Skinbased Skis - throw your snowshoes in the trash!

Рет қаралды 17,675

2 жыл бұрын

A love letter to my OAC KAR 147 Skinbased skis (skishoes). I offer my review of these trekking skis and the superior form of winter travel they offer.

Пікірлер: 29

@gradywright Жыл бұрын

I agree with you about snowshoes. and my first pair of XC Skis were to difficult to control that lead me to these skin based skis. Altai is another brand and more affordable. Ultimately I didn't go with these types of skis and I don't regret it. Fischer S-bound 98 skis opened my world to fun and efficient winter travel. They kick and glide and climb well using just the fishscale pattern on the bottomless in and when the going gets too steep or icey adding the little kicker skin keeps things moving. Skis, kicker skin, Alpina Alaska NNNBC Boot, and binding will run around 500 USD and is a much more capable and fun tool. Would recommend to anyone.

@andershaeg 3 ай бұрын

I completely agree with you. I have been for the past few years using the Fischer Excursion 88 with the NNN-BC but only after just recently buying a pair of these skinbased skis and being very dissapointed with the control of them, I undestood how good and fun the Fischer setup actually is!

@atmamaki Жыл бұрын

Dude, you are skii-ing readily made tracks and trails 😂

@bertschuh5720 Жыл бұрын

A good review, among many poor ones that I've seen. I have had a pair of Atai Hok 125cm and a pair of KAR147 for ~5 yrs now. I use them for back country breaking my own trails, they only work well in powder snow IMO. I also have traditional groomed trail skis, and I also fat bike.

@deltafour1212 Жыл бұрын

Love how at 0:39 you make snowshoeing look like it's a difficult chore to walk in them, which is SO far from the truth. Snowshoes can go a LOT more places and are WAY more versatile than skis. Yes, I do both XC and snowshoeing.

@keenanrudichuk6876 Жыл бұрын

I own the black diamond glidelite 147. Metal edges. I purchased mine without the adjustable binding and mounted 3-pin telemark bindings/boots. These float fairly well in BC interior powder - probably good to 15-20cm of fresh with a good base. I can fully complete solid telemark turns in full control. These are super fun alternative to my AT touring setup when I dont have time or a crew to go to the true backcountry. Highly recommend.

@lostintheclouds8719 6 ай бұрын

I’ve been looking for a pair of these but I’ve only come across the 127 CM version without the metal edges and I am 5’6 210 pounds so I don’t know if they’re going to carry me and have that glide factor, however people I’ve talked to said that they would. I don’t like that the 127s don’t have the metal edges. I started looking at oac skin based yesterday. I like the xcd gt 160 best, but I’m taking skiing back up and have been away from it for quite a while (40years at least) and am thinking the XCD BC 160 might be better for me. I found a used pair that was only used for one season going for half price. I feel more confident that these would carry my weight plus they have the metal edges, whereas the black diamond glidelites that are very hard to find and I know they’re discontinued. I just don’t know if I want to get into that shorter ski with a little less spec. I’ve also looked at the Altai kom/altai hok as well as Hagan off limits 130cm bc skiboard, the snowfeet Nordic ski 90 CM (which I think is a joke), Salomon, outback tracker 127cm, and the Whitewoods outlander 139 CM back country trekking skiboard. Any one of these would really work for me, but as I really nitpick between all of them, I keep finding myself going back to either the glidelites or the OACs. Because of my size and the terrain that I’ll be going on, I think I’m gonna lean towards the OAC because these have the best specs out of everything that I’ve been looking at, the metal edges that I want and they’re available. Plus they’re not discontinued like the bd’s. The bd’s spec wise are similar to the wap uc 127 (now the 129s made by oac). I think the oac 149 kar would prob be equivalent to the bd 147cm glidelites. Specs are similar. Plus I read bd partnered w/ oac to make those glidelites. It stinks they’re not really able to be found now but I think by going oac, this is probably the best choice you could make if you were looking for black diamonds.

@williamabenejr8516 4 ай бұрын

Altai Skis are the original, super well made and fairly priced. Buy the original not the copy, Altai is a great company. Give them a call and it is common that the owner will answer the phone.

@downeastprimitiveskills7688 Жыл бұрын

I wonder how they would work pulling a sled with all the winter kit for and extended trip? compared to snowshoes.

@Back40Bushcraft 6 ай бұрын

We use snowboard boots in our 125 Altai Hols, and the calf stability the boots provide alliw you to lean back when making turns... highly recommend testing a pair out if you haven't already.

@grahamw.3584 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for comments on finding the right boot. That was my main concern... probably won't pursue the OAC for that reason. Would likely require a special boot for them which eliminates the advantage over regular XCD style skis and boots.

