Hemiboreal Skiing

The Challenge of Downhill Skiing on Xcountry Skis Went to my daughter’s badminton tournament this morning- they were two hours behind schedule…So- I spent two hours sitting on a severely uncomfortable bleacher- day dreaming about skiing. I ended up browsing a “telemark” forum on my phone, and discovered a thread entitled “Drop knee advantages”.  The original post asked a meaningful question that is seldom asked- and even more rarely effectively answered: how and why is the telemark useful?   And by extension: if the telemark is so difficult to learn, why would you use it instead of alpine turns? The responses on the forum, from skiers, started with things such as “because it is more fun”; and ended in an endless series of bantering posts.  Although many responses did give good excellent examples of where and how the telemark turn is effective; no one seemed to manage to answer this question of why - at least in a fundamental sense. The more I think abou...

After several years of skiing with both the Madshus Epoch/Karhu XCD 10th Mtn, and the Madshus Annum/Karhu XCD Guide- I have come to a few conclusions. In my experience the choice between these two skis fundamentally depends on skier weight. These are both xcountry-telemark hybrid skis with a soft flex- designed for Nordic touring on relatively deep, soft snow. In my opinion and experience, the Annum is basically a fatter version of the same basic design as the Epoch. The Annum, being wider, offers more flotation in deep powder than the Epoch.  The Epoch being narrower, theoretically offers better xcountry glide. But- neither of the skis perform well on dense/hard snow- whether in xcountry or downhill application- they are too soft. At my weight (185lbs) I get much better flotation out of the Annum.  So despite the extra width- I personally get better performance with the Annum than the Epoch- whether in a xcountry or downhill application. If you weigh less than me-...

Ultimate Deep Powder Xcountry Ski I here have decided to offer my humble “review” of the famous, and now legendary (in its own time), Madshus Annum/Karhu XCD Guide (my newest pair are the 2013/2014 model year). The Madshus Annum is the replacement for the Karhu XCD Guide (the two are essentially identical).  With a 109-78-95mm profile; the Annum/Guide is one of the fattest xcountry skis on the North American market (only the Fischer S-Bound 112 (if only slightly), and the Rossignol BC125, are fatter).  The “XCD” stands for “xcountry-downhill”. The Annum/Guide is a hybrid xcountry-telemark ski- designed to offer a balance between off-track xcountry touring, and downhill-turning performance (i.e. XCD).  As far as truly dedicated single-cambered XCD skis; Fischer’s S-Bounds, Rossignol’s fattest BC skis (BC90, 110&125), and Alpina’s fattest backcountry skis (e.g. X-Terrain/Discover 110); have a somewhat similar design and intent to the Madshus/Karhu XCD line. ...

The Jack of All Trades Mountain-Xcountry Ski I here have decided to offer my humble “review” of the Madshus Epoch (my newest pair are the 2013/2014 model year). The Madshus Epoch is the replacement for the Karhu XCD 10 th  Mountain (the two are essentially identical).  With a 99-68-84mm profile; the Epoch is a relatively fat, single-cambered, waxless xcountry/light telemark touring ski.  The “XCD” stands for “xcountry-downhill”. These skis are hybrid xcountry-telemark skis- designed to offer a balance between off-track xcountry touring, and downhill-turning performance.  As far as truly dedicated single-cambered XCD skis; Fischer’s S-Bounds, Rossignol’s fattest BC skis (BC90, 110&125), and Alpina’s fattest backcountry skis (e.g. X-Terrain/Discover 110); have a somewhat similar design and intent to the Madshus/Karhu XCD line. The Epoch is an obvious choice for XCD (i.e. telemark) touring in variable snow, and variable terrain.  Its width gives ...

The Ever-So-Popular Madshus Eon What follows is my review of the Madshus Eon/Karhu XCD GT.  My current pair of Eons is a 205cm, with a waxless base.  I would like a waxable Eon as well! The Madshus Eon is the replacement for the last generation Karhu XCD GT (the two are essentially identical).  With an 83-62-70mm profile; the Eon is a mid-width 1.5-cambered xcountry ski.  The “XCD” stands for “xcountry-downhill”.  These skis are hybrid xcountry-telemark skis- designed to offer a balance between off-track xcountry touring, and downhill-turning performance.  To my knowledge, in the North American market, there are few hybrid xcountry-telemark skis available in a comparable profile.  The Fischer S-Bound 78 & 88, the Alpina Discovery 90, and the Rossignol BC90, are all similar in design and intent- but you cannot get them in as long a length as the Eon.  The Fischer E109 has a similar profile to the Eon, but the the E109 is stiffer and has...

Ultimate Off-Trail Backcountry-Xcountry Binding I suppose that I should perhaps consider not giving my review of the NNNBC binding.  Having done a little leisurely reading- it appears that NNNBC versus 3 pin-75mm NN can spark much heated debate. There is no question that the 75mm binding is more versatile- ranging from classic xcountry to big mountain telemark.   To date- I have continued to use 3pin 75mm telemark bindings for xcountry-telemark skiing in more mountainous terrain.  Regardless of what people claim NNNBC can or cannot do; I offer this: NNNBC is a well designed off-trail, backcountry-xcountry binding.  For many of us- that spend most of our time on gentle to moderate terrain- NNNBC is all we need. The NNNBC binding is perfect for what it is designed to do: stable, light, off-trail backcountry-xcountry skiing. The SNS X-ADV bindings are very good as well.  Though narrower than the NNNBC- the SNS X-ADV has a longer ridge...

Heavy-Duty Backcountry-XCountry Boot The Alpina Alaska NNNBC is the best NNNBC Nordic boot I have tried.  I have well over 4000kms of backcountry touring on my current pair- without any significant problems.  Pros include: comfort, durability, warmth, and performance.  The only con I have had is that the stock insoles are very poor. My everyday skiing is off-trail xcountry through rolling terrain (with the occasional steep climb and decent).  Although I appreciate 75mm telemark bindings when I truly need them; I find it agonizingly inefficient compared to NNNBC for most of the skiing I do.  If there was more vertical in my backyard- I would probably be on 75mm-3 pin boots/bindings.  I have always been convinced that 75mm-3 pin bindings offered much greater downhill control than NNNBC.  I have become more and more impressed with what I can do on NNNBC. In recent years, I have struggled to find the perfect NNNBC boot.  I have tried the...

This blog is based on my experience as a Nordic skier.  In particular, this blog will focus on backcountry Nordic skiing.  This blog is not intended to be a journal, or log, of my skiing; as much as it is to present my thoughts and experiences. Why “hemiboreal” skiing?  The term hemiboreal describes a climate that is at the meeting of the northern limits of the temperate zone; and the southern limits of the boreal zone- a temperate-boreal transitional climate.  A hemiboreal forest is forest that is a mix of both northern temperate, and boreal forest.  I live and backcountry ski in rural, central New Brunswick, Canada.  The climate in New Brunswick is most definitely hemiboreal; and the forests that I work, hike and ski in every day are a spectacular mix of northern temperate and boreal species. I am a passionate outdoor enthusiast.  Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to experience and enjoy regular outdoor experiences ranging from p...