out with kiddos and dogs. A really nice few hours if happy place.
 
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AmyPJ

AmyPJ

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I might go stir crazy enough that I end up splurging on gear...problem is, there are two of us.
 

Jerez

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AmyPJ

AmyPJ

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I have another question: What is wrong with getting a binding liking a Marker F10 Tour or Tyrolia Aambition 10? Because I don't foresee backcountry skiing becoming something I do on a regular basis, more like a few times each spring. If I DO go that route, are super snug alpine boots a bad idea? We had to grind some space for my toes in my new boots, and I seem to recall that for touring, you want a little more toe room?

We snowshoed today, climbed quite a bit, and watched several people descend one of my favorite pitches at Snowbasin after skinning up. 30 inches of fresh, and it was KILLING me!
 

Jerez

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Why not try it in your snug alpine boots? If it sucks you can move to plan B.

I used to have ambition frame bindings. They were fine. But I'm sure if you had proper tech boots and bindings it would be much easier going up. And up is 99% of your time. Do your boots have walk mode? I think that is the bigger deal. But then I just dabble.
 
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AmyPJ

AmyPJ

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Why not try it in your snug alpine boots? If it sucks you can move to plan B.

I used to have ambition frame bindings. They were fine. But I'm sure if you had proper tech boots and bindings it would be much easier going up. And up is 99% of your time. Do your boots have walk mode? I think that is the bigger deal. But then I just dabble.
I would never fit in boots with walk mode. I have to wear a 92 last boot :( Although I suppose I’d probably be OK in a wider boot for the few days I’d hike. If I could pull off buying just bindings right now, I could make this happen this spring :cool:
 

cantunamunch

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Maybe a pair of Marquette Backcountry Skis that we heard so much about during the Backcountry.com debacle? Pretty sure your description is exactly what they’re made for, someone looking to get out, ski some, get exercise and doesn’t necessarily need to shred the raddest gnar out there...all for a reasonable cost.

Yeh, for short vertical terrain where you don't want to use skins they're great. Long vertical, potholes, suncups, crust on deep, or just plain deep they aren't all that.
 

Doug Briggs

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Another (outlier) data point to consider...

I toured for 15 years in race boots. 130 flex, no walk mode. I used frame bindings: Fritschi and Marker. It doesn't matter which, they all have pretty much the same advantages: use your alpine boots, get you up the mountain, as safe on the descent as any alpine binding and disadvantages: heavy, not ideal pivot point.

I didn't get blisters or hot spots but that was probably due to the excellent fit of the boots and using the lace up liners to keep the liner from moving around my foot. I would loosen the cuff buckles and booster. The range of motion while walking was limited but quite adequate for anything 20* and up. On flat, level sections not so adequate, but...

I got up on the mountain and had no difficulties getting down. I was usually just doing one run of 1K - 2K vertical feet. I wouldn't do this for extended touring.

Also...

I would not put my boots on my skis to carry them unless I knew (through trying it) that I could easily put them on cold when on the snow. I did carry my boots once. It was a cold day and I nearly broke my foot getting the boots on.

Finally...

Any place you ski that has new snow and is greater than 25* or so, is potential avalanche terrain. It doesn't matter that what is under it has been skied and consolidated for months. New snow can and will slide given the right conditions. As all the ski areas have been saying (and I paraphrase): 'we aren't open, we aren't mitigating avalanche danger. The ski area is backcountry and has to be treated as such.'

And don't forget the fatal avalanche at A-Basin a few years back. The slope was made unstable by water running under it.
 
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AmyPJ

AmyPJ

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Another (outlier) data point to consider...

I toured for 15 years in race boots. 130 flex, no walk mode. I used frame bindings: Fritschi and Marker. It doesn't matter which, they all have pretty much the same advantages: use your alpine boots, get you up the mountain, as safe on the descent as any alpine binding and disadvantages: heavy, not ideal pivot point.

I didn't get blisters or hot spots but that was probably due to the excellent fit of the boots and using the lace up liners to keep the liner from moving around my foot. I would loosen the cuff buckles and booster. The range of motion while walking was limited but quite adequate for anything 20* and up. On flat, level sections not so adequate, but...

I got up on the mountain and had no difficulties getting down. I was usually just doing one run of 1K - 2K vertical feet. I wouldn't do this for extended touring.

Also...

I would not put my boots on my skis to carry them unless I knew (through trying it) that I could easily put them on cold when on the snow. I did carry my boots once. It was a cold day and I nearly broke my foot getting the boots on.

Finally...

Any place you ski that has new snow and is greater than 25* or so, is potential avalanche terrain. It doesn't matter that what is under it has been skied and consolidated for months. New snow can and will slide given the right conditions. As all the ski areas have been saying (and I paraphrase): 'we aren't open, we aren't mitigating avalanche danger. The ski area is backcountry and has to be treated as such.'

And don't forget the fatal avalanche at A-Basin a few years back. The slope was made unstable by water running under it.
We wouldn't be doing much more than that, either. This is exactly the info I was looking for! And yes to the avy danger. We'd have to get avy gear and get some education, for sure. We have several people we can tap into for knowledge, too.

There was an "inbounds" slide (actually, several) at Snowbasin today. I couldn't believe the areas people were skinning into to cause these slides.
 

MissySki

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I have another question: What is wrong with getting a binding liking a Marker F10 Tour or Tyrolia Aambition 10? Because I don't foresee backcountry skiing becoming something I do on a regular basis, more like a few times each spring. If I DO go that route, are super snug alpine boots a bad idea? We had to grind some space for my toes in my new boots, and I seem to recall that for touring, you want a little more toe room?

We snowshoed today, climbed quite a bit, and watched several people descend one of my favorite pitches at Snowbasin after skinning up. 30 inches of fresh, and it was KILLING me!

I have the Market F10 on the setup I pieced together this season, really like them! I put them on old Rossi S3Ws that I hadn’t been skiing much anymore. I did buy skins and then a hybrid boot that’s super light and has a generous flexing walk mode. There’s just no way I could hike in my regular super snug downhill boots that I’m sized down in and without any ankle articulation. I actually went with my regular size for the hybrid boot which is a size bigger than my other pair. They are not loose by any means, just more relaxed in my problem spots than regular boots that need a lot more tweaking.
 

Doug Briggs

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...

There was an "inbounds" slide (actually, several) at Snowbasin today. I couldn't believe the areas people were skinning into to cause these slides.

I think that is a major reason Breck stopped uphill access when they did. People were all over the mountain including places that only open after patrol mitigates danger.
 
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AmyPJ

AmyPJ

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I have the Market F10 on the setup I pieced together this season, really like them! I put them on old Rossi S3Ws that I hadn’t been skiing much anymore. I did buy skins and then a hybrid boot that’s super light and has a generous flexing walk mode. There’s just no way I could hike in my regular super snug downhill boots that I’m sized down in and without any ankle articulation. I actually went with my regular size for the hybrid boot which is a size bigger than my other pair. They are not loose by any means, just more relaxed in my problem spots than regular boots that need a lot more tweaking.
This is good to know! Maybe bindings now and boots with hike mode next year. Gotta get skins, too. And avy gear.
 

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