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#1
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Carrying Skis on a Backpack
Hi,
I have noticed 3 different ways that are used to carry skis with a backpack (there may be a few others as well): 1. Diagonal carry - Skis are lashed together and then tied to backpack extending from lower left to upper right (or vice versa). 2. Straight horizontal - Guide I was with in Austria used this method, as above but skis tied to top of pack and lie horizontal. 3. What I call "A frame" - Skis individually attached vertically to sides of pack, and tied together at the tips. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods, as I want to purchase a new pack that is designed for the optimal carrying method. Many thanks. Craig |
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#2
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
In article , Craig wrote: Hi, I have noticed 3 different ways that are used to carry skis with a backpack (there may be a few others as well): 1. Diagonal carry - Skis are lashed together and then tied to backpack extending from lower left to upper right (or vice versa). _ Works very well until you have to get through trees or brush. Requires that the pack be either full or tightly compressed. Probably the best solution for open terrain. 2. Straight horizontal - Guide I was with in Austria used this method, as above but skis tied to top of pack and lie horizontal. _ Never tried it, seems even worse in the trees and the potential for wacking your partners in the back of the head seems pretty high. 3. What I call "A frame" - Skis individually attached vertically to sides of pack, and tied together at the tips. _ This can work pretty well with the right pack, the problem is that things often slide and you get wacked in the back of the knees or head. Depending on how high you carry the skis, can do weird things to center of gravity. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods, as I want to purchase a new pack that is designed for the optimal carrying method. _ You forgot two. 4. Skis flat together, but strapped vertically to the back of the pack. _ This works pretty well with a fully loaded pack but does move the center of gravity back. It won't work at all with a lightly loaded pack. 5. Horizontal A-Frame, skis tied at the tip and carried horizontally like a snow plow in front of you. _ I've only seen pictures of this, but it seems like the best solution for heavy brush. Exactly how you attach the skis to your waist belt so they stay pointed up is left as an exercise to the reader. _ I don't think there is one superior solution to this problem. I've certainly never found one that compelled me to stop trying other solutions. I generally stick with the A-Frame with the skis fairly high unless I need to get through a lot of low hanging trees. For me, there are two things that seem to make a big difference in how often I get whacked in the knee or the head. 1. The pack cannot be "floppy" at all. You need some tension in the fabric. Packs with some kind of internal frame carry skis better, but make skiing down a little harder. 2. Use Voile straps[1]. Nylon straps don't stay tight over the long haul when used on skis. If I had a fastex buckle handy I could explain why this happens in about 20 seconds, but roughly the fastex friction adjuster requires that the strap lie on a roughly flat surface thats at least 2 or 3 inches longer than the buckle. If your skis aren't significantly wider than the adjuster/quick release buckle, then the strap will loosen over time. _ So my recommendation is to ignore any "ski carry" features and by the pack that fits you the best and has the other features you want. Then just buy 2 wide strap reinforcement patches to sew on and a few Voile straps. _ Booker C. Bense [1]- Velcro straps don't have this slipping problem, but they don't stand up to ski edges very well. If you're into saving grams, the do work well for keeping tips together. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBP6hFmWTWTAjn5N/lAQGwQAQAmyZaljJCz/MetOov3kU29B26lTJj6QkI 7BXjnpRtka82aRqeT9FW7wU4ZmKBfsL6pjNzzslutNBh0WKhl/Ve1utCHccMo/dR /pW7xTB76x34B2FRDkibxtMZfRo3PXgwQKsWQmVfWCtI2E58mBR mAOw3FpeMBphn 5ZaQ+FyqQ2o= =Wkeo -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- |
#3
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Craig wrote:
3. What I call "A frame" - Skis individually attached vertically to sides of pack, and tied together at the tips. i only know and use this, but you need the right rucksack to be able to fix the skis well laterally. in steep terrain when you also need rampons i cannot imagine another method, because you would get too large and not be able to turn, for example, because the skis would touch the terrain, hmm? greetings, ulrich |
#4
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And you both forgot yet another method: one ski per side, attached
vertically to the backpack, not tied together at tips. My Arc Teryx carries skis very comfortably this way, and as a result it's my preferred ski pack (of four or five) whenever I'm expecting to carry. The comfort of this system involves the positioning of the skis on the pack and the method of attachment more than anything else. Ski tails are slanted away from backs of the legs, for example. Attachment to the backpack is by very secure, dedicated hypalon clamps, and center of gravity is minimally affected. Shovel and probe are also given dedicated carriers. Lots of bells and whistles on this pack, which some apreciate and others find foolish. I seldom carry skis in thick brush. With this pack, I'd use the horizontal a-frame battering ram if bushwhacking. Good photos of both techniques are at Lowell Skoog's hilarious sub-alpinism site: http://www.alpenglow.org/themes/subalpine/gallery.html bbense+rec.skiing.backcountry.Nov.04.03@telemark. slac.stanford.edu wrote in message ... -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- In article , Craig wrote: Hi, I have noticed 3 different ways that are used to carry skis with a backpack (there may be a few others as well): 1. Diagonal carry - Skis are lashed together and then tied to backpack extending from lower left to upper right (or vice versa). _ Works very well until you have to get through trees or brush. Requires that the pack be either full or tightly compressed. Probably the best solution for open terrain. 