Today I skied up the Tuckerman Ravine trail on Mount Washington, to Hermit Lake and down the John Sherburne ski trail. Actually, to be precise, I “skinned” up the Tuckerman Ravine trail. Skinning also known as Ski Touring, is how back-country skiers move when not going downhill and it involves attaching a climbing skin to the bottom of our skis. When the skins are attached to the bottom of the skis, the fibers in contact with the snow lay flat when moving forward allowing for easy forward movement. Alternatively, when sliding backwards, the snow pushes against the direction of the fibers causing the skins to dig into the snow and hold the skier in place.
The binding is different too. In my case, I’m using a special back-country specific binding that has two modes: one for touring, and one for skiing downhill. In the touring mode, only the toe of the boot is connected allowing the boot to pivot as you slide your skis forward. In the downhill mode, the entire boot is clamped down like traditional alpine ski bindings.
John Sherburne Ski Trail from Jeff Fongemie on Vimeo.
Ski touring is a fantastic way to get around in the winter back country. The skis act like snowshoes providing float when needed, and by simply
shuffling your skis forward you never pick your ski up off the ground. The movement is very efficient, much easier and way more fun than carrying skis on your back. When the time comes to go down, just peel off the skins and stow them in your pack, put on a puffy jacket, your helmet, click into the ski bindings and ski down as normal.
Enjoy your turns!
– Jeff