Joseph and his Altai Hok 145 cm backcountry setup
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- Опубліковано 13 жов 2024
- A great day skiing with Joseph and a look at his Altai Hok 145 cm / 75 mm 3 pin binding / Scarpa T4 kit. Beautiful March day in the Bridger National Forest of Wyoming.
Tom is always out playing 🥸…beautiful day..having my morning coffee and wishing to be elsewhere .
New Brunswick Canada 🇨🇦
Thanks for tuning in and for joining us on our outing.
I’ve been skiing Hoks with three-pin bindings and Alpina Alaska boots for a number of years now. I use a single long pole. They’re excellent here in central Ontario where the hills are short and often fairly steep with lots of thick brush. No messing with skins and very maneuverable amongst the trees. I envy you your beautiful terrain and snow.
Joseph was having a blast with them, the steeper the better. Thanks for tuning in and for posting feedback.
Shoutout to Central ON! Do you hit LL, Nickel Peak, other spots? Tough season for runs, this past one...
@@carminealfano8559 Okay, you interest me strangely, Carmine. What is LL, and where is Nickel Peak? I mostly just ski within a half hour of home (Lakefield). And last year, almost all of my skiing was basic cross country on rossignol BC65s.
@@UkuleleSioni LL is Limberlost. Some nice terrain around you, in the Kawarthas! Haven't tried skiing on Hoks (at least not with a proper binding like you have) but sounds like a ton of fun.
@@UkuleleSioniI have BC65s as well. Did you find you had limitations on slopes that the Hoks are better for?
I had a pair of koms and in soft snow the absolutely rip!
Those are some beautiful turns, you guys! Thanks for taking us along!
Thanks for watching and I appreciate the kind words.
This channel is fantastic Tom, it's great to see you and the people you meet just doing what you love and having fun. I'm planning on taking a dive into XCD/freeheel style skiing next year and this channel has been a valuable resource for exactly the type of winter adventures I'm after. Cheers!
I'm sure you will have lots of fun if you decide to make the leap into XCD skiing. Thanks for tuning in and I appreciate the positive feedback.
These are my skis! :) Perfect for Quebec steep trees, especially with a single pole which enables parallel turning (I built my pole to be able to split into two for climbs…telemark talk post in the works). I can only do a tele on fresh untouched snow (like this video), and those conditions are rare as Bigfoot. In slightly less optimal situations on steep black diamond-like trails, the parallel turn is essential for me.
Thanks for posting your experience with these skis and for tuning in.
Ive been curious about the hoks for awhile thanks for the vid!
Thanks for tuning in. Joseph was having lots of fun skiing them, especially on the steeper terrain.
Thanks for another great review, Tom. I bet I'd like these. Maybe see you out there this year. 🙂
Thanks for watching and I hope to see you on the trail
Awesome video
Glad you enjoyed it
I have ski OAC XCD GT 160 cm mounted with telemark binding and having à lot of fun with. Climb well with integrated skins and glide Well when downhill maybe not as much as a fischcale ski but it perform well in our eastern mountains.
Thanks for posting your experience with the OAC skis. I'm sure others will find your experience with them helpful.
Nice - looks like you guys had a great day skiing great snow! Hope you’re getting more of that in this year.
Thanks Stefano. Be sure to watch Monday's drop (3/20). It is the deep pow video where I was skiing the Objectives and Tom H was on his HyperVectors. Watching him float on the powder pushed me to set up a pair for XCD.
I own a pair of the old Karhu Karvers which are 135 cm in length
Joseph is on the right track pairing them with more powerful boots. Even in soft snow keeping these skis from getting overpowered by the ski is hard. On hard know it is nearly impossible.
Also, these skis are finicky in the spring. They glop up something fierce once the skins wet out in conditions with snow above and below freezing.
i bought the shorter Hoks with universal bindings and the tiak. I do enjoy them a LOT. next year i will get the Koms with a 3pin
Yeah I had so much fun with these skis, I like them for skiing in tight forets. The OAC compagnie makes a 160cm and it has a pretty good glide as well.
