Corey is my bro from Wisconsin that really shreds, who's this Cody fella? Sounds like an old-timer. Performance anxiety I guess, lol. Didn't even catch that when I watched it twice before Danny published it:)
I hope every backcountry skier who's browsing the ski market looking for their next setup watches this video. Weight is so important for touring. You can get amazing performance from fairly light gear as you said Christof! For a touring set up, there's pretty much no need for a binding that is more than 500g unless you're hucking massive cliffs or auditioning for the new TGR film. I just switched from Dynafit Rotation 12s to Atomic Backland Pure bindings, saving more than 650g and having the same downhill performance (or arguably better!) and flying on the ups. 95% of the time you're going uphill, 5% down; prioritize accordingly!
Perfect example. Side note the Backland Pure has stayed on my all-star list as it’s hard to find anything with a better weight to performance and features ratio.
This is a ridiculously thorough downlow on how to avoid spending 1000s of dollars and hours on how to dial in your ski touring setup with nothing but the prior knowledge of some basic terms 😍
Thumbs up and a comment for the algorithm. 👍🤳 Sounds like a lot of money, sweat & tears for that wise info. I just live vicariously through y'all Mediocre Amateurs on RUclips in Austin Texas. One last teenager to help move out on their own and then we're looking forward to moving back to Utah. 😉🔮❄️🏔️⛷️☮️
Thanks, Christof, some great advice! This year starting with ski touring here in Slovakia and went with a lighter 88mm ski setup since I am planning to live on the uphill. Chose Maestrale as my first boot for versatility. Will see how it goes but keeping Hannibals in mind for the upgrade. Keep up the great work!
Great choice and great example of picking your gear to suit what you’re going to be doing most of the time. If I had a crystal ball I might predict you’ll start feeling the call of a lighter better articulating boot sometime in the future. The Maestrale will give you a ton of control and confidence however especially as you are first getting into ski touring.
@@cnuila Yeah, I was tempted to get Fischer Traverse esp. since your recommendations, but eventually decided to go with smth a bit stiffer as an intro boot. Wish you a lot of great ski adventures this winter and looking forward to video documents!
Weight is great, but light is right! Voile V6 is basically the ski for all areas and all conditions. But then you encounter ridiculous powder years (thanks Wasatch 2023). Then you get into something like BD Megawatts Carbon or the Voile V8. Everything else is really for the specialized conditions like the Objective or SkiMo stuff. So I'd say ~100 underfoot for everyday, 115-120 underfoot for ridiculous Pow days, and 60-85 underfoot for do the SkiMo lap thing. Also depends on boots and your weight. I'm a big Voile guy. But also never buy stuff brand new. So for me it's really whatever available on classifieds that fits my criteria at the time. Also, and this is a big thing. I recommend having a spare pair of touring skis. I've lost a ski in the backcountry before and if I didn't have a spare, I'd be stuck for some time (found it 6 months later when it melted out of a tree). So for touring have at least a couple of pairs so you can keep going to the same spot and digging in futile hopes of finding the darn thing... LOL
I’ve been skiing the Dynastar Mythics for 4 years and they absolutely crush it in 95% of conditions. Glad to see the updated model didn’t change too much!
I heard so many good things about the Mythics and it's almost like the tweaks they made for the M-Tour were exactly what I would have wished for, so I had to give them a go.
I would give a shoutout to the Voile Hyper Vectors; they are the most versatile ski I've owned in 40+ years of BC skiing. I have the 171s and they are 94mm under foot. (The 177s and the 184s are 2mm wider respectively.) These are a little shorter than what I have skied on in the past because I wanted shorter skis for tight New England trees, but I was delighted to find they are still quite stable for more open terrain. I even use them for resort skiing. And, oh yeah, the 171s weigh 5 lbs 6 oz! (It's all about the UP; going down is a bonus!)
It's funny how skis keep getting bigger and bigger, cause back in 2003 my "fat skis" for powder days were the Solomon Pocket rocket with waist 90 and my everyday "all mountain" skis were the rossignol bandit x with waist 70
East coast skier here, my first setup is Volkl Blaze 94 172 (1510g per ski), Marker Duke PT (800g on the uphill), and Dynafit Hoji Free 130 (1550g per boot). Mostly doing resort laps as the Whites are a couple hours drive. Psyched for this season!
Cool, like the Dynastar M-Tour 99! Was think Atomic Backland 100, but the MT99 is something to consider, and yes, ATK bindings. (All metal) I snapped a Dynafit Radical heel piece in half last winter-plastic.
I got the atomic backland 100 in 180 at the end of feb last season. Looking to get more time on them this season. Love them so far. I put ATK Raider 12s on them too.
Love seeing people's setups and how they make tradeoffs - would be interested to see similar videos from other amateurs - we all know Cristof tends toward the burly and spendy sides of the spectrum :)
True, I feel Danny has an even higher tolerance for weight but I chalk that up to his fitness being a solid few notches higher than me. Matt on other hand mentally can’t handle having anything but the lightest Movement skis on due to his crippling fear of being the slowest guy in the group any given day. We finally got him on a light 105mm waisted ski for powder days and he had so much anxiety worrying about it being too heavy he couldn’t even enjoy the fact he finally had an appropriate tool for the deep stuff and looked twice a good skiing it! :)
Check out Andrew Drummond’s channel. He is an east coast skier and he is an absolute hammer in the backcountry with a wealth of knowledge. He also owns a backcountry ski shop. Take care
Hokkaido local here. Can confirm, most 1-ski quiver people around here are 110+ underfoot. But we have epic spring skiing and big missions on fairly big mountains here too, you'd really be missing out if you didn't have something narrower for that. DM me if you guys want to come ski Hokkaido!
