Bloody Weight

[TheMadBrit]

Hi again all. Well, with you great tips we finally made our first trip up last Friday for the bowl on Saturday. I have lots of pics and will post these in the other section later today. I do, however, have another couple of questions now that I am addicted and plan on going up again maybe in the week. Here you go:

1/ My ski boots are really heavy (13 punds for both) and account for a lot of weight on the way up. I noticed some guys were actually hiking skiing in their boots rather than carrying them. Does this make the trek up really tough? Is there anything you can attach to them as they have no tread and must be pretty slippery? Are there boots that weigh a lot less? Sorry, that was 3 questions in one!

2/ I have twin tipped skis but they are 171 long and I found turning (with my legs also shot) really difficult on slopes that have a steepness I have never experienced before (left gully only was enouth for me). what would anyone reccomend for skis. Is it better if they are shorter etc.??

Thanks for any more tips in advance.

[awf170]

1/ My ski boots are really heavy (13 punds for both) and account for a lot of weight on the way up. I noticed some guys were actually hiking skiing in their boots rather than carrying them. Does this make the trek up really tough? Is there anything you can attach to them as they have no tread and must be pretty slippery? Are there boots that weigh a lot less? Sorry, that was 3 questions in one!

Those peope hiking up in ski boots having touring boots. They have rubber soles and have a walk function. Hiking up in regular ski boots is death.

[RR]

it is typical to hike up to the bowl in hiking boots and then put on the ski boots and leave them on until the you have skied down as far as possible on the Sherby and have to switch to the hiking boots again.

Some folks use crampons when the snow is hard and slick, but mostly corn snow is easy to kick steps in and crampons are not used in this part of the season.

You can lose more than half the wieght by getting some AT boots and AT skis. The length of your skis is probably fine....getting past the FREAK factor is the big thing and you have mostly finished that. Some days my old 205 GS skis are the answer in the bowl, most days they are too long and I stick with my 179 Crossbows I ski everywhere.

[BladeGirl]

Hi again all. Well, with you great tips we finally made our first trip up last Friday for the bowl on Saturday. I have lots of pics and will post these in the other section later today. I do, however, have another couple of questions now that I am addicted and plan on going up again maybe in the week. Here you go:

1/ My ski boots are really heavy (13 punds for both) and account for a lot of weight on the way up. I noticed some guys were actually hiking skiing in their boots rather than carrying them. Does this make the trek up really tough? Is there anything you can attach to them as they have no tread and must be pretty slippery? Are there boots that weigh a lot less? Sorry, that was 3 questions in one!

2/ I have twin tipped skis but they are 171 long and I found turning (with my legs also shot) really difficult on slopes that have a steepness I have never experienced before (left gully only was enouth for me). what would anyone reccomend for skis. Is it better if they are shorter etc.??

Thanks for any more tips in advance.

Welcome to the addicted crew!

Over the years I have found ways to lighten my load each trip.

On question 2, I would say the most important thing is that you are comfortable skiing on whatever ski you bring. Tucks is not the place to try something new. People ski/ride on just about anything. For myself, after my first trip with similar length skis, I switched to snow blades (hense the name) to lighten my load.

I also took up telemark skiing so I could skin up in light (and the boots, bindings and skis are *much* lighter) gear and not wear it on my back (of course, that required going early enough in the season to skin up).

My lightest setup to date, which I took up January 15, involves snowblades with skins and AT bindings and boots.

Good luck whatever you do, and I am looking forward to seeing the pix,

-BG

[PWDR8S]

UH OH.... another Tuckermaniac is born! Welcome to the 'club'!

When you're talking lighter boots it usually means AT/Randonee boots. There is somewhat of a performance compromise.... AT boots are usually a bit softer and aren't as stiff like an alpine boot. New designs and tech have made good progress in this dept where the stiffness when needed can almost be achieved.

