Advice on alpine touring setup?

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kwhit24
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by kwhit24 »

spoony wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 9:35 am
Some of you probably know this already, but the Black Diamond Guide Transceiver you purchased is subject to a possible recall because it may not switch from send to search mode. See info here: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2022/Black ... der%20snow.

How do you like the Wildcat Tours? My resort powder ski is the Moment Bibby (the sort-of predecessor of the Wildcat) and it is my favorite ski ever.
Yeah I got the email a couple months ago. It passed safety check last winter but I have been meaning to check it again since not all the devices were defective

I really like the WC Tours. It combines a lot of what I love about my Blister Pro (same as Biddy/Wildcat. 116 underfoot amazing on powder or just blasting groomers). Light but still has the power to get through crud. The Shifts also add a bit of weight which I don't mind because I feel more in control on the downhill. I feel somewhat uneasy with really light skis under me
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timstich
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by timstich »

All I can say is that I was not all that fond of my Silvretta 500s, even for resort skiing. Hard to get into. But I was never that good of a skier, so gave up on backcountry dreams.
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SkaredShtles
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by SkaredShtles »

timstich wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:43 pm All I can say is that I was not all that fond of my Silvretta 500s, even for resort skiing. Hard to get into. But I was never that good of a skier, so gave up on backcountry dreams.
Silvretta's? I'm not surprised you were dissatisfied. :lol:
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two lunches
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by two lunches »

kwhit24 wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:56 am
Bindings: Salomon Shift Binding 13 (2019) https://www.salomon.com/en-us/shop/prod ... olor=30178 ($320 friend at a shop deal)
in doing my pre-bankruptcy research, i've come across some conflicting opinions about the Shift bindings and trying to figure out if the dissension is due to user error or brand loyalists. i'm on the hunt to frankenstein my resort setup (lux 92s) so i can enjoy some uphill time, but also eager to ski some of the easier front range hiking trails when they are snowed over, as opposed to snowshoeing. i haven't taken AIARE so no inclination to tackle big mountain skiing yet.

the other front runner at the moment is the Marker Duke PT 16.

does anyone have any polarizing opinions for an advanced skier who enjoys time on the bumps and the occasional black run on a good pow day, but primarily lives for long blues and wants to spend an hour and a half of wait time before the lifts open on the uphill instead of drinking beer in the back of her 4runner. i'm guessing about 80/20 resort to touring
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by SnowAlien »

I bought Dynafit Rotation ST to use on a resort setup, but couldn't ski them (heel delta is too high for me), so I switched to Market Alpinist bindings (with breaks). I skied on them for 2 months last spring and really impressed how they do at the resorts. Very damp, and fun on moguls as well as groomers. I'm on Elans as a resort ski and use Maestrales. I got tired of super heavy and bulky resort boots with 4 buckles which takes 15 min to get in and out with a very limited *walk* mode. Now schlepping to the gondola is a breeze!
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by angry »

two lunches wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 10:33 am i'm on the hunt to frankenstein my resort setup (lux 92s) so i can enjoy some uphill time, but also eager to ski some of the easier front range hiking trails when they are snowed over, as opposed to snowshoeing. i haven't taken AIARE so no inclination to tackle big mountain skiing yet.

I just did this but went with a different binding and had also considered the Shift and Marker. I'm not ready to ski down any big mountains yet either but will use for the approach over snowshoeing as well. I'll move the bindings over to a different ski at some point but this is my only set-up in the meantime. My local ski shop has a long turnaround time due to the holidays so they won't be ready for a couple weeks. I'll report back after I've had a month or so to test out.

Skis: Line Pandora
Bindings: Fritschi Vipec Evo 12
Boots: Dynafit Radical W
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by two lunches »

angry wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 1:06 pm
two lunches wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 10:33 am i'm on the hunt to frankenstein my resort setup (lux 92s) so i can enjoy some uphill time, but also eager to ski some of the easier front range hiking trails when they are snowed over, as opposed to snowshoeing. i haven't taken AIARE so no inclination to tackle big mountain skiing yet.

