Ski Touring Gear Help

[CKT887]

Looking for some advice to help parse through all the info I've pulled together researching ski touring/backcountry/mountaineering setups.

Background:

-Advanced Skier (East Coast)

-6-1, 190lbs

-Minimal background in touring/mountaineering (summited Rainier)

-Have a downhill/carving setup already (Volkl RTM81 and Tecnica Boots)

What I'm looking for:

A good set of backcountry touring skis that will be fun in powder(~100 waist) and reasonable for getting serious about touring. Mostly for West Coast- CO, UT, WY, Whistler.

Caveat: I recently came across a set of Dynafit Vulcans which is making me lean in that direction for bindings...

Current Interests:

Skis:

-Volkl Katana V-Werks

Seems ideal for the type of skiing I want. Lock in to marker bindings sucks (wary of risking the mounting given I'm not a featherweight). Kingpins appear totally unavailable near me and are unproven (albeit interesting and I'd probably take the bet if I could find them...hint hint).

-Black Diamond Carbon Convert

-DPS Wailer

Bindings (This is where I'm a bit more lost)

-Dynafit Radical

-Dynafit Beast

-Marker Frame Bindings

Questions:

-Thoughts on the skis? Any I'm missing?

-Bindings- What would you recommend for a person with my interests? I'm leaning towards tech bindings (for the uphill benefits/cause I have the boots/to try them) but I'm wary given I'm a bigger guy and hear very mixed reviews about the release/safety/etc. I'm not hucking cliffs and am generally a smooth skier but still...

-Dynafit Vulcans on frame bindings...normal or dumb?

-Any other advice? Finding it to be generally information overload learning about all this stuff.

Thanks!

 

[.MASSHOLE.]

Looking for some advice to help parse through all the info I've pulled together researching ski touring/backcountry/mountaineering setups.

Background:

-Advanced Skier (East Coast)

-6-1, 190lbs

-Minimal background in touring/mountaineering (summited Rainier)

-Have a downhill/carving setup already (Volkl RTM81 and Tecnica Boots)

What I'm looking for:

A good set of backcountry touring skis that will be fun in powder(~100 waist) and reasonable for getting serious about touring. Mostly for West Coast- CO, UT, WY, Whistler.

Caveat: I recently came across a set of Dynafit Vulcans which is making me lean in that direction for bindings...

Current Interests:

Skis:

-Volkl Katana V-Werks

Seems ideal for the type of skiing I want. Lock in to marker bindings sucks (wary of risking the mounting given I'm not a featherweight). Kingpins appear totally unavailable near me and are unproven (albeit interesting and I'd probably take the bet if I could find them...hint hint).

-Black Diamond Carbon Convert

-DPS Wailer

Bindings (This is where I'm a bit more lost)

-Dynafit Radical

-Dynafit Beast

-Marker Frame Bindings

Questions:

-Thoughts on the skis? Any I'm missing?

-Bindings- What would you recommend for a person with my interests? I'm leaning towards tech bindings (for the uphill benefits/cause I have the boots/to try them) but I'm wary given I'm a bigger guy and hear very mixed reviews about the release/safety/etc. I'm not hucking cliffs and am generally a smooth skier but still...

-Dynafit Vulcans on frame bindings...normal or dumb?

-Any other advice? Finding it to be generally information overload learning about all this stuff.

Thanks!

Well, more importantly, were the Vulcans given or fitted? If they were not properly fitted and are slightly uncomfortable, get that fixed first. You do not want to tour on an uncomfortable boot.

I can't really talk about ski recommendations because I have no experience on any of those skis so hopefully someone else can chime in there.

Binding-wise, I think if you are skiing out west primarily (which it seems you are) I would look into either Beasts or a frame-binding. I would recommend a burlier binding because you will want to use these for inbounds powder days due to a lack of a dedicated inbounds ski beyond a carver. People seem to love the Beast, but keep in mind, they do not have a 100% 0 degree touring setting ( I think). This is a problem for some people who have long approaches to their destination. If money is not a problem, then go for the Beast.

But Vulcans on a frame binding is not crazy, especially because you have a pair of inbound boots.

 

[Drail]

Well, more importantly, were the Vulcans given or fitted? If they were not properly fitted and are slightly uncomfortable, get that fixed first. You do not want to tour on an uncomfortable boot.

I can't really talk about ski recommendations because I have no experience on any of those skis so hopefully someone else can chime in there.

Binding-wise, I think if you are skiing out west primarily (which it seems you are) I would look into either Beasts or a frame-binding. I would recommend a burlier binding because you will want to use these for inbounds powder days due to a lack of a dedicated inbounds ski beyond a carver. People seem to love the Beast, but keep in mind, they do not have a 100% 0 degree touring setting ( I think). This is a problem for some people who have long approaches to their destination. If money is not a problem, then go for the Beast.

But Vulcans on a frame binding is not crazy, especially because you have a pair of inbound boots.

You could almost buy a pair of FT 12's AND Barons for the price of the Beast.

That being said you could just go the full on ballin' route. Vulcan, carbon Wailers, and the Beast. It's what, a $3000 set up? Ballin! But, as I was saying - if you buy stuff that isn't $1000/each you could spend the same amount of money and come out with a slack/inbounds set up AND a touring specific set up.

 

[ChasingFlakes]

You could almost buy a pair of FT 12's AND Barons for the price of the Beast.

That being said you could just go the full on ballin' route. Vulcan, carbon Wailers, and the Beast. It's what, a $3000 set up? Ballin! But, as I was saying - if you buy stuff that isn't $1000/each you could spend the same amount of money and come out with a slack/inbounds set up AND a touring specific set up.

Im on the dual set up train for the same$. Could even go with the G3 ion and lessen the cost even further.

 

[bakedpow]

G3 ion

ya but who really wants those?

 

[J.D.]

Carbon converts with radical ft12s would be a pretty unreal setup. The Black Diamond carbon skis give you a really good surface area to weight ratio and the convert is a versatile ski. Unless you weigh 200+ I see no particularly compelling reason to need beasts for what you're doing. Save the 200 grams or whatever.