The reason for softness is the flexibilty to facilitate the hiking and touring end of things whereas the rigidity needed would be for the better control in alpine mode. Also, lighter materials tend to have more flexing ability and are prefered when touring/hiking. The newer hybrid boots coming out on the market seek to bridge this problem.

So far, I've found my '05 Garmont Mega Rides to fit the bill.... while they are incredibly comfortable while hiking/ski touring with all it's flexiness, they have a buckling setup that comes close to true alpine stiffness.... not quite but it works very well for me. The weight of these boots combined is 7lbs 5oz for the newer model. (Mine I'm sure are less than the newer model due to less height and thinner liners...6lbs)

The others before me have commented on your ski lengths... I agree with them in that you really don't need to change.... It's your approach or attack of the slope that would make a difference. Once you get moving, it becomes easier to turn as you already know from resort skiing, etc.

That's my $0.02... hope it helps. http://www.timefortuckerman.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif Glad to hear you had a great day!

[TheMadBrit]

Once again, thanks all for your tips. I like the sound of the 6 pound boots and will look into those. I see what you are all saying about the skiis. I am really comfy with them at the resorts, in the glades and even for some free style. I was just a bit FREAKED out (the word you used) on my first attempt. I will get back ASAP and do it all over again!

By the way, my pictures are now posted in the other forum. My first attempt, so excuse the lack of presentation skills!

[M@]

I hiked up in my ski boots for the first time this year - becuase I wanted to wear my crampons and they only fit on my ski boots. I worried about hiking in hard boots, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. With out the crampons I wouldn't do it though.

M@

[yuckster]

Just a little weight comparison:

According to the spring scale hanging from the post outside Pinkham, my pack weighed 30 pounds April 8 including skis carried on the pack. Conditions were moderate that day and I was still worrying about icy conditions, so that includes extra gear that you won't carry later in the season, like beacon shovel & probe, and crampons. I was wearing AT boots so they were on my feet.

Without the avalanche safety gear and skinning up, my carry weight would theoretically go down to 10 pounds or so. Which could leave enough room for a small keg of :beer: ??? :D

[Skilasnow]

Without the avalanche safety gear and skinning up, my carry weight would theoretically go down to 10 pounds or so. Which could leave enough room for a small keg of :beer: ??? :D

10 Lbs ?!?! That barely covers my water :eek:

[riverc0il]

1/ My ski boots are really heavy (13 punds for both) and account for a lot of weight on the way up. I noticed some guys were actually hiking skiing in their boots rather than carrying them. Does this make the trek up really tough? Is there anything you can attach to them as they have no tread and must be pretty slippery? Are there boots that weigh a lot less? Sorry, that was 3 questions in one!
As others have mentioned, the folks you saw hiking up in boots likely had AT boots. I down hiked from Gulf of Slides with AT boots on and was fine, better than having them straped to my pack. Also it is helpful to hike up in AT boots if you plan to skin up when the snow begins instead of having to switch from hiking to AT boots. What other folks have not mentioned that I think needs to be stressed, is that AT boots DO NOT work with regular bindings, only with AT bindings due to the vibram sole. So I did not want you to think that just going out and buying another pair of boots would solve your weight issue, you would also need a new binding and another ski to mount the binding to. It gets expensive quick! If you eventually go that route and add skins to the factors mentioned already, your weight savings is tremendous (I.E. no boots or skis on your pack and sometimes no boots on the pack when skis get packed for hiking). AT boots are also easier to climb in since they are lighter and have more grip on the bottom. Stuff to think about if you are going to get really into the Backcountry thing down the road.

2/ I have twin tipped skis but they are 171 long and I found turning (with my legs also shot) really difficult on slopes that have a steepness I have never experienced before (left gully only was enouth for me). what would anyone reccomend for skis. Is it better if they are shorter etc.??

