Touring with full reverse camber?

I have some Hoji's for touring and I love them. The ski itself is bomber and I love charging the resort with them, they are also pretty light but still stiff enough to charge. Last winter I skinned some pretty steep icy stuff in Cooke City, definitely more aggressive than the usual skin track and I found them to be fine, just get the weight on the heels. They will be my touring ski this winter too. I would recommend them for sure for as an out west touring ski. I live in Montana and there sweet but back home in the east I wouldn't use them just because they are not as fun to ski on super hard pack chop , but they rip groomers

I use Hoji's as my main touring ski and it works just dandy. I wouldn't want to tour with Hellbents or some of the crazy rockered skis that Surface has pumped out, but the Hoji is fine.

The ODD time they do kind of suck on really steep sections when you're on a highway (as in a heavily used skin track, not an actual highway), but even traditional cambered skis have a hard time with that shit.

sounds like some shop nerd bullshit if you ask me. the reverse camber on a hoji is quite minimal and the second you put your body weight on it, the ski is flat anyways. dont trust shop dorks they dont ski they just talk about it.

My everyday touring ski is full rocker (G3 Synapse) and I've yet to have a problem with it on the uphill. Don't listen to the shop guys.

Good technique (weight on your heels when things get silly) is probably more important than what kind of camber you have.

I have a similar question except its about mounting position. When I got my skis mounted I wanted them mounted more forward like I was currently skiing them, and the tech was like no no you don't want to do that, and went ahead and mounted them way back at recommended. I figured, oh well I'm trying to ski powder anyway the back mount might be good for me. But after skiing on them a few times I am just not coming around to liking it very much. My question is are there any drawbacks other than skiing performance for mounting forward on a touring setup? I'm thinking it might mess with my kickturns or something, but just wanted to get some opinions before I remount.

I have a buddy with Hoji's mounted at -2.5 and he tours all over the wasatch on them with 0 issues on the up. I think that's what you're asking if mounting a little more forward will cause any issues on the up. The Hojis are wide enough that there's a good amount of traction under foot.

LiteratureGood technique (weight on your heels when things get silly) is probably more important than what kind of camber you have.

This. And it depends on the skin track itself-- higher angle ascents and sidehills may be somewhat more difficult with full reverse camber or super rockered skis. Very important to get skins that fit your fat skis. Too narrow and you won't be able to sidehill effectively.

I've been touring 200+ days on '11 K2 Obsetheds with dukes. Lots of rocker and they have lost their camber underfoot having become ridiculously flexy. Oh I have them mounted -4 from center, which is +2mm from recommended... seems to work fine.

I'm significantly slower on this setup than a tech setup, but still do it for many reasons: better powder skiing performance, risking rock skis instead of new skis, better uphill workout, and if I'm skiing with slow friends where uphill speed doesn't matter.

Basically, if you're intending to crush mostly 3+ hour skins or day long multi-ascent missions, get a tech setup. If you're doing mostly 1-2 hour tours, you'll be happy with fat skis like Hojis with heavy AT bindings.

DrailI use Hoji's as my main touring ski and it works just dandy. I wouldn't want to tour with Hellbents or some of the crazy rockered skis that Surface has pumped out, but the Hoji is fine.

The ODD time they do kind of suck on really steep sections when you're on a highway (as in a heavily used skin track, not an actual highway), but even traditional cambered skis have a hard time with that shit.

I actually am about to move my setup from a pair of 122 Rocker 2's to a Surface Balance. I don't think it will be an issue for tours under 3-4k especially since I won't be taking those out unless it's powder anyway.

Even with crazy camber, a wide ass ski like that probably has as much surface area on the snow as what most "ulta-light" guys are touring on. Not to mention you have more skin directly underfoot where the most pressure is being applied.

CaseyI have a similar question except its about mounting position. When I got my skis mounted I wanted them mounted more forward like I was currently skiing them, and the tech was like no no you don't want to do that, and went ahead and mounted them way back at recommended. I figured, oh well I'm trying to ski powder anyway the back mount might be good for me. But after skiing on them a few times I am just not coming around to liking it very much. My question is are there any drawbacks other than skiing performance for mounting forward on a touring setup? I'm thinking it might mess with my kickturns or something, but just wanted to get some opinions before I remount.

It depends on the length of your ski. I have a pair of 192's mounted 2.5 back it's not an issue.

But I also have 195's mounted at 2cm back from center and I will admit, kick turns in really steep terrain can be a bit more difficult, as you end up stepping on the tail of your downhill ski when you kick out your uphill ski.

You get used to it and it's more of an annoyance than an issue.

IMO, if you really don't like the way they ski (the downhill is the important part, right?) you should take them back and the remounted (hopefully for no charge).

iLLbiLLyIt depends on the length of your ski. I have a pair of 192's mounted 2.5 back it's not an issue.

But I also have 195's mounted at 2cm back from center and I will admit, kick turns in really steep terrain can be a bit more difficult, as you end up stepping on the tail of your downhill ski when you kick out your uphill ski.

You get used to it and it's more of an annoyance than an issue.

IMO, if you really don't like the way they ski (the downhill is the important part, right?) you should take them back and the remounted (hopefully for no charge).

They won't charge me because they went out of business, probably for not listening the their customers requests... Any way thanks for the advice man, good stuff to consider.

I tour with full reverse camber / reverse side cut (Skevik Oda) ... its the bomb.

I can break trail like a beast! they are super efficient... and I love the ski down.

... on the odd day that I find myself following a preset skin track, I usually run into one or two spots where I need a bit more balance to ensure I maintain traction ... but for the other 98% of the time... I have no regrets.