Åsnes NOSI 76 Ski Review

[lilcliffy]

@@mca80 To clarify my questions/comments on your pursuit of this ski-
My intention was to point out that this ski was not designed to be a "powder" ski-
not to suggest that it cannot be used- or won't work- in deep powder snow-

And- as such- if one were to use a ski like the Nosi 76 for deep powder snow- there are many other similar skis that could be used, that are likely more readily available and at a discount.

Regardless- I think that this ski is likely quite a bit of ski to drive (ie width, stiffness) with a soft Nordic touring boot...
I asked the question about the Rabb 68 v Nosi 76, becasue it has clearly been intentionally designed to be a modern downhill ski for the Nordic skier.

[mca80]

@m@mca80 To clarify my questions/comments on your pursuit of this ski-
My intention was to point out that this ski was not designed to be a "powder" ski-
not to suggest that it cannot be used- or won't work- in deep powder snow-

And- as such- if one were to use a ski like the Nosi 76 for deep powder snow- there are many other similar skis that could be used, that are likely more readily available and at a discount.

Regardless- I think that this ski is likely quite a bit of ski to drive (ie width, stiffness) with a soft Nordic touring boot...
I asked the question about the Rabb 68 v Nosi 76, becasue it has clearly been intentionally designed to be a modern downhill ski for the Nordic skier.

Ah. Well a Rabb cannot be intended as a powder ski either though, being so skinny, no? But it seems from what I read to be better tuned for such anyway, right? Got one on the way, just need more snow.

Most skis intended for powder today are usually 100+ underfoot. I think a stiff leather boot like Ski March or Double can do a lot, if you are in a foot+ of new, cold, dry snow, no? Obviously not 100+ but what is the limit when in truly deep soft snow? Basically I wanted to get as high in the snow as possible with non plastic boots, when those snow conditions exist. Which may be 0 times in a season (this year) or quite numerous (some years past). Skis like the Objective aren't designed for pow, and are expensive, and the wider Voiles that have attributes that excel in the kinda snow I am picturing are too wide for my boots. Alpine type skis in the 80 range also aren't really designed with tall tips and long early rise rocker and tapered tails etc., the kinds of things that help get up high in the snow column at downhill speed.

[mca80]

So what are some examples of skis suited for powder that can be controlled by leathers in a foot+ of new cold dry snow?

Elsewhere I saw you say the Rabb is not good in "dry, loose snow" or deep snow, for both xc and dh. And Woods said it is terrible in firm hard snow. So is it a good ski for anything?

[mca80]

Oh I think in that case where you said it was not a good downhill powder ski you were referring to the old model. Though I must day I don't understand that either, as it was an alpine camber at the time. Just not stiff enough or what?

Perhaps I am overestimating the power of my Alico boots, or misremembering what it was like going downhill in over a foot of powder in my alpine rig, but it seems to me it's completely different technique than non-powder and can be done easily with a much less robust setup. My sole experience with the Alico Ski March, though, has been trying to flex it by hand to no avail, and going down a hill on my property that can yield 2 turns, with a hardwire and Nansen, and immediately thinking this was way way too much boot because even a small twitch drove the 56mm Nansen way past what I wanted. I later brought only Crispi Bre to my local hill for skinning up and that worked just fine with Nansen on greens and blues. With or without cable, though in the blue where the snow conditions changed from groomed to ungroomed to deeper powder and back, the cable made it more stable. But most of this winter I have spent on nnn and a ski 47-43-45 and getting decent at telemark turns on it provided the slope is low and slow enough.

[mca80]

Sorry, I drifted this thread way too much. To get back on topic:

What specific aspects make the Nosi a less than ideal xcD ski in deep powder, i.e. cold, dry, loose snow that has a certain depth before base, say for the sake of conversation 30cm at least?

And what skis would be best for same, with very stiff leathers and cable, for the purpose of skinning up about 200m to ski back down, numerous times, maybe with a 3km approach there and back? Terrain moderate to steep, mature hardwood forest so plenty of trees but some space between them, mostly.

[lilcliffy]

Ah. Well a Rabb cannot be intended as a powder ski either though, being so skinny, no? But it seems from what I read to be better tuned for such anyway, right? Got one on the way, just need more snow.

Well-
I find the Rabb 68 sublime in deep fresh snow- but, I am speaking of the typical fresh snow in my local touring in the Northeast- which is typically quite moisture-rich and stable.
The current Rabb 68 has a relatively stiff and stable-supportive flex-
not as stiff as the old Storetind Carbon-
but, by all reports more stable than the previous-gen Rabb 68.
Generally- in my local touring- I don't really need a wider downhill ski-
if I were to go wider it would be for a ~100mm ski (eg Voile V6)- the conditions that would warrant that ski are not common locally- otherwise, I would already have a V6!