As others have mentioned, I don't think your problem is your ski choice or legnth (though there certainly are better skis than others for skiing the ravine! I suspected a true twin tip with center mount wouldn't work as well as saaaaaaaaay.... my Inspired Bigs :) ). Most likely, you will need to pick up new turning skills. Jump turns are especially helpful at steeper pitches. If you were uncomfortable making turns in left gully, I would even suggest really working technique on hard in bounds trails and a lesson on how to handle 35+ degree pitches couldn't hurt.

[SNOBLIND]

As mentioned by everyone else AT boots are what people are hiking in. I hiked up in mine, Scarpa denalis, and was fine. I put the skins on and skinned when I hit the snow line. The ski length is a debateable subject, I skiied on 183's and was longing (pun intended) for longer skis, my 190 X-screams would have been nice! The freak factor is big for those of us who don'y live anywere near anything big. The black diamond runs at the resort areas were I live are a joke compared to TUX!! I was a little freaked on my first run, and mortified when I fell on my second run, 'till I realized I was OK. :skierpetrified: It was still the best day of skiing of the year! Can't wait 'till next year!

[yuckster]

10 Lbs ?!?! That barely covers my water :eek:

I'm not joking. Lou Dawson wrote an article about this. it's possible to carry that little, or almost that little if you were skinning and were not planning on entering avalanche terrain.

Say, backpack = 2 pounds.
2 liters of water (without the bottle) weighs about 4 pounds. ("a pint is a pound, the world around...")
down jacket = 1 pound
a light soft shell and light pair of goretex rain pants, maybe a little over 2 pounds.
That leaves a pound for an extra pair of gloves, some granola bars a face mask and a few incidentals, each of which weigh a few ounces. So maybe we're a little over 10 pounds, but not too much.

10 pounds is a good target to shoot for. Sound contrived? Not really. That's all the gear you need for the Sherburne trail, including some extra bad weather gear that you might not need.

[RR]

...10 pounds is a good target to shoot for. Sound contrived? Not really. That's all the gear you need for the Sherburne trail, including some extra bad weather gear that you might not need.My three long neck Double Bags, brace of cigars and the whoopee cushion must be with me. A stout first aid kit and 200 ml of Grappa or Tequila or Bourbon will also want to be going for the ride...and my pack won't be 2 pounds, more like 4.5 and capable of handling my pals gear if they go out on a stretcher.

Energy bars are fine and dandy, but beer goes better with a fresh made sammy(or two)...so the sammy gear and supplies will be going too....as will a thermos full of my coffee....

oh, lunch rocks are nice, but they are softer when a foam pad is packed along with all that other stuff too.

[surfsnowywaves]

You dont have to worry about weight if you go :nakedguy2004:

[PWDR8S]

I may add to RiverCoil's comment.... not ALL AT boots require non-alpine binders. I use my mega rides (OK OK they're hybrids) on my Salomons Extra Hots with the TI912 binders and I have used them in other alpine binders.

You do need to be aware there are distinct differences n setups.

As for pack weight..... I'm really really bad at paring down the weight in mine. http://www.timefortuckerman.com/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif This last GOS trip was one of the lightest I've done.... 32lbs including the boots AND skis! I had the requisite shells for bad weather and xtra socks, food... enough for 2 meals http://www.timefortuckerman.com/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif and fluids, along with the other sundry items like swiss army knife, iPod, etc.

It CAN be done.... I found the smaller pack I used forced me to carry less.

[awf170]

I may add to RiverCoil's comment.... not ALL AT boots require non-alpine binders. I use my mega rides (OK OK they're hybrids) on my Salomons Extra Hots with the TI912 binders and I have used them in other alpine binders.


Are you sure? I know that they may fit fine in salomons because of the adjustable toe height, but AT boots still have rubber sole which doesn't work well with alpine bindings AFD. Someone over at TGR did a release test with AT boots on an alpine binding and the din was all over the place.