I've heard a lot about these skis over the years, but it is the first time I've seen them in person. They look like the perfect tool for very steep treed terrain.
I just had a couple seasons with touring x country skis. But, they are long and if there is anything wet unfrozen underneath the snow those long skis will find it and lo and behold you have ice and a snowball forming on your steel edge. Then that's going to take 10 minutes at least to remove and have dry. I said "fuq it" and sold all of it. Plus it was hard on my knees. Now I miss it and am thinking about the hoks.
Hi Mike. There certainly are snow conditions that can be frustrating when touring off trail. When the conditions are great, it is an amazing experience. Most skiers tend to avoid skiing when the conditions are difficult, and those conditions can vary depending on the region, time of year and even the time of day. I don't have any ski experience with the Hoks as this is the only time I've skied with someone using them. I know that Joseph skis traditional skis as well. Skiing can be hard on the knees, so if you reenter this sport, be sure to take it easy and consider the use of knee braces for extra support. Best of luck and I hope you have a great week.
You too!@@tomm9850
Great video. I just ordered the KAR 149 from OAC. What kind of boot woukd you recommend for their universal bindings?
I have Parkinsons, just had the dbs surgery dec 8th. I live 11 miles cuchara mtn where its free to skins up and the runs are just short greens and blues. Along with that, i have never had a winter sport. So stay outdoor active os gonna be awesome! Thanks fir sharing the video!
@robloontens2994 My goodness. I had to Google dbs surgery to learn more about your situation. Kudoos to you for taking on a new challenge and even though I don't have any personal experience with either Parkinsons, treatment or therapy, I think you made the right choice in picking a skin based ski to start your winter adventure. There are a few users who do ski this type of ski who have posted below, so you might post a comment directly to them using their @username in response to their comment. I think they will get a notification directly from UA-cam. You could also post the question over on telemarktalk.com as I know there are a few users over there. I don't know if OAC has a forum or Facebook page, but if so, be sure to use those resources as well. Thanks for tuning in and best wishes on your journey.
Those hoks are cool, but the Koms seem like the better choice if you want to make turns.
but they don't uphill nearly as well I assume.
I’d say the Koms are a better choice for better glide on lower-angled slopes. For tight, steep turns, I’d take the Hoks-with the single pole.
I picked up Hok's this year as a way to get into telemarking as a skier and a snowshoer. I'm currently using the included "snowboard" style binding that goes on hiking boots, and was weighing my options for a binding system to commit to. Sounds like I should go 75mm 3 pin.
Do you mean the "universal binding," or did you find a binding that will take an adult sized snowboard boot? These would be a good way for a snowboarder to ascend in the backcountry as splitboards are so heavy.
That's the route I would go, you can also pick yourself up a set of Nordicstep 3pins for $80 (they're on sale right now), they're a universal to 3pinn NNC etc adapters that allow you to still use regular shoes with any associated ski. You go that route you'll have a proper 3pin boot setup for control, but also retain the option to haul the skis around with your regular shoes or just let a friend borrow them.
For what it's worth Black Diamond makes their own version called the "Glide lite", they're easier to find than the HOK and a little cheaper, still have proper metal edges, but the Hoks have a more aggressive tip rocker designed for deep powder, the glidlites I would say are better for more adverse terrain and will have slightly better edge control because of the increased contact area. I actually put a 3pin AT binding setup on my Glidelites believe it or not, that allowed me to use crampons and turn them into a proper gnarly terrain snow shoe setup. I can assent steep nasty terrain like any full skin ski could with the setup, but I think I might switch it over to a 3pin setup and use it for more gradual terrain. I def want to pick up a pair of Hoks and try them out at some point.
@@brucewebber3412 no no i meant the universal
@@benlzicar7628 Hok's aren't hard to find, but the stock on the website does tend to sell out fairly often. When they get stock in the fall you gotta jump on it or else you wait till later in the season for the 2nd batch
I use the HOK's as ski shoe with universal binding. They are very easy to walk uphill in deep snow. Because of 'normal' boots and universal binding I find them hard to turn downhill.
