Touring setup - Bentchetler 100/ Wildcat 108/ Amplid Facelift

T

Topsen

Member
Yo NS whatsupp,

I'm looking to get my first touring setup and dont know what skis to get.

First, some background info:

Im 6'4, 225lbs and ski in the European Alps. Pretty strong skier.

Usually like some tip and tail rocker in my skis, but dont know much about touring. Is it going to be a pain in the ass with less grip area?

Also nice to have a twin-tip for the occasional switch riding.

Should handle every condition, but will probably not go out when the snow is really shitty.

Anyway, narrowed it to a few skis, but open for other suggestions:

- Bentchetler 100 (Blister review is good, but are those too heavy for a dedicated touring ski at 1880 gr? especially when new to touring?)

- Wildcat Tour 108 (sounds awesome on paper, though no reviews and maybe a tad too wide as a everyday touring ski?)

- Amplid Facelift 102/108 (dito on paper, very expensive though)

More dedicated touring skis I looked at (Though they are not twin tips, but maybe smarter idea?):

- Black Crows Navis Freebird

- Black Diamond Helio 95/105

- Völkl VTA 98/108

And then there is the binding question.

Im quite intrigued by the Shift, although it is heavier than say the Tecton. Still worth it?

Boots I will get whatever fits me well.

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

**This thread was edited on Sep 21st 2018 at 2:28:12am

**This thread was edited on Sep 21st 2018 at 2:29:24am
 
Park: Shreditor 92 184

Everything: Kartel 98 186

Soft everything: SFB 190

Powder: Bibby 190

Ice: multiple Race skis

Yes, Touring only
 
I'm currently alps based and I spend a lot of time touring. If I were to only own 1 touring ski, for the alps, it would be something in the 100-105mm range. The Navis Freebirds in a 185 will probably work very well for you. I personally haven't ridden them, but everyone who has them says great things and they tend to be a go-to for plenty of guides.

RE: bindings, go lighter if they're a dedicated touring ski. I love G3 Ion LTs: they're simple, secure, light and bomber; I have no problem riding them inbounds.
 
No on the Benchetler 100. Way too heavy. Even though youre a big dude, those are hogs.

Id say corvus freebird, honestly. Gives you the size you'd probably need, as well as the gruntyness, but with a relatively light weight to it.
 
FWIW, our pair of Bent Chet 100's averaged around 1825 g, but I agree with the above comment that you can find much lighter skis, and that'd be beneficial if this is a pair that you'll only be touring on. The BC 100 is a super fun and pretty versatile ski, but I think it works best for people who will be using it inside and outside the resort, or those who prefer a lighter all-mountain (inbounds) ski.

Unfortunately, the market for light but playful touring skis remains pretty small, and you've listed the skis I'm personally most interested in (Facelift 108 and Wildcat Tour 108). Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to ski either, but if the Wildcat Tour 108 skis anything like the regular Wildcat Tour, it would be an amazing ski.

As for the Facelifts, I'm extremely interested in them since I know some splitboarders who absolutely love the Amplid Milligram and Millisurf (which use the same carbon construction).

We're hoping to get reviews up on Blister for the Facelift 108 and Wildcat Tour 108 this season , but it probably won't be till mid-season at least.

The Atomic Backland 107 might be worth a look. It's got a less playful rocker profile than the old Backland 109, but it's still a bit more playful than the BD Helio 105 and comes in at a similar, very low weight, and initial reviews have been very positive.

K2 Wayback 106 is another very light ski that's surprisingly loose and surfy, but it's very much a directional ski (very far back mount point, not a true twin).

In the end, you can put a touring binding on any ski and go earn some turns. Lighter skis will make the ascent more enjoyable, and if you're only touring when the snow is fairly soft, their decreased downhill performance won't be much of an issue. If you want to ski hard and fast no matter the snow conditions, then a heavier ski will be better, and you'll just have to work more on the uphill.

Same idea applies to bindings. The Shift is a phenomenal product, and the Tecton is also really impressive. But for most of my touring days where I'm aiming to find a bit of pow or corn, I really won't notice much of a difference in downhill performance if I'm on a Tecton/Shift or a traditional pin binding since the snow is so forgiving.

I live in Colorado so, due to notoriously sketchy avy conditions, I'm typically skiing mellow trees during mid-winter and not skiing gnarly stuff till the snow settles in the spring. So for the vast majority of my touring season, I prefer the lighter weight of pin bindings over the downhill performance of the Shift, Tecton, etc.

