Gear

OK, we all have opinions on gear.  Here are mine.  Remember that my angle is that of a person with a modest job, family and all that and Im a pretty good skier (maybe advanced but not expert???) but no cliff hucking madman.

The intent behind this gear is to have a race-worthy setup but still be able to get out in the mountains and have fun!

One other generality.  These setups cost roughly $2,000 - $3,000.  Ouch!  However, if you think about it, that is about what a good mountain bike or full trad rack costs.   Perspective or justification?

Skis:
Im a big fan of skimo race skis.  I got a pair after getting the smack down on my first race and ski them almost exclusively.  In Wolf Creek Pass, home of "The most snow in Colorado" that says something!  Im 6'4" and 173 lbs and these little sticks seem ridiculous at first but they perform surprisingly well in all but low angle deep powder conditions.  I like skiing them as much as possible so I can handle them in race circumstances where you will have to ski the most challenging terrain the course setters can sniff out on the mountain.  The downhills in races always have variable conditions (as in "challenging" or "crappy" for us Colorado Powder Snobs) and you have to be dialed in since you ski the downhills on wobbly legs!  One other thing, all race skis worth spending money on should be easy to rig for skin removal starting from the tip with some sort of elastic tip attachment.  This means skis need to have a tip notch like all Dynafit and many Ski Trab models or they need to have pointed tips you can loop.  Large radius round tips are a bad idea.  The technique of "ripping" skins from the tip is a HUGE time saver in races and once you do it once you will never want to use traditional skin attachment systems! If you are trying to do this on a budget, you can dremel similar grooves in the tip of just about any ski. I have done this myself and it is pretty easy. Just remember to put a few coats of epoxy on the groove so it remains waterproof.

Currently, I ski Dynafit PDGs, a second tier race ski (as in about half the cost of most race-specific models).  All race skis are 161 cm long for men, 151 cm long for women (but many women ski the 161s).  They are about 66mm at the waist.  The main deal here is that since you ski uphill 85% of the time you want to maximize uphill efficiency.  After one race you will agree.  You can ski amazingly well on the downhills on these things.  The really good racers have been clocked well over 60 mph on them!

Check out the ski offerings on Skimo.co or Cripple Creek Backcountry for a good selection of skimo-specific skis. Both shops are owned by awesome folks who can provide help for those interested in new gear. If you have a good feel for what you want you can find deals on Craigs List in larger metro areas like Denver. There is also a decent gear swap on the Utah Skimo website, the only really active one Ive seen for skimo gear.

Finally, durability.  I have to say, while I have seen and heard of people breaking skis in races Im amazed at how tough they are.  Im 173 lbs as stated before and have beat mine up a little.  They seem no worse for wear. My mediocre technique in the bumps has not damaged them. In fact, the only real "kryptonite" out there for these suckers is smashing the edge on rocks. The cap construction results in weak sidewalls. A tradeoff for the lightness such a design allows.

If you want more backcountry performance but want to race too, a ski like the Dynafit Cho Oyu, Ski Trab Altavia Light or Ski Trab Libero are probably a good fit. People ski some pretty amazing stuff on boards like these as well as others.

Skins:
This is easy.

1. BUY MOHAIR SKINS!   
2. Get at least one spare skin (or a whole spare set)

 If you have never used mohair, you will be amazed.  You can glide a LOT on these and the grip is great.  As I said, its all about efficiency on the uphill.  Mohair is as efficient as it gets. Check out my post on saving a few bucks by making your own skins.

Size them to about 6-12 inches shy of the ski tail (skier weight dependent).  Sounds crazy but you never notice the reduction in skin on ascents, you glide just a little better, and "ripping" or removing your skins is WAY easier.  Putting them back on is simpler too as you never need to mess around with skins hitting the snow if your tail plunges in to the snow at an inopportune time.

The backup skin(s) will come in handy if you ever coat your skin adhesive with snow as you rip them.  This has never happened to me backcountry skiing but in skimo races where you perform super fast transitions, it can happen when exhausted and you dont want to be "that guy/gal" floundering around in the middle of nowhere with one skin flopping around like a flag of defeat on the bottom of your ski!

After a number of experiments, I always use skins that are as wide as the ski- 65 mm for race skis. I tried narrower ones but on icy steep skin tracks or mountaineering adventures you are going to get frustrated. Also, at the afore mentioned 173 lbs I use a whole 1.5 m skin after trying shorter lengths for a few years. I end up with the same traction as other smaller racers who cut their skins shorter.

Finally, HOT WAX YOUR SKINS. It is ridiculously easy. This makes them glide even better and helps prevent wet snow glopping in warm snow conditions.

Bindings:
Once again, weight matters a lot so the only option is "tech" or Dynafit-style bindings.  Basically all hardcore race bindings look like this (these are Plum 145s):

They consist of an independent toe and heel piece that are all knockoffs of the original Dynafit patent which is now expired.  There is usually no DIN adjustability but they do occasionally release if you crash bad enough. I have had the heels release when I plowed my skis into a hole and did a tele-style over the tips plunge.  The one weird thing at first is the heel is always elevated just a little except when locked for downhill.  No big deal once you get used to it.  These bindings have one huge disadvantage (after cost of course!) which is there is no adjustability of the heel piece for different length boot soles.  If you get new boots, your bindings may no longer fit.  Therefore, heel adjustability is CRITICAL if you are on a budget and indecisive on boots.  There are binding adjustment plates you can mount to the ski and then put the bindings on these. They add a few ounces but allow some versatility.

