thanks for all the fish

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t-$
Posts: 272
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2017 7:29 am

Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by t-$ » Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:20 am

mornin!

my incompetence is trumped only by my stupidity, so i got that goin for me. like you lc, when going dh i use whatever means necessary to turn. but i am probably more obsessed with tele since i can't really do it yet. i can see how useful it can be as a technique in my arsenal.

snowboarding was my alpine/dh thing, and everyday on moose we would see this old guy who was an old-school expert telemarker. it was amazing to watch him ski and i wanted to be like him. never once saw him skiing without a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, which i liked even more.

since i met him and discovered this whole telemark thing, i have tried to learn the turn. it was much harder on my old gear. i am stoked for this winter and determined that with the little more control from the alaskas and magnums i will become more fluid in my downhill skiing. step turning is good, and honestly in my area we don't have steep or big enough terrain to necessitate tele turning. but i'm gonna do it anyway. my approach has always been to start a snowplow along the fall-line and then when i can feel the edge on the dh ski just to swing my back leg into allignment, it works ok, but makes for very truncated, choppy turning. my goal this season is to bring those steps all together into a more fluid, true tele turn. after last nights ski i feel this is the year! plus i've got nuttin better to do.

anyway, hope you all are having fun out there. be safe! pics of new skis to come later!!

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t-$
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Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by t-$ » Thu Dec 07, 2017 7:09 pm

hey all,

season 17-18 ski report from northern michigan :)

we've been getting lake effect all day and i've just been watching at the window, gnawin at the bone! but when i got home i went out with high hopes of extending my set track. i was in such a hurry that i didn't even think about putting a fresh coat of glide on the skis and last nights little frolic apparently stripped it all off. rookie mistake. anyway, got about halfway to the first road crossing and my skis were stuck. each of em had about an inch or more of ice and leaves from the front of the pocket back. it wasn't pretty. the worst part was that i had been looking forward to hitting a particular slope, and when i got there i couldn't even point my skis straight downhill and start moving. literally stuck. :( i stopped a few times to clean em and as soon as i took one stride it was back. i'm sure most of you know how high the moisture content can be on lake effect, and today's round was particularly wet here.

the one upside to all of that is i didn't have to hear the scales as i slogged home. that was nice.

so i decided it was a good time to open the box from colemans and see what i got! patience is a virtue, they say. first impressions of the usgi's in person is that they are huge!! by far the biggest xc ski i have ever been on. i'm not the most knowledgable or experienced skier, but this seems a different class of cross country ski than the "normal" skis. i'm a little intimidated.

general description of the pairs i got is: sides and topcoat are plastic. full metal edges to the tips. look identical. the camber is much, much different between the 200's and the 210's. the 200's seem very similar in camber and rocker to the fischers. nearly identical just from the single handed squeeze test. early flex with a stiffer second. the 210's on the other hand are very noodly. i can easily squeeze them together with one hand, and their is no apparent secondary flex. it's almost single cambered. the rocker seems to extend nearly 3/4 of the ski starting from the tail. i should take pics of the difference, but i think you get the gist. the other thing confusing me is the placement of the pre-drilled binding holes. i know you guys can tell me what type of binding that is spose to be for. seems backwards to me!

i just hope i see enough deep this year to give them a real test!! they seem impractical for most of the general skiing i do. the real advantage i think over the fischers will be the metal edge. however, i think even taking them on an extended trip would have to be carefully considered. they're a bit on the weighty side for day after day of distance. this could all change after i ski them, of course. i might love them and never want to touch another ski, you never know i guess. here's a couple side-by's with the fischers, just for comparison's sake....happy trails!!
image (37).jpg
image (36).jpg
image (35).jpg



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lilcliffy
Posts: 4112
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:20 pm
Location: Stanley, New Brunswick, Canada
Ski style: backcountry Nordic ski touring
Favorite Skis: Asnes Ingstad, Combat Nato, Amundsen, Rabb 68; Altai Kom
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska BC; Lundhags Expedition; Alfa Skaget XP; Scarpa T4
Occupation: Forestry Professional
Instructor at Maritime College of Forest Technology
Husband, father, farmer and logger

Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by lilcliffy » Fri Dec 08, 2017 9:03 am

t-$ wrote: general description of the pairs i got is: sides and topcoat are plastic. full metal edges to the tips. look identical. the camber is much, much different between the 200's and the 210's. the 200's seem very similar in camber and rocker to the fischers. nearly identical just from the single handed squeeze test. early flex with a stiffer second. the 210's on the other hand are very noodly. i can easily squeeze them together with one hand, and their is no apparent secondary flex. it's almost single cambered. the rocker seems to extend nearly 3/4 of the ski starting from the tail. i should take pics of the difference, but i think you get the gist. the other thing confusing me is the placement of the pre-drilled binding holes. i know you guys can tell me what type of binding that is spose to be for. seems backwards to me!
The holes are pre-drilled for a type of univeral binding to be used with field/winter boots. Pretty sure you can buy the bindings from Coleman's as well.

Your description of the camber-flex of the 210cm ski is very strange- or at least very different from my set.

My 210cm fit your description of the 200cm set you got.

Not sure if I follow your description of the "rocker" on the 210cm pair...

Both our 200cm and 210cm USGI's have zero rocker.

They are heavy skis made from hardwood- at least mine are- I can see the wood grain on the side of mine.

Ours perform beautifully in deep, soft snow- they are remarkably stable- break trail very effectively- and have an excellent smooth soft-snow flex.

They are an excellent BC-XC ski- mine are too long, cambered and stiff for any serious downhill performance- and they are heavy to pick up in striding turns.

Before I bought the Combat Nato/Ingstad they were the most effective deep snow XC ski I had (the Eon and the E-109 suck in deep snow). Now I typically lend them out to friends and family- the Combat Nato is my distance ski in deep snow and it is a much higher performance ski on the downhill than the USGI. The E-109 is a higher performing XCD ski when the snow is not too deep.

HOWEVER- the USGI ski is an awesome deal and an effective- if heavy- BC-XC ski- would not complain if it was all I had for distance tours on BC snow.

I already knew that there was considerable variability between sets of the USGI- but your 210cm sounds VERY different.

Regardless- the advantage of the USGI over your Fischer Country Crowns will not likely be noticed until the snow is deep and soft. Can't remember what the waist is on the Country, but our USGI's are almost 70mm underfoot.
Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
Unashamed to be a "cross-country type" and love skiing down-hill.



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t-$
Posts: 272
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Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by t-$ » Sat Dec 09, 2017 7:32 am

yeah i'm not sure what to say about the longer skis. they are just very "weak" compared to the 200's. i would imagine the easier flex would make it more comfortable on dh's. i guess the "rocker" i was talking about is really the camber. i was trying to say that it seems like the side profile of the 210's is more even and rounded, whereas the 200's have a more traditional "bell shaped" side profile. though i haven't taken any measurements to actually confirm this :roll: and like i said, i can easily compress the 210s with one hand, base to base...not so with the 200's. i also just compared the bp on the usgi's and the fischers, and on the 200 usgi the bp is much further forward of the fischer, like 4-5 cm.

i've plugged the holes and am about to drill new ones! got some wax and hope to be skiing them later. i'm really looking forward to trying these out!

***conditions update***

snow is continuing to fall. last night the big wet flakes turned to tiny pieces of dry heaven. with the skis freshly waxed it was a great night out. i was able to extend my track and hit a few little slopes along the way. i'd get one, maybe 2 turns in on these tiny hills, but it's been great practice for me. the snow needs to get deeper. we have maybe 3-5 in the woods, wet as hell. i probably shouldn't be skiing it yet, but whatever. it's enough to get a nice stride going on the flats and take gentle turns without digging through.

i went further down than i have before and came upon one of the oil wells. they have a nat gas burn-off pipe that was shooting like 10 foots flames. in the dark, seeing that huge spitting flame through the trees and hearing the shrieking creek of the oil well was surreal. i stood and watched it for a few minutes of bliss, then promptly took a nice spill heading back down to the main trail. i guess i got a little too blissed out! thankfully no trees were injured...

calling for several more inches over the course of the next 2 days, so that's awesome. hope you all are getting snow as well! take it easy...



