I didn't think those Velcro straps were a big deal, but my salesman at REI said they are great for keeping my skis together. He was very knowledgable and within a half hour I was out the door with my skis, poles, boots, and even a pair of Velcro straps for securing both skis together in order to carry them. I told the salesman that I wanted a packaged ski deal and he went right to work educating me on the various ski items I would need. I didn't know the difference between any of the brand named skis that REI sold, but for some reason I was attracted to the Fisher Spider 62's. When I walked into REI I went right for the skis. As a matter of fact, I picked them up the day after Michigan was dumped on by the first major snowfall in 2017! I recently picked them up at REI Outfitters in Troy, Michigan. You wouldn’t go wrong with either of these skis.Well, here goes, my review of my Fischer Spiders XC skis. There’s still plenty of snow in the woods so grab some skis and get out there. If you want the option of being able to ski at a groomed touring center, the Spider 62 is narrow enough to stay in a groomed track. The Outback 68 would provide a bit more stability but the Spider is no slouch. pack on the Catamount Trail in Vermont-both things I have done. I feel like they would each be appropriate for a more serious endeavor like pulling a sled thru Baxter State Park or carrying a 40 lb. Each ski held up well to several long days breaking trail through deep snow. They climb great and handled the deep snow very well. I used NNN backcountry touring bindings but you could mount a 75 mm 3-pin system on the Outback 68, the Spider is probably too narrow for a 75 mm system. Luckily, this winter we haven’t had to deal with conditions like that. Each ski comes with a full-length metal edge that helps with control on downhills, particularly if things are hard-packed and/or icy. They also seem to be a bit softer ski than the Spiders, so you drag a little bit more going downhill. This increased grip on the Outback 68 comes at a cost of less speed on the downhills. This is certainly a function of the Spiders being 7 millimeters narrower underfoot, a simple matter of less surface area equaling less grip. The Spider 62’s didn’t quite have the same grip as the Outback 68’s, on a couple steep climbs I had to herringbone with the Spiders. My other backcountry skis would have had trouble not slipping on this hill and I likely would have had to herringbone it. The Offtrack Crown base gripped the snow easily as I climbed up a short, steep slope. Right off the bat I was impressed with the grip of these skis. There’s a bit of a shape to them but nothing pronounced. In fact, the names refer to the widths of the skis at their widest. But closer inspection reveals the Spider 62 to be a bit narrower. At first glance these skis look very similar. The skis reviewed here are each good choices for this type of skiing. It’s the type of skiing anyone can do, all you need is some open space nearby and good snow. I’ve been doing it around my home base in Portland and up in the wild of the Carrabassett Valley. This is heading out into the nearest patch of woods and hitting the trails, the deeper the snow the better. This isn’t the type of skiing where I’m skinning up giant mountains and then flying back down them. When the snow is this good, my favorite type of adventure is “backcountry” skiing. It’s the reason I haven’t posted anything in a while, I’ve been too busy having fun in the white stuff. As I’m sure you all know, this has been one of the best snow winters in recent memory.
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