Joseph's skis had a 75 mm 3 pin binding and he was skiing Scarpa T4 plastic boots, which would offer ample support and downhill control. I think that is great combo for those wanting to use the skis for downhill touring.
The fixed skins work well for climbing but make for a lot of resistance on the descent. But some people will like that if they want to go slower.
I own a pair of Black Diamond GlideLites, their version of this ski. They def drag on the downhill, which means you can have fun in the steep sections that teles will avoid, but you will really slow on the lower stuff.
Surprisingly enough they glide just as well as scales on groomed trails from my experience, it's pretty amazing actually! I could get a proper kick step rhythm in and keep up with the XC folks, certainly can't get away skate skiing with them however, as tempting as it is with their short length :D
@Ben Lzicar Thanks for posting your experience. There seems to be a lot of interest in this category of ski and I'm sure others will find this information helpful.
Using skin conditioner on the molehair skins increased my glide by a ton without compromising the 'grip' of the molehair when striding.
I have the 145 Hoks with universal bindings, great for walking and snow shoeing with regular hiking books but very limited control and manoeuvrability in hard/icy conditions typical of Tasmania. I’m wondering how they’d go with the Xplore binding and the Alaska boot? We often have to do a fair bit of bushwalking to get up to good snow, so having a reasonably walkable boot would be awesome, save having to carry a second pair.
I hope that Joseph reads this and posts a reply as I haven't skied this combination and I don't know if the Alaska / Xplore would offer better control.
I'm trying to score a pair of Marquette Backcountries that have a similar length but traction base like the Voile BC skis. No metal edges but who needs them in snow like that!
I hope you are able to find a set. I've not skied or seen the Marquette Backcountries, but they sound like an interesting design.
Probably a silly question but I wonder if would it make sense to wax the hok's skins for a better glide? How much this will degrade their climbing ability?
Not much if you wax exclusively from tip to tail lightly...stops nearly all ice/snow buildup...
Those are very interesting. They might work well for me but I wish I had the opportunity to try them before buying. I will ask my friends if anyone has them.
I think this is one piece of equipment that one would either love or hate, depending on the conditions. If there ever is a time that you choose snowshoes over your skis because of difficult snow conditions or terrain, these might be a better choice.
@@tomm9850 A friend of mine just loaned me the LL Bean version at 120 cm with NNNBC bindings. I'm trying them now. We just got a foot of snow! Breaking trail will be difficult regardless of equipment.
*** OK here's an update. 120 cm is just too short for my weight. I think the 145 cm would be better. Also I tried climbing a mountain with them and gave up after 900 ft elevation because the built in skins did not provide enough grip. There really is no way to add more skin. Also, I found I did not enjoy the ski experience as much as regular skis. I think this concept would be fine as a replacement for snowshoes in thick forests as long as you limit yourself to rolling hills and flats. They are faster than snowshoes.
I'd love to see you try the Hoks and hear your thoughts.
They need a pretty steep slope to slide properly given the snow conditions we were skiing. That can either be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the terrain. Based on the comments posted, it sounds like the perfect ski for many people. I'm betting that Julie would love them.
Is Joseph on the taller or shorter side? He looks like he skis those Hoks much better than I do, which is not surprising for a number of reasons, but I wonder if 145cm is just a little to short for taller folks when conditions are faster or less ideal for control. I hesitate to get up too much speed with them because I feel like they’ll turn out from under me and send me over the handlebars. They’re great sometimes, though!
I hope Joseph will post in response, but you are much taller than both of us.
@@tomm9850 This is Joseph, I'm 5'7" and 170 lbs. Your concern is valid, I do more face plants with the Hoks than any other ski in my quiver. Part of the problem is the skin does tend to brake more than scales when snow density changes across the slope. In soft low density powder no problem, but when the snow gets heavy, watch out.
I heard about russian trapper skis almost identical