I just did this but went with a different binding and had also considered the Shift and Marker. I'm not ready to ski down any big mountains yet either but will use for the approach over snowshoeing as well. I'll move the bindings over to a different ski at some point but this is my only set-up in the meantime. My local ski shop has a long turnaround time due to the holidays so they won't be ready for a couple weeks. I'll report back after I've had a month or so to test out.
rose i hope this means we can hang out more :)
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by angry »

two lunches wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 2:53 pm rose i hope this means we can hang out more :)
you know it!
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by Wildernessjane »

two lunches wrote: Mon Dec 11, 2023 10:33 am
kwhit24 wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:56 am
Bindings: Salomon Shift Binding 13 (2019) https://www.salomon.com/en-us/shop/prod ... olor=30178 ($320 friend at a shop deal)
in doing my pre-bankruptcy research, i've come across some conflicting opinions about the Shift bindings and trying to figure out if the dissension is due to user error or brand loyalists. i'm on the hunt to frankenstein my resort setup (lux 92s) so i can enjoy some uphill time, but also eager to ski some of the easier front range hiking trails when they are snowed over, as opposed to snowshoeing. i haven't taken AIARE so no inclination to tackle big mountain skiing yet.

the other front runner at the moment is the Marker Duke PT 16.

does anyone have any polarizing opinions for an advanced skier who enjoys time on the bumps and the occasional black run on a good pow day, but primarily lives for long blues and wants to spend an hour and a half of wait time before the lifts open on the uphill instead of drinking beer in the back of her 4runner. i'm guessing about 80/20 resort to touring
I had the Salomon Shift bindings on a pair of Elan skis but they broke. The toe piece that keeps the boots locked in while skinning was permanently stuck on, which could be pretty likely to cause a knee injury or worse in a fall. This happened at the resort and there was no clear cause, such as a fall. When I took them in, I was told this is a common problem with the Shift bindings. Fortunately they were still under warranty but I had to wait for Salomon to send an entire replacement of the toe piece (there was no way to fix them to salvage my ski day). I sold those bindings and purchased the Marker Duke PT’s and I love them. I’ve been using them for a couple years now and haven’t had any problems. They have a high “fiddle factor” in terms of transitioning between skinning and ski mode but that’s a small price to pay for what seems like a much more reliable product. Plus, they feel lighter when skinning because you take the top part off and stash it in your pack. Personally, I would not take the risk of using tech bindings at the resort over the long term, especially if you like to hit the moguls. I have used Dynafit tech bindings many times at the resort and could ski anything in them, but my understanding is they’re not as reliable in terms of releasing in certain scenarios. Seems like you’d be playing with fire. I would recommend the Marker Duke PT’s for a hybrid 80/20 resort/backcountry setup.
Last edited by Wildernessjane on Wed Dec 13, 2023 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by Jorts »

Wildernessjane wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2023 4:45 pm I would recommend the Marker Duke PT’s for a hybrid 80/20 resort/backcountry setup.
+1... a common combo for patrollers seems to be maestrales with marker dukes or even kingpins for kind of a hybrid setup. I knackered a dynafit radical at the resort on refrozen crud. The plastic on the back of the binding holding the pins basically just shattered.
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by JacobW »

If you're going to be using the same setup for inbounds and backcountry, I'd highly recommend a hybrid binding (meaning something like the kingpins, dukes, or shifts). I know a lot of people who have been injured from pins not releasing correctly, which you're just more likely to encounter when you're doing more laps in the resort. I have two 50:50 setups with CAST Touring, and I love them. They're the burliest bindings you could imagine for the resort, and you get to ski on them in the backcountry. They're heavy, so I also have a lighter, pin setup. But not too heavy, so I did take them up Torreys twice last year.
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Re: Advice on alpine touring setup?

Post by two lunches »

y'all. thank you SO MUCH. i ordered the Markers and am stoked for them to show up. hope it's as type-1.5 fun as it looks!
“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis
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