The Vipec, Ion 12, and Dynafit Rotation are all solid all-round pin bindings. And after spending a lot of time on some of the sub-400 gram options, I've been super impressed by those, too. I could be very happy with an ATK Raider 2.0 12 or G3 Zed on my dedicated touring skis for most of my season.
 
13948736:patagonialuke said:
FWIW, our pair of Bent Chet 100's averaged around 1825 g, but I agree with the above comment that you can find much lighter skis, and that'd be beneficial if this is a pair that you'll only be touring on. The BC 100 is a super fun and pretty versatile ski, but I think it works best for people who will be using it inside and outside the resort, or those who prefer a lighter all-mountain (inbounds) ski.

Unfortunately, the market for light but playful touring skis remains pretty small, and you've listed the skis I'm personally most interested in (Facelift 108 and Wildcat Tour 108). Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to ski either, but if the Wildcat Tour 108 skis anything like the regular Wildcat Tour, it would be an amazing ski.

As for the Facelifts, I'm extremely interested in them since I know some splitboarders who absolutely love the Amplid Milligram and Millisurf (which use the same carbon construction).

We're hoping to get reviews up on Blister for the Facelift 108 and Wildcat Tour 108 this season , but it probably won't be till mid-season at least.

The Atomic Backland 107 might be worth a look. It's got a less playful rocker profile than the old Backland 109, but it's still a bit more playful than the BD Helio 105 and comes in at a similar, very low weight, and initial reviews have been very positive.

K2 Wayback 106 is another very light ski that's surprisingly loose and surfy, but it's very much a directional ski (very far back mount point, not a true twin).

In the end, you can put a touring binding on any ski and go earn some turns. Lighter skis will make the ascent more enjoyable, and if you're only touring when the snow is fairly soft, their decreased downhill performance won't be much of an issue. If you want to ski hard and fast no matter the snow conditions, then a heavier ski will be better, and you'll just have to work more on the uphill.

Same idea applies to bindings. The Shift is a phenomenal product, and the Tecton is also really impressive. But for most of my touring days where I'm aiming to find a bit of pow or corn, I really won't notice much of a difference in downhill performance if I'm on a Tecton/Shift or a traditional pin binding since the snow is so forgiving.

I live in Colorado so, due to notoriously sketchy avy conditions, I'm typically skiing mellow trees during mid-winter and not skiing gnarly stuff till the snow settles in the spring. So for the vast majority of my touring season, I prefer the lighter weight of pin bindings over the downhill performance of the Shift, Tecton, etc.

The Vipec, Ion 12, and Dynafit Rotation are all solid all-round pin bindings. And after spending a lot of time on some of the sub-400 gram options, I've been super impressed by those, too. I could be very happy with an ATK Raider 2.0 12 or G3 Zed on my dedicated touring skis for most of my season.
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Thanks for the very detailled answer Luke!

I'm quite settled on a more dedicated touring binding, as thats what Im gonna use it for.

May I ask for your assessment as on how long/wide/heavy I should go for my first touring setup?

As a "standard" all mountain ski, with my height and weight, I normally wouldnt go smaller than 190 and 105mm, but am not sure if thats the same for a touring ski.

Also Im not usually skiing in a high snowfalls area, as you guys do in northern America. Is the 190 Wildcat 108 a bit Overkill or will I be fine?

Thanks a lot!
 
13948506:DingoSean said:
No on the Benchetler 100. Way too heavy. Even though youre a big dude, those are hogs.

Id say corvus freebird, honestly. Gives you the size you'd probably need, as well as the gruntyness, but with a relatively light weight to it.
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Benchetler 100 is lighter than the corvus. And paired with a tech binding it is plenty light unless you are a fat 60 year old. I just mounted a dynafit speed radical on a pair and they feel just fine. I used to tour on carbon skis that were super light but they suck in variable conditions. Be realistic with what conditions you will actually be skiing. Its not always puppy dogs and ice cream cones out there, especially in Europe. Also stay away from the Tecton binding. Dont skimp on good touring boots they are crucial to enjoying long days in the backcountry.
 
13949302:methscratchface said:
Benchetler 100 is lighter than the corvus. And paired with a tech binding it is plenty light unless you are a fat 60 year old. I just mounted a dynafit speed radical on a pair and they feel just fine. I used to tour on carbon skis that were super light but they suck in variable conditions. Be realistic with what conditions you will actually be skiing. Its not always puppy dogs and ice cream cones out there, especially in Europe. Also stay away from the Tecton binding. Dont skimp on good touring boots they are crucial to enjoying long days in the backcountry.
Click to expand...

