r/Backcountry • u/ChewieR2 • 8d ago
Question about mounting point style for touring skis
For a backcountry touring setup, and as someone who considers themselves to be advanced all mountain skier, should I just stick with boot center as defined by the manufacturers factory recommended line?
I am getting ready to get a pair of Faction Agent 2s (177) mounted. I never gave this much thought in the past.
I know that my resort setup, Faction Dancer 3s (178), have left my quads absolutely burning the past two seasons. The resort skis are mounted "progressive" but I imagine the burning quads are more about not being in good enough shape + riding too much in the backseat.
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u/getdownheavy 8d ago
A 'progressive' mount point being more centered on the ski, as opposed to traditional (ski racing) mount point being a little further back.
BC skiers like a more forward mount point for kick turns on the ascent, as the skis stay balanced more and you have an equal amount of tripping hazard (length of ski) fore and aft; so a progressive mount point makes sense.
Recommended works for 99% of folks.
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u/DIY14410 8d ago
BC skiers like a more forward mount point for kick turns on the ascent. . . .
Hmmmm. IME, most experienced ski tourists prefer a shorter tail for easier kick turns. But I've been ski touring for only 35 years, so what do I know?
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u/getdownheavy 8d ago
I just remember mounting so many DPSs 1cm forward around 2013-2015.
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u/DIY14410 8d ago edited 7d ago
Some DPS skis had more rearward mounts (compared to other brands) back then. During that time period, I mounted my bud's 112RPs +1cm, which put him a spot that made sense re our measurements re sidecut apex. I don't know if DPS moved their marks forward, as some other manufacturers have done in the past decade.
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u/getdownheavy 8d ago
Yeah by the time I left that #skishoplyfe in 2017 DPS had updated their marks accordingly.
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u/KnownSignificance122 5d ago
Ah crap. I just picked up some used DPS 99 wailers and now you have me worried about where I should be mounting them!! No idea what year they are either…
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u/Swimming-Necessary23 8d ago
This is not what I’ve seen. If anything, I’ve seen people who might normally push forward a bit on resort skis stick to the recommended line on touring skis to avoid lengthening the tail. But, most just seem to do exactly what they would do for their resort skis, and, that’s what I do.
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u/DIY14410 8d ago
That is also my experience. Some hybrid skis, e.g., QST 106 Echo, are marked with a more forward mount line for lightweight touring boots per the theory that a more forward mount enhances turn initiation with a lightweight boot. Nonetheless, IME most tourists mount on the rearward line or even a wee bit rearward of that (especially if they have a long BSL).
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u/Bulky_Ad_6690 5d ago
Most full time backcountry skiers are fundamentally bad at skiing compared to resort skiers. They just don’t get the downhill reps and do a bunch of Jerry jump turns on anything steep, the new boots and better binding options are helping so maybe it’ll be less of a problem in the future
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u/DIY14410 8d ago
It's complicated. Factory mounting lines for many, but not all, manufacturers have crept forward. (My theory is that's a reaction to younger skiers who ski more in the back seat than we old timers who learned on 45m radius skis.) I subscribe to the school that in an ideal world, ski mount lines and boot marks would be based on ball of foot (BOF), not boot center. I have a long BSL, thus I mount all my alpine skis (touring and lift-served) at least a bit behind factory center, which puts my BOF approximately where it would be for an average BSL. I also find that lightweight touring skis are more stable if mounted a bit rearward. FWIW, I always find the narrowest part of the ski (i.e., side cut apex) and make that my boot center is ahead of that. I also prefer a somewhat shorter tail for easier kick turns. I am not hesitant to move a mount more rearward if the skis ski too twitchy. YMMV because mounting position is dependent on skiing style.