Here we go again! Every year I am aching to get AT skis...and every year it never happens. THIS year will be different.

From the ladies out there, which boots and bindings are you happy with? My playground will be mainly Eastern Sierra, I am 65" tall and a fairly decent skier. I have googled until I am blind on sales and demos but I am confused about boots soles and compatible bindings.
HELP!

My 2 cents:
Black Diamond Skis
Dynafit Bindings
Scarpa boots with the Dynafit compatibility. Go with a light, 4-buckle boot for good control.

The keys issue is keeping the weight down so that you can climb and ski relentlessly. Dynafit bindings are ridiculously light, yet strong and reliable. I have skied all types of mountain terrain and have been rewarded each time with the setup listed above.

My two cents, any AT ski with the above setup of bindings and boots. And/or, find a good mountain/ski shop somewhere and go in and pick their brains. Confusing, yes, especially when one is trying to learn over the internet. I went in a couple different times and talked with a knowledgeable salesman. Then, got lucky on a used setup. K2 skis. Happy so far.
Maybe look around for a used package as well. Look on internet for the nearest ski shops that carry that type of gear, call and see if they've got used stuff that would work for you.
Also, check out Turns-All-Year, for advice and used gear.

http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_sn ... /index.php

Best o' luck!

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Two good sites for in-depth info...

Alpine Touring/Randonee Gear

Wild Snow

I think a ski like the K2 Shuksan or Baker Light paired with Dynafit bindings and a compatible boot would nice.

I upgraded to Black Diamond Havocs with Dynafits and am finding it is a lot of ski-very stable but takes some intention to turn. The Dynafit system so far is very good.

Regardless of ski that you choose Deb, if you go with the Dynafit Bindings, you are confined to Dynafit specific Boots.

If you go with these, you can still wear your Apline Boots with your skis at the resort and you have a much wider selection of AT boots to choose from.

I have three sets of AT Rigs all set up with the Fritchi's and I love em. I use em at work where I am on em daily in all conditions.

Also, in heavy deep Powder, the Dynafit's can be a major pain in the ass to get back into if they release. The Fritchi's are the exact system that you have on your current Alpine Rigs. No new learning curve.


Somethings to also seriously consider.....

* The Dynafit toe release mechanism is not the same a as an Alpine/Fritchi binding. Do some research on the side to side and vertical release mechanisms and the type of injuries that can be sustained with the Dynafit's. Dingus had a good synopsis on this issue a while back. I can't find it.

** Oh yeah, since you will be doing most of your skiing here in the Cali Sierra Cement stuff, I would seriously stay away from any "light" ski. Because of our unique snow, we need a solid platform to make them turns. When the snow is a 1:1 ratio, the "light" skis do not cut it. Nor do they perform well at all on the Spring Hardpack/Windpack/Ice generic to our area.

Here's some other sets of Planks to consider as well:
MOVEMENT ROSE 120-87-109 @ 165


OR

MOVEMENT LOGIC 127-88-115 @ 168



I have two pairs of MOVEMENT PLANKS and I LOVE EM!!!!!

Deb - I have the K2 Shuksanns, Garmont She-Ride G-fit boots and Fritschi Diamir Freeride bindings. I love the set-up. The Shuksanns are a softer flex ski, not as much real estate underfoot, but they're good for touring more than hucking (although they turn beautifully even in tight conditions). I think Chief has a good point about the difference between Sierra Cement and Champagne Powder so, while the Miss Baker is a stiffer flex and more for steep turns it'd likely be a better ski for your conditions.

Women-specific skis are actually engineered differently from men's. Because our center of gravity is lower and we carry that weight in our behinds we tend to sit back more and that old "keep your weight forward" has always been a fatiguing challenge. Till now - the center of the ski/arc of the radius of a woman's ski is actually engineered FORWARD 1-2 cms and while it doesn't sound like miuch, it makes a pretty significant difference. I've been skiing "guy's" skis for almost 30 years and made the switch to women's two years ago, on the advice of Jeannie Thoren. I wonder now what took me so damned long. So, I would stick with a woman-specific ski.

Given that, the K2 series is great. Karhu is also a superb ski. While I like my Garmont boots, if I had to do it all over again I'd invest in the new Black Diamond A/T boots. For my foot they just fit better and seem to be more supple.

