Touring on fat skis >120 underfoot...

Carrphotography

Carrphotography

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Anyone have experience with touring on really fat skis, like EP pro fat? Backcountry to me is for getting to the untracked, which to me is more fun the fatter you go... So, aside from additional weight, anyone see a huge problem with using EP Pros or bacons with freerides or the new marker binding? As a dedicated backcountry ski. I'm thinking it could be a riot.
 
i'm thinking of making my lizzies a touring setup (instead of just selling them). seems like it would work well, as long as what you're hiking to is nice and soft. i've always thought a touring setup should be able to handle anything from soft fresh to old untracked crust (never actually owned a touring setup though), and i dunno how well the soft pollard models do in stuff that's more than a few days old. bacons seem like the most versatile, but lizzies are probably the lightest.
 
^ Yea it's all confusing desicions decisions... I too have thought my lizzies would make a great touring ski, but I want to keep them with normal bindings because they are my all mountain everyday ski.. I have freerides so I suppose I could always throw them on my lizzies in a pinch as another option. There's a clip in Push where Pollard is putting skins on his skis which look way fatter than the production bacon. IDK

 
Regardless of what you decide, please please please, just don't duck the ropes and get buried and die. That would suck for all of us. Thanks.
 
Thanks for the heads up. Word. Backcountry isn't a joke and I'm not one of those peeps that have never been BC or taking any education...
 
Only problem with early rise or rocker is less of the skis surface area is touching the snow. So skins aren't going to be as effective. And on something that big and heavy slackcountry is probably all you'll ever want to do on it.
 
The bigger width ski you have the less edge pressure you can make, especialy with a high lift on a touring setup. I wouldent go much over 100 in the waist.
 
veteran makes a good point about contacting surface area. I chose to go with my gotamas rather than prophet 130s for touring. It was a tough choice, bceause as you said, the whole reason you go to the BC is for fresh. I am using trekkers, so going side hill on 130s and trekkers would be disasterous. I could see pieces breaking everytime, or your ankle having mad role. With Touring bindings, it will be more solid, espcially the dukes from what ive heard. Still something to consider though.

Take a look at the terrain you would be going to. Is the access all wind bitten side hill? If yes, then it will be tough. If its sheltered, mellower terrain than it will be easier on fatties.

I can still use my skins on my prophets, so in a few months I could give you another reply.
 
I'm really leaning towards mounting Marker Dukes to my EP Pros. I don't tour that much, but I like to have the option to. I'm a bit of a snow snob, don't see a point in going to the backcountry unless it's really worth it.. So, it's either just go another year with securifix (like trekker) or put the burly duke on my fattest skis, and reserve them for the deep days. Any nay sayers?
 
Today I got to play with both the EP Pro and the Marker Duke. The EP Pro's are much lighter than I expected. I put the marker dukes on top of the EP Pro to try and get a weight comparison. They felt about the same as when having p12's or salomon STH 16's etc..
I am mounting my JP's with Fritschi's, for a super light AT setup, and starting to think Dukes on my EP Pro's would be the ultimate... provided money wasn't an option. Then I'd have versatility in touring. The only thing that worries me about the Duke is they are slightly higher than a normal binding, but I don't think it would be very noticeable. Opinions?
 
you shouldnt have any issues with the Dukes regarding height. A lot of people have been on them thus far and everyone seems to really like them.
 
walking is wierd with fat skis really hard if your following in someones tracks who's skis are narrower than yours otherwise have fun fun fun
 
i myself think it sounds horrible. granted, i havnt tried it, so i dont know.

seems to me though, when you get to that width, every stride you take you would either have to open the width of your legs like your squatting, or youll have lots of side chips from knocking your skis together.

i know theyre light, so thats not an issue. and the Dukes are absolutly sick. and i am positive that youll have fun with that setup, seriously. just for my preference, it seems like alot of clanking and some heavier wear and tear on your skis.

the julien i think would be a nicer BC ski. granted, probably not nearly as fun as the EP. but for tracking straight,not hitting your tips, tails aaand your boots together, and buying skins, i think id like those better.

thats my opinion. youll have fun no matter what. now buy a beacon and a shovel and a probe. love, mom.
 
then you'll be fine ive benn with people touring on new fat skis and they didnt like it because they were used to thinner skis but forget my posts
 
I already am planning on mounting my JP's with fritschis. I agree they'll be a great backcountry ski. I have skins that fit my elizabeths and bacons though, and so I thought putting Dukes on my EP Pros would be cool, they'd mainly be used in resort, but if it was super deep in the backcountry, I was thinking I could use the EP pros. I can get the Dukes for around the same money as say STH 16's... So that's what got me thinking. I know it might take some adjusting, but it must have been done before.

And I already have a beacon and all that stuff... and plan on getting more avy training soon.

 
dude, I've been touring a couple of years now. Fritchis suck, do not get them. they break way too easily. The system they use to lock the heel to the ski is crap.

