Mid-season, Mont Team Member Chris took the Alpina Cross Country Ski, Boot and Bindings out for a test run. As well as being our Backcountry specialist Chris is a current APSI Alpine/Nordic/Tele Instructor, a passionate tourer and KHA Caretaker.
I wasn’t really sure about this combo of gear at first. Coming from a strong Tele touring background, I was systematically evaluating each piece of the rig- especially the bindings.
Alpina Discovery Skis
The skis did what good skis do, track, turn, edge, grip etc. A strong ‘friendly’ ski. I figured a good Kosi- Kiandra option.
Explor Bindings & Alpina Alaska XP Boot
The bindings and boots are a unit, as is tradition with XC (Cross Country) gear. With easy use, line up the two spring pins on your boot with the groove on your bindings and press down, you're in.
The bindings have 3 flexors (the interface of boot and binding) options.
Soft-long flat travels
Standard - what they come with
Firm - for less heel lift when turning
Of course they aren’t a Tele binding but with -8 degrees powder in the shade I couldn’t resist.
Remarkable. I didn’t crash.
I didn’t stay in the trails long and soon started exploring and travelling.
This is what this set up excels at. AT style pivot and full boot width support gives this set up a clear edge over the Rotterfella NNN BC option. A bonus is a no fuss heel lift for climbing and a clean profile for strapping on your pack.
Come in and demo this set up or drop in for a chat with Chris and the rest of the team.
The number of times I have seen people, particularly on the Western Arthurs Facebook Forum, espousing their ultra lightweight gear is to me, a worrying trend. Ultra lightweight is fine until conditions change and then suddenly that gossamer weight tent doesn’t look quite so attractive.
For a long time I have hoped I would one day (night) be able to catch a good display of the southern lights, the aurora australis,with one of Mont’s superb wilderness tents included in the view.
On my recent trip to Mongolia, I expected some pretty low temperatures, temperatures that I had not experienced before so I took a range of clothing and gear with me to protect me from the elements.
