Got the red ones last ear for the PdG. They’re 700g so fast but not much fun. The blue ones are a Black Friday deal, in the shop to get mounted with some recycled ATK Crest 8’s for longer mixed condition tours. Was between those and Scott Superguide 88. @zzz peaked my interest and then Paul Bonhomme, a well known French steep skier, who uses Volkl skis sold me on them.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
zzz wrote:
@BobinCH,
OMG, now we’re skiing on exactly the same kit (well not the bindings). I’ll be interested to see what you think about the skis.
Sometimes you get on a pair of skis and know after 3 turns that they are perfect for you! Many thanks for the tip
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Völkl used to supply their touring skis with skins but they were not the best skins. Anyone know if the precut skins for Völkl skis are of good quality? (e.g. which manufacturer makes skins for Völkl ?)
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
DB wrote:
Völkl used to supply their touring skis with skins but they were not the best skins. Anyone know if the precut skins for Völkl skis are of good quality? (e.g. which manufacturer makes skins for Völkl ?)
Ive used mine a few times and they work fine. Easy to separate and peel off skis which I like and the clips stay in place. Branded Volkl so not sure who made them?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I originally had Pomoca Climb Pro’s on my Rise Above’s but didn’t like them at all. I bought a set of Volkl’s own skins and have found them great. They slide well but grip well too. I particularly like the tip attachment that means you can take them off from either the tip or tail.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Humbug, Sport Conrad haven't got my size of the Völkl rise above in stock (170cm).
Condisering alternatives and don't mind going a little bit heavier up to 1600g / ski. Any suggestions?
Anybody had experience with these skis?
Black Crows Orb 174 cm, 1500g/ski (not keen on white skis but could sticker them up)
Black Crows Orb Freebird 173cm 1375g/ski
Atomic Backland 85. 172cm, 1240 g/ski
Atomic Backland 85 UL
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@DB, a guy who runs British backcountry touring courses in Scotland loves his backlands (Blair) (probably
Sponsored but he was telling me how good they were) https://www.british-backcountry.co.uk/our-team
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
kitenski wrote:
@DB, a guy who runs British backcountry touring courses in Scotland loves his backlands (Blair) (probably
Sponsored but he was telling me how good they were) https://www.british-backcountry.co.uk/our-team
Thanks. A lot if people appear to like the Backland 85's but it looks to be less burly than the Völkl Rise aboves.
Living east end of Austria and being far from the big/high resorts I'm mostly skiing/touring crappy snow at the weekends (refrozen crust, tracked out crud etc) and so prefer skis that aren't going to suffer a lot of deflection.
My main 'touring' skis during the last ten years have been Atomic Nomad Blackeyes Ti, 167 cm (billed as an All-mountain skis back in 2013). Heavy at 1600 g/ski but with metal in them meaning I could use them for just about anything (piste, offpiste, ski touring) They wern't the best at anything but great all-rounders and really versatile.
Will probably buy wider touring skis later in the season for powder days but am looking for something a bit stiffer than your average touring ski to replace the nomands. Hence the reason I was looking at the Blackcrows Orb.
I might even go for the Atomic Maverick 88 Ti'S which are probably around 1700 g/ski in a 169 cm length.
@DB, I'd think if it handles Scottish conditions it'd be ok in crappy snow but yeah heavy ski is going to bash thru stuff vs getting deflected
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
DB wrote:
Humbug, Sport Conrad haven't got my size of the Völkl rise above in stock (170cm).
Condisering alternatives and don't mind going a little bit heavier up to 1600g / ski. Any suggestions?
Anybody had experience with these skis?
Black Crows Orb 174 cm, 1500g/ski (not keen on white skis but could sticker them up)
Black Crows Orb Freebird 173cm 1375g/ski
Atomic Backland 85. 172cm, 1240 g/ski
Atomic Backland 85 UL
I have the Orb Freebird. Excellent ski for Touring but also much better than you’d expect on the piste. I think the bit of extra width under foot (on the Backland - I think at least) is helpful but suspect both are comparable. Think someone is selling some Backlands on snowheads
Humbug, Sport Conrad haven't got my size of the Völkl rise above in stock (170cm).
Condisering alternatives and don't mind going a little bit heavier up to 1600g / ski. Any suggestions?
Anybody had experience with these skis?
