Ski Equipment and Accessories

Ski touring   by jekky

Requirements and reasons br This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia s quality standards Please improve this section if you can November 2008 br Ski touring requires cardiovascular fitness mental toughness and a firm understanding of mountain craft Touring involves navigating and route finding through potential avalanche terrain and often requires familiarity with meteorology along with skiing skills For advocates who possess the skills to safely enter the Backcountry in the winter the rewards of touring can be exceptional Ski tourers can access mountain ranges and experience solitude even in areas that would typically be quite crowded in the summer br Competent ski tourers also get to experience the self reliance that few others ever get to experience in the modern world In many mountain areas cell phones are worthless and the ski party must rely on self rescue should something go awry br Ski touringr hiking for turnss also popular with people looking for powder snow since these conditions do not last long after storms inside ski area boundaries due to intense competition br Spring touring can also access corn snow which some consider to be equal to powder snow Corn snow forms when the snowpack freezes solid at night and then partially melts during the warmth of spring days In this process larger snow grains gradually grow at the expense of smaller ones until the surface of the snowpack takes on the consistency of a snowcone The tourer tries to descend just as the sun softens about an inch of slushy snow on top of the firmly frozen snowpack Descend too soon the snow surface will be icy amp difficult for skis to grip Descend too late amp too much snow softens leading to mushy collapsing snow amp rising avalanche danger br Whether a tourer is looking for winter powder or spring corn the emphasis is on being self reliant in the mountains and skiing wild snow br The greater surface area of a ski prevents postholing which renders hiking in snow very energetic slow amp inefficient While snowshoes can also address the hiker s tendency to sink in snow the fit ski tourer can cover far longer distances because the downhill sections are skied much faster than they could be hiked or snowshoed Even traveling on flat sections is made more efficient by the ski s ability to glide which extends the stride but does not require expenditure of additional energy br Ski touring can also be faster and easier than summer hiking in some terrain and some conditions like on talus slopes for instance allowing for traverses and ascents that in some ways would be harder in the summer In this way skis can ameliorate access to backcountry alpine climbing routes during the spring amp early summer when snow is off the technical route but still covers the hiking trail br Techniques br Original Seal Skins for Ski touring c 1950s br Going uphill or across a flat also requires grip so that the ski will glide forward but not slide backwards when weighted Dedicated cross country touring skis may have a fish scale pattern engraved into the base of the ski to enable the ski to grip but most types of ski require the use of sticky wax or climbing skins for their smooth surface to grip Skins are removable pieces of plush fabric whose nap runs at an oblique angle allowing the ski to glide forward but not back Originally these skins were actually made of furry seal skin br If the snow is particularly icy or the skin track very steep then the ski tourer may choose to attach ski crampons sometimes called Harscheisen German couteau French or ramponi Italian Crampons are like knives that cut deeper into the snow br As the slope angles increase the climbing ski tourer will make switchbacks using so called kick turns to change direction typically resulting in a line that climbs at a moderate angle of 20 30 degrees Skin tracks can be seen as zig zags heading up a snowy mountain Ski tourers try to maintain the up tracks in avalanche safe zones as they head up the mountain staying out from under dangerous cornices or slide paths Setting a proper and safe skin track requires a great deal of skill and avalanche knowledge as the tourer spends most of their time climbing Traveling quickly up the hill is important for safety as well Thus physical fitness is one of the most important elements of safe mountain travel in potential avalanche terrain br On reaching the summit or other intermediate destination skins if used are removed and the skiers prepare to descend In traditional cross country Skiing Equipment and more robust telemark equipment the skier s heel is also free on the descent while AT skiers lock down their heels for the descent in typical alpine skiing style br Ski touring requires the ability to ski off piste good navigation skills and good awareness of the risks of the mountain environment in winter In particular it requires the knowledge to assess and test snow conditions to minimise the risk of avalanche Avalanche rescue equipment including radio transceiver probe and shovel should be carried and the ability to use them quickly and efficiently is required br Additionally ski mountaineering implies climbing a mountain with the intent of skiing it often from the summit and or down an elegant line Ski mountaineering blurs the line between mountaineering and skiing as advocates typically choose peaks that are both worthy climbs and challenging descents Ski mountaineering may require kicking in steps up steep sections while carrying the skis on a backpack Ski mountaineers may also use ropes ice axes and crampons for ascending slopes too steep for skinning or kicking steps In some areas ski mountaineering involves glacier travel a whole subject unto itself When skiing on glaciers it is wise for the party to wear harnesses carry crevasse rescue gear and sometimes rope together to allow crevasse rescue techniques to be employed br Equipment br All ski touring equipment has the common ability to free the heel for level and uphill travel However ski touring can be carried out using a variety of equipment The choice of equipment is determined by the ski touring goals and to some degree the other types of skiing the individual participates in Generally speaking steeper more difficult terrain requires a more supportive heavier equipment choice br Nordic br Nordic ski touring is skiing with bindings that leave the heels relatively free all the time Thus Nordic skiers do not have to change back and forth between uphill and downhill modes which can be advantageous in rolling terrain br Traditional Nordic br At the lighter simpler end of the scale Nordic skis may be narrow and edgeless cross country types for groomed trails or ideal snow conditions used with boots that resemble soft shoes or low boots br These traditional Nordic skis have a double cambered construction with a wax pocket to hold sticky wax under the foot for grip going uphill Slicker glide wax is applied to the