@steveklick Жыл бұрын

I use nice rubber swamp boots and they work really well! They need to make these ski's with the same design as newer down hill skis with the rounded ends cuz this would give them some steering/turning power but then the bindings would probably have to be changed or upgraded in order to handle the pressure. They need to make the binding itself like cross country ski boot that when its down it catches into the main binding for rigidity. The boot does this in cross country with cleat like bottom but we use normal boots with the hok skis so the binding itself needs to be made the way so that when it hinges down or closed it locks in with a design that's fixed to the ski.

@JamesBrown-bn7fl Жыл бұрын

FYI, 35% off at MEC and Algonquin Outfitters currently. Just got a pair, can't wait to get them out.

@ChristineB9046 Жыл бұрын

Yep! I just received mine today, February 8, ordered them from Algonquin Outfitters at the reduced price which I couldn't find anywhere in Quebec! I am just adjusting the binding and will be ready tomorrow morning to try them out in my forest trails. I'm looking forwart to it!

@zam200864 5 ай бұрын

I think there is room for both skis and snowshoes, where i snowshoe in the forests of Algoma the snowshoes do an excellent job, however there are areas that i could venture into if i had the ski's as well... good vid

@philsmith2444 10 ай бұрын

Snowshoeing in deep snow is a lot easier if you’re using the right size snowshoes. In the mountains of NW Maine where I live, I’ve never seen a single set of ski tracks other than on established trails. If that’s your thing then more power to you, but people use 2 things to get out in the backcountry here - snowmobiles and snowshoes. Traditional snowshoes are common for people who spend more time in the bottomlands, like trappers, but if you’re going to be in the mountains you want the biggest modern snowshoes you can find for their flotation and traction. I actually considered buying a pair of BD Glidelites or Altai Hoks last year, but realized I’d have to stick to snowmobile trails or paths made by snowshoers. Plus they won’t fit in my Jeep so I’d have to spend more money on a rack that serves no other purpose than carrying something of very limited use to me. Snowshoes it stays!

@wgrangerjr1 Жыл бұрын

I live in the Saint Lawrence Valley/Adirondack foothills, and I got a pair of Hoks a couple of winters ago. I hardly ever even look at my snowshoes anymore. I ended up having to get my daughter her own pair because she kept begging me to let her use them. Now, I am looking at the KAR 147s for me and letting the kids use the others. You ain't kidding about not being able to find them in North America. Hoks, too. I will be attempting to buy the KARs next month if I can find them, hopefully.

@unkoil451 Жыл бұрын

How much do you weight? And do you find yourself wishhing these were just a bit bigger?

@somethingfunny9341 Жыл бұрын

I have 125cm Altai Hok's and weigh 250 lb. I tried them today for the first time today, with my only complaint being that they don't want to turn at all in icy snow we had. Given the ice and my weight, I was surprised that they did not slip uphill, unless I shifted my weight at the wrong time.

@wgrangerjr1 Жыл бұрын

I got the Hok 145s, and sometimes wish I got the 125s, but only because I feel that they would be more maneuverable in the woods.

@algnojewski969 Жыл бұрын

I would be interested in these if they were capable in powder. I like to avoid people, skin tracks, and the typical yo yo skiing AT skiers do now. If these work in going up and down in typical deep ROMO powder and yet allow me to transition to hiking boots in the transition zones count me in. I just don’t have that loose powder confidence in them from your review.

@lostintheclouds8719 6 ай бұрын

Look into the oac skinbased xcd gt 160

@hypothalapotamus5293 Жыл бұрын

$600 is a bit steep (though you don't have to buy boots), but I think that winter hikers would still pothole everything if they were $50.

@CelticsUnion Жыл бұрын

where is that filmed?

@spoomite 4 ай бұрын

Around Dryden, Ontario.

@RESISTAGE Жыл бұрын

u showed us snowshoeing in powder snow but when u jumped to skiing u stayed on packed trails. not fare.

@philsmith2444 10 ай бұрын

Snowshoeing in deep powder wearing smaller snowshoes more appropriate for packed trails. Like the guys who compare a huge pair of bear paws to 25” modern snowshoes in deep snow.

@NorthwestWanderer 6 ай бұрын

$400 skis laugh-out-loud, ill stick with my $78 snow shoes and tougher workout

@kevinnielsen1356 6 ай бұрын

You are a decade late with this. I've been backwoods skiing for over 60 years. Climate change, global warming has brought about the end of reliable winter. It's been fat tire ebikes with studded tires for the last few seasons for me.