Black Crows Orb 174 cm, 1500g/ski (not keen on white skis but could sticker them up)
Black Crows Orb Freebird 173cm 1375g/ski
Atomic Backland 85. 172cm, 1240 g/ski
Atomic Backland 85 UL
I have the Orb Freebird. Excellent ski for Touring but also much better than you’d expect on the piste. I think the bit of extra width under foot (on the Backland - I think at least) is helpful but suspect both are comparable. Think someone is selling some Backlands on snowheads
I thought the orbs are 90mm wide in the waist whereas the Backlands are 85mm, although there are also 95 mm waisted Backlands available too.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Thanks for all the info & advice. Picked up the skis today. Was able to use the skins from the skis I broke in Jan 22.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@DB, can't seem to zoom into the pic, which skis are they and what made you decide on them?
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
kitenski wrote:
@DB, can't seem to zoom into the pic, which skis are they and what made you decide on them?
Hopefully you can see more detail in this pic.
I was torn between these and the Völkl Rise Above. Both sets of skis have received many great reviews. The Völkls are lighter and I like Völkl skis but have always wanted to try black crows. I‘m also inbetween sizes on the Völkls (170 a bit short, 177 too long).
In the end my local shop didn’t have the Völkls in 170cm but had the Black Crows in 173 cm so it seems like I was destined to have the yellow ones.
I went for the ATK Raider 11 Evo touring binding with the freeride spacer for the reasons discussed above in this thread.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Cheers, hope they tour/ski well!
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
BobinCH wrote:
DB wrote:
Völkl used to supply their touring skis with skins but they were not the best skins. Anyone know if the precut skins for Völkl skis are of good quality? (e.g. which manufacturer makes skins for Völkl ?)
Ive used mine a few times and they work fine. Easy to separate and peel off skis which I like and the clips stay in place. Branded Volkl so not sure who made them?
Back in the day when they started out with the Skin Clip system (Mountain Norbert Joos, Snowwolf) the skins were made by Colltex, but this was unmistakably marked on the bags. 70/30 Mohair mix. Good glue, very abrasion restant, very good uphill grip even on icy tracks, but noticeably less glidy than 100% Mohair ones. Excellent bags for the time as well.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Tristero wrote:
Back in the day when they started out with the Skin Clip system (Mountain Norbert Joos, Snowwolf) the skins were made by Colltex, but this was unmistakably marked on the bags. 70/30 Mohair mix. Good glue, very abrasion restant, very good uphill grip even on icy tracks, but noticeably less glidy than 100% Mohair ones. Excellent bags for the time as well.
Yes the skins I had came with a pair of Snowwolfs. They might have been manufactured by a respectable company (e.g. Colltex) but they were very thin and didn’t perform anywhere near as well as the Colltex skins my ski touring buddy was using. I swapped them out for some Kohla skins that performed much better in the end. Doing the Michael Jackson moonwalk unintentionally on ice/compacted snow was no fun. I guess as the skins were „free“ with the skis then Völkl supplied the most cost effective skins (cheapest model from a well know brand.)
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
DB wrote:
Thanks for all the info & advice. Picked up the skis today. Was able to use the skins from the skis I broke in Jan 22.
Looks like a great setup
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@zzz, just perusing lighter touring skis, do you use the Rise above 88’s purely for touring or hooning around Morzine on the pistes at all?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
kitenski wrote:
@zzz, just perusing lighter touring skis, do you use the Rise above 88’s purely for touring or hooning around Morzine on the pistes at all?
They carve nicely on piste but not sure you really want to wear out a 1200g ski bashing pistes. And careful hooning it around on a light tech binding
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@BobinCH, I've a piste ski for usually hooning, but like when we came to verbier pre Xmas I ended up spending a whole day on piste (with my Shifts and R.98s) and the piste skis were in Leeds
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@kitenski, generally for touring although they work well on piste, even when icy.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
kitenski wrote:
@BobinCH, I've a piste ski for usually hooning, but like when we came to verbier pre Xmas I ended up spending a whole day on piste (with my Shifts and R.98s) and the piste skis were in Leeds
They are remarkably good for such light skis so I think you’d enjoy skiing them around on piste. They carve really nicely on a newly pisted run as we found out when the pisteurs chased us off after a particularly nice evening tour!
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
but yeah heavy ski is going to bash thru stuff vs getting deflected
