Waxless skis for BC (i.e. Karhu vs. Alpina)

With Dynafit bindings, I'd definitely waste any extra money on Rossi BC125.  I've used Guide for two seasons, and found great on mellow downhill, but poor on flats.  That seemed to be a useless compromise, then switched to 10thMtn which are more touring oriented.

Since you'd be touring for turns with AT gear, BC125 sounds ideal for doing 10 laps on 500' slopes.  Check out: BC125 review

With Dynafit bindings, I'd definitely waste any extra money on Rossi BC125.  I've used Guide for two seasons, and found great on mellow downhill, but poor on flats.  That seemed to be a useless compromise, then switched to 10thMtn which are more touring oriented.

Since you'd be touring for turns with AT gear, BC125 sounds ideal for doing 10 laps on 500' slopes.  Check out: BC125 review

that's just about the same recommendation I would offer.  Still hinges on what you want to do with the setup, like Joe said.  Didn't we all have this same chat about a year ago?  How did those triple N's work out for you?  Getting to be more pattern base boards out there - and I figure more yet to come - they're a hoot and more convenient for short to medium lapping and for agro XC, as well.  Everyone should have a set or three..

You might very well consider a light or racing randonnee ski with 50-60 mm mohairs and the lighter tech bindings; waxless skis are overrated (I have 2 pair now and have owned another half dozen); my current favorite for ski patrol on the Mt. Tahoma trail system is now my 7 summits, 60- mm skins and my 3-buckle Zzeros (I'm waiting to buy TLT 5s). BTW, I have used a variety of NNN-BC and SNS-BC boots and bindings and 3-pins with brown t-3, black t-3, and 3-buckle blue t-2s and it is just so much easier to use lightweight AT unless you are on pure groomed with tracks. Waxless skis I have used include Fisher Crowns, Outtabounds, and Outbounds and Karhu XCD GT, Pinnacles, Catamounts and BC Valmontes. If you want a pair of Salomons (Fisher Outtabounds) or Fischer Outbounds with 3-pins, I'll sell them to you. My spouse is switching to Kneissel Tourstar Ultras (AT skis set up with tele bindings: Rainey Superloops), BD GlideLItes, and brown t-3s instead of her Fish OUttabounds and 3-pins. Too often with waxless you spend so much extra energy when conditions are marginal going up and sacrifice so much when conditions are marginal going down.

...and I'm looking to both waste money and have fun on mellower terrain...

Cheers,
Erik

he just wants to spend extra money, and have some fun doing it.  Slipping and sliding...look no skins!

@davidG:

Yes, very similar conversation as last year! Well, the Alpina lite terrain and NNN bindings are fine on a track, on the flats, or on VERY mellow slopes, but I just didn't have the lateral support I need to make any sort of aggressive or fast alpine turns. A lot of that, I know, is due to my amateur ski skills. However, compare the weight of the burly Alpina NNN BC 2050 at 4 pounds to Dynafit TLT Performance at ~4 lbs 10 oz... Huge price difference, I know, but I plan to put those boots to use for some mellow ski-mountaineering (I climb much stronger than I ski) with my standard AT planks. So, a boot for longer, burlier tours with my AT set-up, and light enough to justify using for laps on mellower terrain (pocket creek, white river canyon, down low on St Helens, etc) with an aggressive BC scaled ski.

I chatted about the set-up at my local shop, and I was talked out of Dynafit race-bindings. Price and (reliable)releasability seemed like reasonable pluses for the weight sacrifice.

I am strongly considering the BC125, I think it would be a great match for the TLT and speed combo, especially come spring. For my weight (135 lbs.) I think I'll get the shorter 165 in the usual stiffness (there's a "hard" flex model)...I'm happy with my 165 Kilowatts (very similar dimensions), and have never felt like I needed more flotation.

Gary and Jan, from the peninsula, I have read use them with Dynafit, if they have something to offer.
Just gotta get used to the hum under foot of the scales singing while skiing downhill.

Here is a link to the previous thread on this subject;
www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboardi...59.msg66211#msg66211
and my response;

Jan and I have had Guides for the last 4 years. They are great low angle touring skis on the waxless bases. We also have straight 80 mm skins for them that increase their climbing efficiency on steeper terrain. Regarding crampons, we have Voile fixed crampon mounts on these skis, they work fine. The only downside to the fixed crampons is the change in stride required to lift the crampon off the snow on the upstride.

Although your post clearly states wanting Telemark binding input, I'll add my two cents worth for an AT mount. Or skis are mounted with Dynafit Comfort bindings and we use 3 buckle Garmont Dynamite boots. As long as you are proficient with Andrew McLean's "Van Halen" technique for switching from ski to tour mode, this is a very efficient touring setup. The Dynamites flex match well with the Guide's stiffness.

Although light, these skis perform well on surprisingly steep slopes on the down hill (especially in good corn snow) and their light weight makes them a good choice if the trip requires a long approach with skis and boots on your back. 

We have found this setup most useful for tours where the primary goal is to cover longer distances in moderate terrain, especially in spring conditions. As stated above, I do feel confident on them in steeper terrain as long as the snow is edgable.

Gary