2. Straight horizontal - Guide I was with in Austria used this method, as above but skis tied to top of pack and lie horizontal. _ Never tried it, seems even worse in the trees and the potential for wacking your partners in the back of the head seems pretty high. 3. What I call "A frame" - Skis individually attached vertically to sides of pack, and tied together at the tips. _ This can work pretty well with the right pack, the problem is that things often slide and you get wacked in the back of the knees or head. Depending on how high you carry the skis, can do weird things to center of gravity. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods, as I want to purchase a new pack that is designed for the optimal carrying method. _ You forgot two. 4. Skis flat together, but strapped vertically to the back of the pack. _ This works pretty well with a fully loaded pack but does move the center of gravity back. It won't work at all with a lightly loaded pack. 5. Horizontal A-Frame, skis tied at the tip and carried horizontally like a snow plow in front of you. _ I've only seen pictures of this, but it seems like the best solution for heavy brush. Exactly how you attach the skis to your waist belt so they stay pointed up is left as an exercise to the reader. _ I don't think there is one superior solution to this problem. I've certainly never found one that compelled me to stop trying other solutions. I generally stick with the A-Frame with the skis fairly high unless I need to get through a lot of low hanging trees. For me, there are two things that seem to make a big difference in how often I get whacked in the knee or the head. 1. The pack cannot be "floppy" at all. You need some tension in the fabric. Packs with some kind of internal frame carry skis better, but make skiing down a little harder. 2. Use Voile straps[1]. Nylon straps don't stay tight over the long haul when used on skis. If I had a fastex buckle handy I could explain why this happens in about 20 seconds, but roughly the fastex friction adjuster requires that the strap lie on a roughly flat surface thats at least 2 or 3 inches longer than the buckle. If your skis aren't significantly wider than the adjuster/quick release buckle, then the strap will loosen over time. _ So my recommendation is to ignore any "ski carry" features and by the pack that fits you the best and has the other features you want. Then just buy 2 wide strap reinforcement patches to sew on and a few Voile straps. _ Booker C. Bense [1]- Velcro straps don't have this slipping problem, but they don't stand up to ski edges very well. If you're into saving grams, the do work well for keeping tips together. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBP6hFmWTWTAjn5N/lAQGwQAQAmyZaljJCz/MetOov3kU29B26lTJj6QkI 7BXjnpRtka82aRqeT9FW7wU4ZmKBfsL6pjNzzslutNBh0WKhl/Ve1utCHccMo/dR /pW7xTB76x34B2FRDkibxtMZfRo3PXgwQKsWQmVfWCtI2E58mBR mAOw3FpeMBphn 5ZaQ+FyqQ2o= =Wkeo -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- |
#5
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bbense+rec.skiing.backcountry.Nov.04.03@telemark. slac.stanford.edu wrote
in : snip Another consideration that may be of interest for short climbs is how long it takes to put the skis on the pack or take them off - IME the winner here is skis together either diagonally or vertically. In recent years I've used the Dynastar Cham 30 (together/vertical) and the Da Kine Heli Pro (together/diagonal) as well as occasionally a Karrimor 30l day pack (A-frame). I prefer the skis together style for convenience; BB is right about this moving the centre of gravity back. Nothing's perfect - with a-frame I tend to whack my elbows on the bindings, together/vertical I sometimes hit calfs or heels on the tails, and together/diagonal just feels slightly weird. But they're all bearable. BTW, as I'm in Europe this is all above the treeline, undergrowth is not a consideration. Jeremy |
#6
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Craig wrote:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods, as I want to purchase a new pack that is designed for the optimal carrying method. Whatever you do is wrong... If you stow the vertically you'll need vertical clearance, horizontally the opposite, keep them high they're more unwieldy and catch the wind more, keep them low they'll bash your calves, etc. etc. There's no perfect way, and you have to use whatever's most appropriate depending on situation and the pack you're attaching them to. Pete. -- Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ |
#7
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Hello
I use the Camelback Snowbound for single day use and it is designed to carry skis in the A-frame configuration with bindings facing out. This method has become comfortable for me on established trails. Last year on the Tilly Jane trail, I carried them practically all the way up to the junction for the Cloud Cap Inn due to icy conditions and steep trail with no discomfort. Chris "Ulrich Hausmann" wrote in message ... Craig wrote: 3. What I call "A frame" - Skis individually attached vertically to sides of pack, and tied together at the tips. i only know and use this, but you need the right rucksack to be able to fix the skis well laterally. in steep terrain when you also need rampons i cannot imagine another method, because you would get too large and not be able to turn, for example, because the skis would touch the terrain, hmm? greetings, ulrich |
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