On Feb 13, 9:23*am, wrote:
I'm looking to go backpacking on skis this winter. Currently I have a
pair of Fischer Crown E99 skis, SNS-BC bindings and Salomon Escape 7.

I have issues with this setup because the skis seems so thin and I'm
wondering if a wider ski would be more stable on untracked snow while
carrying a large backpack. Also, the boots I have don't provide the
ankle support I'm used to while hiking, but some of those big clunker
plastic boots I've seen seem so heavy and cumbersome. Also, it's a
little hairy heading down steeps with this setup as well.

My goal is to head up to Tuolumne Meadows and head to the ski hut
where I've stashed food for the winter. It's a good 20 mile trek to
get there, probably up Tioga Pass Road (12 miles 2,500' ascent) then 8
miles over rolling terrain.

Any ideas or tips would be fantastic. Thanks!

I am probably heading that way in a week or too, too.

I have used the Karhu XCD system with plastic Garmont Escursion boots
for 3 days in Desolation Wilderness and found that setup very
cumbersome to ski on flats and uphills ( but very dry and warm!). This
is probably b/c of my XC racing background. I have then switched to
Salomon X-ADV 6 boots and Madshush Glittertinds. The boots were way
more comfortable to ski up and down. The boots need to be given some
TLC though (no sticking them into fire to dry out!) I do have a good
background of XC ski racing, so I did not have much trouble skiing
down in powder with a 60 lb backpack, despite my friends' initial
skeptisism. The skis were also lighter and had a better glide on flats
than the Karhu XCDs. But I still wanted a faster and lighter package,
so I ended up getting the old school (but newer version of) the E99s
and I could not be happier.

I would recommend checking out AlpenGlo (?) in Tahoe City: they have
great rental equipment to try out.