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t-$
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Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by t-$ » Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:15 am

hey folks,

things are shaping up here as we have been getting on and off flurries for the last few days and i have been able to get outside! yesterday i earned my turns yo-yoing at hickory hills for a while, and then doing a couple laps on the hickory meadows loop. there were quite a few skiers on the meadow loops, but i was the only one poaching the hills. it was pretty nice. the one groomer i saw didn't seem to mind me making long turns down the bunny hills.

from there i scooted over to the vasa singletrack. the sun came out and i did a few more miles on the track. lotsa fatbikes out yesterday, but everyone is pretty courteous there and the dedicated ski trails are well maintained.

this morning i got up early ad finally mounted the usgi's. now they are waxed also and as soon as i finish this post i'm gonna take em out for their maiden voyage! temp is in the low 20's F and the snow is mixed now, so hopefully i got the right wax on there. let's see if i still got the wax magic! anyways, have fun out there :)
hick hills 3.jpg
hick hills 2.jpg
hick hills 1.jpg
hick hills 4.jpg



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t-$
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Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by t-$ » Sun Dec 10, 2017 8:44 pm

***northern michigan trail report***

hey all, happy sunday to you.

after posting early this morning i headed out on the asnes usgi's. overall, i am super impressed. i think i will save that and post a separate review though. so on to the conditions report!

the temps stayed consistent at around the low to mid 20's. snow was falling intermittently, and the stuff on the ground was cold and consolidated. i ski'd from the house down to brown bridge quiet area that runs along the boardman river south of traverse city. the trail follows the top of the ridgeline overlooking the flood basin, and an expert skier could have a field day on the hills there. for several miles one could go up and down till they were blue in the face. it was tempting to try a run, but i know my skill is not quite there yet so i refrained and moseyed gently along the trail. it has seen a fair amount of foot traffic since the snow stated falling, so in the quiet area itself the trail was icy, bumpy, and compacted. the usgi's ate it up like it was nothing! anyway, as soon as you leave that "park" the trail turns into the boardman river trail and follows the river for basically its entire length as far as i know. i didn't get that far.

all in all, another beautiful day on the trail! i am falling in love with doing low angle trails and gentle knee drops while swaying back and forth across the path. it is bliss, i swear. having the skis just turn when they are spose to and following the contours of your chosen line...if everyone could feel that... i only wish i had more powder and slightly more angle. i think that combo would take me to heaven!!

an interesting tidbit about the boardman is that traverse county has been in the process of removing 3 dams along the last stretch of the river and returning it to it's natural state. it has gotten a bit of press over the last few years. not the least of which is because the temporary dam that was put in where i was skiing had collapsed several years ago and flooded out some houses downstream. a bad day for the contractors, to say the least. anyway, have fun out there!!!



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fisheater
Posts: 2510
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Location: Oakland County, MI
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Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by fisheater » Sun Dec 10, 2017 10:30 pm

[quote="t-$"]***northern michigan trail report***

hey all, happy sunday to you.

after posting early this morning i headed out on the asnes usgi's. overall, i am super impressed. i think i will save that and post a separate review though. so on to the conditions report!

I look forward to your report. I also have 200's, mostly because Colemans would would ship a 210 and a 200. I really like the 200's, I can turn them on hardpack well enough to ski blues at the resort, not quite sure about making turns in powder I have a pair of s-112's for pow!

the temps stayed consistent at around the low to mid 20's. snow was falling intermittently, and the stuff on the ground was cold and consolidated. i ski'd from the house down to brown bridge quiet area that runs along the boardman river south of traverse city. the trail follows the top of the ridgeline overlooking the flood basin, and an expert skier could have a field day on the hills there. for several miles one could go up and down till they were blue in the face.

