Hi John, I would like to start by asking you what you weigh, how tall are you and how wide you think you would like to have your touring skis be.  The other detail that is important is where do you ski tour mostly.  From a Nelson locals perspective, a powder seeking backcountry skier would be pretty happy with somewhere between 105-120 underfoot width.  My current touring ski is the Volkl Shiro and I chose it because of my body weight, I am over 200lbs, it is a good option for touring in the kootenay area for powder.  If you are lighter I might suggest something like the DPS wailer 112 or Wailer 99, the G3 Empire 115 or ZenOxide Carbon.  From other brands you could enjoy the Volkl Nunataq which was reviewed on the site. 

If all these skis seem super massive then Dynafit, Skilogik G3 and Black Diamond all make very competent lightweight touring skis that are more suited for general touring and mountaineering. 

Let me know some more details and I can better fine tune my answer.

Thx

Robin

Thanks.  I was thinking of the Wailer but heard good things about the Nunatak too.  Also was thinking of the K2 Backdrop.  I am 6 feet, 175 pounds.  I typically ski 110-115 underfoot (my hill skis are the Armada JJ's) with Dynafit setup.  I lived in Golden for many years and skiied extensively at Rogers Pass and Kicking Horse backcountry but now living in Rossland and skiing mostly Rossland range and Kootenay Pass with some Red slackcountry (great skiing but miss the alpine   ).  I used to go pretty lightweight because I was used to backcountry skiing that required a lot of climbing (i.e. Rogers) and was doing a fair bit of ski mountaineering.   The Koots has the heavier snow and less elevation gains (on average) so was thinking of going a little heavier now.  Thanks.

I love my K2 Obsethed. They're reasonably hefty but have never slowed me down on the ups and they pay big rewards on the down. The Obsethed doesn't exist anymore... if I was rich and famous I'd replace it with Seth's new ski the Annex 118. If 118 is too much ski, the Shreditor 112 looks promising.

It would't take you long to find a crushing review on the G3 Onyx bindings, but I've been running mine for a few years without any issue. I really really like them and would recommend them to all. Easy to step into, quick change from touring to ski and back without stepping out of the binding, adjustable riser heights are perfect quick and easly done with your pole and no bendiing over or twisting, they only release when they are really meant to. Haven't had a single failure or mishap with mine. Perfect!

Hey John

Last season I got a pair of Praxis Protests for a trip to Japan over Christmas.  They're set up with the Plum Guide bindings.  I used them mostly at the resorts in Japan (no need to go BC to find outrageous amounts of snow) , but on my return I continue to use these skis for touring.  I've got a lighter set-up (Moment Source with Plum guides), but the Protests are so much fun that I take them along.  The skis come in around 2 kg each, which for touring is definitely on the heavier end of the spectrum, but for me the tradeoff is worth it.  The light binding makes up for the heavier ski, and I find I don't notice "sliding" weight as much as "lifting" weight.  Did some big days last year (1600m +) and never once regretted taking them.

A friend of mine spent a couple of seasons lugging around the Dukes on a set of giant Icelantic skis.  He did find that lifting the weight of the dukes each step made for a much harder day on longer tours.  

Dynafit TLT Raidcal

Black Diamond Justice