Originally Posted: February 2022
Updated: April 2024
Karhu Guide / Madshus Panorama M78 (Annum) Telemark Skis
Voile Switchback X2 Telemark Bindings
Garmont Excursion / Scott Excursion Telemark Boots
Black Diamond Ascension Climbing Skins
Black Diamond Razor Carbon Ski Poles
General Comments
In the context of this gear review, backcountry telemark ski touring takes place on a combination of rolling and moderately steep mountainous terrain. The gear discussed herein is best suited to making short or long approaches to snow bowls, ridge crests, or mountain summits, followed by a telemark descent of moderately steep slopes, glades, and forests. This gear is not intended for telemarking down narrow chutes, steep couloirs, or other highly technical terrain.
Backcountry telemark ski touring is one of my favorite winter sports because it blends the satisfaction of mountain climbing with the thrill of downhill skiing. The challenges include logistical planning, route-finding, physical exertion, inclement weather, avalanche assessment, and telemarking down through variable snow conditions. Overall, though, I consider myself to be a conservative skier on both the uphill and the downhill. I generally avoid steep terrain that has any significant fall hazard and requires expert-level skills.
To further illustrate what this particular activity involves, here are trip reports for several examples of backcountry telemark ski tours:
- Chair Peak Ski Circumnavigation (Snoqualmie Range, WA)
- Chinook Peak Ski Circumnavigation (Chinook Mountains, WA)
- Tam McArthur Rim Ski Tours (Deschutes Mountains, OR)
- Nason–Smith Ski Traverse (Upper Wenatchee Mountains, WA)
- Tronsen Head Ski Loop (Lower Wenatchee Mountains, WA)
- Jim Hill Mountain / Henry Creek Bowl Ski Tour (Upper Icicle Mountains, WA)
In addition to backcountry telemark ski touring, I enjoy cross-country stride-skiing and skate-skiing on groomed trails; backcountry nordic ski touring on forest roads and rolling mountain terrain; XC/BC hybrid nordic ski touring on mixed (groomed and ungroomed) terrain; backcountry telemark skiing and snowshoeing on steeper mountain terrain; and even some downhill telemark skiing at lift-assisted resorts.
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Affiliate Disclosure: My gear reviews may contain affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something that I’ve linked to, I might get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Be assured, though, that my reviews are unbiased and involve only gear that I (or a mountain partner) have used extensively. For all items, I discuss the cons as well as the pros.
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Gear Review Summaries
Karhu Guide / Madshus Panorama M78 Ski Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Moderate width and sidecut (109-78-95) provide a good compromise between touring efficiency and flotation.
- Offtrack Crown fishscale base gives good traction on flat or gently sloping terrain.
- Readily accommodates most types of climbing skins.
- Fairly lightweight compared to some other telemark skis.
Cons:
- Moderate width and sidecut are not ideal for telemark turn performance in difficult snow conditions compared to many other mountain skis.
- Offtrack Crown fishscale base is a bit slower for downhill gliding compared to a smooth base.
Bottom Line: Excellent ski for tours that involve a short-, medium-, or long-distance approach on rolling mountain terrain followed by a telemark descent on moderately steep slopes in good snow conditions.
Product Link: Madshus Panorama M78 telemark skis
Similar Products & Links:
Voile Objective BC alpine skis (slightly wider than the Panorama M78, with an alpine camber and fishscale-base; can be used for telemark touring if you are willing to void your factory warranty)
Voile Ultravector BC telemark skis (much wider than the Panorama M78, which makes them less efficient for long approaches but better for powder skiing)
Voile V6 BC telemark skis (much wider than the Panorama M78, which makes them less efficient for long approaches but better for powder skiing)
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Voile Switchback X2 Binding Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Wrap-around stainless-steel toepiece provides excellent durability and reliability.
- Walk mode allows 50 degrees of pivoting with zero resistance.
- Relatively lightweight compared to certain high-end telemark bindings.
- Solid heel rods are convenient and durable.
- Compression springs turn easily to allow quick adjustment for different boot sizes.
Cons:
- Does not provide the fully active control of certain high-end telemark bindings.
- Compression springs tend to turn and loosen when touring.
Bottom Line: Excellent all-purpose Nordic binding for long tours over rolling terrain, followed by downhill telemark turns on moderate slopes.