Really??? I'm not smart enough to know better! Even though I am at an age where some might leave such things to younger men!

it was tempting to try a run, but i know my skill is not quite there yet so i refrained and moseyed gently along the trail. it has seen a fair amount of foot traffic since the snow stated falling, so in the quiet area itself the trail was icy, bumpy, and compacted. the usgi's ate it up like it was nothing!

I really like my USGI's as a backcountry trail ski.


all in all, another beautiful day on the trail! i am falling in love with doing low angle trails and gentle knee drops while swaying back and forth across the path. it is bliss, i swear. having the skis just turn when they are spose to and following the contours of your chosen line...if everyone could feel that... i only wish i had more powder and slightly more angle. i think that combo would take me to heaven!!

Preaching to the choir brother. Sounds like a great ski!



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t-$
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Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by t-$ » Mon Dec 11, 2017 6:06 am

hey fisheater,

when you coming up for a ski?! the forecast is calling for snow everyday this week, so things are looking good! i know i am preaching to the choir here, you guys are more experienced than i in these things, but i guess i just wanted to have another thread for somebody like me who is trying to get their ski legs in the xcd world. and also posting trail reports is kinda fun! :D

as far as skipping that hill yesterday, it's just too intense for me still. at 37 years old, i should still be "one of the younger guys" but i don't want to push it too hard. for sure i coulda taken a low angle thru the trees but i just wasnt feeling it. had it been an open slope, maybe...but the trees are pretty thick. maybe i'll be up to hit it in a few years...

there is tons of terrain here for advanced skiers, though, that's for sure. true there aren't any huge steeps or 20 minute black diamond runs, but oh well, we deal with what we got! but now i have some goals that extend beyond just learning how to drop a knee. really my goal is to just become a better all around skiier on xc skis. adding the telemark technique is just another facet to becoming a solid skiier, imo. and of course i want to look cool. :shock:

anyways, we have our first xc ski race this weekend up at michigan tech in houghton. really looking forward to that even though i am a strange animal to most of the lycra crowd. (i am an unoffical assistant coach to my school's team and try to help with xc ski knowledge, but even the high school skaters are skiing laps around me!) hope to be able to ski some nice bc while i am up there. maybe i'll run into conny on the trails!

well, have a good work week everyone...



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lilcliffy
Posts: 4112
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:20 pm
Location: Stanley, New Brunswick, Canada
Ski style: backcountry Nordic ski touring
Favorite Skis: Asnes Ingstad, Combat Nato, Amundsen, Rabb 68; Altai Kom
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska BC; Lundhags Expedition; Alfa Skaget XP; Scarpa T4
Occupation: Forestry Professional
Instructor at Maritime College of Forest Technology
Husband, father, farmer and logger

Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by lilcliffy » Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:03 am

t-$ wrote: after posting early this morning i headed out on the asnes usgi's. overall, i am super impressed. i think i will save that and post a separate review though.
Looking forward to it!
Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
Unashamed to be a "cross-country type" and love skiing down-hill.



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lilcliffy
Posts: 4112
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:20 pm
Location: Stanley, New Brunswick, Canada
Ski style: backcountry Nordic ski touring
Favorite Skis: Asnes Ingstad, Combat Nato, Amundsen, Rabb 68; Altai Kom
Favorite boots: Alpina Alaska BC; Lundhags Expedition; Alfa Skaget XP; Scarpa T4
Occupation: Forestry Professional
Instructor at Maritime College of Forest Technology
Husband, father, farmer and logger

Re: thanks for all the fish

Post by lilcliffy » Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:08 am

fisheater wrote: I look forward to your report. I also have 200's, mostly because Colemans would would ship a 210 and a 200. I really like the 200's, I can turn them on hardpack well enough to ski blues at the resort
Hey Bob- what are the camber and flex like on your USGIs?
Stiff and double-cambered like t-$'s 200cm- or softer like t-$'s 210cm?

My 200&210cm have a soft snow flex to them- but they are definitely double-cambered- they are every bit as stiff as my E99s- impossible to close the camber with one hand- can barely do it with both hands.

What do you think the turning radius is like on yours?
Cross-country AND down-hill skiing in the backcountry.
Unashamed to be a "cross-country type" and love skiing down-hill.



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