Looks like we are going to be matching. I picked up the m-tour 99 and dynafit radical pros in october. Only difference is i went with the ATK freeraider 14 binding but it looks quite similar. I just hope you arent rocking a black mountain hardwear shell or it might get awkward out there lol
You know we like to dress like peacocks with our bright colors so hopefully that keeps our bromance in check😁 I usually ski the M-Tours with my F1 boots but a Radical/Freeraider combo would make for an awesome light charger!
Great video! I noticed that you have DPS phantom on every ski! What do you think of the wax overall and do you apply it yourself to save costs every time or do you get it done in store?
Love the stuff. Now, full disclosure I get it on sale and have a shop buddy that hooks me up with the application after hours with their UV oven. If a fresh hand wax starts at glide level 10 and then wears off to level 3, I feel like the Phantom is just a permanent 7. I still throw a light hot wax my touring skis from time to time just to keep the bases from drying out and keep skins from getting too hard to rip. Would I pay full price and another 50 bucks to have it applied? Hard to say. I definitely would not be able to justify putting it on every ski I own. I think it’s worth applying to the skis you use most often though.
Cool thanks for answering honestly its nice to get a perspective from true backcountry skiers like you guys. Good for you for getting a deal on it! I’m going to try getting the wax off marketplace and I might try to apply it myself but I know that it isn’t so easy and I want to do it right!
Thanks Christof, some great advice! What about Zag Ubac 95? For me will be my big skis, I live in pyrenees. I love the Adret 81 and I alternate with a K2 Wayback 88. I am looking for something big. My doubt is Hannibal 96 o Ubac 95. Keep up the great work!
Funny thing, I picked up a Zag Ubac 95 and 102 to try out this season. I've only done a few short tours on the 95, mostly fitness tours but I got a few turns in, and so far they are really fun! I think they compare very well to the Hannibal, which I also skied in previous years. The Zag has a slight shorter sidecut, and I felt that. It was a little more poppy and turny/fun. Honestly if I had to choose between them I'd ask myself "what is my perfect length for a 95mm waisted ski?" and pick the one that matches. The Hannibal comes in like 169, 177, 183 and the Zag fills in the gaps at 170, 174, 178 and 183.
We’ll do one for sure. I’ve only skied them a few times this winter, as it decided to stop snowing 5 and a half weeks ago 😢. I really like them. Can’t imagine a better powder ski at that weight. Biggest gripe? The colors are so wet blanket stupid I hate even looking at them while I ski lol.
@@cnuila I concur on the ATK's. The only time I have broken one it was my fault for stomping on the heel piece. Skiing that side free-heel in the alps sidecountry for the next week (hopping multiple areas with a group so I couldn't detour to replace it) was doable with a locked toe while being mindful of pressing my heel into the ski. Since then, besides being more deliberate with the step-in, I take an extra binding on hut or multi-day trips just in case; a very serviceable option with Quiverkillers.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m no great orator. The rehearsal for these videos usually consists of Danny and me conversing about the topic during a run, then a one-take shot of me verbally vomiting anything I can think of, Sometimes I’m amazed it gets edited into anything semi-coherent. Between life and family we just don’t have the time or energy to put more polish on them right now:)
If a fresh hand wax that’s been brushed and buffed is glide level 10, and dry bases that stick to damp snow and almost send you over the tips is glide level 1, then Phantom is like a permanent level 7. I have a local hook-up that does the treatment for a very minor charge so I just put it on every pair of skis I get. At full price, I don’t know if I would do it. Maybe on the pair I use the very most. Keep in mind that with touring skis especially, you still will want to throw a hot wax on every once in a while just so the bases don’t get super dry and your skins get super hard to rip, or glue starts sticking to the bases.
Really liked this (like all your videos). The one thing I wish you had separated a bit more was weight vs ski width. There are 90mm skis that weigh as much as some 110mm skis. So delving in a bit when to go heavy or light, vs just wide or narrow, would be great. And maybe mention (for those who don’t think of it) that a wider ski is not just heavier by the difference between it and a narrower ski, but also a heavier skin, and more snow piled on top of the ski.
All good points. The one-take shot for this vid was like 30 minutes long because as you know there’s so many good things to think about when talking touring gear that Danny tried to just distill it into something digestible that was somewhat useful. Your skin reference is spot on, and the main reason I almost exclusively use the Pomoca Free Pro 2.0 skins on anything wider than 100mm or so.
I actually sold them to a good friend that was in serious need of an upgrade. The mid-100 waist skis fall in a weird category for me. On one hand it would be my ideal one ski quiver. On the other, most days I don’t need the width and would rather take my M-Tour 99 for the weight savings and versatility, and if it’s a true powder day I like 110mm or more underfoot. Basically I’m spoiled and find myself with a gluttonous excess of skis at my disposal:) The Pagoda 106 is still an outstanding ski I highly recommend though.
@@cnuila Thanks for the response. I live up north and ski the areas around Whistler and Pemberton. Trying to figure out a one ski dedicated touring quiver to replace some 4Frnt Ravens.. Too many options.. But part of me feels like I'm thinking about waist widths all wrong, I don't _need_ a 110 underfoot ski to enjoy powder, and the right ski that's say.. 95 to 100 underfoot would probably handle steeps better.
