This is a bad site to promote a sub par backcountry product… A lot of people here live in the mountains and get the goods…. I have been witness to multiple failures of the mnt approach system…. I mean come on! the hinges are garbage! I do understand however snowboarders making a shitty ski pole…

^^^ This is a mnt approach ski pole btw

I have a pair with the opinion of “don’t knock it until you try it”.

I don’t use them!

*Bad build quality
*The touring plate has made large gouges in the non existent topsheet at the pivot point exposing the core
*Snapped hinges

If they were smart they would have made the touring hole pattern the same as the voile one and you could use your split bindings on them and transition the bindings to your solid board for the down (as all bases are covered now for that option with solid board slider plates and the Karakoram quiver killers).

I do use snowshoes

I must admit that I would use snow shoes in Japan (Hokkaido only) more than touring with the split as it easier, but still have my split on my back.
If you were doing to use these , just use a splitboard?
I don’t get it – and I’ve tried it.

@chrishami wrote:

I’m assuming this thread was stimulated by the article today on tgr:
http://www.tetongravity.com/story/snowboard/approach-skis-energy-saving-or-bullshit

they had some funny comments on the facebook page too… plenty of approach skis vs. split hate and skier vs. snowboarder hate.

http://www.facebook.com/tetongravityresearch/posts/10152603987059092

Currently trolling…

@maniacdave wrote:

Focus on your own goddamn product, rather than alienate potential customers

.. It shouldn’t be ‘split vs approach skis’, it should be the right tool for the job.

^this. The title of the article didn’t help, nor did the content of the article focusing on splitboards vs approach skis. I understand the goal is to sell the product, but I don’t think focusing on (questionable) comparisons and passive aggressive shit that mtn approach likes to do is helping their cause.

The over arching vibe of that ‘article’ reads more like an advertisement, and anytime you have to trash another product to sell your own, it’s a good indicator of an under achieving product.

But the most outrageous part IMO was the comparison to transitions. Seriously? if one cannot transition as fast/faster than this setup, they probably shouldn’t be using a splitboard, or even be off piste at all for that matter.

And in case this comes of as hating on the dude, I’m not – I really dig some of his board designs though I suspect we’ll never see something like the the spring break tree hunter in a split 😥 Too bad.

Wait…this isn’t a splitboard site? Ya mean I’ve been posting on a Gawd Dern Derka Der floppy doodle approach ski site since forever!?!!

FooooooK! BCRider…you lied to me! 😯 Ya mean all these @$$holes I now call my brothers that I shred with are floppy doodle plank walkers in disguise….Son OF AAAAAA BeeeeeeecH!

I heard TEX was going to buy them, but when he found out he’d have to take out 8.5lbs of weeeeeeeed for floppy doodle planks….He chose the danks

Back to the discussion, now that I’ve said the SMRT-est thing today.

Besides this…My favorite country song EVER! “don’t nibble on the tip, just take er doooooown!”

Even if the ski worked well, you still pay a weight penalty and have the board on your back. There is also a loss in surface area with the small skis… No thanks :thumbsdown:

I just can’t really imagine a situation where these would be useful or have an advantage over a splitboard

Powsurfing and accessing kicker spots further than a few hundred yards out are a couple use cases. They could also be useful for ducking ropes. It seems that the marketing is moving more toward that than claiming flat out that approach skis are better than better than splitboards.

I’d buy a pair (w/ aluminum hinges and no backpack) for $100 but at $800 it’s not going to happen for me. I like maniacdave’s idea of getting some hinges and putting a set together. Looking at the hinges it looks like you’d have to cut a notch out of each ski. I’m betting there’s other locking hinges out there too that could be repurposed.

Another idea for an approach ski that looks more robust are is the Climb system. They use a sleeved connection which probably has less breakage and flex than the MTN Approach’s. Set up w/ a set of split bindings, it could be a viable short-range solution for the situations listed above. http://www.climb.co.at/

One cool thing about snowboarding is options, from urban to alpine racing to exotic lines. Approach skis are another means to an end and not an end unto themselves (unless you skiblade and then you probably go grocery shopping in roller shoes). At least approach skiers won’t mash out a skin track like snowshoes and boots. As an added bonus, they may even build a kicker for us.