The Alpina Cross Terrain Touring Ski boasts a short length, huge sidecut, and grippy waxless base for the ultimate combination of light alpine performance and cross-country touring convenience. The Cross Terrain is a wonderful, mysterious beast—a cross-country ski that turns and floats like a telemark stick, yet climbs and grips like a Nordic touring ski. Its lightweight foam and wood core and waxless base will have you grinning like a fool as you sprint uphill, while the poppy flex and deep sidecut will make you hoot and holler coming down. Alpina specs these for NNN BC bindings, which means you could use any NNN BC boot with the Cross Terrain, but we recommend something with a little more beef to put it on edge and really enjoy it.
Alpina Nails It !
I am 52 years young and have been backcountry skiing for 30 years. If I had skis like these in the old days, I might not be so torn up from crashing every which way but loose! As soon as I realized these skis have the most sidecut and most width of any current waxless ski, I knew I must try them. Best skiing choice of my life. They float, they glide, they turn very well, and do they ever climb! I am skiing one size shorter than recommended for my weight and am very happy with the glide. Our local conditions are steep and deep crud, crust, slop, heavy powder, you name it we have it. I love these skis! Have fun, macbobster
great skis for backcountry downhill
As others have mentioned, these skis are great climbers. If you can zigzag while going up, you probably don't need skins most of the time. They are turny. Since they have waxless patterns, you have to accept the zzzzz sound-vibration that comes up while sliding on hard surface. Don't expect them to be good on a flat terrain, you will cross it at jogging snowshoes speed!
Waxless that works!
Have never had a waxless that lived up to my expectations until I tried the Cross Terrain. I matched them with Voile Switchbacks and Scarpa T3 and very pleased with the whole setup, I still carry skins for the steeps but have yet to use them. This Light Tele, Heavy Touring rig is quite versatile for moderate terrain.
Just what I was looking for!
Only had 'em out once so far, so it's an initial review. Mounted BD Riva Z Comp bindings on the 178cm skis. Using Rossignol BC X9 boots, took them out in Spring conditions for some runs on a fairly mellow run (probably 30 degrees). First off, they climb great. They hold going up hill better than any ski with scales that I've ever used. This is such a big deal to me. I've got some Atomic Sierra skis with metal edges that are USELESS going up hill. What's the point of having a metal edged ski if you can't climb up a hill? Anyway, the Cross Terrains obviously can't climb like skins, but they're a great alternative if it's not super steep, and it's SO much easier than messing with skins. Made really nice tele turns coming downhill in soft, somewhat heavy untracked. They turn very easily. I can't review their edge hold on harder snow based on my one experience with them. Next up is to try them with my plastic tele boots. From their substantial feel, I suspect that they'll be wonderful. These skis are a really nice backcountry alternative when you want to save weight and energy, but still want some downhill performance.
Almost what you are dreaming of....
I am a telemarker. I live in the continuation of the Green Mountains in Canada (the Sutton Mountains). I have skins, and have used them day skiing and multi-day touring, but found them a real pain in the rolling terrain. I found I was always missing out on the little sections of 4 or 5 nice turns, just because the skins were on (on the way to higher skiing). I knew there were cross country skis that were wax less, but didn't think they made anything I would want to backcountry tele on. When I found these online, they really seemed ideal, especially for quick little jaunts out the backdoor, when you really don't feel like fiddling with skins and then bringing a pack to carry them in. I have used them 4 half days now, in a variety of conditions, and I am happy with them. I used them in very sloppy wet snow, they worked really, really well, and I suspect the skins would start to be problematic after lunch with all the moisture. I also used them a few days later when the wet snow froze, and we got another 15cm (6in) of pretty light snow on top. I was climbing relatively steeply on a hiking trail, and did notice that since the scales were only about 1/2 the ski (under the boot...i.e. no scales on tip or tail), you did tend to slip on occasion, especially when there was a depression under the ski, and your weight was at the tip and tail mostly (where skins would grip). I also used them in just below freezing weather, on a pretty firm base, no ice, and they were almost perfect. Here, having a bit of a brake while skiing in the trees is nice. I would recommend them, and I would say that any shortcomings vs. skins are more than made up for in their overall performance and convenience. Scarily the wax seemed to outperform everything.