Product Link: Voile Switchback X2 telemark bindings
Similar Products & Links:
Voile Switchback telemark bindings (lighter than the Switchback X2 but slightly less robust and provides slightly less telemark control; suitable for less aggressive skiers)
22 Designs Axl telemark bindings (more robust and more powerful than the Switchback X2 but much heavier; suitable for steeper telemark descents and more aggressive skiers)
Voile TTS Tour telemark bindings (lighter than the Switchback X2 but requires a telemark boot with tech-toe fittings)
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Garmont Excursion / Scott Excursion Boot Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Lightest all-plastic telemark boot available.
- Cuff height, power strap, and tongue stiffness provide good telemark control for touring skis.
- Well-designed buckle closures.
- Lack of walk/ski mode switch provides no-fuss operation.
Cons:
- Height and stiffness not adequate for controlling wide skis compared to some other telemark boots.
- Lack of walk/ski mode switch might sacrifice some downhill performance.
Bottom Line: An excellent boot for long tours over rolling terrain, followed by downhill telemark turns on moderate slopes.
Product Link: Sadly, this boot is no longer produced, but it could likely be found in closeout stores or used-gear stores.
Similar Products & Links:
Scarpa T4 telemark boots (slightly heavier and stiffer than the Excursion but provides essentially same function)
Fischer BCX Transnordic 75 telemark boots (a robust all-leather boot that is somewhat lighter and possibly more comfortable than the Excursion but sacrifices some telemark control)
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BD Ascension Skin Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Nylon plush provides a good compromise between traction, glide, and durability.
- Ascension adhesive is legendary for its long-term sticking power, especially in cold weather.
- Simple tip and tail fixtures allow easy adjustment of length and attachment to skis.
- No-glue center strip makes it easier to separate skins in cold weather.
Cons:
- Relatively heavy, bulky, and stiff compared to many other current options.
- Can be slightly difficult to separate skins in cold weather.
Bottom Line: Excellent climbing skins for all-conditions terrain where durability and performance are more important than light weight and suppleness.
Product Link: Black Diamond Ascension climbing skins
Similar Products & Links:
Black Diamond GlideLite climbing skins (lighter, slimmer, and suppler than Ascensions, with slightly better glide but slightly less grip)
Pomoca Climb 2.0 climbing skins (quality skins with mohair/nylon plush from a long-respected company)
Contour Hybrid Mix climbing skins (quality skins from a new company using an innovative adhesive that has been well received by testers)
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BD Razor Carbon Pole Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Two-section configuration provides good adjustability for differing terrain conditions.
- Aluminum/carbon composite design provides good combination of strength and lightness.
- Flick-Lock clamp (old model) and Flick-Lock Pro clamp (new model) provides reliable and secure locking mechanism between sections.
- Dual-density handle is comfortable and has breakaway strap (new model).
- Extended handle (old model) and ring (new model) allows for choking up on sidehill traverses.
- Indexed ferrule facilitates use of Three-Quarter Powder Baskets.
- Available in two sizes (100-125 cm and 115-140 cm) to accommodate most skiers.
Cons:
- Two-section poles are inherently a bit heavier and less reliable than one-section poles.
- Carbon fiber poles tend to fail by cracking rather than bending.
- Tall skiers might find the maximum length (140 cm) to be inadequate for efficient kicking and gliding.
Bottom Line: Excellent combination of strength, lightness, and adjustability for ski touring over a variety of terrain.
Product Link: Black Diamond Razor Carbon Pro poles
Similar Products & Links:
Black Diamond Traverse Pro poles (an all-aluminum two-section ski pole that includes same features as Razor Carbon Pro pole but provides a greater length range)
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Full Gear Reviews
Karhu Guide / Madshus Panorama M78 Ski Review
I’ve been using a pair of Karhu Guide telemark skis for about 15 years, on a wide variety of backcountry tours. Some years ago, Karhu Ski Company was absorbed by Madshus, which continued manufacturing the same ski under the model name Annum. More recently, in an apparent effort to create even more confusion, Madshus changed the model name to Panorama M78. Rest assured that my review comments below pertain to all three model names.
From inception, the Karhu Guide was intended to be an all-purpose telemark touring ski. It was fairly wide and shapely at the time, which gave it more telemark performance than competing skis, and it had a fishscale base that gave it great versatility on rolling approaches. As years went by, it became overshadowed by even wider skis with more sidecut and rocker cambers—features designed to improve downhill performance. Somehow, though, the Guide/Annum/M78 has managed to hold an important place in many backcountry ski quivers.
