[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.