Top touring skis | Randonnee skis

Find the right top touring skis with our guide

De In the last 20 years, top-tour skiing has really taken off . When the first snow falls, those who go on a summit trip are usually the first to pick up their skis. They have  equipment that is lightweight for the ascent (on trail skins) and which also performs well downhill. 

Classic Toptour/Randonneé skis

Choose top touring skis with a waist of 80-90mm and which are 5-10 cm shorter than yourself. Here the focus is on views outside the lift system and exercise in winter scenery and not so much on downhill skiing.

Pin-tech bindings are the best choice. Weight of each piece of equipment is important here as you will be traveling a longer distance.

Boots with pin-tech inserts of a medium hard flex (100-110) and the maximum walking function of 50-55° movement of the shaft for maximum freedom when you walk. WTR soles (full rubber soles that boots have) often come on such boots. Recommended model: Dynamit Radical, Dinafit Seven Summits, Scott Celeste, Scott Cosmos.

The poles should be of the telescopic type and preferably of carbon fiber and with a long handle in foam and with wide snowshoes for loose snow.

Freeride touring

Here you choose stiffer skis with carbon fiber and titanium reinforcements with a waist of 90-115mm. The length of skis should be the same as your body height.

Bindings here should be of hybrid type (where the front part can be converted from frame on pin-tech) such as Marker Duke PT, Salomon / Atomic Shift MNC or frame bindings such as Marker Tour / Baron or Tyrolia Adrenalin and the like.

Boots with or without pin-tech inserts depends on the type of binding and on the hard flex (120-130) with walking function of at least 45° movement of the shaft for maximum freedom when you go up. Soles with gripwalk often come on such boots. Recommended model: Dynamit Hoji Free, Head Kore, Dalbello Lupo, Lange XT3, Nordica Strider, …

Here, the focus is not so much on weight, but more on downhill performance in freeride landscapes.

Safety here is the most important part. Said bindings have a good release function when skiing downhill and power transmission. The risk of an avalanche is much greater, and in that case an avalanche probe, avalanche transmitter and backpack with airbag is a recommendation to acquire.

The poles should be of the telescopic type and preferably of carbon fiber and with a long handle in foam and with wide troughs.