In my opinion, a fishscale-pattern base is an important feature for backcountry telemark touring, although many skiers regard them with disdain. There seems to be a preconceived notion that fishscales will greatly hinder downhill performance. How do smooth bases and fishscale bases really shake out in actual use? Here’s my summation, based on a considerable amount of side-by-side field experience.
- Kicking & gliding on level ground: advantage fishscale base; the fishscales provide critical forward propulsion that overcomes the drag.
- Descending gentle slopes: advantage smooth base; the drag caused by a fishscale base is quite noticeable.
- Descending steeper slopes: no perceptible difference; at higher speeds, a fishscale base planes over the snow and behaves like a smooth base.
- Ascending gentle slopes: advantage fishscale base; the fishscales provide critical traction, whereas the smooth-base user must resort to herringbone technique or must apply climbing skins.
- Ascending steeper slopes: no difference; climbing skins are needed for both types of bases.
Over the course of more than a hundred telemark tours with my Guide skis and with a similar number of different skiing partners, I have looked enviously at many other skis. I have, on several occasions, come pretty close to buying a pair of those juicy new wide-body rocker skis in the hopes that they would dramatically improve my telemark skiing. Each time, though, I came to the conclusion that the Guides did everything I needed them to do and that they probably weren’t holding me back. I’ve now resigned myself to using the Guides until they break in half from overuse, and then I’ll go ski shopping!
Admittedly, much of my satisfaction with Karhu Guides stems from the fact that I’m using them with compatible boots (Garmont Excursion) and compatible bindings (Voile Switchback X2). I also avoid skiing anything more than moderately steep (“blue”) slopes. No doubt, if I were using beefier boots and bindings, and skiing steeper lines, these skis would seem less than adequate.
Voile Switchback X2 Binding Review
I’ve skied for nearly a decade on my second-generation Voile Switchback X2 bindings. For what I do in the backcountry, these come close to being a perfect telemark binding. They combine touring ease, good downhill performance, and robust construction into an elegantly simple 3-pound package. You can find more “active” and powerful telemark touring bindings on the market (for example, the 22 Designs Axl binding), but the Switchback X2 comes in at a lower weight and lower price.
The heart of this binding is a one-piece wrap-around stainless-steel toepiece that provides a level of durability and reliability far exceeding any of the previous touring bindings (remember the trouble-prone G3 Targa Tour?). Each heel assembly consists of two “hardwire” (non-braided) heel rods, a plastic heel clamp, and two sealed compression springs. One of my ski partners, a heavy and aggressive telemarker, managed to crack the toepiece, but I fully expect my bindings to last me for many more years.
In uphill “walk” mode, the Switchback becomes a free-pivot binding with a healthy range of about 50 degrees. This allows zero-resistance striding while either skinning uphill or kicking-and-gliding over flat terrain. I regard such a feature as essential when wearing stiff plastic boots and/or breaking trail through deep snow because it allows the ski tips to float up rather than being pushed down. It also offers a skier the ability to execute uphill-facing snap turns in addition to downhill-facing kick turns.
Switchbacks are converted to downhill “tele” mode by sliding each front lever to the right using either a ski pole or finger, and this can usually be accomplished without removing your skis. However, in transitional snow conditions, it is common to develop a tiny ice dam against the rear surface of each toepiece. When this happens, you will need to flick it out, again using either a pole or finger. Once put into downhill mode, I find that the Switchback X2 provides an adequately “active” level of performance for my lightweight Garmont Excursion boots on moderate terrain. Hard-charging telemark skiers might find them to be more “neutral,” but as a less aggressive skier, I don’t often feel the need for more power.
Switchbacks are available with three different heel rod lengths to accommodate a wide range of boot sizes. In each case, small-scale adjustments are made by rotating the compression springs either clockwise to tighten or counter-clockwise to loosen. This is an easy operation. In fact, it is so easy that the compression springs tend to rotate very slightly while touring, which can lead to a gradual loosening of the heel assembly. Some skiers might not be bothered by this, but I found it to be sufficiently annoying to warrant a fix. How to keep cable/rod bindings from loosening during a ski tour
All Switchbacks are designed with a 1-inch riser under the toe and heel, thereby providing better leverage for downhill performance. They also come with a dual set of climbing wires: a short wire mounted on the rear of each heel riser, and a longer wire mounted on the front of each heel riser. These wires prop up the boot heels, which helps to reduce calf strain on steep ascents. A downside of wires is that they tend to collect snow and promote the formation of “snow cookies” under the boot heels. I rarely found a need for the short climbing wires, so I ended up removing them.