Another thing to consider - a three-buckle boot or a four-buckle boot. Three buckles is going to be softer, give more flex, is more a touring boot. Four buckles will obviously be stiffer and do well on steep, tight turns. Consider what you'll be doing more of before making the investment.

And, as with all things, try on a bazillion boots before buying. It's the proper fit that counts most more than brand.

Bindings? Well, Dynafit is a great system, lightweight, and those who have it swear by it. It's a love-hate relationship with these bindings. Almost all the folks who race use the Dynafit. I simply prefer the Fritschi because there's no learning curve to using them. I would stay away from the Marker series - particularly the Duke's. They're heavy and a bitch to switch back and forth between free-heel and locked. You have to actually step OUT of the binding to be able to do that, whereas with the Fritschi it's a simple push of your ski pole. Lou Dawson loves the Duke's but for resort skiing rather than backcountry.

It's a bit of a ramble but I hope it helps. If I come up with anything else I'll post up! Have fun!

Regarding binders, it is a bit of a religous issue. There are very accomplished skiers who swear by Dynafits and very accomplished skiers who wear by Fritchis. They are both proven systems. Chief makes some good points about the downside of Dynafits. The upside is lower weight which for some folks is very important. I ultimately went with Dynafits because I got a good deal on binders and boots package.

If you are mainly going to use your setup for backcountry then dynafit is the only sensible option! My wife has toured on dynafit for a few years and loves it. This last year she got a fritschi setup to use as her lift skis and slackcountry. After touring one day in them she said she would never do it again. There really is that much difference between the two. If you decide you do want fritschis my wife wants to sell hers with black diamond joule skis.

bfrench wrote:If you are mainly going to use your setup for backcountry then dynafit is the only sensible option! My wife has toured on dynafit for a few years and loves it. This last year she got a fritschi setup to use as her lift skis and slackcountry. After touring one day in them she said she would never do it again. There really is that much difference between the two. If you decide you do want fritschis my wife wants to sell hers with black diamond joule skis.

It's tough to switch gear in midstream, as you suggest, and not give a full go of it.

Conversely, I know a gal here in CO who's an excellent skier. She worked very hard to get to like the Dynafit for her backcountry set-up and she finally gave up. She hated them because they were such a pain in the arse to get in and out of (particularly in deep snow as Chief suggested) and her boots kept tricking out of them. She had them adjusted, returned them for a new set, all to no avail (she's married to a ski tech). So she's on Fritschi's now and won't have anything else.

As I said, it's a real love-hate relationship with these bindings. If there's any way to demo them before purchase that'd be the best way to go.

This is by far the best set up known to mankind...

Deb...

Regardless of your choice, Autumn confirmed this morning that Mammoth Mountaineering Supply will be having their proverbial Pre- Season Sale of this Years new gear. 20% off!!!

Recommend the that you consider coming up here for the sale to purchase your setup.

The Chief wrote:Deb...

Regardless of your choice, Autumn confirmed this morning that Mammoth Mountaineering Supply will be having their proverbial Pre- Season Sale of this Years new gear. 20% off!!!

Recommend the that you consider coming up here for the sale to purchase your setup.

That might happen since I am scared to death of anything that hurts my feet. When does the sale start? I need to find a bird sitter.

Deb wrote:

The Chief wrote:Deb...

Regardless of your choice, Autumn confirmed this morning that Mammoth Mountaineering Supply will be having their proverbial Pre- Season Sale of this Years new gear. 20% off!!!

Recommend the that you consider coming up here for the sale to purchase your setup.

That might happen since I am scared to death of anything that hurts my feet. When does the sale start? I need to find a bird sitter.

She mentioned the last week of Oct or so.

Also, if this storm dumps the load that it is forecast'd to, you may want to come up and demo some stuff before you buy. MMS takes the Demo fees off the MSRP off of the final purchase.

I agree with Chief; the Freeride bindings offer a lot of versatility. They are heavier than the Dynafit bindings, but they are very good at transferring power to the skis (I have a pair on a set of BD Havocs). The touring mode is easy to get in to and out of with a ski pole as well.

Another plus is that anyone with anything other than shite for brains can mount them to a pair of skis. I did it in an hour in my garage.