A BCX SETUP FOR MAXIMUM FLOW

And 9 reasons to be an underbiker (in spirit)

PART 1: AN ARGUMENT FOR UNDERBIKING

Underbiking is not just a literal thing you do on a bike. It’s also a metaphor for the (common) proclivity some of us have for underpreparedness, minimalism and discomfort on purpose, even when it’s not technically necessary, maybe because it’s not technically necessary.

If a (non-cardiogoth) regular person at a casual social engagement, say a barbecue for example, asked me why I would choose to underbike my way through life, when as a culture, we’ve achieved a kind of sporting goods technology zenith, I would say…

Because I’m lazy, and I think tools are icky, and historically speaking, I’ve built a kind of personal brand out of self-sabotage: single-speed mountain bike racing even tho gears exist, fixed gear drop bar bikes for single-tracking, leaning into adrenal gland blowout caused by the intersection of alcoholism, poor planning and competitive endurance sports, a fear of making lists and/or spreadsheets, denied but applied ADHD, etc.

I’m (truth) joking; clearly it goes deeper.

The more I explore the concept of Metaphysical Fitness, the more I realize Subject Athletes do things and experience things naturally and unconsciously, as a literal byproduct of exercise in the outdoor world, that are innately life-sustaining.

Turns out, underbiking has real utility:

1. Anti-Fragility (Nassim Taleb) – The idea that exposing oneself to challenge and unpredictability builds resilience and adaptability.

2. Minimalist Adventuring (Ultra) – A philosophy of traveling with the bare essentials (or even less) to enhance spontaneity and problem solving.

3. Wabi-Sabi (Japanese Aesthetic) – Embracing imperfection and incompleteness, which could apply to an intentionally "unfinished" approach to preparation.

4. Alpinist Philosophy (Alpinism) – Many climbers and explorers value "pure" experiences, such as climbing in "alpine style" (carrying minimal gear and supplies) versus expedition-style, which relies on heavy support.

5. Improvisation (Bushcrafters) – The art of making do with what’s available rather than over-preparing.

6. "Embracing the Suck" (Military Slang) – The mindset of willingly enduring challenges and difficulty until achieving the state of Comfort with Discomfort.

7. Radical Self-Reliance (Burning Man) — The idea of relying on your own inner resources, rather than relying on others.

PART 2: MY BCX SETUP FOR UP, DOWN, AND OVER WITH MAX FLOW

ICYMI, next month I’ll be thru-skiing the 300-mile Catamount Trail through Vermont’s Green Mountains from Massachusetts to Canada, and publishing an episodic video series, in real time, as I Fuck Around Find Out my way north.

With very few exceptions, every photo, story, and video I’ve seen regarding the Catamount Trail features people on tele skis with tele bindings. Big bois coming in at 90 plus underfoot with lots of cables and ancient plastic boots, all of which seems like serious OVERBIKING for a state where the highest mountain is under four thousand feet, buuuuuuuut then again, as an Appalachian American, I know from firsthand experience that shit gets steep, real steep, in the East.

Here’s what the internet has to say about the very varied types of surfaces, conditions and terrain you’ll experience from day to day as you make your way through all 31 sections of the 300-mile trail.

“The Catamount Trail in Vermont is considered a backcountry ski trail with varying levels of steepness, featuring sections with significant climbs and descents, especially in remote areas, requiring climbing skins for steeper parts, while other sections may follow groomed touring center trails or snowmobile routes with less incline; overall, it's a challenging trail with a mix of steep terrain and more moderate stretches depending on the section you're on.”

Ten years ago, I skied five sections of the Catamount in the Bolton Valley zone, and yeah, that description tracks.

The truth is that BCX, like ATB, is a hybrid sport for hybrid places, so even if they wanted to (and they don’t…yet), Big Nordic designers and engineers can only do so much in terms of making equipment that solves all your problems and meets all your needs. Bottom line: if you’re trying to go up, over and down, at basically the same time with basically the same exact shit, there will be sacrifices. Also, like with many outdoor sports such as surfing, mountain biking and AT, specific set-ups can and will come down to the intersection of a specific spot with specific conditions in a specific moment.