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Garmont Excursion / Scott Excursion Boot Review
I’ve been backcountry skiing in Garmont Excursion boots for nearly 15 years, amounting to a hundred-some telemark tours. When Scott Sports purchased Garmont several years ago, I was relieved to see them continuing production of the Excursion boots and even keeping the name intact. In fact, it does not appear that Scott has made any significant changes to Garmont’s second-generation model. From their very inception, the primary attribute of these boots is that they are the lightest all-plastic telemark boots on the market.
I began telemark touring with a first-generation Excursion model and later upgraded to a second-generation model. The gen-2 boots have much better buckles and have generally been more comfortable. Both models have delivered adequate telemark control in all but really difficult snow conditions. Admittedly, I use these boots in the way they were intended: skiing gentle or moderately angled slopes with medium-width telemark skis. I would not be using Excursions for steep terrain or with really wide skis.
Between my long stints with the gen-1 and gen-2 Excursions, I had a brief fling with a pair of Scarpa T4 telemark boots. I had been using other Scarpa models (the T1 and T2) for more serious skiing, so I felt pretty confident that the T4 boots would be quite agreeable. Three ski tours later, it became crystal clear that I was wrong. The T4 was heavier, less supportive, far less comfortable, and considerably more expensive than the Excursion! I immediately traded in the T4s for gen-2 Excursions and have never looked back. However, it should be mentioned that several of my ski partners are happy with their T4 boots.
BD Ascension Skin Review
Ascension skins have been widely considered to be the gold standard for adhesive climbing skins over the past several decades and have only improved since Black Diamond purchased the manufacturing rights many years ago. The Ascension glue is legendary for its sticking power, which somehow (magically?) increases as the temperature drops. The nylon plush is equally lauded for its excellent balance of traction, glide, and durability. I have been using several different sets of Ascension skins for over 25 years and can vouch for their quality. Other manufacturers have closed the gap in recent years, but Ascensions are still held in the highest regard.
Black Diamond’s main improvement to the original product was the addition of their STS tail attachment, which consists of a slightly stretchy plastic strap and a small metal hook—simple, adjustable, effective, and far better than their previous Clip-Fix tail attachment. The STS system accommodates about 5cm to 10cm of variation between ski lengths, which is useful if using the same skins on two or more pairs of skis. Perhaps more importantly, it allows for micro-adjustment of the skin tension, which can slightly change with outdoor temperature and skin age. Like all elastic components of any type, the tail straps do wear out and break over time. Conveniently, Black Diamond sells replacement straps for about $15 per pair.
The original Ascension skins were attached to a tip loop by means of folding them over a bar. This was simple, effective, and allowed for length adjustments of 20cm or more. Later, Black Diamond introduced a screw-on tip loop that eliminates the need to fold over the front of the skin. I own skins with both old and new tip systems and can report that they each have pros and cons. A minor annoyance associated with the old system is that the front of the skin tends to unfold when being dried in a warm room (see: How to keep stiff climbing skins from unfolding when drying). The new tip attachment system is sleeker and reduces front-end snow buildup, but it eliminates your ability to adjust the skin length at the tip; once the tip loop is attached, future length adjustments must be made at the tail. If your skins are permanently dedicated to a certain pair of skis, then this is a non-issue.
One common complaint about Ascension skins is that the adhesive is so sticky in cold weather, separating one skin from another can be very difficult. This was not such a problem decades ago, when skis and skins were relatively narrow. As skis became wider over the years, skins became wider—and more difficult to separate. Black Diamond effectively mitigated the problem by putting a no-glue strip down the center of each skin.
Another common complaint is that Ascension skins are relatively heavy, bulky, and stiff when compared to many of the newer models. Yes, that famous durability comes at a price. In response, Black Diamond began offering a lighter, slimmer, and suppler skin called GlideLite. I haven’t personally tried them out, but several friends have given them a thumbs-up. If my Ascensions ever wear out, I’ll look closely at GlideLites as a replacement.
