Freerides w/ Burly skis?

[avacadotoast]

Hypothetically speaking, let's say you have a non-rockstar skier with some burly skis (burly for me) - we'll say Legend Pros. Would freerides make them more difficult to ski in comparison to Axial 140s? I'm not talking about how freerides hold when dropping 30 footers or anything but will freerides make it noticeably more difficult to snap turns off on gnarly steeps?

Trying to figure out if I'd be happier over the long haul mounting alpine and picking up something less demanding for touring...

[Cirquerider]

I have them on V Mantras and skied them from March to June. Freerides have some play in them, but are comparable to a lot of downhill bindings. I assume you have seen Lou Dawsons reviews? http://www.wildsnow.com/ and http://www.wildsnow.com/backcountry-...-017-flex.html

[PNWbrit]

they'll add some riser compared to an alpine and have less ramp angle.

I find they make it a little tougher the burlier the ski the bigger the difference - kind of narrows the sweet spot. But nothing that you can't get used to or mitigate with technique changes.

Sure feels easier when you get back into Alpines though.

[Sphinx]

Don't Legend Pros weigh 12 pounds? That's a stupid ski to put AT bindings on.

[avacadotoast]

Don't Legend Pros weigh 12 pounds? That's a stupid ski to put AT bindings on.

Play nice Sphinx!

It's just what I have...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN%3AIT&rd=1

...actually they need to be remounted anyway because the dude has them mounted about 3.5cm too far back - I'm def leaning toward mounting them alpine - but that means I need to pick up another ski for AT.

btw - my BC jaunts will not be long distance touring but rather as little huffing as possible to get to decent terrain when the resorts suck.

[El Chupacabra]

btw - my BC jaunts will not be long distance touring but rather as little huffing as possible to get to decent terrain when the resorts suck.

Huffing = so hot right now.

[StormDay]

I have them on V Mantras and skied them from March to June. Freerides have some play in them, but are comparable to a lot of downhill bindings. I assume you have seen Lou Dawsons reviews? http://www.wildsnow.com/ and http://www.wildsnow.com/backcountry-...-017-flex.html

great articles. (maybe I'm just an engineering geek)

this was interesting:
"What I found fascinating is that the Freeride and heavy duty Naxo Nx21 (formerly known as the "Stomp") were essentially equal to the Marker alpine binding..."

and
"Due to inherent error in any mechanical testing system, I'm confident in saying the Marker alpine, Freeride and Naxo Nx21 bindings are all essentially equal in lateral twisting stiffness..."

[trainnvain]

If you do put on the axial 140's, watch if you plan on using trekkers, the heelpiece will interfere with the adapter in the flat position (no interference w/ the first climbing rung though).This is the same deal with the roto heels in the race bindings, though not as bad.
If yer skin times are under an hour on average, I'd slap on an alpine binding.

[seatosky]

If you do put on the axial 140's, watch if you plan on using trekkers, the heelpiece will interfere with the adapter in the flat position (no interference w/ the first climbing rung though).This is the same deal with the roto heels in the race bindings, though not as bad.
If yer skin times are under an hour on average, I'd slap on an alpine binding.

I got told by a shop guy that you can grind off a bit of the plastic cover that goes over the 140/p14 heelpiece, and that gives it just enough room to put your heel all the way down. This is what I'm going to try.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I'm not talking about how freerides hold when dropping 30 footers or anything but will freerides make it noticeably more difficult to snap turns off on gnarly steeps?

I didn't notice any difference on my setup....I have Freerides mounted on Stockli DP's...and they ski great. I did however mount them w/o the rubber toe riser thingy for a little bit more ramp angle.

[Brewski2]

I've been on 186 Astroids with freerides for the last 3 years. I did notice a difference the first couple of days but quickly got used to it. I think it helped that I have never skied this ski with alpine bindings. And whats with all this about weight? Yea the stocklis may weigh more than some foam core dynafits but I'm not trying to win a race. Can you really feel that big of a difference? Sure it looks significant on paper but I don't think it really matters. I tour for turns only. I know that some people like to skin all friggin day for one run(euros) and then weight would be more of an issue. If your gear is 'heavey' you just have to be in better shape thats all. Sheesh
Okay, ranting is over. Goodbye

[Mechmaster]

If you're thinking about Legend Pros and trekkers, you'll probably be disappointed. Since the alpine setup is very stiff torsionally, you'll experience a lot of torsional compliance in the trekkers themselves. This is especially pronouced if you skin across the fall line on a wind-packed surface-an excessive amount of knee angulation will be required to overcome the twisting in the trekker and allow you to set a ski on edge.

