Question: Whats your set up? AT/ Backcountry

[arbusch]

I just upgraded my deuter tour rise 40l to ortovox ascent 38 s avabag. The ortovox rides really well and is almost the same weight as my deuter. I took it on a hut trip recently. I strap my sleeping bag and extra clothes on the outside. We had our food porter in. I carry quite a bit since I run cold and where we ski tour is pretty remote so I have extra safety gear like a bivy and down pants. I don't think I could tour in anything smaller than 38 or 40 l. Luckily a friend had the ortovox ascent I could try it on and she's like me runs cold and carries extra gear. I also really like the snow safety pocket fits all the snow safety plus my snow kit and saw.

 

[lucy]

I remembered a backcountry ski shop in the White Mountains - https://skithewhites.com/ They only stock Pomocas, Fischers, and the Contour Hybrid. So I dashed off an email to their "customer support" - really just the shop's owner, Andrew,

Thanks @yogiskier for the referral to Ski The Whites. I sent them an email and Andrew found climbing skins for my skis and my husband's skis... which was pretty amazing because climbing skins (at least in my size and width) seem to be sold out everywhere I've checked. Andrew provided amazing customer support and I'd definitely purchase from Ski The Whites again. Yay for the ski diva referral network!!

 

[yogiskier]

Thanks @yogiskier for the referral to Ski The Whites. I sent them an email and Andrew found climbing skins for my skis and my husband's skis... which was pretty amazing because climbing skins (at least in my size and width) seem to be sold out everywhere I've checked. Andrew provided amazing customer support and I'd definitely purchase from Ski The Whites again. Yay for the ski diva referral network!!

Hurray!

 

[SarahXC]

Getting ready to dip my toes in here for next season! Got the kids some frame bindings and DH got boots with tech fittings that he can ski resort in too. Still need bindings for him and skins shopping too. He is big footed and light so his usual DIN is 6. Thoughts on if a dynafit rotation 10 might be sufficient? I know most men have binding with higher dins. He definitely wants a full featured releaseable type binding with brakes. Need to decide for myself if I go with my tele gear or switch up a pair of skis to AT and get boots. Thinking about a few days/lessons at Bluebird Backcountry for next season? They rent a safety equipment package for use which seems a good way to try it out. Anyone have experiences there? I’m excited to start learning!

 

[arbusch]

Getting ready to dip my toes in here for next season! Got the kids some frame bindings and DH got boots with tech fittings that he can ski resort in too. Still need bindings for him and skins shopping too. He is big footed and light so his usual DIN is 6. Thoughts on if a dynafit rotation 10 might be sufficient? I know most men have binding with higher dins. He definitely wants a full featured releaseable type binding with brakes. Need to decide for myself if I go with my tele gear or switch up a pair of skis to AT and get boots. Thinking about a few days/lessons at Bluebird Backcountry for next season? They rent a safety equipment package for use which seems a good way to try it out. Anyone have experiences there? I’m excited to start learning!

If you can rent that would help you figure out your gear needs. Dynafit rotation 10 should be sufficient. Unless he is going to be hucking cliffs or skiing some steep crazy lines, he will be fine in the 10s. I think a few lessons to learn how to take your skins off and on, how to transition, how to climb up a skin track are all good skills to learn from someone either in a lesson or a really patient mentor who is willing to teach you. There is a lot to learn.

 

[Pequenita]

I'm in semi panic mode to get a new pack.. I'm realizing that there is no way my inbounds ski pack is going to hold everything I need on the packing list for my AIARE 1 class in less than 2 weeks..

I'm somewhat interested in the Osprey Kresta 30 pack from reviews/features/having owned other Osprey bags. Though I own another bag that I like for summer hiking, it has an adjuster on the frame for the torso length and therefore I'm still at a loss for sizing here without that. My measured torso length at home is somewhere between 15-17inches according to my significant other lol. This is based on where exactly he is reading the measurement with regards to where on the C7 neckbone you place the tape measure and trying to deal with the hip bones. Regardless of the accuracy of this measurement.. It pretty much puts me in between the xs/s and s/m on the size chart.. As in the 16 and 17 inches both say go with either one, which is super helpful right??

I'm 5'4" but have a short torso and long arms and legs, I also have what I consider to be wider shoulders than my size would usually call for based on how tops fit me. Not sure if this would negatively impact the smaller size straps with wider shoulders..