I’ve spent 345346234623 hours over the last three years looking at everything kit-wise, from the obvious like Telemark and back-country nordic, to skimo, skate, XCD and AT, and here’s where I netted out.

SKIS:

Figuring out the ski part of a solid BCX ski setup is actually pretty fun because there are dozens of super dialed and dope options, none of which represent any meaningful compromise.

For something like this, where you’ll spend very little time on groomed trails and/or skiing in tracks, committing to a wider ski with more float and stability is a no-brainer. Metal edges for breaking trail and more control are also a no-brainer. Really the only decisions are how long—longer is better but longer is also harder in tight places, like low-angle thrashing it through the trees, and when forced to kick-turn on steep AF uphills—and skins vs traction base.

For me flow is everything, transitions are death, and so traction base is an absolute must. I think skins are technically better than traction bases for going up super steep shit, but I’m fat and can stomp good, and I will do anything, be it genuine technique or just freestyle English’ing (aka “humping”) it up the climbs, to avoid putting skins on. That said, I will bring skins just in case. I’ve used skis with race skins that are only half the length of your ski and mount in the center, under your foot, such that you can leave them on all day, every day, and they were fine and didn’t feel demoralizingly sluggish, buuuuuuut again, I prefer a traction base, which I feel are faster, and I don't mind the noises they make—in fact, I think they’re cute.

I was between Voile BC Endeavours, Asnes Combat Natos, Salomon Escape Outback 83s and Altai Koms.

BOOTS AND BINDINGS:

Boots and bindings really are a chicken or the egg kinda deal, because not everything is compatible with everything else. For example, if I could, I would use high-end skate boots in a telemark binding, which is decidedly NOT A THING. So you either need to think about boots and bindings in tandem, or have a feeling that one is more important than the other, which is also not a thing.

The reality is, you gotta start by making a decision between a Telemark system or a Nordic backcountry system.

Telemark kit goes up good, and down good, but does over less good. Nordic does over good, and up good, but down, less good. So, do you wanna crush the overs or the downs? Do you wanna deal with long climbs and fire road sections on a full-suspension mountain bike, or feel sketched-out trying to navigate a steep, single-track descent on a drop-bar bike?

In the end, and not surprisingly, I got it down to a lightweight telemark option or the ballerest, most rugged backcountry nordic option; which also happens to be the newest and latest tech from Big Nordic.

Telemark Option: Voile Switchbacks—a lightweight, cable optional, 75mm (3pin) binding. With Scarpa T4s— a legendary and iconic low-top, hardshell plastic boot.

Nordic Option: Rotefella Xplors—a binding designed for kicking and gliding aaaaaaaand low consequence telemark turns; basically a lightweight inverted version of a tech toe; the AT gold standard. With Alfa Free A/P/S GTX—a super lightweight hybrid high-top boot with boas and low-key sex appeal.

Snow conditions are an unknowable factor. Skiing with a fully loaded pack on, something I’ve never really done for any length of time/distance, is also an issue as stability is paramount.

TBH, even as recently as 10 days ago I was thinking about literally flipping a coin.

LAST-MINUTE SUPER-WELCOMED KNOWN UNKNOWN THAT MADE MY DECISION EASY:

In the course of doing this project, I learned that Salomon has updated their backcountry Escape collection for 2026 by making the setup even more BCX, which was great news for two reasons—this project is now sponsored by Salomon, and that confirms it, BCX is the future.

The ski has metal edges, mad tip float and a traction base, which is all I need to know about it, which is handy because that's literally all I know about it. The BCN (backcountry nordic) binding is all new. I don't know about the poles. The boots will be updated shortly, but for this project we’ll be in the current Escape Outback boot, which is effectively a lace-up and slightly more trad version of my Alfa Frees. Beyond that, I either don't know or can’t share because I’m now officially a part of BIg Nordic which means I can’t just share future-forward innovations and tech at will.

