We tend to forget when we are snuggled into our little ski town with a 9 month winter that there are people out there who don’t ski. Heck, we had a woman from Georgia join us for two days of snowshoeing and nordic skiing last week who had never set foot on snow before. Most of the locals here have diversified their winter recreation so much that they have a garage full of winter gear (see Employee Gear Closet Vol 1, Vol 2, and Vol 3), but there are many who come to visit us who aren’t quite clear as to what the difference is between all those skis. Let’s concentrate on what exactly backcountry skiing is in the first place. A lot of people have a misconception that telemarking is the only way to ski in the backcountry. While this may have been true in the early days with bandana donning skiers in jeans and 3 pin bindings, at this point there are many ways to travel in the backcountry including telemarking, alpine touring, and snowboarding. And again, let’s ‘narrow our search results’ to alpine touring. Alpine touring (AT) is the closest you’ll get to downhill skiing (as in skiing the groomers at Vail). Let’s take a moment and see what makes an AT boot different from an alpine boot:
So a couple things here. First off, ‘walk-mode’ or ‘tour mode’. This is what is going to keep the skin of your feet attached to your feet. Anyone who has toured in their alpine boots without a walk mode can attest to shedding some epidermal layers in the process. Feet/boot problems can be a brutal penance suffered every step–comfortable boots really are the key to backcountry touring happiness. So essentially the walk mode allows the boot to pivot with your leg when you are skinning. Another difference in AT boots is the sole. Typically AT boots have a rubber sole that allow for more graceful walking in rocky terrain, better grip when boot packing, and even on the steps coming out of the bar for that matter. You shouldn’t use your AT boots in a Alpine binding as the release capabilities are different. Next difference is the Dynafit tech inserts. These are the little holes that the pegs from Dynafit (or the new G3 Onyx) clamp into. Not all AT boots have these–It’s probably 50/50 Dynafit bindings/Fritschi bindings in the backcountry ski world. If you have a Fritschi touring binding (or a Marker Duke), no real need to have the inserts, but you’ll still have the other inherent AT boot qualities (walk-mode/rubber sole). Some BD Boots have interchangeable toe pieces to make your boots both Dynafit compatible as well as Alpine ISO DIN compatible, but that’s another blog. . . .
Next difference in the Alpine Touring world is bindings–these are Dynafit bindings and they are a far cry from a step in alpine binding. AT bindings allow the skier’s boot to release from the ski when skinning with the pivot point at the toe of the boot, and then locks the heel down when you are ready to make downhill turns. Like I said in the previous paragraph, there are two obvious choices in backcountry bindings–Dynafit or Fritschi. Dynafit bindings are significantly lighter, but are also significantly lighter–something that a lot of aggressive skiers don’t necessarily want. A Fritschi step-in binding (or the also prevalent Marker Duke) is heavier to tour with, but skis more like a traditional alpine binding. It’s a little easier to get into a step-in binding, but ultimately it’s up to the skier to decide if they would rather have an incredibly light, efficient set up, or if they want something that’s heavier to tour with, but will be more powerful for the downhill turns. Personally, I love the lightness of a Dynafit bindings, and they give me plenty of return on the downhill for my type of skiing.
Next integral piece of equipment you’ll need when venturing into the backcountry is skins. These are what you put on the bottom of your skis to give you traction on the skin track. They are either made of nylon or of mohair, and adhere to the base of your ski with a layer of sticky glue as well as tension. You won’t have residual glue on the base of your ski after you rip your skins off (at least, you shouldn’t!), and it’s best to keep that side of your skin free of debris or dog hair or anything else that will keep it from sticking properly to your ski. Wall to wall coverage is another important factor–if you don’t have wall to wall coverage on the base of your ski, your day just got a whole lot harder–depending on how nice the person is that set the skin track, sections of steep climbs or kick-turns can be brutal with skins that don’t cover the full base of your ski. Get a skin with a width 10cm under the tip width of your ski–this gives you the best coverage without trimming an excessive amount of skin.
Lastly is the backcountry pack that should have 3 items at all times–Beacon, shovel, probe. These are REQUIRED tools for backcountry travel and they should be required for your ski partner as well. If your ski partner forgot their shovel, let them borrow yours! Seriously, every member of your backcountry party should have these items and more importantly-know how to use them. It’s also incredibly useful to take a Level 1 Avalanche Course to clue you in to basic backcountry travel as well as teaching you the basics of using your beacon, shovel and probe.
