I had to do my homework to answer this one! Thanks for the detailed question! I did look at the Black Diamond Glidelites, but availability was an issue. So for me being in Canada, it came down to the OAC brand or an entry level skin ski from Decathlon. There was also a brand called Hok that was available, but I didn’t like the look of their boot harness. I don’t believe the OAC XCD skis were available when I purchased mine. Being able to use my own boots, and having a metal edge for some grip on ice was the deciding factors. I went with the OAC KAR being a little longer in hopes that it would give me a little more float and maneuverability over uneven terrain which it does help with. And yes, I agree that the option of switching out the bindings is a benefit if you think you may want to do that in the future. Ultimately I am no expert, so I would suggest maybe talking to some ski shops and see what they suggest. Good luck and hope you have fun with whatever you decide on!

⁠​⁠ thank you for your reply. I actually ended up going with the OAC XCD 160 BC last night. I found a pair of black diamonds secondhand, but the guy wanted more than what they originally sold for new and the condition of them was not good. I also considered the lack of spare parts too. I didn’t know about the brand decathlon, but I also looked at the Altai hok’s - I really didn’t like those because I was reading the reviews and a lot of people had trouble with the bindings. I was considering the Altai kom skis, but those looked more like backcountry skis that used a ski binding. I didn’t really research those enough because I was really searching for something that had that universal binding. I checked out ski shops prior to researching, but they all wanted to sell me the Rossignol bc 80. Nice looking ski but I think a bit overkill for what I’m going to be using it for. I didn’t even know about trekking skis until as of a week or two ago. Fell in love with those black diamonds and the OAC line. OAC told me that the kar 149 is essentially the same ski as the black diamond 147 as they also made the black diamonds. Well, now I await my skis and for snow. Thanks again for your reply and happy ski/trekking.

@@lostintheclouds8719 I am also during my own research and do not really know what to choose between 3 ski models from OAC: 1. OAC XCD BC 160 (100mm wide) 2. OAC XCD GT 160 (80mm wide) 3. OAC Kar 149 (110 mm wide) I want something that can flow and glide nicely on fresh deep snow but that can also handle some parts of snowmobile paths. I really like the skin-on idea since you do not have to constantly take on and off skins and I also want the metal edge for more control during descents. I live in Swedish Lappland so most of the winter the snow is not icy so the surface is either soft fresh snow or somewhat groomed and packed snowmobile paths. Any suggestions or tips? Thanks a lot in advance, it is going to be my first purchase on backcrountry skis and I also can not afford buying multiple pairs of skis!