One consideration is that the skimo boots are really durable so once you decide on a boot you should have no fears about mounting bindings directly to your skis in a fixed boot length.

Any of the race style bindings are about the same and great to ski. I personally have used the Dynafit Low Tech Race and the Ski Trab TR Race. The Low Tech has an awesome toe piece that I love but the heel can be a pain to step in to in soft snow. The TR Race on the other hand has an awesome heel that clicks in like "butta" and the toe is OK but has a kind of flimsy feeling toe lock mechanism.

A budget choice is the Dynafit Speed Radical.  It is fairly light, costs about half of what a pure race binding does, has a fully DIN adjustable heel and the length is adjustable.  There are very few choices like it on the market in its price range (Plum Guide is all Ive seen).  Also, according to this review  on Wild Snow the Speed Radical may be the best of all worlds for a light touring setup.  That being said, it is heavier than race bindings.

SAFETY NOTE: For all these bindings they are not idiot proof. Ice can build up in the toe holes on the boot when booting wet spring snow, fluffy or wet snow can build up under the toe piece springs. These conditions can lead to front binding release when you least expect it and with no leashes as is often the case- good by ski! You need to be aware of what is happening to your gear and give it some love and attention.

Boots:
If you get the chance to fondle real race boots, they are amazing.  They also cost an insane amount of money. These boots can be apparently used on light skis up to about 80mm under foot. They perform pretty well and I have never felt they have held me back.  The light weight nature means they flex some but no one who uses them seems to have any complaints, me included!  They are so comfortable with such a great range of motion that you will make them your go to boot in no time.

The best review Ive seen on boots is on Cold Thistle. One note on the TLT6. It comes with an easily insertable touring stiffener tongue for more support on the downhill but I never used it when I had TLTs and neither does my wife. There seems to be somewhat of a consensus that they ski fine without the tongues.

With regards to race boots, I have skied the PDG, a second tier race boot for a number of years now and really like it. I have heard the Alien, Scarpa's less expensive race boot, supposedly skis a little better and after examining them up close, seems like it has a number of really thoughtful design details that would make me consider it as a replacement when my PDGs eventually die. I dont know anything about La Sportiva's less expensive boot, the Syborg. I also dont and likely never will know anything about any boot with large amounts of carbon in them! 4 figure ski boots scare me.

Pack:
For longer races or if you are fit enough to compete in the Race class (or intermediate aka "heavy metal" or "advanced" classes in larger races with 3 classes) you may find boot packs where you must carry your skis on your pack.  The rule is that the skis must be attached with 2 straps.  You want to be able to do this without taking your pack off.  You do this with a diagonal ski carry system.  Your two best options are buying a rando race pack or rigging a small pack you currently own.

The two cheapest rando packs are the Ski Trab Race Aero and the CAMP Rapid 260.  Both are small, durable enough for racing and training, and fast to strap skis to.  I had a Race Aero and wished Id spent the additional $10 on the Camp pack.  When I got a Camp pack I was impressed with it and it is what Ill continue to use.

For longer races like the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse or other adventures go for a Camp X3 600, a great pack at a great price. The Dynafit Broad Peak 28 seems like a great one as well but Ive never used it.

If you want to rig your existing pack, attach a durable loop such as nylon webbing about the size of your fist to the lower left corner of your pack.  The loop should be big enough for your ski tails to easily pass through but not your binding heels.

At your right shoulder, attach a length of cord (heavy duty elastic might work better) to your pack at the shoulder and put a small carabiner on the other end.  Watch the videos on how to rig your skis to your pack on the LINKS page and adjust the rigging to get the same effect.  Its very inexpensive to do this and it really works well.

Hydration:
The first thing you learn in races is that bladders usually freeze.  It gets old fast.  If you look around you see all the racers have bottles on their chest straps.  There is a reason for that.  For races up to about 2 hours or so one bottle is plenty.  After that, a little bit more fluid is probably a good thing.  YMMV.  Bottom line, rig bottle to your chest straps.  CAMP makes a very affordable bottle holder that is easy to rig to any pack.

Any water bottle will do but you probably dont want to go bigger than 24 oz or they will get in the way.  Believe it or not, shoulder strap water bottle holders are hard to find.  One very inexpensive option is some bottle holders from Wal Mart that you can zip tie to your straps and then use twist top Gatorade bottles from a convenience store.  Best part of that is they come pre-filled for your first use!

I have heard some racers now duck tape hydra flasks to their shoulder straps. Some of these are really awesome racers. My concern is that Ive had bottle valves freeze in cold, especially windy races. If I put the bottle in my race suit it warms up pretty fast and is still easily accessible. It would be hard to stuff my pack strap with water bottle taped to it in my suit!

Ive also heard of folks adding a little vodka to their bottle to lower the temp at which the liquid freezes. Kind of creative but I have no idea if it works. If you run some tests, let me know!

Clothing:
 The best advice I ever heard was "dress like you are going cross country skiing".  At a basic level, 'nuf said.  We all have unique body styles and heat needs!  One unique thing about skimo racing is skin stowage for the downhill.  You want to stuff them down your shirt to stay warm and for easy access.  I used a kind of heavy running top with a 3/4 zip front for the first year but recently found a good deal on a CAMP race suit and splurged.  The thing is incredibly well thought out with super fast access to all the things you need like spare mitten shells, skins, snacks, etc.  It keeps snow out of my boots without getting in the way and breathes really well.  Anyway, I had thought Id left Lycra behind in the 80s.  I was wrong but am not ashamed!

A number of race suits are available in the US, Ski Trab, CAMP and Dynafit being the ones that come to mind.