@@QUincez unless you’re a “I ski in Scarpa Aliens and nothing else” kind of guy, I’d say a 100mm waist would be your ideal one ski quiver up there. Even up to 105 depending on the ski. If I were to throw out ideas I’d say Dynaster M-Tour 99, G3 Seekr 100, Movement Alp Tracks 100, Voile Hyper V6, Atomic Backland 100, Voile Hyper Manti and Black Diamond Helio 104 would be a good bunch to check out.
Yes still one of my go-to recommendations for a all-around light tourer. I just thought I’d try something with slightly more girth and you know I’ll find any excuse to try new gear!
Wow, did I ever make the mistake you describe for my first tech setup - DPS Alchemist Pagoda 124 with Marker Duke PT and K2 Mindbender boots. In truth, I may never hike more than 300 yards uphill on them, but still…. You described my thought process exactly. I was driven by fear of unforgiving tech specs and comfort with alpine binding “forgiveness”, but oh the weight! I wish I would have found your mediocre channel before making a mediocre decision.
@@cnuila Having skied my DPS Pagodas + Duke PT16 in a variety of conditions across eight western states and BC, my reservations about the setup are gone. They are fantastic, nuanced dedicated powder skis in the resort. I also skinned with them in deep pow six weeks ago at Yellowstone National Park. While they were indeed heavy setting track on the uphill, the flotation and control was amazing. I subsequently purchased two other pair of dedicated powder skis - one pair of heavy Rossi Super-7 (115 mm) setup with Voile Switchback X2 Telemark bindings, and 121 mm waist RMU Professors which I setup as ultralight alpine-tech. Each ski has its unique place in my quiver. "Super strength" comes from all the Telemark skiing this season. It's great for the quads, improving balance, and for line choice.
In a panic blackout I sold them to a good friend when he pointed out I had three skis in the mid 100mm width and shamed me for being such a gluttonous gear addict. The way I see it I recouped some $$ and now can borrow them:)
Stay tuned for Pt. II 😁 Default I’ll ski the Dynastars with my standard F1 boots. It’s my best fitting, most comfortable and best balance of performance to weight of all my boots. That said I will and have used my F1 LT with the Dynastars and they worked great. I believe some of the footage in the review is me on that setup. Just as you said with the quiver of skis and boots you can start pairing up different combos to suit the day/mission.
@@cnuila Excellent! I'll be on the lookout for the other video. I'm looking between Fischer Hannibals 96 or Movement Alp Tracks 95 (if I open a savings account!) to fill that middle spot and want to drive it with both my F1 LT's and a tbd heavier boot
@@andrewsampson2933 I can wholeheartedly recommend the Hannibal 96. I skied that as my middle spot ski for a few seasons, in fact I used it just as described. With a Fischer Travers Carbon for a light mission setup (think volcano with death cookie conditions where I wanted something damper than my lightest carbon toothpick skis) and also skied it with my F1 as a daily driver setup and loved it. Paired well with both. The Alp Tracks is an even lighter, stiffer and more expensive ski, and requires a bit more of your best effort to get the most out of it. Great ski for sure but I would say the Hannibals are more "fun" and more versatile. All my unqualified opinions of course:)
I had the Alp Tracks 106 just previous to the current edition. Awesome ski at an incredible weight. They like to go fast. A little bit of carbon chatter if you find yourself on some not-so-soft snow. I don't know how sendy I'd get on them just due to the nature of their construction, but for an ultralight powder setup they are hard to beat.
it's always interesting how evey reviewer seems himself as an exemplar human being, never touching topic of how to ski with 220 (or 120 to that matter) pounds. With 5 feet or 6'5''. Always averages or personal experience, instead of expertize.
I own the Zero G but ski it in a slightly shorter 171 length than my 178cm M-Tours making it the second lightest setup I have. The two have distinct personalities. I use the Zero-G as my “tactical” ski. When we are skiing something steep, potentially firm snow, spring mountaineering missions, volcanoes, etc. Basically any “mission” outing unless it’s a crazy long distance in which case I’ll bring my lightest setup, the Ski Trab. Compared to the M-Tour it has a longer side cut, is stiffer, and a more traditional ski shape with less rocker and playfulness. On the latest version Blizzard did soften the tips and tails to make it a bit more easy going but I feel it’s still a bit more demanding of a ski. This translates to a very confidence inspiring ski that I know will hold an edge on anything and won’t let me down. Now, the M-Tours are no slouch, Vivian Bruchez skis stuff higher than my pay grade with them everyday and they are awesome. For me the M-Tour is more versatile and fun and if I had to pick one I’d lean towards it, especially if I found myself skiing mostly soft snow in the backcountry. You definitely don't need both and I'm filling micro-niches in my quiver with different lengths and shapes of mid-waisted skis. I think the choice would come down to your skiing style and the conditions you mostly encounter.
@@cnuila okay awesome, that gives me a good starting point and a good place to build the rest of my decision off of. I already have a backcountry setup that's 108 underfoot with deep tip rocker for the super soft stuff, so the ski I'm looking for will be for my longer days during the season or days when there's not a ton of powder, as well as for late season days when I could be out on volcanoes or in the north cascades skiing some spring corn lines. Based on this, do you think the M-Tour would be the more versatile ski for the mixed conditions I'll most likely encounter? Thanks for the quick reply Christof!
