Best BC Ski for Randonee

Cool, oftpiste, lots of good info.

I would not run myself down for wanting light skis for climbing. If one wants to do 3 to 5 or more nice kilovert runs in a tour, weight on your feet is significant. Unless one just must ski hard and fast all the time, I have come to the realization that one can randonnee ski very well and enjoyably on carefully matched lighter gear. Along with that, I categorize lift gear and randonnee gear as different uses and not completely interchangeable unless a serious weight penalty in the bc is incurred.

On another site, I read of some 6 lb. Goode skis according to the purchaser. That person also said that he broke his Goode ski, but it was replaced by Goode.

Again, it is impressive Jonathan_S that you know more than I about my skis' performance, that I have skied on about 8 days in spring and summer and you have not skied,  and of course, know more about Trab skis' performance, which I have never skied, and you say you have never skied. And are you saying that my personal experience on my skis is not as accurate as what you read in a magazine? Ok.  I am not promoting my Chogori skis for anyone other than myself, just sharing my experience.

I suggest that you go back and reread what I have actually written, instead of mischaracterizing my prior statements and resorting to sarcastic overstatement.
If you want a shorter summary of my position:
- Asserting that the 70mm K2 is comparable to the 79mm Trab (in anything but weight) is not all convincing; and,
- The 70mm K2 is 30% heavier than the comparable 73mm Trab (i.e., lightest version of the three models that share the same dimensions).

Jonathan_S may I say that I like my Chogoris so far?

I do not recall that I dissed the Trab ski, just the hype in online Forums of the "US Distributor" and other strident responses of posters. Is it against the rules to compare a China-made K2 to a Trab? And what is the problem with China, is that a negative in your view?

It looks like we have differing comparisons- I look at tip and tail, you focus like a laser beam on the waist. Ok, you're right, so right. Happy now? If I promise to not mention or think of Trab while on my K2 skis, will you be happy?

The strident responses that I have seen from four different individuals here and elsewhere about Trab skis are certainly interesting.

Jonathan_S may I say that I like my Chogoris so far?  I do not recall that I dissed the Trab ski, just the hype in online Forums of the "US Distributor" and other strident responses of posters.  Is it against the rules to compare a China-made K2 to a Trab? And what is the problem with China, is that a negative in your view?

Once again, please reread my prior posts.  Specifically:
1.  Regarding the Chogori I had previously written, "From the available reviews . . . the 70mm Chogori sounds pretty good" and "I'm not saying the Chogori is a bad choice" (which can be reasonably interpreted as my saying that the Chogori is a good choice).
2.  I never did accuse you of dissing Trab.
3.  My only China reference was positive: "China outsourcing seems to keep prices down."

Ok, you're right, so right. Happy now? If I promise to not mention or think of Trab while on my K2 skis, will you be happy?

As before, I do not understand why you have to resort to such sarcastic remarks.  All my statements in this thread have been entirely civil and are available for anyone to review as such.  I also do not understand why you keep attributing various positions and statements to me that I simply have not made. 

ah.. Ahumm.
Great points, all.
Nonetheless, we seem to be experiencing some minor, seemingly unproductive thread drift here.

In hopes of not offending anyone, can we get back to the main focus of the thread which was, as I read it, in your opinion, what is the "Best BC Ski for Randonee" skiing?

Seems like a good topic to have broadly explored on this site, eh?

I really appreciated hearing about the pros an cons of some of the newer skis out there for backcountry. It gives me some things to consider when I get ready to replace something in my quiver or when the spring deals come along, which is when I prefer to buy skis.

I'm somewhat of a dirtbag with my quiver at the moment... I'm using primarily a pair of the old Tua "minty hunks of love" Sumos, as my "skinny" summer skis and the "ol' yaller" Work Stinx as my fat boys for winter. Both are mounted up AT with dynafits. And on both the bindings mounted about 2-3 cm forward of the recommending mount point. I find that it makes turn initiation easier for me and with my slower skiing style I lose nothing on the top end (old people seldom ski fast )
I usually take the Sumos over my somewhat older K2 Explorers for summer skiing, probably just due to the legendary Tua round flex... I just like how they ski a smidge better (oh -- yeah, and they're also lighter than the exploders... old people like lighter ).
The Work Stinx, with 88mm underfoot, just hold my prodigious geriatric weight out of the snow better, which helps reduce the number of huge craters that I seem to so easily create in the new fallen winter snow.

Anyone else have some favorites they'd like to offer out as their day-to-day bc working tools and the reasons why they are the chosen ones?

I really like my TMXs, so much so that I bought another pair at an ubeatable price when I had the opportunity.

For me, the best backcountry skis are whichever ones are attached to my feet above several thousands of vertical feet of powder or corn.

PRAY FOR SNOW!