Old ski for touring?

I would be less worried about the weight and more worried about the integrity of the skis and bindings. They weight about 2000g depending on length according to a quick google search which is a little heavy on the touring side but still lighter than anyone rocking shifts/cast. Your ability to keep up with your buddies will probably depend more on if you go for a few runs between now and the winter.

What bindings are on them?

Based on what I remember skiing those, they are a bit heavy, stiff and lack any rocker. Not the most ideal touring ski imo

yeah enjoyable is a strong word but beats walkin!

If this is your budget and you just wanna get out there and get after it, hell yeah. If you are asking if this is a sleeper deal, probably not. 10+ yr old tech bindings are just gonna ski like shit. and no promises they still work right. safety wise tho, tech bindings never really been at the cutting edge anyway. weight does matter a whole hell of a lot to be honest but jus sneak some rocks into buddies packs if you need so you can keep up. Bamboo skis are fun. But it all better be cheap.

alright way to get into it and test the waters, if you last a season on that setup you'll be a backcountry skiier for life.

Anything that gets you out there is enough.

id just get the bindings checked out, and rock them. You’ll figure out what you want more of/ less of after using the ski.

my setups for a while was reckoners plus marker frames. Heavy but got me touring some fire roads and resorts which is all I could ask for.

im still not super into touring, but once I get my avy 1 I want to go more

xblthGot my eyes on a pair of Salomon Shoguns (2011) for a good price, they're mounted with tech bindings. Will an old ski like this be enjoyable for touring or will they be too heavy to keep up with my buddies and ski powder? A lot of opinions out there, read somewhere that you shouldn't get touring gear older than 5 years while others say old shit is totally fine... Think I'm gonna need some help on this one.
Thanks

What’s your size?

It does not matter.

Many ski tourers are obsessed with optimizing weight, but those 300 grams of extra weight won't make a real-world difference.

What you have to keep in mind is that tech bindings ski like shit and won't let you ride hard. You should watch some YouTube videos about touring bindings to know what you are getting into.

What I did a long time ago was find a cheap deal on Marker Dukes (still the old frame ones) and mounted them on my powder skis. I ski them everywhere touring or not. I haven't been fit in a while and I keep up with people no problem.

I really don't think weight matters as much as people think, but having a fun ski and reliable bindings is everything. You are not going to want to repeat the effort if the ride down sucks.

michael_bcIt does not matter.

Many ski tourers are obsessed with optimizing weight, but those 300 grams of extra weight won't make a real-world difference.

What you have to keep in mind is that tech bindings ski like shit and won't let you ride hard. You should watch some YouTube videos about touring bindings to know what you are getting into.

What I did a long time ago was find a cheap deal on Marker Dukes (still the old frame ones) and mounted them on my powder skis. I ski them everywhere touring or not. I haven't been fit in a while and I keep up with people no problem.

I really don't think weight matters as much as people think, but having a fun ski and reliable bindings is everything. You are not going to want to repeat the effort if the ride down sucks.

You're right bout the weight, but I'm pretty impressed with how my tech bindings ski (atk freeraider 15) The weirdest thing is how light they feel when in the air. With the freeride spacers you have good lateral support. Tech bindings are definitely worth it if you plan to do a lot of touring. I find the most difficult aspect to them is getting in and out of them.

whatever old ski you want to deal with + new ATK/Hagan w/spacers

michael_bcIt does not matter.

Many ski tourers are obsessed with optimizing weight, but those 300 grams of extra weight won't make a real-world difference.…

….I really don't think weight matters as much as people think, but having a fun ski and reliable bindings is everything. You are not going to want to repeat the effort if the ride down sucks.

300g is going to make a difference when you have to lift that ski up and move it 1300 times per km . + if your legs are jelly at the summit moving heavy skis down is gonna be a worse time. I started on heavy skis too but I’d never go back

Benchhitter300g is going to make a difference when you have to lift that ski up and move it 1300 times per km . + if your legs are jelly at the summit moving heavy skis down is gonna be a worse time. I started on heavy skis too but I’d never go back

this guy knows... if you choose a heavier ski u will feel it on a long day, especially with snow building up on your skis/bindings.


that being said, there are plenty of old skis out there that are on the lighter side of things (avoid skis with any metal layers in the construction). Are they gonna weigh as little as the new DPS? Nope, but ya gotta draw the line somewhere right?

Also if you have too beefy of a ski combined with PIN bindings, it will prolly feel weird, like not enough torque to really crank on the ski quickly.

For me with touring, finding boots and bindings that are light, and reliable, is the big thing. Just make sure you match them up with skis that are not super heavy, and that will be fun in your average snow conditions/terrain choices. If you are trying to be a ski-mo weanie, or maximum vert/milage influencer then go pick up some brand new touring specific skis. (I will say if long missions to ski mountaineer big peaks is in your future, it is very nice to have a modern touring ski designed for exactly that)


im rocking 2009 Vokl Gotama with Kingpin as my touring Jib Ski

for my all mountain touring this year... Taking my ATK's with freeride spacer, and mounting them on 2015-ish Faction Candides

boots- 2015 Soloman Mtn Lab


Also.... going touring A LOT, and getting in a mentally tough headspace is the way to not be slow.

Come on guys.

2011 Salomon Shogun - 2000 grams
2009 Volkl Gotama - 2000 grams
2015 Faction Candide - 1950 grams

Yes, 90% of tourers will say every gram matters like crazy, but in reality, many freestyle/freeride-oriented people are touring ~2000 gram skis instead of the 1600 gram specialty skis and they are rocking the back-country.

I does not matter. Old skis are a great entry into ski touring (as long as you get your bindings and boots sorted).

get those for a good price, use them for a season or two, when you get lighter skis later you will feel like you have nothing on your feet