WTB - Spring Touring Setup

Closing this out, ended up doing retail for both setups, appreciate everyone's inputs.

Me: Dynafit Blacklight 95 in 178cm package with blacklight bindings (very similar to those Hannibal's that were offered up thread) - On sale at Gear Room SLC for $700

Spouse: Voile Objectives with ATK RT Evo - $$$$ at Skimo.co

If I keep buying skis I never have to acknowledge that I'm a trash skier, instead I can just keep saying 'oh, I just had the wrong skis today'. I've seen and missed a few good deals on here so far so I figure I might see what else folks have floating around.

Looking for two pairs a pair of all-rounder skis that can be used on hard pack and in sun softened variable crud.

• Pair 1: 160-165cm -  85mm up to 100mm underfoot - Mounted for BSL around 276mm
• Pair 2: 175-180cm - 95-105mm underfoot - Mounted for BSL around 315mm 
• Emphasis on turn initiation rather than a hard charging powerful ski (yea, I know this sacrifices some edge hold in steeper/harder stuff) - Typically this is going to be something with a little more flex, shorter sidecut radius, and a smidge of rocker (Had the BD helio carbon 105, did not enjoy that ski)
• Touring focused (no Shift bindings, no frame bindings, no heavy resort skis)
• Don't care brakes or not
• No ultra skinny race skis
• Prefer local Wasatch, but if we can make the deal work with shipping, that's cool too
• As much as I'd love a pair of DPS with ATK bindings, I don't have $2k lying around.. Middle of the budget range is around 400-500, but willing to consider things higher/lower)

What are we currently skiing:

• Wife is on hyper v8s, they're fantastic, but not the right ski for this time of year
• I have a ton of skis haven't found the right one yet
  • Hyper v8s (same as above, it's the best thing ever on powder days)
  • Bent 100s 188cm - Too much ski for my tiny touring boots (TLT). I might have fun a size or two shorter
  • Some older pair of Dynafit skis - Too much camber, and a smidge too short - They really struggled to stay afloat in crud this past weekend
  • Backland 85 UL - I really like these, haven't tried them in the crud yet, but if I find the right pair of skis in that 95-100ish sweet spot, I'd give em a try

I know this is a goldilocks request with a lot of disqualifiers, but who knows what other ski hoarders have kicking around in their garage.

After writing all this up, I realized I should probably just get an account on TGR...

Hi Mike, I have a pair of 4frnt Ravens (104 waist) in 177 cm length, mounted with ATK C-raiders 12 (brakes included) that  can part for 500. They're pretty easy to ski and do well in a wide range of conditions, which is what I think you're looking for. Let me know if you're interested! 

Thanks Justin - That's definitely a very fair price for that setup. In doing some research, it seems like that model has more rocker and less camber, so I don't think it's what I'm looking for right now.

Dave - Agreed - I bought a few pairs of touring skis before I knew how to ski or what kind of skis I liked (I just thought "lighter is better") now that I'm slowly learning about the interplay between all the various aspects of ski design (rocker/camber, directionality, sidecut radius, etc...) which helps me feel a bit better about buying skis blind. And for clarity sake for anyone else interested, 500 is the middle of the range, would consider more or less for the right setup. 

Hey Mike!

I have a pair for sale, a bit long but great skis. Very flexible on price. 

Local in Bozeman, MT or we can ship em. 

- Black Crow Corvus 190 (14.1, 10.9, 12.5, 21)

- Dynafit Beast
- Scarpa RS, 322 mm

- BD skins

No problem Mike, good luck with your search! 

Thanks Buster - Sadly definitely too long to drive with my lightweight touring boots. Agree those are fantastic skis. 

I have these at $450 OBO.

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/125845218/spring-touring-setup-salomon-mtn-88-x-177-dynafit-radical-st-contour-skins#ForumMessage-125865941

I have a pair of lightly used 176 Fischer Hannibal 96 with ATK c-raider 12 bindings with dps phantom wax 2.0 on them. And I’m in salt lake. Pm me for photos. Oh and I have the Fischer skins for them too. 

