Check out our range of alpine touring skis |
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Choosing an Alpine Touring Ski
Ski Comparison Table
Ski |
Sidecut |
Weight |
Radius |
Ideal For |
Price |
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128-89-115 |
3.35 Kg |
15m |
Deep snow + freeride |
£380 |
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126-86-113 |
3.35 Kg |
14m |
Freeride, Park + Pipe |
£300 |
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122-88-110 |
3.6 Kg |
21m |
Deep snow, freeride + technical touring |
£400 |
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124-83-114 |
3.7 Kg |
14m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£375 |
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120-79-103 |
3.55 Kg |
18m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£350 |
K2 Apache Recon
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119-78-105 |
3.85 Kg
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18m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£350 |
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116-78-105 |
3.65 Kg |
17m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£250 |
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117-80-105 |
3.5 Kg |
20m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£270 |
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118-78-108 |
3.6 Kg |
14m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£350 |
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120-83-110 |
3.4 Kg |
17m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£250 |
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118-78-108 |
3.2 Kg |
14m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£275 |
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116-78-105 |
3.0 Kg |
13.7m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£360 |
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116-76-106 |
3.0 Kg |
14m |
Performance off piste + technical touring |
£275 |
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107-70-97 |
2.6 Kg |
17m |
Lightweight performance touring |
£250 |
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105-70-95 |
3.1 Kg |
19m |
Entry level ski touring |
£170 |
Frequent Scenarios + Our Suggestions
1 Newcomer to Touring/developing off piste skier - wanting a good ski to develop and improve skills on, for use both on resort holidays and touring. Suggested Skis: Scott Aztec Limited, Bandit B2(or Aztec Pro if you are heavier), Bandit B2 womens. Bindings: Fritschi Explore (or Fritschi Freeride Plus for heavier skiers)
2 Strong Off Piste Skier/downhill orientated ski - wanting a ski that gives excellent all mountain performance & damping, rather than the lightest possible weight:-
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Resort off piste, steeps + touring: Dynastar Legend 8000, Karhu Kodiac - mid fat skis with a slightly longer turn radius + narrower tail: excellent float + still carve well, but have awesome edge grip for steeps + long traverses when out touring (hold a straighter line when skinning too). Bindings: Fritschi Freeride Plus.
3 Keen Ski Tourer/performance touring ski - wanting a lighter weight ski that gives good downhill performance and plenty of float in soft snow, but doesn't weigh too much on the climbs & still skis well around resorts from time to time. Suggested Skis: Scott Aztec Limited, Bandit B3 Respect, Bandit B2 womens, (Dynastar Legend 8000 + Karhu Kodiac for heavier or more aggressive skiers). Bindings: Fritschi Explore (or Dynafit Vertical FT for the weight obsessed)
4 Keen Ski Tourer/lightweight touring ski - wanting a specific lightweight touring ski with modern sidecut and good edge hold, that handles well in all snow types. Suggested Skis:K2 8611 Summit Superlight. Bindings: Fritschi Explore, Dynafit Vertical FT or Dynafit TLT Speed.
5 Newcomer to Touring/ good value touring ski - wanting a well priced, specific light weight touring ski to learn and improve skills on. Suggested Skis: Fischer Tour X-treme. Bindings: Fritschi Explore.
To find out a little more about how skis are built and how this affects the way they ski, then read on:
Ski Geometry - the shape and dimensions of a ski have a huge affect on how it behaves. Below is a summary of the main shape characteristics of a ski and how this affects the way it will handle.
Tip Width - the wider it is - in relation to the waist width - the greater the pull of the ski in the turn: the narrower it is, the less pull in the turn. |
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Waist Width - the narrower it is, the quicker the edge change; the wider it is, the more speed and tracking stability on off-piste snow. Also: The narrower it is, the better the edge grip on hard snow; the wider it is, the poorer the edge grip on hard snow. |
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Tail Width - The wider it is - in relation to the waist width - the greater the guidance at the end of the turn and support in tight turns (ie easier to carve); the narrower it is, the more easily the ski can slide (ie better on steeps + traverses). |
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Radius - the smaller the radius, the tighter the carved turns can be; the larger the radius, the wider the turns. Short radius skis carve more easily, but longer radius skis hold their edge on steep ground + traverses better. |
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Surface Area - the bigger it is, the more lift the ski has in deep and soft snow and the more speed stablity it has on off-piste terrain. |
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Ski Construction - the core materials used in a ski, together with features such as vibration damping systems all have a big effect on the kind of ride you get from a ski and how long you can expect it to last. All manufacturers make impressive claims about the technologies used in their skis, to the extent that it can be very difficult comparing the various offerings. Below we've summarised the key things to look out for in the construction of a ski.
Core Material - this really is the heart of a ski and affects the fundamentals such the flex pattern along the skis length and how springy and responsive the ski feels when making turns. |
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Wood - still the best material available. A good quality wood core produces a lively, springy ski with a smooth flex pattern and excellent rebound properties when linking turns. Wood skis also last much longer than foam cored skis. |
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Synthetic Composite - Scores 9/10 compared to a wood cored ski. Slightly less responsive, but close to wood in terms of performance and lifespan. |
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Foam - produces a ski with a much 'flatter'and less lively rebound. Foam cored skis also tend to lose their flex properties sooner compared to those made of other materials. |
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Honeycomb/Carbon Fibre - specialist core material used in some ultralight touring skis. Produces a very light, high performing ski - but doesn't have the same kind of lifespan as a full wood core. |
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Laminate/Cap Material - typically placed on top of the core (and sometimes underneath too), the topsheet improves torsional stiffness, as well as the damping properties and overall stiffness and responsiveness of the ski. |
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Glass Fibre - produces an excellent compromise between light weight and good performance. Doesn't give as much vibration damping as a metal laminate though. |
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Titanal - a titanium topsheet typically produces a springier, livelier ski with better edge grip and much improved vibration damping when travelling at faster speeds on and off piste. |
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Carbon Fibre- used in some ultralight weight touring skis: produces a stiffer lightweight ski, more stable at higher speeds than otherwise would be the case. |
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Damping Systems - a technical minefield this one, but something to look out for if you want a ski that will perform better at higher speeds and when skiing more aggresively both on and off piste. Certain construction techniques such as using a titanal metal laminate will produce better vibration damping within a ski, but many manufacturers also have specific damping systems built into their top end skis.
These all produce an increase in performance, but comparing the actual effectiveness of the different systems is extremely difficult. Within the industry, K2s MOD Nomic system and Rossignols FAT (Free Absorber Technology) system are reckoned to be two of the best available.
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