base of the ski in front of and behind the foot for glide The idea is for the ski s base to stick to the snow when the skier weights the ski going uphill but glide along smoothly when the skier is on the flat or going downhill br The most popular versions of these skis have bases with a grip pattern molded into the base under the foot in a fish scale pattern which can be used without kick wax These no wax skis are not as fast as waxable skis but are more convenient to use and can perform better when the snow is at or very near the freezing point 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit br Either way these traditional Nordic skis allow for very natural seamless travel up and over mildly hilly terrain due to the lack of a need to change modes for ascending and descending br The telemark turn was invented as a means of turning these lightweight skis with soft shoes that can t efficiently translate leg force to the ski br Backcountry Nordic br There s also a mid range solution The backcountry Nordic ski is somewhat between traditional Nordic and Telemark The ski s width at the tip can be anywhere from about 70 160 mm to around 90 160 mm with the waist of the ski the area underfoot about 60 160 mm to 65 160 mm wide Backcountry Nordic bindings designed for backcountry skiing are wider and more stout of construction allowing more stability and better energy transfer between boot and ski Many skiers use the 3 pin 75 160 mm Nordic Norm or Telemark Norm boot binding system for additional turning and speed control even though it is somewhat slower than the newer NNN BC New Nordic Norm Backcountry binding system Backcountry Nordic boots are usually semi rigid usually the side is rigid and the skis also have more carving sidecut similar to telemark Alpine Skis as well as metal edges These features improve the skier s ability to turn and control their speed as slopes begin to get steeper br Telemark br At the heavier end of the Nordic Skiing Equipment spectrum lie Telemark skis for steep backcountry terrain or ski area use These skis are similar to alpine skis and AT skis heavier and wider than other Nordic skis with a smooth base and metal edges for carving turns in steeper terrain Telemark gear like AT equipment is frequently used for ski touring because of the additional control the equipment provides on the descent Like AT equipment telemark equipment is heavier than other Nordic gear so the tourer is sacrificing the heavier weight on the uphill for ski ability on the descent br Like all Nordic boots telemark boots flex at the toe for more natural walking and striding but they are heavier and more supportive than other forms of Nordic ski boots Telemark boots conform to the 75 160 mm Nordic norm which provides for a duckbill at the front of the boot with 3 holes on the bottom The soft soles of telemark boots make kicking steps or front pointing with crampons difficult br Traditional 3 pin telemark bindings clamp the duckbill with the 3 holes in the boots aligned with 3 pins on the bindings to provide rotational rigidity Most modern bindings have a spring loaded cable that attaches around the heel of the boot and most do away with the 3 pins entirely since they tend to eventually shear out The cable improves control but can squeeze the arch of the foot painfully so many cable attachment systems include a provision for relaxing the cable for climbs br Telemark binding springs have become progressively stiffer to add downhill control by holding the ski tight to the bottom of the boot but this also adds undesirable heel lift resistance when hiking This added resistance makes ascending amp traversing less efficient especially when breaking trail through deep snow Recent telemark binding designs add AT style free toe pivot with the addition of a catch that is released for hiking then locked for downhill skiing br Telemark boots have gradually increased in stiffness and height to improve control The increased forces have led to increasing desirability of releasable telemark bindings However the design constraints of the 75 160 mm Nordic norm do not allow the boot to release from the binding effectively Instead this type of releaseable telemark bindings leaves part of the binding attached to the boot when release occurs New Tele Norm NTN is an emerging solution to the releasability problem that employs a plastic tab molded into the sole of the boot This tab engages in a special binding that offers step in convenience and releasability br However due to the physics of the problem it is very difficult to design consistent release into a telemark binding so there is currently no DIN certified releasable telemark binding available The free heel of Telemark equipment appears to help prevent knee injuries common to alpine skiers or AT skiers even without releasable bindings lt http www ski injury com nordic htm gt but non releasing bindings still present a serious hazard in avalanches where attached equipment creates drag that increases the possibility of injury and deeper burialot a problem in Ski Resorts but a serious consideration in the backcountry br Alpine br Alpine Touring randonne br Alpine touring ski boot binding and ski crampon br Alpine Touring AT or randonne equipment is specifically designed for ski touring in steep terrain A special alpine touring binding is used that allows the heel to be clipped down for more support when skiing downhill and allows it to be released to swing resistance free from the toe when climbing Like telemark gear this equipment is popular with people from an alpine skiing background unlike telemarking it requires no learning of a challenging new type of downhill turn br Most AT bindings have DIN safety release as in an alpine binding Since the AT boot heel is locked for descending the rigidity of the boot sole allows for reliable release and adds strength to the binding This means that the bindings can be lighter in weight since they do not have to address the difficult physics of always free heel telemark bindings that place intense levering and twisting force on the toe piece Some heavier AT bindings are also available and popular with users who cross over ski area boundaries and bring resort style skiing with them including jumping and high speed skiing often using a heavier more stable ski br Special ski boots are also used something of a cross between a downhill ski boot and a hiking boot which are light and flexible enough to be comfortable to walk up in while still being stiff enough to provide good control when skiing down These boots have specialized soles for traction and the ability to hold a crampon when climbing steep slopes with the skis on one s back br Like downhill skiing boots most AT Boots have rigid soles which is advantageous for climbing steep snow slopes with or without crampons However all supportable ski bootsele AT or alpinere less than comfortable for hiking approaches over bare

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