I try out my Secura-fix conversion bindings to turn my downhill skiis into backcountry skis. I got these for free, but you can easily find a secondhand pair of them, or similar (and better) product such as Alpine Trekkers or Daymakers secondhand. Alpine Trekkers and Secura-fix are both out of production, and Daymakers cost a few hundred dollars new. Skins can be picked up for under $100.
There are a few problems with this setup.
-Weight
-If you have a downhill portion on your climb, you will have to use your mad telemark skills or stop and get your bindings out.
-Your feet are about three inches above the skis. Good thing you aren’t wearing them on the way down.
-Downhill ski boots are like casts, and angle your legs into an awkward position for climbing.
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Pilot
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WTF? Buy Marker Dukes (or similar) mount to short/ fat skis (I’m 230lbs on 175 Volkl Sumo’s (rockskis) and 182 Ramp Kapows, good skins & shovel and git’er dun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6rCjjmdAKs
Form fit boot liners would be next on that list as comfort is a top priority when you’re hiking all day. Skinning, leave you DH boots loose/ unbuckled except toe, booster strap around back outta way. Trekkers/ Ramers whatever SUCK, suck, suck compared to new school AT binders. 30+ yr old plastic LOL!!!
Geez! Didn’t realize it was that expensive to backcountry ski. We have barely seen any snow on the ground here in Ohio.
Looks like a lot of fun with the proper gear. I guess it’s a good thing Texas doesn’t get that kind of snow, I don’t have room for a ski room. Lol
Good video and a good choice to try them .Now you know if you can do with the rest of the season you got it made if not dig deep. I enjoy your videos keep them coming
Thanks for the demo. Tough choices when, as you say, you may only do it a few times a year. Seems like the boot issue is the crux.
That worried me your feet being so high off the ground like that and then you said your boots were loose, Thought you were gonna roll an ankle for a minute, lol glad you didn’t though. I am sure your purchasing plan will be worth it more than shelling all that out at once. Give you a chance to see if you are even gonna keep with it. Thanks for showing us how it is done and the realities of the prices
your awesome . thanks as always
You will love Altai Hok skis. Too bad not many places rent them out. Any outdoor network groups in your area? Someone might have a pair you can borrow. Easier than snowshoes, but not as fast as dedicated BC skis. Waldhandwork and Suzanna Williams both love them and have good videos on their channels.
If you can find a used outdoor or ski equipment store there are plenty of folks getting rid of telemark skis and plastic tele boots because it isn’t the latest and greatest stuff. That’s what I do. And as it happens, those folks with $2500 or more spent on AT gear are going same places as I go on my $350 tele setup. And AT gear isn’t even all that practical for touring unless it’s either steadily uphill, or steadily downhill, because you can’t simply free-heel and kick/glide on the rolling terrain as you can with telemark gear. I see it every trip out.
Good test! Cheers, Marc
Great job. I agree if you are going to drop that much coin on gear then you might as well buy the good stuff.
looks great,wish we had more snow
but I think like you in that matter
buy good stuff,even if IT takes a bit longer,but on the long run IT Will be worth it
Cool… now all I need is the snow 😉
Wow, I’m impressed at how well your camera handled the back-light when you had the sun behind you!
My current (and far better) setup for under $350 USD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-4xYgEEvVk
Maybe you will luck out and find what you want cheap. Thank you for the video, Carley
Great! An even better solution is to put some heavy 3-pin bindings on and get some leather boots and telemark ski
Marker f10 tour
What a great idea! Your area looks beautiful! Make us want to go skiing again=) Fantastic video friend and big like from us! We hope you have a wonderful weekend=)
Wow I knew skiing was expensive, that’s why I never got involved with it. That and my weak ankles.
This might sound crazy, but if you can get some old cable bindings from the late 1950’s or very early 1960’s, they were designed for climbing and alpine. You would remove the cable from the heel hook guides for climbing, then put the cable through the heel hooks again for alpine downhill. Most had quick safety release features too. Sadly, so many have been thrown away, but you can still find them cheaper than buying new or even newer used stuff.
What is snow? 🙂
Always an awesome video regardless of the topic Carley, thanks for sharing that. You can’t shred back down the hill with snow shoes, so you got that going for you. Plus, that cross country skiing is a cardio nightmare. I’ll go check out Brandon’s channel as well, TFS!
pretty cool set up! Sometimes the way to go is the cheap way that works. because you don’t know if you’ll like the hobby till you try it. Some of my gear is like that. I just invested in a slightly better hammock for camping because I wanted one. I probably would never have bought it if I had not gone with the cheaper or more casual set ups 😛
I used marker Barons and Dukes for years (they are a frame binding with full downhill capabilities) and they work great! I have since gotten a dedicated setup but other than weight there is not much differene
Those would work out pretty good in Utah I think! Nice! Can’t beat free!