@@user-qi3wt2om3v hey there. I was between all those models too actually except instead of the KAR 149, i was looking at the Black Diamond 147cm which is essentially the same ski w/ minor differences. The KAR measures 131-110-122, and the BD glidelites 147cm measure 124-110-122. Both have metal edges and both are trekking skis. I watched reviews for everything on your list extensively. OAC actually manufactured the BD glidelites (it says it on the ski), the only thing BD did differently besides overall cm/measurements was they changed the skin design. From what I’ve learned this past month, the shorter skis like BD and KAR will provide better overall grip, however it’s gonna be squirrelly going downhills. There is a reviewer, can’t remember his name (but he was like the Paul Walker of skiing, sounded like Paul Walker no joke), he video’d his BD 147cm glidelites on trekking and downhills. This guy was an alpine skier for 30 yrs, and even he was kinda slipping when descending w/ them. That kinda worried me but i still was willing to take a chance on them if i found them for sale (which i ended up finding a pair on Ebay actually.) i won’t bother you w/ the BD though b/c it’s not on your list. What I will say is the OAC KAR 149 (since I also looked at that) is more of a trekking ski, meaning like a gliding snowshoe but a ski. You will be able to walk around w/ them and have some glide, but idk how much glide you will have. Since the BD 147cm was noted to provide more grip on firmer snow and better turn radius, I’m assuming the KAR 149 will be the same since it’s pretty much the same ski. OAC would be the best ppl to contact for that. When i was researching, i narrowed down to the XCD BC 160 and the XCD GT 160. I wanted a universal binding so as not to be bothered spending a bank on ski boots etc.. I’m open to maybe doing that later but not yet. I want to say, it’s nice to be able to have that option w/ the OAC ski’s - you can use NNN, 3 pin, NNN-BC, 2-pin tech toe AT bindings, and 75mm telemark bindings. What i found out by doing this type of binding is that it adds better edge control. The XCD line is going to be more geared towards XC and downhill. Imo, this is a better performing XC ski which is what i was looking for. XC ski’s typically are long and narrow which can be harder to turn on. I started looking at the Rossi BC 80 and other ski’s like that - honestly those are nice but overkill for where i will be using the skis. I don’t go to resorts, so I will be on the open trail, backyard, streets, forest, parks, nature/hiking trails, etc… def not on groomers. I will be off the beaten path, in powder, deep snow, drifts, forging my own path. I will def be out there, and there are some small descents and some small inclines. Metal edges were big time important to me for added stability and control. I used to have a pair of long xc skis w/o metal edges and i slipped all the time in them. Ski’s w/o metal edges do have some pro’s but honestly i want the metal edges. B/t the XCD bc and the XCD GT, and b/c i am a heavier skier, i was actually looking to go XCD GT b/c of the touring. The GT states they are built for hillsides, descents, downhill, touring. They are tapered, great on firm snow/open terrain/backyard. The XCD BC is like a mix of XCD/trekking and are built for hills/variable snow conditions and terrain. Reviews I watched/read stated that these were more for hikers and dog walkers (which I’m both). The XCD BC measures 131-100-122, the XCD GT measures 116-86-100 so right there you know the XCD BC is def a wider ski. wider ski will give more stability but it might not glide as well as the GT, however i wonder if the BC will have more flotation since it’s wider then the narrower GT. There’s a lot of things that go into this decision. I know it’s not easy. I researched for about 2 months. I haven’t ski’d in over 30 years so trust me, i don’t claim to know much but i know what i researched. I spoke to ski stores, they all want to sell me insane spec’d ski’s that aren’t quite for what i need. I started looking into ski boards, ski shoes, ski skates, etc… not knowing what any of these were. It was through my ski board research and the BD glidelites that i found OAC. If i had not been looking at the BD’s, idk if i would have found OAC. Glad i did though. I contacted OAC and told them about where i will be using the ski’s etc… asking if i made the right decision, and they said that i did and that the BC will serve me better for my terrain then the GT. So i am feeling good about that. Honestly when i started out this research, i wanted fishscale, but i read that the skin glides better. It sounds like your terrain will be some powder and some groomed. From what i researched the XCD’s seem to be able to handle a variety of terrains and snow conditions from groomed/non-groomed/powder etc. I didn’t quite research the KAR’s but w/ the BD’s it seemed to handle both non-groomed/groomed tracks well. Where those ran into issues were more on descents. The short ski’s seem to be better for trekking than downhills. If you’re gonna be more so going on descents, I’d look into the XCD line and if you’re gonna primarily be going down hills more than flats, I’d prob choose the GT one but honestly I’d contact OAC to help w/ this. They make them and they will know their product better than me. However, i hope i helped a lil bit. Good luck and happy skiing. (I couldn’t afford multiple ski’s either.) i recommend checking ebay - i got lucky finding a pair of XCD BC 160 there used only for 1 season that looked great. Also check facebook marketplace and some other sites. There’s a lot of nice used out there in good condition to help save $. When I started researching, I was looking at these: Snow Feet 90cm Nordic Ski Salomon Outback Tracker 120cm Nordic ski Whitewoods Outlander 139cm BC trekking skiboard Altai Hok As I got deeper into research, I was looking at these: Black Diamond Glidelites 147cm trekking skiboard Altai Kom Ski’s (BC) OAC Skinbased XCD BC 160cm (

Hey! Thanks a lot for taking the time to give such an extensive answer. I have been doing my research for around a month, almost as long as you! It does get quite chaotic with all those models, it is just too hard to choose from all those different width/length combinations and to also consider the pair of skis being at an affordable price plus the terrain one is skiing on (which in most cases varies a bit). I ended up ordering the XCD GT 160cm, since I thought that they would give me a bit better control on slightly groomed paths and they would probably glide a bit more than the kar 149. Maybe the BC 160cm would provide much better flotation on powder conditions but I assume less control on the snowmobile tracks. I was thinking about getting these but I found the GTs at a much better price (320 euros instead for 480 that the BCs costed). It is nice in any case that I got the GTs and you got the BCs, maybe in a couple of months after using them we can share our honest opinions about them! I hope you enjoy exploring in your new skis! And yes, a metal edge was a must for me too for overall control! @@lostintheclouds8719