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Dear Maggots,
I've spent zero time with skins on and I don't want to spend a bunch of money on a new ski only to find out that touring is not my gig. In your considered opinion, would mounting a pair of Freerides on my 178 Volkl AX4's (G4) make for a good touring set up? Is the ski too heavy?
Thank you, in advance for your thoughtful response.
Signed,
Dawn Patrol JONG
I did do a search, but didn't find exactly what I was looking for.
I know a guy who skied G4s with Fritchis for a while. He didn't seem to have trouble doing 8000 foot days on them.
sure, go for it. So what if its heavy, you'll just need to work a bit harder...
People tour on Spatulas. Crazy people, but people.
There are worse touring setups. If it's what you have, why not give it a shot? If you decide you love it you can always get something lighter.
depends on the boots
don't kid yourself into thinking that some sissy-pants AT boot is gonna drive a ski like that. If you were gonna use them with alpine boots then go right ahead. Its a kick ass setup
I toured quite a bit with my 188 AX4s. I used either those or the BROs.
They actually felt lighter than the BROs when skinning... Don't think you gonna have problems with them at all :)
Insp G,
The Volkls should work okay for gettin` into touring with just about any AT boot. I use my "sissy-pants" stock Lasers w/183 Teledaddys. If you`re >150 lbs you`ll be dialed in, of course next season (or sooner) more girth to your skis will be on the agenda.
I say go for it. Personally I would rather ski an alpine boot with that setup than a touring boot, but either would work fine. My g4's were my only powder ski for my first season here and I still don't mind having them on powder days if I get caught with my pants down and don't have my spats or beasts.
Check with Cornholio on this. If I remember right, he uses this setup for AT.
^^^ Pointing at those who posted above ^^^
Thank you for the words of advice. I am going to mount my new Freerides on my beloved AX4's for a touring rig. My AT boots are Nordica TR12's and I don't really want to use them ATing - they just aren't beefy enough.
Did somebody say Gear Swap?
You can actually tour on anything. You'll be fine.
I have been using my 188 G4's with freerides for 2 seasons now as my B/C set up. Sure they are not the lightest ski out there but it is still one hell of a ski in any conditions you might run into.
As for the boots, I have some issues with my G-rides being a little on the soft side with this set up. In the process of finding new stiff tongue to help the cause.
Good luck and enjoy!
[insert insincere-miserable-bastard smilie-winkie-thingy] Thanks for that pearl of wisdom Foggy. [/imbswt]Quote:
Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles
Besides, touring with such heavy skis gives you a built in excuse...
"I'd be up front, but my G4s are so damn heavy..." (and the sun is in my eyes, and did I mention that I'm pathetically out of shape?)
I use G4s with Freerides and Lowa Struktura Pro boots touring and it works for me. Last year I used this setup in-bounds on powder days, and it was even servicable there (though there was a noticeable drop off in performance on high speed groomer runs on the way to/from the deep stuff)
I know a couple of folks that are/were on that setup. It's heavy, but it's a great ski for the backcountry since it's wide enough to float at speed, stiff enough to hold on ice, narrow enough to break trail pretty easily, and durable enough to take a nasty hit and still get your out of the woods. Same reasons I love my R:Ex for touring (plus a bit of weight).
That's been my setup for the past three years. Love it, love it, love it. The 178 G4's a great ski; very different (IMO) from the 188, it likes to turn a lot more and they're fun in the trees, which I like in a BC setup. I do find that in anything but Wasatch fluff they're a little short for ripping; they will force you into the back a bit to keep the tips up. But the weight's never been an issue, really.
Plus, having all that metal in there is a real bonus when you start hitting shit...
Anyway, looks like you've made up your mind. Enjoy!
In addition to what has been said above the only isue you might have is when ascending/traversing over hard frozen steep pitches with strongly tilt tracks the skins prolly don't hold up quite as well as on a ski with less sidecut and narrower shovel. And the old G4 had a lot less sidecut that current AC4s. But if you just tour occasionally I wouldn't care too much about it.
Just my 0.02.