This report was compiled for the Concept Pro Shop in Chamonix to help their customers decide whether the Movement Alp Tracks 106 is the right ski for them.
I’m a mountain guide, based year-round in Chamonix. In a “normal” year, I work on skis from mid-December through to mid-May in a variety of locations in the European Alps and Arctic latitudes. I do some lift served off-piste, but the majority of my work involves ski touring in some form: side country with lift assistance, day touring from hotels or boats and classic hut to hut touring up to 6 days at a time.
My preferred ski style is medium to long radius turns when I can, though clearly that needs adapting, whether that’s for speed control on steeps or to demo the kind of turn I would like my clients to emulate. I’m comfortable at 45 degrees in normal snow conditions (whatever that means!).
My ski quiver consists of:
- Fischer Ranger 107 for normal off piste, ski safaris and day tours up to about 500m of vertical interval mounted with Marker Alpinists
- K2 Pinnacle 118 for deep powder days, mounted with Marker Kingpins
- For touring over the last 3 years, I’ve been using Movement Alp Tracks 100 mounted with Marker Alpinists
At the end of the 2023 season, Nico Thomas at Concept told me that Movement would be bringing out a 106mm version of the Alp Tracks. I had no hesitation in ordering immediately. A light version of the Fischers, or a wider version of the Alp Tracks 100 would, for me, be the HOLY GRAIL of touring skis.
I also had the opportunity to look at a different type of binding. The Marker Alpinists I’d been using on the Alp Tracks 100 were, in Dr Dave’s opinion, a little long in the tooth. That’s not the exact expression he used 😉. Looking at my records, they’ve done in the region of 120 days of skiing. Always keen to try new kit, I selected the ATK Crest, based on advice from Mathieu and good reports from my guiding colleagues.
First Impressions Before Use
The first impression is clearly one of lightness. A pair of Alp Tracks 106 mounted with ATK crests weighs 3.4 kg as opposed to 5 kg for the Fischer Ranger 107 with Marker Alpinists. There is such a thing as too light, but this didn’t feel in that category. The width is ideal. I haven’t skied on less than 100mm for many years.
The turn radius of 21.5m was certainly in the right zone, and an improvement on the 19m of its 100mm cousin, given my preference for longer turns.
The ATK bindings look well constructed if slightly more industrial than the Markers.
First impressions In Use
I first used the Movement Alp Tracks 106 in early January after spending 6 weeks snowshoeing in Antarctica, so it was with a totally open ski mind. On piste at Le Tour for the first few turns, the tips skittered at the end of the turn, and I briefly wondered if I’d made a mistake, as this was the first time for over ten years that I’d invested in a ski without a test run first.
However, a little extra toe pressure at the finish eliminated that skittering on hard snow. And as soon as I went off piste and into 20cm of slightly settled powder on a firm base, I knew I’d made the right call. The ride is way smoother than that of its 100mm cousin, with more flotation. Since then I’ve used the skis for about a week, switching between the Movements and the Fischers. There’s been a variety of snow: powder, grippy windbuff, sastrugi, hideous sun and wind crust. The Movements have coped well with all of it. They are slightly lighter and more prone to being knocked off course than the Fischers, but the weight saving is fantastic for the uphill and rapid pivoting in mid-air on steep terrain is way easier.
The ATK bindings feel really solid. Like the door mechanism of an expensive car, there is a satisfying chunk when the binding engages with the toe of the boot. The brake locking mechanism feels more robust, though it takes a little getting used to. Thanks Louisa for the tutorial in the shop!
Impressions after 4 months use
After a full season of ski-touring from the south of France to Spitsbergen, I now have an opportunity to report more fully on the Movement Alp Tracks 106 and the ATK Crest 10. I’ll add some comments on the Pomoca skins I’ve been using as well.
Photo: Phil Wickens
The Movement Alp Tracks 106 have gone from good to excellent. Conditions have ranged from 50cm of fresh and light powder in Silvretta to typical dust on concrete firm conditions in Arctic Norway. I’ve also had some ferocious 25cm high sastrugi to deal with and bottomless porridge too. The skis have coped well with all of these, and I’m now fully dialled in to how to get the most out of them. Carving and/or drifting and/or a combination of the two are easy and controllable. I really appreciate the combination of light weight and performance. I was fortunate to meet the Movement design team at the Concept Pro Shop in April, just before my departure to Norway. As one of them wisely said:
“Light weight, high performance, low price.
You can pick two out of the three”
The ATK Crest 10 bindings have been interesting. At the time of purchase, there were no ultra wide brakes available and so I had a size which only just accommodated the 106 underfoot of the Movements. When new, the brakes deployed fairly reliably but, as the season has gone on, this has become less reliable. By the end of 6 weeks of skiing in the Arctic, the brakes weren’t deploying when I took the skis off at all, and needed a sharp sideways kick to do so when taking the skis off for changeover. I never lost the skis during a crash. In fact I never crashed (he says modestly!). But right now I’m not fully confident the brakes would deploy if that happened, hypothetically speaking 😉
One of the brakes has been bent up slightly as well, and this may well be linked to the second issue.
The hook that locks the brake in the up position doesn’t fully engage with the brake wire on one of the bindings. It held in the up position by friction alone rather than a positive engagement. So it wasn’t an issue per se, but less than ideal. The Concept Pro Shop will be replacing the brakes with the wider version and renewing those hooks over the summer recess.
The bindings became stiffer to turn as the season went on, to the extent that I needed gloves on to apply the necessary torque. Thanks to a colleague, I was directed towards the excellent care and maintenance video for the binding from ATK which advises lubrication at the end of the summer and every 30 to 40 days in cases of continuous use. High performance kit often needs frequent maintenance, a small price to pay for high performance and light weight.
Finally, I’ve been using Pomoca skins this season. The suppliers recommended NOT using cheat sheets, which came as a surprise to me. So I’ve given it a go, and the result has been surprisingly good. I marked the skins with permanent marker at their halfway point and fold them together from the middle outwards. In all but the windiest conditions, getting the edges aligned has been relatively straightforward, and it’s one less piece of kit (two actually, if we count cheat sheets as a pair) to mess with. According to Pomoca, it keeps the skin glue in better condition than with the sheet. Yes – some strength is required to separate the skins, but it’s not insurmountable.
So you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Conclusions
The Movement Alp Tracks 106 ticks all my boxes for the perfect touring ski.
The ATK bindings are solid and reliable, while needing some care and maintenance.
Pomoca skins can be used without cheat sheets.
Thanks to Concept Pro Shop for the advice and expertise in sorting this out, probably the best touring setup I’ve ever used.