@@NoDownTime Gosh that's hard to say. For what you describe the Zero-G would fit the bill quite nicely. I almost feel like the M-Tour would be the love-child of the two. If your powder setup is light enough that you take it out on soft snow days without thinking twice, than I'd maybe go for the Zero-G as your spring or "mountaineering" ski. If you were looking to replace your other setup with something lighter and it was going to be your daily driver I'd say go with the M-Tour.
@@cnuila sounds about right man. The soft snow ski isn't incredibly light, but definitely light enough for casual touring and side country days. I appreciate the advice!
Corey Townsend is the mediocre brother that they collaborate with. Cody is the professionally sponsored brother that actually gets paid to ski and won’t return a call to ski with the local mediocre amateurs. Come on people get your Townsends brothers sorted out. Thanks for the great content men.
That and less functional on packed snow, light carbon skis are really harsh and chattery at resort speeds. The boots have much less lateral stiffness even at the same flex rating. The bindings compromise safety, and skiers typically ski closer to their limit and faster in resort
The gear also cannot take the beating of constant downhill use at the resort. I toured 20-25 days last year and only skied 40-45k of uphill and downhill vertical. In 5 days at whistler I can put in 100k of downhill vert on my gear.
Potentially yes. He might get a terrible short unhelpful answer, or worse some long winded pontification on minutiae that he doesn’t care about. But fire away! We’ll give it our best shot and maybe you can glean something useful.
@@cnuila Perfect. So on one episode revolving around gear I noticed that one set of skis in the background had the shift binding. long story short, I've come into some skis with the shift (for a steal) and am wondering if this binding would be compatible with my older dynafit Khion ski boot in the alpine setting. everyone raves about the shift's MNC ability but I have yet to find any actual information about the shift's downhill performance with a more touring-focused boot and a thick pomoca sole. Any thoughts?
@@harlanbenedict5380 I have the Shifts on a big pair of powder boards that I ski with a Scarpa Maestrale XT boot. It’s my “we’re helicopter skiing but I just need the peace of mind that I could tour out of here if things go wrong” setup. Works great with the Scarpa, which I think has at least as much of a rockered sole as those Khions. It’s a heavy binding, but on the downhill it is essentially a full fledged alpine binding with all the retention, release consistency, and elasticity that is so confidence inspiring. And as far as performance, they work just as well with a rockered sole as a flat alpine boot. The MNC compatibility means it has the ability to adjust to varying boot sole norms wether it be flat alpine, walk-to-ride, or full touring rockered soles. If you aren’t binding tech-savy take them to your local shop with the boot and they can adjust the toe piece in the downhill mode to accommodate the rockered sole height.
You’re right, it’s all relative to where you sit in the spectrum of touring styles. I looked up the Rossignol Bandit XXX I competed on at the U.S. extremes back in the 2000s and it was like 84 or 88 under foot😂, albeit a heavy double layer of metal Freeride ski.
![[#2024MAMA] G-DRAGON - 무제(Untitled, 2014)+POWER+HOME SWEET HOME+뱅뱅뱅+FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ox29z5Nf1Uk/mqdefault.jpg)
Cory Townsend and Cody Townsend should link up, that would be epic!
Corey is my bro from Wisconsin that really shreds, who's this Cody fella? Sounds like an old-timer.
Performance anxiety I guess, lol. Didn't even catch that when I watched it twice before Danny published it:)
@@cnuila all of us are fanboys. No need to hide it!. It’s the closest thing we have to college in our sport.
@@cnuila ruclips.net/user/CodyTownsend
Could you guys do a gear room tour?? I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one that would love that... Great video!!
What about newer asymetrical vs older amnidexterous skis?
I hope every backcountry skier who's browsing the ski market looking for their next setup watches this video. Weight is so important for touring. You can get amazing performance from fairly light gear as you said Christof! For a touring set up, there's pretty much no need for a binding that is more than 500g unless you're hucking massive cliffs or auditioning for the new TGR film. I just switched from Dynafit Rotation 12s to Atomic Backland Pure bindings, saving more than 650g and having the same downhill performance (or arguably better!) and flying on the ups. 95% of the time you're going uphill, 5% down; prioritize accordingly!
Perfect example. Side note the Backland Pure has stayed on my all-star list as it’s hard to find anything with a better weight to performance and features ratio.
Greatest video to be uploaded in backcountry ski category this season. Change my mind.
This is a ridiculously thorough downlow on how to avoid spending 1000s of dollars and hours on how to dial in your ski touring setup with nothing but the prior knowledge of some basic terms 😍
Thanks, I think!?
@@cnuila Christof! I should’ve included it’s very well done. Detailed yet succinct
@@Gigaamped Phew! I couldn’t tell if I was missing some subliminal insult 😅
Thumbs up and a comment for the algorithm. 👍🤳
Sounds like a lot of money, sweat & tears for that wise info. I just live vicariously through y'all Mediocre Amateurs on RUclips in Austin Texas. One last teenager to help move out on their own and then we're looking forward to moving back to Utah. 😉🔮❄️🏔️⛷️☮️
Most of the sweat and tears is spent in efforts to keep my wife from understanding how much money is in all this gear:)
@@cnuila 🤐😂 I'm sure you work hard and spoil her rotten. Keep on living the dream brother. 👍
Isn’t that the truth! I’m still trying to figure out how to tell her why I need a skimo race ski…
Excellent information, thanks so much.
