thanks for all the fish

[lowangle al]

t-$ you mentioned that your for aft spread between your skis is toe of rear foot to heel of for foot and I think that is all you need and really good. You also mentioned that you ski with a closed turn. To me this means skis close together. If this is correct I think you need to open up your turn by spreading your skis at least a shoulder width apart. If you keep that tight for aft stance and keep opening up the turn, at some point it is almost imposible to not weight both skis.

There is no magic formula as far as how much weight to put on each ski, but you need at least enough weighton each ski to make it work. So a heavy guy on a soft ski could make them work with a weight distribution that would have your bak ski not working. This is one reason that a shorter ski and a softer ski is easier

There are two main things you need to learn. The first is weight distribution and getting CENTERED over your skis. The second is edge control and karving.

[t-$]

hey al,

thanks for the advice! the closed stance on the turn is something that i have been kind of fighting this season. it seems that most times the back ski wants to slide right up next to my lead, which is fine when i am in the middle of the turn but is giving me trouble when it comes time to change. i have to physically lift my foot to move the skis apart so that i can slide the back leg forward. i just want to get to the point where i don't have to lift my skis in order to make a tele turn. when i am able to maintain some separation between skis the lead changes are much smoother.

in the deep snow last night i had almost the opposite happen, which is the the back leg would get sucked down into the snow and pull away from me, causing me to have more separation (both fore-aft and left-right), which meant i had to sink lower into the turn, which meant i inevitably lost my balance. basically i am realizing that i don't have as much control of my back ski as i thought, as on easier snow the back leg just naturally falls into line.

really i think what i need is to just shut the fuck up and go ski. more experience is in order. that was the first time i tried to link turns in semi-deep snow and it seems harder to me. i thought it would be easier in deeper snow, but obviously i don't have the experience with it yet. but tonight i am heading back to hickory hills to poach some bigger hills again, so hopefully i can find some challenging snow conditions to keep working at it. thanks again for your all's input!!!

[lilcliffy]

Was thinking about your post when I was out in the barn doing chores tonight- I realized something about your challenges with the telemark turn:

YOU ARE SKIING ON DOUBLE-CAMBERED SKIS WITH AN EFFECTIVE WAX POCKET!

Dude- I rarely use a true telemark with my full-on double-cambered skis in XC lengths (e.g. E99/USGI)- I use stride/step and Alpine turns. With these skis the conditions have to be ideal- and, you need a wide open slope to just let them "come around".

No matter what else is going on- you cannot have an effective edge in an equally weighted telemark turn if you cannot fully compress the camber of the ski with only half your weight on it.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND GETTING EITHER A SINGLE-CAMBERED OR CAMBER-AND-A-HALF SKI ASAP!

Reading of your love of traditional Nordic touring- a camber-and-a-half ski would be ideal- reasonably squashed and pressured with half your weight, but enough tension underfoot to still offer some reasonable XC performance.

These are the bomb for telemark turning with some reasonable XC performance:
https://www.gearx.com/madshus-eon-62-wax-ski-f16
Awesome price.

I don't know if you can imagine how much easier it is to learn the telemark turn with a ski that you can evenly and easily pressure and flex in a turn.

(Al even started a thread once called "ditch the double camber" or something like that!)

My fundamental advice- ditch the XC double camber if you want to learn the telemark turn.

[t-$]

hahah, ok lil cliff, i guess i need to really give those some serious thought! they seem pretty nice, and that price is very tempting. oh man, why are you tempting me??!!! so, some questions about a ski like that...

1. think i could ski it with my current boot and bindings (alaskas and bc-mags)? i can't be throwin that kinda dough around at xmas time if i would want beefier boots and stuff...of course i would have to get another set of nnn-bc's!! dang...

2. with that amount of sidecut would one experience a lot of wiggling on the flats?

3. if i were to pop on some, would you recommend the 185 for somebody my stature (140-170 w/gear)?

thanks, but i'm sorta hatin' on you right now for making me want to spend more $$$.

[lilcliffy]

NNNBC and Alaska are a match made in heaven for a ski with these dimensions and flex.

The boot is more than enough to pressure, flex and edge this ski- they are only 62mm underfoot.
The sole flex of the Alaska combined with the pivot and flexor of the NNNBC binding also maximizes the kick that this ski has to offer.

I weigh 185lbs.

I personally own 3 versions of this ski:
195cm waxless
205cm waxless
205cm waxable

The waxable version is the best- unless one has contonuous warm wet snow for scales.

185cm seems perfect at your weight.

The Eon tracks very well- it has a straight tail (your weight is on the tail during the glide phase), and it has a track groove like a XC ski.

Along with these XC ski characteristics, the Eon has a wonderful smooth, soft flex for turning (and climbing).

The Eon is excellent in up to a foot of soft snow- deeper than that and I find its flex unstable when XC skiing.

My family owns several pairs of this ski- it is the fav- and friends and family that ski with us quickly love it and feel comfortable on hilly terrain with XC boots.

This ski is the exact copy of the last generation Karhu XCD GT.

[t-$]

well, you twisted my arm. i shouldn't be buying more stuff...but whatever. it's only money, right??

now i'm waiting on those 185's and yet another set of magnums. how the hell did this happen??? i just came on here to read and write about skiing!! when i get to ski them i will decide if i can still be ok with you lc...i might have to put you on ignore though, else you vicariously drain my bank account.

have fun out there!

[lilcliffy]

moo! ha! ha!

You have just joined the GAS Support Group!

We try and sell the GAS Support Group with the lie that these conversations are meant to help you cope with addiction and cure your disease...

The truth is that we have these conversations to support and encourage GAS!

(Along with actual skiing of course!)

[t-$]

ugh, it's terrible! and i only got to ski for an hour tonight i guess at least i wasn't surfing amazon. i have had a one ski quiver for 4 years, don't know why all of a sudden i have a shopping problem. maybe a mid-life crisis...

tonight i hit the groomers at timber ridge close by the house. got some nice turns on the fischers. kinda sucked skiing in the groomed classic track for really the first time this year. i always forget how wide they set those things, and they are just so uncomfortable on my knees. anyway...

i can feel the urge building for wooden skis the lodge at timber has some real fine examples gracing their interior....kinda makes me want some pins too

[lilcliffy]

Hey! Did you get your news skis yet?

[fisheater]

Hey! Did you get your news skis yet?

And how is the snow? Lots of lake effect?