The Sexiest Ski Touring Set Up Around?
Bespoke Fork Tree Skis, Plum Bindings and Gecko Skins
Sexy is not an adjective normally associated with any aspect of ski touring. Excessive sweating, smelly socks, old European men and unfortunate facial hair (on ladies) are what normally spring to mind when one thinks of the ski rando community. Wooden skis, leather strapped bindings, freshly clubbed seal skins and strangely patterned woollen sweaters were once the kit of choice for the enthusiastic uphill slogger but things have changed and now there is some seriously cool ski touring kit out there.
As part of my endless winter lifestyle, I spent the European summer in NZ chasing powder and October brought some of the best off-piste conditions of the season. I took advantage and got stuck into a back bowl touring mission at Cardrona. Gecko skins revolutionary glue-less technology and lightweight mohair have completely changed the game. No more faffing about with skins losing their stick or needing to use duct tape to keep them on mid-tour. On this classic NZ spring day, I put them on first thing in cold temps for the first climb. Later on, in the midday heat, they went on just as quick and easily. On both lengthy climbs the skins were fantastic, glided really smoothly, gave excellent climbing grip and stuck to my bases like a limpet on steroids. And if you get any bits of dirt/grass/hut detritus stuck to them you simply just wash it all off with warm water; genius.
Plum “Guide” bindings are tough (made from machine milled aerospace grade aluminium, steel and polyvinyl) and they are light (only 670g/pair). It’s the skiing equivalent of sexy ladies' lingerie made of fighter jets! The light weight made my ascents a dream, with the toe-piece pivot set just right for really smooth climbing. The 3 heel rise settings came in very handy on the varying pitch which avoids excessive strain on your leg muscles. For the descent they were bomb-proof. The DINs can be cranked to 12 and even putting loads of force through the ski I didn’t feel the slightest movement. The Plums really do ski well, giving you a great intuitive feel beneath your feet.
To complement such a great binding you need a killer ski. For me, this comes in the form of a pair of Fork Tree Skis. Handmade to bespoke specifications in terms of construction, dimensions and graphics this truly is the Savile Row of ski making. My bamboo core “Tiki Tourers” are 179cm, with 100mm underfoot and a slight early rise. They have performed outstandingly in all conditions from icy ascents to deep pow and spring corn. Check out our video on how Fork Tree Skis are made for more info on these little beauties...
So is this the sexiest touring set up? I certainly think so. But then I guess you also have to factor in who’s using them………
Thanks to Ewan Mackie and The Boot Lab team for this gear review
