Posted by jdb
on May 14, 2009, 8:22 am, in reply to "Re: What kind of XC-skiing trails are on Mt. Pinos?"
65.165.110.X
My first season with the ski patrol at Mt. Pinos I trained on classic nordic skis. ~55mm, double camber fish scale, foam/plastic, no edges, NNN bindings. Those skis are all about glide, but forget about turning except step turns. They sufficed for the softer snow conditions and when I stayed on the Mt. Pinos road/trail where tracks were somewhat reliable.
But really, if you show up with track skis and dress in lycra, you'll probably find Pinos limiting and you'll feel out of place. If you come from a winter environment where temps stay cool during the day, this will be an adjustment. It can be boilerplate ice in at sunrise, then by the end of lunch it can be wet glop under a blazing sun. Regular Pinos skiers tend to gravitate to single or 1.5 camber backcountry skis (Karhu XCD etc) with full metal edges. Boots and bindings vary more widely. Every ski patroller at Pinos uses 3-pin or tele bindings, but we are overgeared for pulling/descending with a loaded rescue sled...
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