| THE dream of the wilderness skier is to cover ground as quickly and rapidly as the Nordic racer and still have the capability of skiing downhill as powerfully as the Alpine skier. He wishes to skilong river valleys and steep chutes, huge glaciers and powder-coveredforest slopes, long access roads and wide-open bowls. Once a unified sport, skiing has evolved into two distinct forms --Alpine (or downhill) and Nordic (or cross-country). As their namesimply, each is a response to the problems posed by a specific type ofterrain. It is in the mountains of the American West, which combinegreat untracked horizontal expanses with steep alpine terrain, that thedesire for free wilderness travel has stimulated the synthesis of a newway of skiing that combines the pleasures and strengths of its predeces-sors. While Nordic mountain touring is certainly not new, its style isprofoundly changed by much more powerful cross-country downhilltechniques than were used in the past. Techniques and equipment are now available that allow thewilderness skier to ski almost any combination of slope and snowconditions using the lightest, simplest, most mobile, and safest oftouring alternatives: light skis and boots joined by pin bindings. Thisgear is more than merely adequate for mountain travel; it makes possi-ble, surprisingly, a rich downhill skiing experience. It is graceful, fluid,powerful, and exciting. Furthermore, manufacturers are rapidly devel-oping lighter, more effective, and more reliable winter camping equip-ment. When combined with improved Nordic mountain ski techniques,fast, light, long-distance winter trips in remote and varied terrains arenow much easier, safer, and more enjoyable than in the past. A number of different threads have come together to catalyze theemergence of cross-country downhill. There is a great modern surge ofexpert Alpine skiers who have fallen under the spell of wildernesstouring, and they are reluctant to give up the rewards of downhillskiing, even while escaping its problems. Their modern understandingof ski technique, derived from decades of Alpine racing, has rejuve-nated the use of long discarded techniques of the early days of skiing,such as telemark and open turns. Advances in ski design and construc-tion allow durable, light touring skis to be built that run well, edge onhard snow, turn easily, and even carry speed stably. Boots now can be |
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