If you want more context, here are ALL the relevant factors that went into my BCX set-up R&D.

1. I have epicantus folds so I’m genetically good at nordic pursuits like hunting “stuff” in low, flat light.

2. Forced to ski many many times throughout the 1980s with Pete and Pat on an ancient, trad kit. West Virginia in the winter cracks. But experience was mid.

3. From back fives over gaps in the park in the 90s to the playful smashing of sidehill shits and laying deep trenches on groomers under the chair for maximum flex, I do snowboarding.

4. In 1993 I went snowshoeing for the first and last time in Big Bear, California. I don't like walking and that experience felt a lot like walking, only colder and with more plodding and tripping. Has schlep energy.

5. Shortly after moving to Portland in 1997, I bought a set of Fischer BCX skis with a traction base and metal edges, SNS bindings, and a yellow hybrid boot. I skied them for about ten years all over Mt Hood and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on a mix of hiking trails, nordic trails and fire roads. The setup was kinda dope for up and over but “sucked it” on the downs. Got my first taste for BCX. Learned to make functional-but-visually-gross tele turns, despite lame bindings making it hard to drive ski.

6. In 2006 I bought a very expensive skate ski set-up and used it two and a half times before selling it on Craigslist, because skating, while ripping fast, is stupid because it requires groomed trails, fees/passes/tickets, and busy parking lots.

7. Sometime in the early aughts, Big Nordic stopped innovating because the only people that continue to need/want/use XC skis live in Portland, Oregon and the only time they use them is when it snows enough to “ski” through the neighborhood streets on their way to the Whole Foods, and the existing tech is adequate enough for that.

8. In 2015 I flew to Vermont, rented some skis from a shop in Montpelier and skied 5 sections of the Catamount on skis without a traction base, forcing me to use skins, which was miserable and frustrating.

9. Since 2021, I’ve spent no less than 7d 18h 37m on the Telemark Talk forum researching XCD and BCX.

10. In 2021 I bought a very expensive AT ski setup featuring Black Crows skis (the red ones), tech toes and cute blue Dynafit boots. I used the setup twice in the backcountry of South Lake Tahoe. Going up felt only marginally better than snowshoeing, and locking my heel down broke my brain and spirit. Also, I was not into all the avalanche stress or the necessary equipment to manage all the avalanche stress. I sold the setup two weeks later on Craigslist for considerably less than I paid.

11. In 2022 I found out splitboard tech was finally good, so I bought a setup after spending no less than 345 hours researching my options. Jones Ultralight, Key Equipment Disruptive Boots, Karakorm Guide HB bindings and Plum tech toes. I’ve used this setup once in the backcountry and 17 times in the front country where it doesn't actually make sense, I hate myself.

12. In 2023 I discovered Tom M’s Youtube channel. Tom is a snow wizard from Wyoming with an enchanting voice and beta for days. He mounts every possible configuration of bindings and skis possible and skis them in the Tetons or whatever behind his house.

13. In 2023, I bought a set of Ansnes Combat Nato’s with race skins, Rotefella Xplor bindings and Alfa Free A/P/S GTX boots. I also bought a set of Voile BC Ultravectors with traction base and mounted a set of Xpolor bindings to those too.

14. After years of researching the intersection of skate, nordic, skimo, AT, tele, BCX and XCD, what's clear is that brands are slowly but surely beginning to innovate again and almost all of it is focused around adventure and exploration, ipso facto BCX. So, that’s cool.

15. Speaking of which, no other brand is as singularly focused on BCX as Atlai Skis, founded by Nils Larson. Their welcomed, old school approach to a website has a TON of information and thought exercises such as “what about skiing with one pole like SUP bros do when they surf actual waves?”

Love,
Daniel