Any thoughts from those who own or have tried on this pack, I saw @laine and @Pequenita have it but didn't go through the whole thread closely.. Which would you order? I'm leaning towards the larger as it also gets me 2L extra space I believe because the xs/s comes in at 28L and the s/m at 30L as it's 2 inches longer.. I don't want it to be too long and then not distribute weight appropriately on my hips though. Arghh not sure if I should try to go try it on in person if I can find both sizes at a local REI, which I'm not sure is available..

@MissySki What did you wind up going with? I'm sorry I missed this last winter - I was incredibly swamped with work and only saw this tag when I was looking for something else just now.

 

[laine]

@MissySki - Sorry, I missed that too. I'm 5'1", and think my torso and legs are proportionate, and got the XS/S. (And will actually be selling it. Long story, but looks like my short backcountry experiment will be ending.)

 

[just jane]

Hi everyone! Officially joining this thread in hopes that I’ll stick with this whole new-to-me backcountry endeavor. With much advice and guidance from a lot of you lovely Divas, I put together the following backcountry setup this fall:
Skis: K2 Talkback 96/163
Bindings: Fritschi Tecton
Boots: Fischer Ranger 110
Skins: Pomoco (custom made for the Talkbacks and purchased via K2)

My DH already had a spare beacon/shovel/probe for me to use, and a backcountry pack from REI. I also purchased a pair of pants - Black Diamond Dawn Patrol.

So far I’ve done 2 backcountry days, and I also took the new set-up to the resort for a day to get used to the new skis. My thoughts so far - the skis are fantastic! It took a little practice to get used to the width and length - both more than my resort skis - and as Ikm getting used to them I think I’m going to really like them. They’re light, flexible, quite forgiving, and they make skiing powder easier. No more submarining!

The bindings are good but a bit more of a challenge. Supposedly the toe piece of the Fritschi Tectons used to be hard to get into, but has improved? Well, I’m really struggling with it. Once I get into the bindings, they ski great, and I like how easy it is to transition, except that I cannot seem to ever get my toe aligned properly on the first, or second, or third try. It feels like my foot is tilting to one side or the other too much, and I always end up with at least one pin not engaged. I hope it will get easier with practice? Because that’s my biggest issue right now.

The skins are the bomb - I love having them pre-cut to fit the ski. And the pants are amazeballs. First, I am so used to pants almost always gapping at the waist if they fit through the thighs, and these - don’t. I nearly cried in happy shock when I tried them on. Athletic wear for big-bootied divas! Hallelujah! They are also just the right amount of stretchy, comfortable over a base layer, reasonably wind resistant, and the right amount of warmth for skinning. Also yay thigh vents. I like how the gaiters are designed - an inner gaiter with a full velcro seam and snap at the bottom for easy pulling on and off boots, and an outer layer with zipper and snap.

The learning curve felt a bit steep initially - so much new gear! So much learning how to use it! - but I think Ikm getting the hang of it, except for the toe bindings. I’m still absurdly slow at transitioning but anticipating that will come with time and practice. The DH has been exceptionally patient with me so far, which is much appreciated.

As for the skiing, I haven’t actually done much during our 2 back country days! I’m getting a lot of practice skinning though. It will definitely take some learning to get used to back country skiing, especially given that my inbounds weakest link is trees. I’m still relying completely on DH for route-finding and avalanche safety. We have done beacon practice several times so I have a little practice - and next season I’d like to take an AIARE level 1 class.

 

[Analisa]

@just jane - Tectons are definitely a little finicky. I haven't gotten the full grasp on why, but there's something in the Dynafit / G3 toe pieces that do a bit better job guiding your boot in place.

But 2nd is also the boots - Dynafit makes most of the inserts on the market. But they make 3 different insert products. Most of the 3rd parties who buy inserts from Dynafit use the standard inserts that are just a round hole for the pins to stick into. But Dynafit also offers Quick Step and Master Step inserts. Quick Step is on the white Hoji Frees and Master Step is on the black Hojis. These have little channels on the under side of the insert. If you're a little off, that channel helps guide the insert into place. I had Quick Step on my old Dynafit Mercury boots, and changed to the standard insert on the Tecnica Zero Gs, and I notice a bit more struggle to get them lined up the first time.

