Quote:
Originally Posted by Leland Pate
I'm looking into buying a set of alpine skis so I can hike up to a remote 40 acre parcel I bought in the Sierras. It's otherwise inaccessible during the winter months and I figure skiing must be easier than snow shoeing. 
Thoughts??? |
Seems more of a job for cross-country (XC) skis?
I did have a friend who used "backcountry" or "mountaineering" skis, which are Alpine skis with bindings that can be set to allow heel lift, used with boots that were a cross between hiking boots and ski boots, and removable skins when trekking. He struggled on the steep stuff with that gear.
I did most of my skiing in college, with the UC Berkeley ski club. Went to many of the Western resorts - Jackson Hole, Vail, Steamboat, Aspen, Breckenridge, Taos, and of course the Tahoe resorts. Lots of super long rides in chartered busses with more pot smoke than oxygen. Did 30-40 days a year. I had Hanson boots (remember those?) and Burt bindings (no-one remembers those), before switching to more conventional stuff. Skis were Rossignol ST, Rossignol GS, and some K2s. Less skiing in grad school, and hardly at all after becoming a full-time work drone. I still have the STs and GS skis somewhere.