Just get the dukes for all your skis, they're the only touring binding that looks skiable.
 
you should buy one piar of Dukes and figure out a way to put inserts in all of your skis, and then tell me how you did it. Ok?
 
itll be very hard to keep your skis straight with rockers and all that and with all the sidecut...id think jpvs juliens would be a solid choice
 
Sorry about bringing up an old thread, but i started it.
Anyway, what's the verdict? Anyone have a lot of experience this season touring on their big skis? I'm considering mounting my EP Pro's with fritschi's next year, I toured on my EP pros one day this year using trekkers, and it was actually much better than I thought it would be, but the problem was how extremely heavy it was. I don't think EP Pros and fritschi's would be that heavy. I love my EP pros, but really start to go downhill as soon as it starts getting bumped out. I am thinking ARG's will be a better in bounds bomber pow ski while EP Pro's would be great for backcountry untracked.

Any thoughts?
 
i have the same wondering. I just won some scratch steeze and i live on the east coast so I am only going to be using it for pow days. I also already have some diamar fritchi freeride bindings downstairs that are not being used. I dont really know anything about them, but thats what my dad skis on and I was also wondering how that would be on the steez. input?
 
speculation on skinning with fatter rockered skis; tip-to-tail contact length with the snow is less, but the overall width of the ski is wider......so........

do all the little hairs work better in series or parallel?

i can only imagine how much fun switchbacks would be on bigass skis. the fattest ive toured on is seths (98 underfoot)
 
The only thing that would worry me about that setup is the torque you'd put on the binding with a ski that wide. Fritschis and Naxos ride high and will flex more if you make them turn a bigger ski. I'm not saying it can't be done--there's a couple guys around here that rip it on Prophet 130's and FR+--I'm just pointing out that it could be an issue if you pay attention to things like that. You'll notice it on tricky sidehills or hard snow for sure. And for the record, I'm pretty sure I will be getting Zealots next year to put my Naxos on, I'm all for AT bindings on 100-110 waisted skis.

Of course you can really reduce the torque issue by switching to Marker or Dynafit.
 
ive hicked w/ my lizzies and they were really light, i didnt even mind. and i didnt even use a pack or any thing.

1206942727hiken.jpg


^ we accualy both hicked w/ lizzies haha
 
i've toured on prophet 130's and it's a lot of ski to drag up the mountain, and you won't fit in any skin tracks b/c it's so wide, but it's still totally doable, just heavy. i wouldn't put dukes or barons on super fat skis unless you're really fit, it's going to be ridiculously heavy. i would suggest a freeride plus because it's a compromise between the duke and the dynafit; it skis okay and is pretty light. if you're charging lines and hucking 25+ footers on these, get a duke but otherwise as a touring specific ski i'd go with the freeride and maybe a narrower lighter ski because for touring you don't need something super fat
 
For my large skis i always use trekkers, i just cant trust a AT binding with the large forces that come with lugging a large ski on a decent, i feel much more comfy in a p18 than a Fr+ anyday. For longer tours (more than 5 hours) i always go to a lighter setup, you simply cant match dynafit period.
 
hellbents would work but they arnt fun, my whistler tour ski is the 08 seth, the rocker makes things a bit tricky but not bad at all. I demo-ed a pair of hellbents and slapped some skins on them for the day, they work, but not well
 
I saw allot of people with dukes on EPs, hellbents, args and other fat skis. I Don't think It would be much of an issue except for the small running length. I think you should go for it.
 
yep, i demoed a pair of bents with dukes and when out and skinned on them. They were not that great unless you were in deep soft snow, but then your ski is so wide that your picking up that much more snow every time you take a stride. I didnt like it and i wont be putting a at binding on my hellbents. Try to find a ski like the bacon or next year chronic wide for a twin tip at ski. Putting skins on the twin tips is a pain but G3 and i think someone else make a different clamp or something for the tail.
 
anyone have any experience touring with reverse sidecut skis such as the ARGS or Pontoons?

I just got some brand new args and I think I am gonna mount dukes on em for touring. ARGs are LIGHT. :)
 
check out the www.climbingskinsdirect.com skins for twins, I use them on my gladiators and the double tip loops work great. A buddy also uses them on his supercharger blowers. I might be a little concerned with the tourque on a 120+ ski with naxos or FR+. In the deep they would be fine but side hilling may suck. I have the FR+ and love them both for touring and resort skiing, with no problems with either ride height and durablity. The Insta-Tele problem that the regular freerides used to have has been solved with the FR+. Our crew tours on a combination of just about everything, from skinny skis to fat and trekkers to dukes, each setup has its own advantages and disadvantages. Your fitness level and determination are what will get you up the mountain, go with whatever you think you'll enjoy most coming down.
 
I have dukes on a pair of Steezes

there 110 underfoot

and they tour great

no different than other setups I have tried out

they are a bit heavier than regular downhill setups but not much

and I haven't found the width to be a problem at all
 
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