ski width: how wide it too wide..?

[fischerfan]

I'm updating my gear to be more BC-oriented, and have selected the Fischer Rebound Crown ski. This ski is pretty wide for an XC ski at 88mm, is this too wide for the typical tracks on the Catamount Trail? I like that it should float and turn well in the untracked stuff, and I can run a pretty short 169 cm length for my weight, but don't want them to not work on the rough-tracks. I understand it's probably too wide for anything machined groomed (those are 70mm, correct?).

So, any opinions on this ski?

[Nick Branch]

In my opinion, it is the most versatile ski on the market for backcountry skiing as it combines an alpine style sidecut with a true double camber. The double camber combined with the “negative” no wax base make this ski fast during kick and glide (for a no wax ski) and the sidecut makes it easy to turn. I have matched mine with an earlier, slightly heavier version of the Karhu Convert 2 and three pin/cable bindings. The Garmont Excursion would improve turning but I think this is slight overkill for the ski.
However, you are correct in that the 88 mm shovel will scrape along the sides of a standard groomed ski track. Perfect ski for most any untracked trails you might find in VT, however.