Comments on: UPDATE Feb.12: A New Secret Weapon? A Sneak Peek at the Marquette Backcountry Ski

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:57:38 +0000

Missed your comment earlier Russ… W/o metal edges, you;ll want to stick to soft snow surfaces… Be careful when you encounter firm snow or ice, as they don’t really edge at all on the firm stuff. As a shorter ski, they require some adjustments to your balance when skiing these, especially at faster speeds. Still, they are probably easier to ski through powder snow, in the tight woods, so long as there is some good pitch, than anything else out there. Keep in mind that on low angle terrrain, they are quite slow in comparison to a regular ski with a ptex, waxable base. These are a far cry from the Karhu Swifters, and offer a much higher level of downhill skiing performance than the Swifters. The waxless base on the Marquettes climb quite well, about as well as any other waxless ski I’ve used.I’ve adapted some old, long, skinny skins to be used as custom fit climbing skins for the Marquettes, too (running two strips of the skins side by side, for full ski-width coverage), which I use when approaching steeper terrain more directly. I hope this helps. Thanks for checking out AdventureSkier.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:47:03 +0000

Hi Rob-

I missed your comment last winter… The Marquettes will slide quite a bit more, and they are bigger all around…and much more suitable for downhill performance than the Karhus. Also, you’ll need either a telemark or AT boot/binding combo with the Marquettes… I hope this helps. Have fun out there!

By: jack

jack — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:04:20 +0000

Will Rossignol BC-X11′s and 3 pins work with these? I use system bindings and Alpina trackers,but,have been intrested in picking a pair of these up. Would they be not enough for a 7-10 mile tour in for turns and tour back out? or a second back up to a differet ski?
Jack

By: Video: Almost Mother’s Day | AdventureSkier.com - Adventure, Backcountry, Alpine, Nordic, Off Piste, Hut-to-Hut, Backyard Skiing in the Northeast US/Canada and Beyond

Fri, 13 May 2011 17:24:54 +0000

[...] Last turns of the season on natural snow in Vermont’s Green Mountains… on the Marquette Backcountry Skis. [...]

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:37:49 +0000

Now, the secret is OUT! They look like the perfect outlet for those early days.

THANKS!

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 02:59:31 +0000

Hi Martin-

The Marquettes are a great ski for developing your skiing skills in soft snow conditions, so long as you shy away from ice and real hardpack with them (as they have no edges). Based on your background, I think you would do great on them. For better downhill control, a 2-buckle telemark boot like the Garmont Excursion should work really well for you. It’s a great boot that you can loosen up for maximum flexibility and comfort while climbing, and then buckle up (with a power strap, too) for plenty of downhill control in mixed snow conditions. If you are hoping to climb anything beyond a gentle pitch, or where setting a low-angle uptrack is not an option (e.g. narrow, fall line trails), then you might want to rig some climbing skins on the Marquettes, too. I hope this helps. Take care Marty. -Brian

By: martin cooperman

martin cooperman — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:59:52 +0000

Brian,
I hesitate to ask you this as I have only modest experience on x/c skis and perhaps 1/10th of your abilities, based on what I saw in the video. Mostly I plod along with simple skis, day touring bindings and inexpensive boots.
But I would like to be able to handle some of the modest downhills through the woods of Ohio. These are gentle downhills on hiking trails or adjacent, that have me desperately snowplowing or falling to avoid running into a tree.
I’d also like to use skis for backpacking in western PA, with similar trails.
I’m a pretty good outdoorsman, well exercised and in love with winter, but I find myself using snowshoes rather than x/c skis because I just can’t ski confidently on even the modest downhill parts.
I’ve tried some Karhu Catamounts 160cm, and while they are easier to use than my 210cm skis, I still don’t do that well.
So, are the Marquette backcountry skis so much better for this that they’re worth getting, or am I really lacking in boots, bindings and, most importantly, in technique?
What level boots and what kind of bindings would work for modest, slow, under-control gentle downhill hiking trails in the woods (I’m not trying to emulate you in your video)?
Any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Marty Cooperman
Cleveland, Ohio

By: Rex

Rex — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:41:50 +0000

Received my set from ORS two days ago. Mounted 3pins within minutes with the provided screws. Hit the first hill I saw on my way to work.
Early rise tips allow for a very nice stride, with a little glide wax, you get some good glide in most situations.
They don’t climb like ski/skin combos, but i wasn’t interested in climbing straight up. Found a pitch and was able to link tele-turns thru some really deep fluff. Turns were slow but accurate and most of all fun! Although all vids shows folks linking parallel turns, I was indeed able to tele. Just had to slow things down and let the turns come – very comfortable. Skis performed well and were even comfortable to glide on packed snowmobile track. These things are going to be fun!

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:46:37 +0000

I use a pair of Kahru Swiffers in the hills around my house they work great for making turns in the tight woods. Been thinking of trying these Marquettes wonder how they will compare?

By: Northeast Skiing: A World of Contrasts | AdventureSkier.com - Adventure, Backcountry, Alpine, Nordic, Off Piste, Hut-to-Hut, Backyard Skiing in the Northeast US/Canada and Beyond

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:27:05 +0000

[...] the peak of The Thaw. While exploring a mountainside close to home on a pair of edge-less, wax-less Marquette Backcountry Skis, our only option was to link patches of remaining snow in an otherwise open glade. The Marquettes [...]