Thanks, glad you found something useful in all that rambling:)
Thanks, Christof, some great advice! This year starting with ski touring here in Slovakia and went with a lighter 88mm ski setup since I am planning to live on the uphill. Chose Maestrale as my first boot for versatility. Will see how it goes but keeping Hannibals in mind for the upgrade. Keep up the great work!
Great choice and great example of picking your gear to suit what you’re going to be doing most of the time. If I had a crystal ball I might predict you’ll start feeling the call of a lighter better articulating boot sometime in the future. The Maestrale will give you a ton of control and confidence however especially as you are first getting into ski touring.
@@cnuila Yeah, I was tempted to get Fischer Traverse esp. since your recommendations, but eventually decided to go with smth a bit stiffer as an intro boot. Wish you a lot of great ski adventures this winter and looking forward to video documents!
Weight is great, but light is right! Voile V6 is basically the ski for all areas and all conditions. But then you encounter ridiculous powder years (thanks Wasatch 2023). Then you get into something like BD Megawatts Carbon or the Voile V8. Everything else is really for the specialized conditions like the Objective or SkiMo stuff. So I'd say ~100 underfoot for everyday, 115-120 underfoot for ridiculous Pow days, and 60-85 underfoot for do the SkiMo lap thing. Also depends on boots and your weight. I'm a big Voile guy. But also never buy stuff brand new. So for me it's really whatever available on classifieds that fits my criteria at the time.
Also, and this is a big thing. I recommend having a spare pair of touring skis. I've lost a ski in the backcountry before and if I didn't have a spare, I'd be stuck for some time (found it 6 months later when it melted out of a tree). So for touring have at least a couple of pairs so you can keep going to the same spot and digging in futile hopes of finding the darn thing... LOL
I've been wondering when you guys were going to talk more about your gear in the backcountry!!!
I’ve been skiing the Dynastar Mythics for 4 years and they absolutely crush it in 95% of conditions. Glad to see the updated model didn’t change too much!
I heard so many good things about the Mythics and it's almost like the tweaks they made for the M-Tour were exactly what I would have wished for, so I had to give them a go.
@@cnuila 🙏🌎☮️♾️💖🤳
Comment for the algorithm. Love this stuff, can’t wait for Christof’s mountain bike channel
I would give a shoutout to the Voile Hyper Vectors; they are the most versatile ski I've owned in 40+ years of BC skiing. I have the 171s and they are 94mm under foot. (The 177s and the 184s are 2mm wider respectively.) These are a little shorter than what I have skied on in the past because I wanted shorter skis for tight New England trees, but I was delighted to find they are still quite stable for more open terrain. I even use them for resort skiing. And, oh yeah, the 171s weigh 5 lbs 6 oz! (It's all about the UP; going down is a bonus!)
I’ve heard good things as well! So many good choices these days.
Hokkaido local here⛷ from this Friday 11/26.the fun begins
We gotta get out there this year.
It's funny how skis keep getting bigger and bigger, cause back in 2003 my "fat skis" for powder days were the Solomon Pocket rocket with waist 90 and my everyday "all mountain" skis were the rossignol bandit x with waist 70
East coast skier here, my first setup is Volkl Blaze 94 172 (1510g per ski), Marker Duke PT (800g on the uphill), and Dynafit Hoji Free 130 (1550g per boot). Mostly doing resort laps as the Whites are a couple hours drive. Psyched for this season!
Awesome. Sounds like you setup fits your style and use quite well. Have fun out there!
Cool, like the Dynastar M-Tour 99! Was think Atomic Backland 100, but the MT99 is something to consider, and yes, ATK bindings. (All metal) I snapped a Dynafit Radical heel piece in half last winter-plastic.
The Atomic was on my list as well, but never could find a pair to try or the size I wanted, and I think the M-Tour is lighter too.
I got the atomic backland 100 in 180 at the end of feb last season. Looking to get more time on them this season. Love them so far. I put ATK Raider 12s on them too.
@@travisnesse238 was thinking the same until I saw the Tour 99’s.
@@cnuila just bought the M99/ATK setup! 👊🏻 thxs for the ‘intel’ Christof.
@@PerfDayToday I hope they make all your dreams come true😁
Love seeing people's setups and how they make tradeoffs - would be interested to see similar videos from other amateurs - we all know Cristof tends toward the burly and spendy sides of the spectrum :)
True, I feel Danny has an even higher tolerance for weight but I chalk that up to his fitness being a solid few notches higher than me. Matt on other hand mentally can’t handle having anything but the lightest Movement skis on due to his crippling fear of being the slowest guy in the group any given day. We finally got him on a light 105mm waisted ski for powder days and he had so much anxiety worrying about it being too heavy he couldn’t even enjoy the fact he finally had an appropriate tool for the deep stuff and looked twice a good skiing it! :)
Check out Andrew Drummond’s channel. He is an east coast skier and he is an absolute hammer in the backcountry with a wealth of knowledge. He also owns a backcountry ski shop. Take care
@@mtadams2009 Yea Drummond is the man. When I lived back east it was great to see what he was doing with Ski/Run the Whites
@@seanmurphy7684 He sure is. Take care
@Christof you mention the F1s as being your daily driver boot but I see those Fischer boots on the shelf ;)
Danny picked up the Travers Pro to try this year. I tried it last year but it just didn’t fit my foot shape.
The most important thing in picking your backcountry gear: avoid those bindings which hold your heels captive!
This is off topic, but I was wondering what your top 5 running/climbing pants are
It’s really hard skiing light skis if you’re not used to it
Very true, I found that out the first time I dropped into a run on a sub- 1 Kilo skinny touring ski😂
Especially in cascade concrete!
