Any Backcountry Skiing in CT?

[laxski]

I've had that same setup for a few years. Love it for untracked XC type stuff. Still pretty tough to turn. But it can make any terrain exhilarating!

Thats good to hear as I have yet to use it but most of it probably will be in untracked snow.Tough to turn are you talking about on the downhill?? I would like to be able to learn some basic Tele turns on some easier downhill sections

 

[Cannonball]

It's still a relatively soft setup for tele. That makes it a great compromise as a very comfortable yet somewhat burley touring rig. But anything slightly steep or tight can be intense. That's not a complaint. Especially in the context of this thread. I like that small local terrain can be as challenging as big mountains when you're on light gear. Is like fishing light tackle. All about the challenge!

 

[Not Sure]

It's still a relatively soft setup for tele. That makes it a great compromise as a very comfortable yet somewhat burley touring rig. But anything slightly steep or tight can be intense. That's not a complaint. Especially in the context of this thread. I like that small local terrain can be as challenging as big mountains when you're on light gear. Is like fishing light tackle. All about the challenge!

Leads to a question for me about tele bindings,,,What kind of release mechanism is used on the toe?

 

[laxski]

It's still a relatively soft setup for tele. That makes it a great compromise as a very comfortable yet somewhat burley touring rig. But anything slightly steep or tight can be intense. That's not a complaint. Especially in the context of this thread. I like that small local terrain can be as challenging as big mountains when you're on light gear. Is like fishing light tackle. All about the challenge!

Sounds good look forward to using them and sharing my experience.Thanks for the info!!

 

[Cannonball]

Leads to a question for me about tele bindings,,,What kind of release mechanism is used on the toe?

Typically none. Although there are a few releasable tele bindings out there.

 

[Not Sure]

Typically none. Although there are a few releasable tele bindings out there.

YIKES!:-o
Tele in the trees , sounds scary , my knees are cringing,thin cover buried branches

 

[Scruffy]

Just bought a backcountry set-up Fisher S-Bound 98 3-pin cable binding and Alpina 1575 boots.Will be cruising the woods of north shore of Long Island and occasionally up to our place in Southern Vermont.I'm excited to try the metal-edge Free Heel having done tons of downhill and a good amount of cross country but no metal edge

I've got the Fisher S-Bound Rebounds with 3 pin bindings, no cable, and Asolo leather boots. These are great for small hills and low-ish angle mountains runs. I've skied them in the Daks and Catskills, but mostly I use them for local stashes and take my bigger tele gear for the mountains.

 

[Scruffy]

It's still a relatively soft setup for tele. That makes it a great compromise as a very comfortable yet somewhat burley touring rig. But anything slightly steep or tight can be intense. That's not a complaint. Especially in the context of this thread. I like that small local terrain can be as challenging as big mountains when you're on light gear. Is like fishing light tackle. All about the challenge!

Exactly! XC Skate skis can be a hoot on hilly terrain too.

 

[Scruffy]

Leads to a question for me about tele bindings,,,What kind of release mechanism is used on the toe?

This light a tele gear, no release is needed. The boots and bindings are pretty flexible and you'd probably tear the binding off if you really snagged something. For more burly tele gear, what you see at the resorts, they make some releaseable tele bindings, but they're not as dialed in as your alpine DIN rated system.

 

[Scruffy]

YIKES!:-o
Tele in the trees , sounds scary , my knees are cringing,thin cover buried branches

That's where tele excels, in the trees!

 

[Mapnut]

Ugh, tech talk. How about skiing the cliffs and chutes of Mount Higby http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higby_Mountain , which towers over the rest area on I-91 exactly in the middle of CT? You've probably seen it. Looks like it would be skiable with 3 feet or more of snow. Maybe not good for telemark, though.

 

[o3jeff]

Not sure if you can ski there but Guifrida park in Meriden has a pretty steep hill at the beginning. Follow the blue trail counterclockwise, cross over the dam, hill will be in front of you in about 100 feet. Might need some scoping out before the snow and debris clean up but definitely has a long continuous pitch without a long hike in.

 

[MadMadWorld]

Ugh, tech talk. How about skiing the cliffs and chutes of Mount Higby http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higby_Mountain , which towers over the rest area on I-91 exactly in the middle of CT? You've probably seen it. Looks like it would be skiable with 3 feet or more of snow. Maybe not good for telemark, though.

It looks pretty dense up there. Not sure if it would be worth the trouble. But it is CT after all....they eat gnar for breakfast!

 

[Abubob]

From CT it's easier to drive to Greylock or Southern Vermont than it is to find good backcountry skiing.

In other words the only good backcountry skiing in CT is in VT. ;-)