In the early 90’s, “sampling” opened up a new realm of musical exploration for artists- any genre from any era could now be freely used and recombined to create new sounds and styles of music. Backcountry ski touring has also undergone a similar trend of sampling. Think of today’s state-of-the-art ski touring equipment as the Vanilla Ice of backcountry snow travel!
What is Rugged Touring? Essentially, it is using skis as a winter backcountry travel tool to allow the most effective mode of transportation possible, over snow, through mountain valleys, peaks, and passes. It incorporates elements of X-country, telemark, and ski mountaineering. It selects freely from generations of tried and true equipment and combines them with the best ski technology available today.
The Ski
Today’s
Rugged Touring skis have metal edges for control, waxless “fish scale” patterns on the base for climbing (like traditional X-country skis), and shorter lengths and wide modern side cuts for turning. These are an entirely new beast, and they are the key that opens the door to modern Rugged Ski Touring. Four of the best examples of this type of ski available on the market today are the
Karhu XCD Guide, the
Karhu XCD 10th Mountain, the
Alpina X Terrain, and the
Alpina Lite Terrain. They look and ski incredibly similar to modern
Tele and A/T skis, but are lighter and have patterned bases for traction, eliminating the need for
adhesive climbing skins which inhibit glide and increase transition times. In selecting the appropriate model, the main consideration is that the wider skis will ski better, and the narrower skis will tour and track with less effort. You really can’t make a bad choice with any of these models that are now available at
Wilderness Exchange Unlimited.
The Boot
Still, after years of experimentation and product development, you can’t beat the classic 75mm 3-pin boot for its combination of control over steep and difficult terrain, and touring ease. Two excellent examples of this type of boot are the
Alpina BC 1575, and the beautiful
Crispi Antarctic leather. The Alpina boots are light, nimble, warm, and can effectively turn a ski. The Crispi Antarctic deserves special treatment in this discussion. This is a classic Italian-made Norwegian–welted old-school leather 3-pin boot. These are the boot that every tele skier used before 1994, when the
Scarpa T1 ushered in the new era of modern plastic. The beauty of the Antarctic is that it allows the skier to actually make hard-driving telemark turns on lightweight Rugged Touring equipment, opening up the limitless potential to ski any slope that they encounter. These boots are not available in the United States, and
Wilderness Exchange Unlimited has gone to great lengths to import them directly into the country from Italy.
The Binding
The binding of choice for Rugged Touring is the classic 75mm 3-pin. Modern telemark cable or cartridge bindings are too heavy and constraining, and
NNN-BC bindings, while providing the most effective touring efficiency over moderately hilly terrain, do not offer the necessary control for going downhill over steep terrain. The four best examples of this type of binding are the
Karhu 75mm BC 3-pin, the
Voile HD Mountaineer 3-pin, the
Voile 3-pin Cable, and the
Voile 3-pin Hardwire. The Karhu 75m BC 3-pin is a clean, effective, inexpensive choice for touring. The Voile HD Mountaineer 3-pin has a larger mouth and can accommodate plastic tele boots. The Voile 3-pin Cable allows the skier to tour with only the 3-pin, and then engage the cable behind the heel of the boot for added control and turning. The Voile 3-pin Hardwire deserves special treatment in this discussion. This binding comes with riser plates, can accommodate a climbing wire, and when engaged, allows the skier to make hard-driving telemark turns on an active cartridge binding. Combined with the
Crispi Antarctic, there is simply no better rig for a skilled tele skier who wants to travel miles into the backcountry and ski anything he or she desires.
To Skin or Not To Skin ?
The answer to this question entirely depends on the type of terrain that the skier intends to travel on. Depending on snow conditions, the patterned bases of modern
Rugged Touring skis are adequate for uphill travel on slopes up to 25%-30% in steepness. Climbing slopes beyond this will require duck-walking, sidestepping, and aggressive switch-backing. Generally, sustained slopes steeper than this are the realm of heavier full-on backcountry A/T or Telemark equipment. For Rugged Touring gear, you may want to consider carrying a kicker skin or a narrow full-length skin for accessing more alpine terrain. Wilderness Exchange Unlimited currently has an amazing deal on narrow width
G3 Expedition skins at only $49.95.
Poles
Adjustable ski poles are mandatory for Rugged Touring.
Avalanche Safety Equipment
If you are going above tree line in the winter backcountry,
avalanche safety equipment and the skill and knowledge in its use is mandatory.
New generation Rugged Touring gear is one of the most efficient and fun modes of human-powered transportation ever invented. Here at
WildyX, with the Colorado Rockies in our backyard, we have selflessly devoted years of our lives to this activity, and we vow to our customers to continue to do so- for them… The gear we offer is truly futuristic and incorporates the best of over 100 years of design, experimentation, and just going out and skiing. Ice, Ice baby!
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