Hokkaido local here. Can confirm, most 1-ski quiver people around here are 110+ underfoot. But we have epic spring skiing and big missions on fairly big mountains here too, you'd really be missing out if you didn't have something narrower for that. DM me if you guys want to come ski Hokkaido!
It's on the bucket list!
@@cnuila i got your beta :)
Something like 85 but a bit heavier is probably the best for most days
Looks like we are going to be matching. I picked up the m-tour 99 and dynafit radical pros in october. Only difference is i went with the ATK freeraider 14 binding but it looks quite similar. I just hope you arent rocking a black mountain hardwear shell or it might get awkward out there lol
You know we like to dress like peacocks with our bright colors so hopefully that keeps our bromance in check😁 I usually ski the M-Tours with my F1 boots but a Radical/Freeraider combo would make for an awesome light charger!
Very helpful
Thanks!
Great video! I noticed that you have DPS phantom on every ski! What do you think of the wax overall and do you apply it yourself to save costs every time or do you get it done in store?
Love the stuff. Now, full disclosure I get it on sale and have a shop buddy that hooks me up with the application after hours with their UV oven. If a fresh hand wax starts at glide level 10 and then wears off to level 3, I feel like the Phantom is just a permanent 7. I still throw a light hot wax my touring skis from time to time just to keep the bases from drying out and keep skins from getting too hard to rip. Would I pay full price and another 50 bucks to have it applied? Hard to say. I definitely would not be able to justify putting it on every ski I own. I think it’s worth applying to the skis you use most often though.
Cool thanks for answering honestly its nice to get a perspective from true backcountry skiers like you guys. Good for you for getting a deal on it! I’m going to try getting the wax off marketplace and I might try to apply it myself but I know that it isn’t so easy and I want to do it right!
Thanks Christof, some great advice! What about Zag Ubac 95? For me will be my big skis, I live in pyrenees. I love the Adret 81 and I alternate with a K2 Wayback 88. I am looking for something big. My doubt is Hannibal 96 o Ubac 95. Keep up the great work!
Funny thing, I picked up a Zag Ubac 95 and 102 to try out this season. I've only done a few short tours on the 95, mostly fitness tours but I got a few turns in, and so far they are really fun! I think they compare very well to the Hannibal, which I also skied in previous years. The Zag has a slight shorter sidecut, and I felt that. It was a little more poppy and turny/fun. Honestly if I had to choose between them I'd ask myself "what is my perfect length for a 95mm waisted ski?" and pick the one that matches. The Hannibal comes in like 169, 177, 183 and the Zag fills in the gaps at 170, 174, 178 and 183.
If you get a chance, I'd like to see a video on the Voile Hyper V8's
We’ll do one for sure. I’ve only skied them a few times this winter, as it decided to stop snowing 5 and a half weeks ago 😢. I really like them. Can’t imagine a better powder ski at that weight. Biggest gripe? The colors are so wet blanket stupid I hate even looking at them while I ski lol.
@@cnuila Agreed lol
Christof leaves unsaid what ultimately becomes the conclusion of any ski gear nerd, which is: only ever ski ATK or Ski Trab bindings.
Nice quiver!
True, the cream eventually floats to the top!
@@cnuila I concur on the ATK's. The only time I have broken one it was my fault for stomping on the heel piece. Skiing that side free-heel in the alps sidecountry for the next week (hopping multiple areas with a group so I couldn't detour to replace it) was doable with a locked toe while being mindful of pressing my heel into the ski. Since then, besides being more deliberate with the step-in, I take an extra binding on hut or multi-day trips just in case; a very serviceable option with Quiverkillers.
Can confirm you can also have the quiver of skis if you don’t stay in school and do drugs as long as you’re disciplined and responsible.
Beyond my knowledge and experience but I’ll take your word for it! 😁
There has got to be more than just those 3 skis in your quiver..
Ha! You are correct, I'm just trying to avoid an embarrassing display of excess and hide my ADD gear-junkie tendencies:)
Absolutely nailed it, more precision with your language, and this would make sense to everyone.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m no great orator. The rehearsal for these videos usually consists of Danny and me conversing about the topic during a run, then a one-take shot of me verbally vomiting anything I can think of, Sometimes I’m amazed it gets edited into anything semi-coherent. Between life and family we just don’t have the time or energy to put more polish on them right now:)
Ah yes, Corey Townsend. Of the famed 60 Project.
Boom. You got it😁
Are those cams & ice screws I see?!
Hi Christof! What’s your take on Phantom treatment? I noticed the sticker on one of your skis. Thanks!
If a fresh hand wax that’s been brushed and buffed is glide level 10, and dry bases that stick to damp snow and almost send you over the tips is glide level 1, then Phantom is like a permanent level 7.
I have a local hook-up that does the treatment for a very minor charge so I just put it on every pair of skis I get. At full price, I don’t know if I would do it. Maybe on the pair I use the very most.
Keep in mind that with touring skis especially, you still will want to throw a hot wax on every once in a while just so the bases don’t get super dry and your skins get super hard to rip, or glue starts sticking to the bases.
@@cnuila Great description, thanks for the info!
Really liked this (like all your videos). The one thing I wish you had separated a bit more was weight vs ski width. There are 90mm skis that weigh as much as some 110mm skis. So delving in a bit when to go heavy or light, vs just wide or narrow, would be great.