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BD Razor Carbon Pole Review
When I started backcountry skiing 50 years ago, there were no sport-specific ski poles. Instead, you simply grabbed a pair of fixed-length “downhill” poles and charged into the wild. Nowadays, specialized backcountry ski poles are available in a wide variety of configurations and materials. There are one-section (fixed-length) poles, two-section poles, and three-section poles; there are telescoping poles, folding poles, and telescoping/folding hybrid poles; there are aluminum poles, carbon fiber poles, and aluminum/carbon composite poles; and all of these various offerings include some set of features and/or accessories. The choices are almost overwhelming!
My preferred option for backcountry skiing is a two-section adjustable pole with a carbon-fiber lower shaft. This design offers several important advantages: First, compared to a one-section pole, the adjustability of a two-section pole allows me to shorten both poles when skinning straight uphill, to lengthen both poles when kicking-and-gliding on flat terrain, and to create uneven pole lengths when making a long sidehill traverse. Second, a two-section pole is both lighter and more reliable than a three-section pole, simply because there is no joint or extra material in the lower region. Third, the use of carbon fiber for the lower section further reduces the “swing weight” of the pole, which might seem insignificant during the first hour of a ski tour but becomes much more noticeable after several hours of active poling.
Over the past two decades, I’ve been using Life-Link Variant Composite ski poles during all backcountry tours. These two-section aluminum/carbon poles have served me very well but, sadly, are no longer made. When I needed to add a new pair of ski poles to my quiver several years ago, I purchased a pair of Black Diamond Razor Carbon poles, as that they were the closest thing I could find to my beloved Life-Link poles. Since my purchase, Black Diamond has modified this pole and renamed it the Razor Carbon Pro. My review comments below address both the older design and new design.
The Razor Carbon and Razor Carbon Pro are two-section telescoping poles with an aluminum upper shaft and a carbon fiber lower shaft. Both shaft sections seem to provide a good compromise between lightweight and strength; I’ve had no bending or breaking problems despite fairly rigorous usage. The poles feature comfortable dual-density handles with adjustable wrist straps, and they are available in two lengths: (100-125 cm and 115-140 cm). Being 5’10” tall, I have found the longer size to adequately cover my desired range of adjustability for different terrain conditions. However, skiers who are more than 6’0” tall might find them too short for efficient kicking-and-gliding on low-angle terrain. Too bad Black Diamond doesn’t offer this pole in three different sizes.
A unusual and nice feature of Razor Carbon and Razor Carbon Pro poles is that the bottom ferrule is indexed to accommodate Black Diamond’s Three-Quarter Powder Baskets. These baskets are cut away in the forward quarter to prevent them from catching on snow when climbing steeply or moving quickly, much like a modern cross-country ski pole basket. This might seem like an unimportant feature until you are miles into a long ski tour that involves lots of kicking-and-gliding. Some skiers will also appreciate the fact that the cutaway tab can be used to manipulate certain binding or boot levers.
There are three main differences between the older Razor Carbon poles and newer Razor Carbon Pro poles. First, the older poles have a supplemental handle that provides a better grip when choking up on one or both poles, such as during a sidehill traverse. In contrast, the newer poles have a simple “choker ring” for this purpose. I like the older design better, but this really strikes me as a minor issue. Second, the older poles employ Black Diamond’s venerable Flick-Lock clamp, which has been in use for several decades and has proven to be very reliable. The newer poles, however, employ the latest-generation Flick-Lock Pro clamp, which consists of a low-profile cast aluminum lever and thin steel sleeve. I have extensively used many types of mechanisms on my various trekking poles in rugged environments, and I can confidently say that the Flick-Lock Pro clamp stands far above all other mechanisms in regards to reliability, compactness, durability, ease of use, and even esthetics. Lastly, the new poles include a lockable breakaway strap, and although I have not gotten an opportunity to use it, I can see the benefit.
All in all, I rate the older Razor Carbon ski poles very highly for all of my essential criteria. They are light, strong, adjustable, and well-detailed. The same goes for the newer Razor Carbon Pro ski poles except that they offer the added bonus of employing the best clamping mechanism available on today’s market. Taller skiers who are planning to use either model for kicking and gliding on low-angle terrain might be unsatisfied with the maximum length of 140 cm, but that will be a matter personal preference.
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