Earl - Those skis are exactly what made me make this post, If I didn't already have the backland 85s for that purpose, I'd 100% pick those up from you. Graham, i'll send you a PM.

Also, for those following at home, I'm looking for mid-waist (95-105) skis in the 175-180 length (which has been most of the replies) because I'm a gear hoarder as a "nice to have", but I 100% still need to find a pair for my wife (85-100mm underfoot, 160-170cm length) too!

Hi Mike, I've got a pair of Blizzard Hustle 10 180s that I never got around to this season. Still in plastic with skins. Just need some bindings to mount.

I'd part for 500 & am down in SLC but will be driving up to Snowbasin one day next week (Tues or Thurs tbd)

Mike - theskimonster.com has a sale going on now with some insane prices (use code thankyou for another 50% off at checkout... the prices you see on the site are before the discount). They have quite a few skis that would fit your needs and even more than would fit your wife's needs.

But for your quiver spot, I'd look at the Volkl BMT 90. Skinnier than what you said you're looking for, but I think it's a really excellent ski for your use case. Unfortunately, you won't find any super cheap or on the skimonster site. There are a couple of pairs on ebay that would allow you to get a full setup for ~$1000.

Thanks Ed - I'm looking for something with bindings right now.

Mark - Will take a look

Probably also worth noting the BSLs 313 to 335mm for my boots, and for my wife 276mm

You want a lightweight, soft, turny ski but you also want it to be good in crud? The reason you have a hard time finding a good ski here is that the best crud/chop/variable skis are heavy, stiff, and straight. These are the characteristics that keep a ski from getting bounced around and deflected in rough snow. You could still have a good turny crud ski if it's a little stiffer and heavier. Stiffness/weight go together to reduce chatter. I agree with Mark that if you want something light, a BMT might be a decent choice. 

I have some cheap 184 Volkl 90Eights that could work, but that's probably longer than you want.

haha, yeah, you're definitely right about that "I want a magical ski that doesn't exist" requirement. I guess when I say "good in crud" I'm more coming at it from a place of "I don't want to be going through variable snow conditions and be unable to initiate a turn because the ski wants to go in a straight line" not as much "This ski will ride true while charging and hitting some crud"

Agree that over 180 is a bit too long for what I'm looking for right now with my goals/ability

Mike V. wrote:

haha, yeah, you're definitely right about that "I want a magical ski that doesn't exist" requirement. I guess when I say "good in crud" I'm more coming at it from a place of "I don't want to be going through variable snow conditions and be unable to initiate a turn because the ski wants to go in a straight line" not as much "This ski will ride true while charging and hitting some crud"

Agree that over 180 is a bit too long for what I'm looking for right now with my goals/ability

Get those Ravens Justin is selling above. I would get them if they were my size. 

Just here to chime in and say that you'll have a hard time doing better than the ravens that were posted. Full rocker, long radius skis like that make for the easiest to turn tools in the backcountry, and the slightly heavier weight will help make up for any deficiencies in your skiing ability. The only place you might miss the camber is if you opt to ski them inbounds at any point.

One more bump. Appreciate everyone's input so far, Graham's Hannibal's are probably the best match thus far. Those Ravens do seem like a cool ski to add to the quiver, but the improved performance on crud/crust/pow doesn't offset the amount of performance I'd lose on hardpack. 

My partner went the opposite direction of my second hand shopping and went to skimo.co and bought herself a nice pair of Objectives, so I'm now only looking for skis in the 175-180cm length with 95-105mm underfoot. 

Closing this out, ended up doing retail for both setups, appreciate everyone's inputs.

Me: Dynafit Blacklight 95 in 178cm package with blacklight bindings (very similar to those Hannibal's that were offered up thread) - On sale at Gear Room SLC for $700

Spouse: Voile Objectives with ATK RT Evo - $$$$ at Skimo.co