And maybe mention (for those who don’t think of it) that a wider ski is not just heavier by the difference between it and a narrower ski, but also a heavier skin, and more snow piled on top of the ski.
All good points. The one-take shot for this vid was like 30 minutes long because as you know there’s so many good things to think about when talking touring gear that Danny tried to just distill it into something digestible that was somewhat useful. Your skin reference is spot on, and the main reason I almost exclusively use the Pomoca Free Pro 2.0 skins on anything wider than 100mm or so.
Where does your Pagoda 106 fit in this line up now? :)
I actually sold them to a good friend that was in serious need of an upgrade. The mid-100 waist skis fall in a weird category for me. On one hand it would be my ideal one ski quiver. On the other, most days I don’t need the width and would rather take my M-Tour 99 for the weight savings and versatility, and if it’s a true powder day I like 110mm or more underfoot. Basically I’m spoiled and find myself with a gluttonous excess of skis at my disposal:) The Pagoda 106 is still an outstanding ski I highly recommend though.
@@cnuila Thanks for the response.
I live up north and ski the areas around Whistler and Pemberton. Trying to figure out a one ski dedicated touring quiver to replace some 4Frnt Ravens.. Too many options.. But part of me feels like I'm thinking about waist widths all wrong, I don't _need_ a 110 underfoot ski to enjoy powder, and the right ski that's say.. 95 to 100 underfoot would probably handle steeps better.
@@QUincez unless you’re a “I ski in Scarpa Aliens and nothing else” kind of guy, I’d say a 100mm waist would be your ideal one ski quiver up there. Even up to 105 depending on the ski. If I were to throw out ideas I’d say Dynaster M-Tour 99, G3 Seekr 100, Movement Alp Tracks 100, Voile Hyper V6, Atomic Backland 100, Voile Hyper Manti and Black Diamond Helio 104 would be a good bunch to check out.
You used to be very high on the Fischer Hannibels. Do you still like them?
Yes still one of my go-to recommendations for a all-around light tourer. I just thought I’d try something with slightly more girth and you know I’ll find any excuse to try new gear!
Wow, did I ever make the mistake you describe for my first tech setup - DPS Alchemist Pagoda 124 with Marker Duke PT and K2 Mindbender boots. In truth, I may never hike more than 300 yards uphill on them, but still….
You described my thought process exactly. I was driven by fear of unforgiving tech specs and comfort with alpine binding “forgiveness”, but oh the weight! I wish I would have found your mediocre channel before making a mediocre decision.
Hit that shake weight and you'll have super strength to crush the vert on that setup!:)
@@cnuila Having skied my DPS Pagodas + Duke PT16 in a variety of conditions across eight western states and BC, my reservations about the setup are gone. They are fantastic, nuanced dedicated powder skis in the resort. I also skinned with them in deep pow six weeks ago at Yellowstone National Park. While they were indeed heavy setting track on the uphill, the flotation and control was amazing. I subsequently purchased two other pair of dedicated powder skis - one pair of heavy Rossi Super-7 (115 mm) setup with Voile Switchback X2 Telemark bindings, and 121 mm waist RMU Professors which I setup as ultralight alpine-tech. Each ski has its unique place in my quiver. "Super strength" comes from all the Telemark skiing this season. It's great for the quads, improving balance, and for line choice.
Over the years my set up has gotten, wayyy lighter. 90% of your day is going up after all. Nowadays you can get super light even with 115 underfoot.
So true. And there’s even multiple options in the category! #blessed
Thanks for the Beta
what happened to the pagoda tour 106? replaced by the dynastar?
In a panic blackout I sold them to a good friend when he pointed out I had three skis in the mid 100mm width and shamed me for being such a gluttonous gear addict.
The way I see it I recouped some $$ and now can borrow them:)
Are you pairing your F1 LT's with the Dynastars too? Or just it depend on the day what boot you bring?
Stay tuned for Pt. II 😁
Default I’ll ski the Dynastars with my standard F1 boots. It’s my best fitting, most comfortable and best balance of performance to weight of all my boots. That said I will and have used my F1 LT with the Dynastars and they worked great. I believe some of the footage in the review is me on that setup. Just as you said with the quiver of skis and boots you can start pairing up different combos to suit the day/mission.
@@cnuila Excellent! I'll be on the lookout for the other video. I'm looking between Fischer Hannibals 96 or Movement Alp Tracks 95 (if I open a savings account!) to fill that middle spot and want to drive it with both my F1 LT's and a tbd heavier boot
@@andrewsampson2933 I can wholeheartedly recommend the Hannibal 96. I skied that as my middle spot ski for a few seasons, in fact I used it just as described. With a Fischer Travers Carbon for a light mission setup (think volcano with death cookie conditions where I wanted something damper than my lightest carbon toothpick skis) and also skied it with my F1 as a daily driver setup and loved it. Paired well with both. The Alp Tracks is an even lighter, stiffer and more expensive ski, and requires a bit more of your best effort to get the most out of it. Great ski for sure but I would say the Hannibals are more "fun" and more versatile. All my unqualified opinions of course:)
@@cnuila I appreciate the input!
Do you have any experience on the Movement Alp Tracks 106?
I had the Alp Tracks 106 just previous to the current edition. Awesome ski at an incredible weight. They like to go fast. A little bit of carbon chatter if you find yourself on some not-so-soft snow. I don't know how sendy I'd get on them just due to the nature of their construction, but for an ultralight powder setup they are hard to beat.
it's always interesting how evey reviewer seems himself as an exemplar human being, never touching topic of how to ski with 220 (or 120 to that matter) pounds. With 5 feet or 6'5''. Always averages or personal experience, instead of expertize.
