UKC

Hi,
Im buying some ski touring skis for my birthday and have looked around, i had a talk with the guys at conrad sport and they recomended (for my price range) K2 Shuksan Speed Rocker 11/12 coupled with marker tour bindings. This is aimed at a set up where I do about 1/2 on pieste, 1/2 off pieste. Will touring bindings wear a lot more using lots on pieste? is this a decent set up, im just worried its a lot of money if im using for the wrong thing.
thanks very much
Seth

In reply to sethmford: I'd say the Shuksan is a good all round ski although still more off than on piste really, but personally I'd go for a Fritschi binding rather than the Marker Tour. I've always found the tour binding clumsy to use - nowhere near as easy as a Fritschi - and quite fragile too.

In reply to sethmford:

Go for at least the Waybacks and Fritschi Freeride Pro+.

Shuksans are too narrow, I would say. I am touring on Hardsides - 98mm, and ideal for Scottish conditions. I found my 82mm Backups were far too flexy, chattery and crap in soft spring snow. I bent them on Ben Lawers falling in slush! They were also too flexy for pistes.

http://www.alpin.de/produkttest/ec81ab0f-84c7-462e-b100-dce2d7b38203/produk...

Be sure what you want.

There are:-

Speedtouring/Skirunning/race setups - sub 80mm skis, tech bindings
Long touring/ski-mountaineering - wider skis - anything from tech bindings, through Marker/Fritschi/Salomon etc.
Freeride touring - at least 90mm+, usually with high din bindings - Dukes etc


The better the skis are uphill, the worse they are downhill. The same has pretty much to be said for boots. The lighter the boot, the softer, and better for uphill, and climbing, but less ideal for downhill.

In reply to macstinator: okaycool , what would you recomend then for ski's that are mainly tailored towards downhill( got a price range of about 350 for skis and bindings) but with touring capability ? I live in the pyraneese and spend a week or two on pieste a year and hopefully would get in nearly the same in day tours, the climbs are not long long however. I also need bindings compatable with my downhill boots ( cant afford the full setup for a while) and are tough enough for pieste. Thanks

In reply to sethmford:

I'm only really familiar with the K2 range but from that the Sideshow might suit you although I'm not sure about price. Marker Barons might be a better binding for you than Tours.

In reply to sethmford: any thing technical in kendal are selling scott missons for £340 ish great skis..

In reply to sethmford: You would be doing well for £350 to get anything! Bindings alone cost around that!

There is no definitive answer. Which is why you are here, I suppose.

K2 Sideshows are a good start. Tours were a bit dodgy, but I am assured they are better now.

I tour with friends with every possible incarnation of skis and bindings in Scotland.

In reply to macstinator: I have just spent a week skiing on the K2 backup. I am glad its not just me being crap on ice. I found them hard to ski on the ice that was Cairngorm ski area, but I could rip the spring snow fine and the bits of powder were fine too. I also went up hill very well, only beaten by a fireman to the top (he was a lot fitter than me).

As for the markers, they worked just as well as fritschi freeride+ that the glenmore skis had.