Ski touring has evolved and now encompasses a wide range of different skiing styles and adventures. Sidecountry skiers only venture a short distance from the resort and usually prefer performance downhill skis. Ski Mountaineers want to climb and descend as many vertical metres as possible and count every gram: uphill performance is as important as the downhill. Backcountry skiers covering long distances will want a lightweight mid-fat ski that climbs well and skis well in most snow conditions, from ice to powder. Ski touring has always been a great way to keep fit and the latest trend is "resort - fitness touring" where skiers skin up the pistes or (better) next to them, then ski back down the pistes. These skiers want a lightweight ski for efficient uphill combined with a medium-stiff flex for skiing down on the hardpack.
To help you choose which models best suit your skiing style and touring itineries we have listed our skis in four "Touring Categories": Touring Race, Touring Efficient, Touring Free-Ski and Touring Powder. Many skiers are also using alpine skis for touring. These are often only a little heavier than true touring skis and can offer superior downhill performance. To show these we've added the categories Freeride All Mountain, Freeride Powder, Piste and Backcountry Freestyle.
Other considerations:
SKI LENGTH When skinning you need a ski that will be short enough for you to easily make kick-turns when climbing. This generally means that the ski should not be longer than your height, and probably about 10 cm shorter. (Yoga helps if you're determined to use longer skis). Skis with progressive tips tend to be longer and one needs to take this into account when deciding which length to choose. If you'll be skiing a lot of powder go for longer skis, if you'll be spending most of the time on ice and / or steep couloirs then choose a shorter ski.
SKI BUDDIES When touring it's important that the group has a more or less similar level of fitness and endurance. However there are always differences and the choice of gear can help mitigate these. Do you usually ski with skiers who are stronger than you? If so then try and save a few grams using a lighter ski, it'll make the trip more fun for you. Always waiting for the others to catch up? Then you've a margin of effort to play with and can use a wider ski without losing speed over the day.
SKI BOOTS We've listed our alpine touring boots using the same "Touring Category" choices: Touring Race, Touring Efficient and Touring Free-Ski. Try to have a coherent set-up with boots of the same category as the skis. Skimo race boots are generally too flimsy for driving wider skis, and stiff 130 flex boots are overkill on narrow touring skis.
We hope this information is useful for you. Should you like some suggestions or help selecting the best model for your needs, please get in touch. We're here to help!!
ranges from 290 to 1,082