I think a stiff leather boot like Ski March or Double can do a lot, if you are in a foot+ of new, cold, dry snow, no? Obviously not 100+ but what is the limit when in truly deep soft snow? Basically I wanted to get as high in the snow as possible with non plastic boots, when those snow conditions exist.

As TomM has demonstrated in his Voile Ultravector + Alfa Free video(s)- one can certainly ride ~100mm skis with less-than-Telemark boot support...And that is with the "chargy" Vector- I bet the V6 would be even better...

Skis like the Objective aren't designed for pow, and are expensive, and the wider Voiles that have attributes that excel in the kinda snow I am picturing are too wide for my boots.

I think that many a skier- including a number on this site- would report that the Objective is great in deep fresh snow- especially in the Northeast. But, again, one would need quite a lot of boot to drive the Objective on hard/icy snow.
The Objective shares the same profile as the Charger and Vector- but in a narrower package.
Based on the descriptions we have of the Nosi 76- I would expect the Nosi 76 to be closer to Voile's "chargy" profiles (eg Charger/Vector/Objective) than the "smeary" profiles (eg V8/V6).
I would suggest that the current Rabb 68 is more akin to Voile's "smeary" profiles- but in a narrower package.

Alpine type skis in the 80 range also aren't really designed with tall tips and long early rise rocker and tapered tails etc., the kinds of things that help get up high in the snow column at downhill speed.

Doesn't this↑ also apply to the Nosi 76?

I think a key consideration is what your preferred ski style is- what type of turns you want to make-
https://www.voile.com/blog/early-rise-c ... -shootout/

[lilcliffy]

So what are some examples of skis suited for powder that can be controlled by leathers in a foot+ of new cold dry snow?

How much more than a foot?
The following skis are great Nordic-downhill (ie Nordic touring boots) skis in 30 to 45cm of deep fresh snow:
- Asnes Ingstad
- Asnes Falketind 62 Xplore
- Asnes Rabb 68
- Fischer S-Bound 98
- Fischer S-Bound 112
- Madshus M68/Epoch
- Madshus M78/Annum

This↑ is not meant to be an exhaustive list.
I think that the ~68mm skis (and narrower) are more versatile with Noric touring boots, becasue they are narrow enough to be driven on difficult snow if necesary-
For example, I can easily ride my 78mm Annum on ideal snow w an Alaska BC- forget it on hardpack/ice-
whereas, I can drive the edge of the Rabb 68 on hardpack/ice.

Elsewhere I saw you say the Rabb is not good in "dry, loose snow" or deep snow, for both xc and dh. And Woods said it is terrible in firm hard snow. So is it a good ski for anything?

Hmmm...don't remember saying that the Rabb was no good in dry loose snow...Can you remind me of the context?

[lilcliffy]

Oh I think in that case where you said it was not a good downhill powder ski you were referring to the old model. Though I must day I don't understand that either, as it was an alpine camber at the time. Just not stiff enough or what?

I have never tried the previous Rabb 68 design- sorry if I gave that impression.

[mca80]

[quote=lilcliffy post_id=66957 time=1706133514

Alpine type skis in the 80 range also aren't really designed with tall tips and long early rise rocker and tapered tails etc., the kinds of things that help get up high in the snow column at downhill speed.

Doesn't this↑ also apply to the Nosi 76?

I think a key consideration is what your preferred ski style is- what type of turns you want to make-
https://www.voile.com/blog/early-rise-c ... -shootout/
[/quote]

I thought Nosi had tall tips and huge rocker and tapered tail, so not at all like most skis 80 underfoot.

Thanks for the link, had not read that before. So hybrid rocker is what I want. But a v6 is quite wide and will be hard to control with leathers... unless short enough and the snow is truly deep. Am I right? Many people say amything over 80 you can't use leather but I see advice and examples to the contrary--provided snow conditions correlate to the task. In 4 years of nordic skiing and 2 max of xcD I have accumulated a lot of skis, many used, I take what suits the purpose. If it's unknown what conditions are like, thats one thing. But if you know you got some deep snow at 20F and short traverses, that's what I am looking for. Sounds like v6. But the rabb may also be adequate though different. Will have to wait and see, next year hopefully since this year is a total bust. Worst winter on record.

[mca80]

https://www.telemarktalk.com/viewtopic. ... =10#p45039

Hopefully that links to the post saying ft and rabb are baf dh skis in loose soft snow.

Wicked.
I know that most people would suggest renting skis or buying a cheap used skis as a beginner but I am considering the new Asnes FT 62 or Rabb 68 from REI.
These are not XC skis. Nor are either of them suited to "fresh dry loose snow" in either XC or downhill skiing.