Have you skied the blizzard zero G 95? Would that be comparable to the dynastar?
I own the Zero G but ski it in a slightly shorter 171 length than my 178cm M-Tours making it the second lightest setup I have. The two have distinct personalities. I use the Zero-G as my “tactical” ski. When we are skiing something steep, potentially firm snow, spring mountaineering missions, volcanoes, etc. Basically any “mission” outing unless it’s a crazy long distance in which case I’ll bring my lightest setup, the Ski Trab. Compared to the M-Tour it has a longer side cut, is stiffer, and a more traditional ski shape with less rocker and playfulness. On the latest version Blizzard did soften the tips and tails to make it a bit more easy going but I feel it’s still a bit more demanding of a ski. This translates to a very confidence inspiring ski that I know will hold an edge on anything and won’t let me down. Now, the M-Tours are no slouch, Vivian Bruchez skis stuff higher than my pay grade with them everyday and they are awesome. For me the M-Tour is more versatile and fun and if I had to pick one I’d lean towards it, especially if I found myself skiing mostly soft snow in the backcountry. You definitely don't need both and I'm filling micro-niches in my quiver with different lengths and shapes of mid-waisted skis. I think the choice would come down to your skiing style and the conditions you mostly encounter.
@@cnuila okay awesome, that gives me a good starting point and a good place to build the rest of my decision off of. I already have a backcountry setup that's 108 underfoot with deep tip rocker for the super soft stuff, so the ski I'm looking for will be for my longer days during the season or days when there's not a ton of powder, as well as for late season days when I could be out on volcanoes or in the north cascades skiing some spring corn lines. Based on this, do you think the M-Tour would be the more versatile ski for the mixed conditions I'll most likely encounter? Thanks for the quick reply Christof!
@@NoDownTime Gosh that's hard to say. For what you describe the Zero-G would fit the bill quite nicely. I almost feel like the M-Tour would be the love-child of the two. If your powder setup is light enough that you take it out on soft snow days without thinking twice, than I'd maybe go for the Zero-G as your spring or "mountaineering" ski. If you were looking to replace your other setup with something lighter and it was going to be your daily driver I'd say go with the M-Tour.
@@cnuila sounds about right man. The soft snow ski isn't incredibly light, but definitely light enough for casual touring and side country days. I appreciate the advice!
Corey Townsend is the mediocre brother that they collaborate with. Cody is the professionally sponsored brother that actually gets paid to ski and won’t return a call to ski with the local mediocre amateurs. Come on people get your Townsends brothers sorted out.
Thanks for the great content men.
Ha! I love it.
Just curious… what’s the issue with using this gear at a resort? Is it not durable enough?
That and less functional on packed snow, light carbon skis are really harsh and chattery at resort speeds. The boots have much less lateral stiffness even at the same flex rating. The bindings compromise safety, and skiers typically ski closer to their limit and faster in resort
The gear also cannot take the beating of constant downhill use at the resort. I toured 20-25 days last year and only skied 40-45k of uphill and downhill vertical. In 5 days at whistler I can put in 100k of downhill vert on my gear.
Cody Townsend's evil twin brother, Cory.
Cory hangs out with other ski legends like Gene Plake and Scot Smith.
I didn’t even catch that Freudian slip when Danny had me preview the video:)
if your one ski quiver isnt k2 pontoons do you even call yourself a skier?
agreed
If a guy had a gear question that doesn't seem to exist on the internet, could he potentially consult some mediocre amateurs?
Potentially yes. He might get a terrible short unhelpful answer, or worse some long winded pontification on minutiae that he doesn’t care about. But fire away! We’ll give it our best shot and maybe you can glean something useful.
@@cnuila Perfect. So on one episode revolving around gear I noticed that one set of skis in the background had the shift binding. long story short, I've come into some skis with the shift (for a steal) and am wondering if this binding would be compatible with my older dynafit Khion ski boot in the alpine setting. everyone raves about the shift's MNC ability but I have yet to find any actual information about the shift's downhill performance with a more touring-focused boot and a thick pomoca sole. Any thoughts?
@@harlanbenedict5380 I have the Shifts on a big pair of powder boards that I ski with a Scarpa Maestrale XT boot. It’s my “we’re helicopter skiing but I just need the peace of mind that I could tour out of here if things go wrong” setup. Works great with the Scarpa, which I think has at least as much of a rockered sole as those Khions. It’s a heavy binding, but on the downhill it is essentially a full fledged alpine binding with all the retention, release consistency, and elasticity that is so confidence inspiring. And as far as performance, they work just as well with a rockered sole as a flat alpine boot. The MNC compatibility means it has the ability to adjust to varying boot sole norms wether it be flat alpine, walk-to-ride, or full touring rockered soles. If you aren’t binding tech-savy take them to your local shop with the boot and they can adjust the toe piece in the downhill mode to accommodate the rockered sole height.
@@cnuila far from a terrible pontificating answer! Thanks a bunch!🙏
Sounds like it is too wide
85 is not that narrow, the narrow and light ones are the 65
You’re right, it’s all relative to where you sit in the spectrum of touring styles. I looked up the Rossignol Bandit XXX I competed on at the U.S. extremes back in the 2000s and it was like 84 or 88 under foot😂, albeit a heavy double layer of metal Freeride ski.
Pick a avalanche course first!
Minutia, really? just ski it.