[funkendrenchman]

Squirrel99 has Freerides on Legend Pros. I've skied his pair a couple times and I didn't notice anything too different with that combination.

[Core Shot]

Ski them as-is and find out wheter 1) you like freerides and 2) you like 3.5cm back.
WHy not try an exisiting setup whenever possible.
That real world feedback is better than anything we can tell you.

[avacadotoast]

Thanks for all the help...

Ski them as-is and find out wheter 1) you like freerides and 2) you like 3.5cm back.
WHy not try an exisiting setup whenever possible.
That real world feedback is better than anything we can tell you.

I thought about that - I just think they are so far back that it'll be too weird to tell.

From all of your insight I've come to the conclusion that they'll probably ski close enough with freerides that it won't make a difference....

...BUT...I think that I still may want a less demanding ski for the BC simply because of how crappy I ski when I've just humped uphill for a couple hours - not to mention, out there I won't get a few runs to dial myself in...and since the LPs have to be remounted anyway...

[Kya]

...BUT...I think that I still may want a less demanding ski for the BC simply ...

For me this is a much bigger factor then half a millimeter of play that the Freeride might or might not have.

Want to buy a 2003-04 Aromic R:EX? Super light stable BC ski.

[Core Shot]

Thanks for all the help...

I thought about that - I just think they are so far back that it'll be too weird to tell.

From all of your insight I've come to the conclusion that they'll probably ski close enough with freerides that it won't make a difference....

...BUT...I think that I still may want a less demanding ski for the BC simply because of how crappy I ski when I've just humped uphill for a couple hours - not to mention, out there I won't get a few runs to dial myself in...and since the LPs have to be remounted anyway...

I still say take the free sample.
Bring them to the mounatin and ski em to see where you want the next mount to be. Freeride will be a bit different, particularly due to ramp angle, but you can learn a lot about how the midpoint is in varying terrain.

Backcountry depends on what you weigh. I dont consider LP demanding, but I weigh 215. In fact, I had a R-Ex backcountry ski that was more demanding since it had more sidecut.
Also, the LPs (narrow 194s) that I mounted with freerides were too forward, so for a pow backcountry ski, your 3.5 back may not be as weird as you think.

[KANUTTEN]

Thanks for all the help...

I thought about that - I just think they are so far back that it'll be too weird to tell.

From all of your insight I've come to the conclusion that they'll probably ski close enough with freerides that it won't make a difference....

...BUT...I think that I still may want a less demanding ski for the BC simply because of how crappy I ski when I've just humped uphill for a couple hours - not to mention, out there I won't get a few runs to dial myself in...and since the LPs have to be remounted anyway...

3.5cm backmounting;
Be aware that the Dynastar Legends have the recommended mountingplace 2-4 cm further to the front than for most "comparable" skis. Personnally I found the recommended mounting place weird; Tendency for tips to dive, and very narrow sweet spot in powder. So I would strongly suggest trying out the current mount.

Legend Pros with freerides is kind of a strange set up as they are about as heavy as you can get a ski of that size. If you are sure that is the only pair you will ski, then I think freerides will work just fine. However, the hole point with such a bomber ski is to be able to ski a bit brutal in sketchy conditions. I just don't feel so confident on the freerides if I want to ski that way. That is probably just in my head, but anyway. The elevation in the freerides actually makes the ski easier to get up on the edge. But the play makes it feel not so burly, imo.

So if you can afford a dedicated backcountry ski, that would be the best.

[altagirl]

I didn't like the way Fritchis felt in non-pow conditions. I didn't mess with the shims and all that, so maybe that would have helped. But I don't think I'd want them on my everyday skis. And LP's don't make a lot of sense to me as a BC ski.

I'd test them out as is, remount if necessary, and see what you can find at swaps to find a better BC ski or just use trekkers in the meantime if you're not going touring much.

[avacadotoast]

Thanks for all the great advice! So I've decided to ski them as is and see how they feel and go from there. If I have to remount I will mount them alpine and find something else to use for touring. The skis are mounted at 30" (76.2cm) from the tail which is REALLY far back - I think the 79.5 number thrown around looks to be not too far forward - trying them as is will hopefully give me some feedback.

Anyway, I have an unmounted REX sitting around that I can use with the freerides - or even better maybe my Blizzard rep buddy will help with some Titan 9.2s real cheap...I guess it's not a bad thing to have my options...

Thanks again!!