Surplus skis

[Inabell]

Does anyone know anything about the military skis sold on ebay or in surplus stores (written up as either Asnes and Karhu)? The ebay ones are described as camber and a half with a side cut of 87-71-78.

[Tomd]

300WinMag (Eric) has the Asnes-his are 210, which seems to be the commonly available size for these skis. He posts on another site I belong to more than here, so I sent him a PM about your request.

[Inabell]

Here is a litttle more info on the skis.

The skis that are purported to be Karhus are described as follows…
•   210cm Length
•   Classic Sidecut of 87-71-78
•   Black, Waxable P-Tex Base (No "Fishscales")
•   Full Steel Edges for Better Control
•   Camber-and-a-Half Design for Easier Turns
•   Urethane Foam-Core Sandwich Construction
•   All White (Camo) Fiberglass Top Sheet Minimizes Ice Build-Up
•   Grommetted Hole at the Tip for Rigging a Makeshift Sled or Litter

The other skis are described like this…

"These universal skis are built with elements of both cross country skiing, and downhill skiing in mind. They are slightly wider like a downhill ski, but they have an arch, and a center groove like a cross country ski. Our government had these skis manufactured in Straumsnes, Norway, by “ASNES”- Skifabrikk A/S. These skis are tapped for bindings (bindings not included), and have a wood core, tap and torsion box construction. Color: White. All with a 75/65/70 sidecut.

[norton]

I bought two pair of the 20cm Asnes skis from this site: http://store.colemans.com/cart/us-gi-cross-countrydownhill-skis-2-pair-p-2120.html

According to the web site description they have a 75-65-70 sidecut but otherwise seem to match the decsription you gave.

They seem like very good skis, I'm planning on having bindings mounted to a pair tomorrow.  Can't test them until it snows.

[norton]

I'm resurrecting this thread to file a review on the asnes skis I got from Colmans.  I found a pair of leather Alico boots in my size on Sierra Trading Post for about $150 and got a set of the Voile three pin bindings with removable heel coils for $85 and a set of black diamond black diamond flip lock two piece poles that adjust up to 155cm.  I haven't done much skiing in almost 30 years and haven't used waxable skis in even longer but I got them all set up and waxed and took them out to a nearby state park over the weekend after we got about six inches of snow.  The temperature was in the 20's F.  Everything  worked great.  I didn't try the heel coils, but after I get up to speed and find a decent downhill I will.  The skis worked good in powder and after i made a track they worked great.  I need to work on my down hill turns alot, but they were much easier to control than any x-country skis I have used in the past.

By the way, Colmans also sells strap on skins that fit these skis for $10.  I bought a pair and they fit well, but I haven' used them yet.  Also, haveing been out of the sport for a lot of years, and never having used backcountry equipment, I found this site invaluable in helping to choose and find the equipment I ended up buying.  It was exactly what I have been looking for.

[yardsale]

Some thoughts on these skis.

The camber has little to do with the turning ability of a ski.  1.5 camber will help the ski glide more but if you are trying to pull a sled this is irrelevant.

The side cut is what determines the "turnibility" of a ski.  These skis have minimal sided cut and will not turn very well except for a step turn or snowplow.

Foam core skis can be prone to breaking in half if the quality control is poor and the foam is not distributed completely in the ski. Early Karhus had this problem.  All in all I would prefer a wood core ski for optimal reliability in the backcountry.

Steel edges are nice for maintaining edge control on ice and hardpack.

[norton]

The ones I got are wood core Asnes.  The better control (turning ability) I'm seeing is more from the stiffer boots and bindings and the better float from the wider skis.  In my area (northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin) I'm not going to be carving down a mountain side, but it does help with a curve or turn on a downhill trail.

[Sno-trax]

Norton,

I am new to winter activities, just moved to Minn this past yr.
Anyway am interested in a further review from you on the surplus skis,
as they seem like a good deal for someone starting out and on a tight budget.

I am thinking the skis with berwyn bindings would be a good compromise
for snowshoeing and bc /trail ski here in Minn.

Tks,
Sno-trax

[norton]

I really like these skis.  the only concern I would have for a beginner is that they are waxable.  You'll have to have someone mount the bindings and you should probably have them put on the initial coat of glide wax for you.  I don't find putting grip wax on a chore, but it is one more uncertainty for a beginner.

I would not recommend berwyn bindings.  They may be good for backcountry skiing in really cold or wet weather where you want to wear you're packboots, but they give you almost no control on any downhill.  Part of the problem is that most pack boots don't fit tight enough.  It's difficult to do more than shuffle forward in berwyns, they don't hold the boots tight enough.  They are nice for providing skis to groups that don't have ski boots because you don't have to worry about sizing, but they're not real good for skiing.  Plus they cost around $115 and you can get nice 75mm voile three pins for around $55.  You'll have to buy boots that fit though.  You might be better off buying boots and bindings locally where you can check the fit.

You could buy the swiss army skis that come with bindings and poles for $19.99 on the colman site.  I think you could use those bindings with stiffer hiking or climbing boots and they would be ok for cross country skiing.  You wouldn't be happy with them long term, but it would be a cheap way to get started.  I haven't seen the ones offered by colman in person, but if they're like others I've seen (and they look to be) they're heavy and have no camber or side cut.

I really like the set up I have.  If you can find a pair of boots that fit and fit those bindings that's what I would recommend.

[norton]

These are the swiss army skis I mentioned in the previous post.  http://store.colemans.com/cart/skis-swiss-army-p-1753.html  They're different form the swiss army skis from sportsman's guide in the other thread.

[Mangrove]

The Finnish Defence Forces is selling their old stock of Karhu skis, these particular ones were made in 1988. Unfortunately most of them are built for loads only up to 100 kg.

[exophysical]

The Finnish Defence Forces is selling their old stock of Karhu skis, these particular ones were made in 1988. Unfortunately most of them are built for loads only up to 100 kg.

Those look quite a bit different than the Millsurp Karhu skis that I just bought. The shape of the tip is quite different, mine are fairly flexible but it seems to help them do better in deep snow. If theres any crust even when my feet break through, the tips seem to want to stay on top. Mine are 87-70-80 and 190 cm long, I'm pretty happy with them so far.

[michaelpitter]

Hi,
I also brought similar type of ski from location ski avoriaz . So far these are the best skis I have used. Initially I thought that the shape is a bit different so will I be able to manage properly but it worked great for me.