[PWDR8S]

Are you sure? I know that they may fit fine in salomons because of the adjustable toe height, but AT boots still have rubber sole which doesn't work well with alpine bindings AFD. Someone over at TGR did a release test with AT boots on an alpine binding and the din was all over the place.
Maybe I just was lucky? I dunno. They seem to work fine with all my skis/bindings and some rentals I tried out west. That's curious about the DIN being all over the place though.

[awf170]

Maybe I just was lucky? I dunno. They seem to work fine with all my skis/bindings and some rentals I tried out west. That's curious about the DIN being all over the place though.

Found it:
http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5507

[PWDR8S]

Thanks for finding that.... interesting indeed! Making me think again on my alpine bindings.... Actually that doesn't matter now... I was planning on getting a set of Naxo 21's to repalce the fixed binders.

Like one of the guys said... knocking on wood!

[RR]

Okay...light is right until it's not!

Scenario:
A guy gets the gal to go for some Tuckerman Glisse for a reason beyond the sliding... He shows the Rock and pops the Question. She says yes and after some empassioned smooching the Champagne comes out and the stemware (safely carried in pringles cans that have been cleaned and redecorated for the occasion) is filled, repeatedly...

So, that's another kit requirement...been done, many times...the weddings too...

It is all about the mindset for the user..

[PWDR8S]

Okay...light is right until it's not!

Scenario:
A guy gets the gal to go for some Tuckerman Glisse for a reason beyond the sliding... He shows the Rock and pops the Question. She says yes and after some empassioned smooching the Champagne comes out and the stemware (safely carried in pringles cans that have been cleaned and redecorated for the occasion) is filled, repeatedly...

So, that's another kit requirement...been done, many times...the weddings too...

It is all about the mindset for the user..
I know that's been done before but I like it. Someday, if I am ever so fortunate to find someone of like mind and spirit, I might even do the same! But I won't hold my breath. http://www.timefortuckerman.com/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

[Jolly J]

Okay...light is right until it's not!

Scenario:
A guy gets the gal to go for some Tuckerman Glisse for a reason beyond the sliding... He shows the Rock and pops the Question. She says yes and after some empassioned smooching the Champagne comes out and the stemware (safely carried in pringles cans that have been cleaned and redecorated for the occasion) is filled, repeatedly...

So, that's another kit requirement...been done, many times...the weddings too...

It is all about the mindset for the user..

My wife loves her...
http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/Products/Kitchen/4009100_v1_m56577569830474736.jpg
Camping Wine Glass

[riverc0il]

I may add to RiverCoil's comment.... not ALL AT boots require non-alpine binders. I use my mega rides (OK OK they're hybrids) on my Salomons Extra Hots with the TI912 binders and I have used them in other alpine binders.
yea, that was a bit of a generalization. garmont adrenelins and the scarpa tornados do alpine binders too.

[Skilasnow]

Say, backpack = 2 pounds.
2 liters of water (without the bottle) weighs about 4 pounds. ("a pint is a pound, the world around...")
down jacket = 1 pound
a light soft shell and light pair of goretex rain pants, maybe a little over 2 pounds.
That leaves a pound for an extra pair of gloves, some granola bars a face mask and a few incidentals, each of which weigh a few ounces. So maybe we're a little over 10 pounds, but not too much.

10 pounds is a good target to shoot for. Sound contrived? Not really. That's all the gear you need for the Sherburne trail, including some extra bad weather gear that you might not need.

My packs way all over 2#, but OK, a lighter pack is fine.
A Pint in Britain weighs 20 oz, In old Scotland 24 oz but thats besides the point :D
I may sweat more than most and so a day trip often sees me with 3 liters, a 70oz bladder and a liter bottle, unless its a chilly day, I never come back with that liter still full.
My basic first aid / repair kit weighs 18 oz
I need more than a few granola bars for a full day

So not including the requisite beer (usually an oil-can of Foster's Bitter) the requisite communications device (it may come in handy) I doubt I could do less than about 14-15 on a full skin day