On the plus side, your fittings don't drop down as far. Once you wear down the sole and start wearing into the plastic shell that holds the insert in place, it compromises the insert's security and it's a safety issue. At that point, the boots needs replacing. The extra material under your insert prolongs the boot's lifespan. Most customers don't care or don't notice, especially for burlier boots, but Scarpa uses Quick Step for their race and ultralight 2 buckle boots.

And then part of it is some standard finicky-ness of pin bindings. Dynafit puts the most R&D into insert & binding match up since they're the only manufacturer that makes both. But even my Mercury boot / Rotation binding combo wasn't nearly as simple as getting an alpine binding clicked in. Takes some practice, and definitely worth it to take the time to stomp out a flat spot to get skis on.

Glad the skis are working out and that you're liking your first few uphilling trips!

 

[WaterGirl]

The bindings are good but a bit more of a challenge. Supposedly the toe piece of the Fritschi Tectons used to be hard to get into, but has improved? Well, I’m really struggling with it. Once I get into the bindings, they ski great, and I like how easy it is to transition, except that I cannot seem to ever get my toe aligned properly on the first, or second, or third try. It feels like my foot is tilting to one side or the other too much, and I always end up with at least one pin not engaged. I hope it will get easier with practice? Because that’s my biggest issue right now.

I cheat and use an extra visual cue from above. My boots are lighter colored so I took a sharpie and drew dots where the inserts were. I can look down and line up the dots with the pins on the binding before I try to step in. I think your boots are dark colored so my suggestion is to cut a sliver of silver duct tape and place it above the insert or try a white posca pen.

We have done beacon practice several times so I have a little practice - and next season I’d like to take an AIARE level 1 class.

I highly recommend taking an AIARE Avalanche Rescue Course with your DH this season. I did this with my DH who at the time did not have is AIARE 1 and wanted to follow me into the back country. This class is a great refresher for those who have had prior training as well as an introduction for those who are just getting into back country. There are no prerequisites for the one day rescue class other than this: "Students must be able to travel in the snow, and bring appropriate equipment for traveling on snow to class. There are no other prerequisites." https://avtraining.org/aiare-avalanche-rescue/

Glad you are enjoying your set up

 

[just jane]

The DH has his Avy 1 cert. I much prefer taking a class separately. Ideally, I’d like to find an all women’s avy 1 class. It’s a better learning environment for me, typically. I haven’t seen much locally though.

 

[WaterGirl]

The DH has his Avy 1 cert. I much prefer taking a class separately. Ideally, I’d like to find an all women’s avy 1 class. It’s a better learning environment for me, typically. I haven’t seen much locally though.

Ok I understand wanting to work with a woman Avy class - but will those women be your partners down the road? Just to clarify, the companion rescue class is all about rescuing..... your companion .... which is your DH right? I was in a similar situation but with the tables turned, I had already taken Avy1 and spent a 2 seasons with the same group of people with some amazing guides and instruction. But in the end my DH was going to be my partner most of the time. I want to know how he is under pressure and he should know how I am. The class is there to provide information about using your beacon and searching in the case of an avalanche. Things that hopefully you don't have to do. Thats why the class is offered to anybody and I have taken it with snowmobilers and hikers, not just skiers. He took this class with me before his Avy 1 because at the time all the Avy 1's were booked. Anyway, just throwing it out there because trust me, we both learned a lot about how we operate in those types of situations, and having your DH or significant other as your partner is not always the easiest.

 

[just jane]

We have done a lot of high stakes activities together (canyoneering, white water boating) so we’re pretty used to working and communicating together in those conditions.

 

[Pequenita]

Great post, @Analisa - thanks!

My boot manufacturer (Scott) actually has triangles pointing to the pinholes, which make me seem like I know what I'm doing with my gear, if only for a moment.

 

[just jane]

My biggest issue with the bindings is vertical alignment. Half the time the pins close over the top of the holes. It’s tricky!

 

[MrsPlow]

My biggest issue with the bindings is vertical alignment. Half the time the pins close over the top of the holes. It’s tricky!

Same here, especially if I need to put them back on when the ski isn't flat. I don't seem to be able to bend my leg to get my foot at the right angle which makes me feel like a right numpty.