lilcliffy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 26, 2018 7:59 pmI have been on the hunt for this ski for many years- Karhu Canada’s premier deep soft snow XC ski:
The Karhu 10th Mountain Tour:
o 84-68-74mm
o Wood core
o Sintered waxable base
o “Double” camber: moderately stiff, full-length smooth supportive flex
o Lengths to 200+cm
I describe them as “double” camber because they really aren’t- not in a technical sense. They are highly cambered like a XC ski, and they are moderately stiff. But- they do not have that very stiff hard to close second camber that I personally associate with truly double-cambered skis. They really have a uniform full-length, relatively stiff, high single camber- at least from my perspective. You know the camber-flex profile is almost identical to my Asnes USGI Combat skis- which I describe as “double”-cambered, but they are really more a stiff high single camber…
My friend has a set of these 10th Mountain Tours in a 208cm (I think?) Many years ago, I tried them a number of times. I loved them- they left quite an impression on me actually. They are light, snappy, responsive, floaty and fast in deep soft snow. Though they are not turny- they are light enough that they lend themselves well to tight step/jump turns.
With much thanks to my friend Ben I tracked down a pair of 180cm 10th Mountain Tours in Quebec. They are immaculate- have never been mounted, and still have the bar code sticker on them!
Though I do wish they were longer- they will fit perfectly into my family quiver! I am personally looking forward to testing them!
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As I was cleaning them up and starting to think of mounting them I began to realize that they were reminding me of other skis I have known and one that I currently own:
Karhu Orion: 85-70-80mm
o Foam core
o Extruded waxless-scaled base (Omnitrack)
o Camber?
Karhu Catamount: 85-70-80mm
o Foam core
o Extruded waxless-scaled base (Omnitrack)
o Camber?
Trak Bushwacker: 85-70-75mm
o Foam core
o Extruded waxless-scaled base (Omnitrack)
o Camber?
Karhu Combat Skis: 85-70-75mm
o Foam core
o Extruded waxable base- no track groove
o “Single” camber: moderately stiff
o Thick, full-wrap steel edge
o Noticeably heavier than the 10th mountain tour
I own a couple pair of Karhu Combat surplus combat skis (photo above)- they were made in the same factory in Quebec as all of these skis. They are well made, burly, moderately stiff, “single” cambered, have a full-wrap steel edge, and are fairly heavy. I have used them a few times at my local hill- I am not crazy about them as a frontside downhill ski…
https://www.ebay.com/p/Telemark-Snow-Sk ... 2383587837
These Karhu Combat skis have almost the exact same sidecut profile and camber/flex as the 10th Mountain Tour!
It got me thinking about Dave Pinnah’s “Catamount Class skis” and made me realize that all of these skis are essentially identical in terms of sidecut and camber/flex.
http://web.archive.org/web/201510021509 ... #SNOWSHOES
I hadn’t thought about it before…
Most of the skis in this class have never interested me much- thought they offer decent flotation- they don’t turn well and most of them are two short to be fast enough for me as XC skis…
The fact that the 10th Mountain Tour was longer, much lighter, wood-cored and had a sintered waxable base, made me think that they were a completely different class of ski- one that doesn’t exist anymore…And I guess these differences do make the 10th Mountain Tour different than the shorter, stubbier “Catamount Class” skis. But it is interesting to me that they are still based on the same sidecut/camber/flex profile…
(Interesting that the 68mm 10th Mountain Tour is not listed in Pinnah’s overview of Nordic touring skis…)
So- I am still on the hunt for a 200+cm 84-68-74mm 10th Mountain Tour…For purely distance-oriented XC skiing in deep soft snow…
But- it always leads me back to this:
If one wants to cover distance on deep snow- and turns not important- why stop at 210cm?
Maybe what I have really always wanted is a Finnish forest touring ski? Say 270cm and 70mm underfoot?
http://www.peltonenski.fi/outdoor_touring/
I have spoken directly with retailers in Finland. They will sell me a 270cm ski- they are actually not very expensive. But they cannot use a conventional method to ship a ski that long….
Anyone interested in joining my quest?
The quest for a mile-crushing deep snow ski?
That is quite the nostalgic and one could say vintage collection in that quiver. Fatter tails than your other skis in the bunch.
Recently a ski friend dropped down his Karhu Orion XCDs for a photo shoot. He bought them when they were all the rave. Age related memory a bit short on dating them (-:
Pretty soft camber and not too much side-cut. Imagine you would rightfully earn your turns on them.
Do you recall when they hit the market?