The Corvus is heavier, yeah but it tours and skis WAY better. The Chetler 100 has a native mounting point that is not very good for breaking trail, easily transitioning, nor does it have as much beastly camber as the Corvus Free has, which is going to allow you to ski a 108 wide ski far stronger in mucky terrain - especially if you're a big dude. If youre really into getting a twin-tip, alright fine, but maybe consider the Backland 102 or 109? or the Rustler 10?

If I'm getting a ski as heavy as the Benchetler 100 for touring, and i'm over 200lb, it better Have more meat on the bone than that ski has. Not saying it's not good, just saying it's just not that strong of a ski when things get a bit out of hand. I'd rather get a Rustler 10 and take the probable added weight.

If we are going in the same waist-class, both the Navis and Camox frees tour even better than the corvus, and I'd be willing to bet they weigh less than the Chetler 100

And, for a dude as big as what we are talking, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST the speed radical. I'm like 155lb and I blew a pair up. Snapped the top half of the heelpiece apart like a twig. And it was the 2nd generation model, not the first gen which had construction issues and tended to delam until they cracked and blew up at the inherent fulcrum created by the pin housing.

If you're a light person, or a fairly non-aggro skier, the speed radical is fine. But I would say get something more substantial if you're a big dude.
 
13950088:DingoSean said:
The Corvus is heavier, yeah but it tours and skis WAY better. The Chetler 100 has a native mounting point that is not very good for breaking trail, easily transitioning, nor does it have as much beastly camber as the Corvus Free has, which is going to allow you to ski a 108 wide ski far stronger in mucky terrain - especially if you're a big dude. If youre really into getting a twin-tip, alright fine, but maybe consider the Backland 102 or 109? or the Rustler 10?

If I'm getting a ski as heavy as the Benchetler 100 for touring, and i'm over 200lb, it better Have more meat on the bone than that ski has. Not saying it's not good, just saying it's just not that strong of a ski when things get a bit out of hand. I'd rather get a Rustler 10 and take the probable added weight.

If we are going in the same waist-class, both the Navis and Camox frees tour even better than the corvus, and I'd be willing to bet they weigh less than the Chetler 100

And, for a dude as big as what we are talking, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST the speed radical. I'm like 155lb and I blew a pair up. Snapped the top half of the heelpiece apart like a twig. And it was the 2nd generation model, not the first gen which had construction issues and tended to delam until they cracked and blew up at the inherent fulcrum created by the pin housing.

If you're a light person, or a fairly non-aggro skier, the speed radical is fine. But I would say get something more substantial if you're a big dude.
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Thanks for chiming in. I moved away from the BC100, as others also recommened against it.

Ski-wise I think I will go with the Wildcat Tour 108. Just looks like a really fun shape, has tailrocker but also a fair amount of camber, so I guess I‘ll be fine on the skintrack.

Not completely sure on what bindings to go with, though.

Is the the downhill performance of a e.g. Fritschi Tecton worth the extra weight or should I just go with a dedicated touring binding? G3 Ion, Salomon MTN, Atk Raider on my shortlist here...
 
13950100:Topsen said:
Thanks for chiming in. I moved away from the BC100, as others also recommened against it.

Ski-wise I think I will go with the Wildcat Tour 108. Just looks like a really fun shape, has tailrocker but also a fair amount of camber, so I guess I‘ll be fine on the skintrack.

Not completely sure on what bindings to go with, though.

Is the the downhill performance of a e.g. Fritschi Tecton worth the extra weight or should I just go with a dedicated touring binding? G3 Ion, Salomon MTN, Atk Raider on my shortlist here...
Click to expand...

I haven't skied it or anything to compare, but hey. Looks decent enough.

The Tecton is super light already. Lighter than the Kingpin or the Shift, About, or almost as light as the ion or Radical 2.0.

I highly recommend it. It's easy to use, safe, and tough enough. Skis better than the Kingpin, and releases like a binding should.

The MTN is actually pretty good for an ultralight binding, but the toepiece is fixed as can be, and there's no dedicated din setting (you just swap the pins in the heel, which have a severely arbitrary release point) I wouldn't recommend it for bigger skis.
 
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