Hunting skis

A little about getting around on snow and choices around it

My first hunting skis were a pair of white lightning (Swedish military skis), these were short and stiff which was hardly optimal for loose snow riding.

My other pairs were a pair of wooden skis with a steel edge I bought at a flea market, these were also too short and did not do the job in loose snow.

My third pair was a pair of Tegsnäs hunting skis, one of which was a little shorter as the friend who owned them before me would make a patch throw in a snowmobile track. When one ski had lifted and the throw was about to happen, he lost his balance and tipped forward, the result was that one ski was about 40 cm shorter. As they are 9 feet (2.7 m) long, not the difference so noticeable and these I have ridden many miles on.

Every winter I take these at the beginning and towards the end of the season, they are simply not that careful.

I would not say that Tegsnäs hunting ski is an optimal loose snow ski. It has too steep a slope at the tip and that it is too stiff. An optimal loose snow ski is in my opinion a ski that is made in Norrbotten.
The manufacturer's name is Bo Östergren and he made hunting skis to order. What makes this ski unique is that it is soft and has a softly curved ski tip. When you ride in deep loose snow, you do not need to lift the ski but just bring it forward. The shape and compliance means that it strives upwards by itself. As this is a dedicated loose snow ski, 3 m long and 9 cm wide, it is very difficult to perform on crowds or in steep terrain. On crowds, it likes to slip a little here and there due to the width and on steep slopes, some planning is needed as it is not possible to cut or turn easily due to the length. Unfortunately, it seems that Bo Östergren has retired and whether anyone has taken over is uncertain. However, there is a chance for loose snow skiing. According to information, the olskogen produces a hunting ski called Galav. The model is very reminiscent of Bo Östergrenskidan and has received good reviews from those I consulted with.

A selection of my hunting skis

the hunting skis in the picture, starting from above.
Short wooden skis with steel edge.
Bo Östergren ski.
Tegsnäs ski.
Fischer, long plastic skis.
Fischer, short plastic skis with fish scales underneath.
Snowshoes with solid crampons.
 
As usual, there is no universal solution, but a ski rarely fits everything.
I'm hardly a friend of plastic skis. In my opinion, these are only good on one occasion and it is on loose snow in combination with thaw. Of course I own plastic skis, but they are only used in emergencies, and then with a large portion of hatred for the bakhala things.
Now it should be added that I rarely hunt in clean mountain terrain without a more clean forest landscape, which controls my choice overall.

Landscape Selection

As usual, it is not entirely perfect to have a hunting ski for everything, depending on the landscape you are going to get into and the nature of the snow, it is good to be able to choose based on need. In very hilly terrain and not much snow, Bo Östergren's hunting ski is not optimal, for example. Under those conditions, I like to choose a shorter ski that does not need to have that bearing capacity but is more flexible so that it is possible to cut straight up slopes and so on.
As usual, it is important to try to get an idea of the need before you make your purchases, you save money on that.
 

Maybe not a hunting ski, but still an important means of livelihood

Finally, I use snowshoes for hunting where you can count on having to have dogs on a leash and move in steep terrain. This often coincides with the lynx hunt. One thing to keep in mind before acquiring snowshoes is that they have solid and good ice spikes. They are the ones who will help you get through steep terrain without slipping. Another thing to keep in mind when choosing snowshoes is the size of these. It is easy to take the larger model
(which I did), the result is that you have to walk quite wide-legged so as not to step on your own snowshoes at every step, which becomes very difficult after a while. Especially in loose snow.
  Bo Östergren's hunting ski, Tegsnäs cable tie, Jörnkängan antifreeze. What is stuck on the feet most of the winter.

  

Valla

Personally, I never wallow my wooden skis. I do not feel that it is needed.
On the other hand, I iron them with wood tar every early summer and let them stand so the sun can access and burn it into the wood.
It is good to think about doing this before the insects get started too much. Namely, they have a great predilection for getting stuck in the wood tar before it solidifies.

  

Ski bindings

I have chosen to put Tegsnäs cable tie with tear strap on my hunting skis. The good thing to keep in mind is to have the same binding on all skis that you use, then it is easiest to take the skis that suit the fore or the terrain for the day, but the shoe is the same.
During a winter I tried Tegsnäs binding called epoch, I suspect it would not hold for me. And unfortunately I was right. During a lynx hunt, the binding came loose from the ski and with the help of a dog leash I tied my foot in the ski and managed to get out to a plowed road again.

Hope some of my advice on Hunting Skis has been helpful. / Rasmus