SkiKitInfo.com brings you a complete guide to the full Decathlon Wed’ze RT and MT ski touring packages.
Wed’ze is the winter sports division of the French powerhouse, Decathlon. They sell a vast range of kit, from many brands, but also design and develop their own-brand products.
We were fortunate to hit the French Alps at the end of last season to test out many of their products, and review the whole range of Wed’ze ski kit.
At SkiKitInfo.com, we’re not paid by the brands to feature their kit and don’t receive any commission or income from them for reviewing their products. They don’t have any say in what we write or report about their kit.
We test and review so you can get the best information available about the kit you’re interested in, to help you make informed decisions. Hey, we all want a massive smile on our faces when skiing, and the right kit helps.
Here we’re going to focus on their touring skis, available as Resort Touring models or wider Mountain Touring skis.
All of the skis come as a package, including the skis, bindings and touring skins.
We also tested their freeride touring pole, which is awesome. You can can jump straight to the pole test, if you want to read about it.
If you’re interested in their freeride skis, check out our ski test video of the Wed’ze Freeride ski range in the SkiKitInfo.com YouTube channel.
Touring skins
Not sure about skins? Check out our Touring Skins 101 article to learn more.
All of the touring skins from Wed’ze, for these skis, are a 70% mohair / 30% nylon mix, offering a good mix of ease of glide, decent grip on steeper sections and a fairly hard-wearing nature. They come pre-cut, so you don’t need to do anything apart from attaching them to your skis and heading up-hill.
When testing these skins we didn’t have any issues and found them comparable with stand-alone skin brands.
Decathlon didn’t tell us who makes the skins, but we believe they’re made by the Swiss skin company, Pamoca. Nice though, as Pamoca skins are superb.
The skins come with a tip bail (metal frame to hook around the tip of the ski) and an adjustable tail strap.
The exception is the skin for the MT 85 ski, which has a ski-mo racing style notch in the tip of the ski. The skin for that ski comes with a bungee, rather than wire bail, at the front.
RESORT TOURING SKIS – RT
There are two models in their Wed’ze Resort Touring line; the all-mountain style XLD 500 RT and the more up-hill focussed RT 500. They have the same shape but different cores, weights and binding set-ups.
Both models are designed for those that want to skin up-hill for fitness, rather than for accessing fresh lines. This means they’re ideal for skinning on prepared slopes in the ski area. They have a narrower waist width and less flotation than the MT models.
Wed’ze XLD 500 RT touring ski package
Lengths: 158, 166, 174cm
Sidecut: 122-78-111m in all lengths
Radius: 15.0m in 166cm
Weight per ski: 1,420g without, 2,510g with binding, in 166cm
Price: £399.99 / €430*, with bindings and touring skins
Superb value
This may not be a new model for this season, but it’s a great way to get into skinning, without having to buy touring specific boots or break the bank. Considering you get the skis, bindings and skins, this deal is pretty incredible; the binding alone retails for £295 / €330.
Construction
The ski has a poplar woodcore with sidewall through the centre, tapering to cap construction at the tip and tail. There’s a shallow rocker up front and a little early rise in the tail, with standard camber underfoot.
Binding
The XLD 500 RT comes with the Tyrolia Ambition 12 binding; one of the best frame touring bindings on the market.
It has a DIN range of 4-12, is adjustable for boot soles from 260mm to 340mm, according to Decathlon. However, Tyrolia quotes 260mm to 350mm.
You can switch between ski and tour mode without stepping out of the binding. You can also tour with the binding flat, or use one of the three heel rise levels.
The bar connecting the toe and heel of the binding is telescopic, allowing you to easily adjust it for different boot sole lengths. Great if you may be using different boots with this ski, or if your friends want a go.
The way Tyrolia’s designed this binding also means you get a slightly more natural flex through the centre of the ski, compared to some other frame touring bindings.
There are also crampons available for the Tyrolia Ambition binding.
Boot compatibility
Frame bindings don’t tour quite as well as pin bindings, as they’re heavier and the pivot point is located further forward from the foot. However, a key benefit is that you can ski this using most ski boots, including all downhill boots ( ISO 5355 norm), Walk-To-Ride (WTR) soled boots, Grip Walk soled boots and touring boots meeting ISO 9523.
This is a massive benefit if you’re new to touring but already have ski boots, as you don’t need to purchase boots with pin inserts, which you’d need for the other touring skis by Wed’ze.
If you want to find out more about ski boot and binding compatibility, we’ve created a page just for you.
Suitability
The ski’s pretty narrow, and made for ‘resort touring’; essentially for skinning up on prepared slopes, then skiing back down on the groomers or just to the side.
The ski is actually one of their all-mountain skis, called the XLD 500, or Xlander 500. That ski comes with a regular downhill binding, made by Look, rather than the do-it-all frame touring binding of the RT version.
The Wed’ze XLD 500 RT is a great ski for intermediate skiers, who mainly stick to prepared slopes, both when skinning up and skiing back down. Due to the versatile binding, this ski works superbly well as an intermediate to lower advanced level skier’s piste focussed all-mountain ski, that’ll also do some touring.
The fab team at Matterhorn Diamonds in Zermatt were out with a client, new to touring, on the XLD 500 RT’s. They kindly sent us some footage, which we’ve put together in this short clip. This is simply so you can see the XLD’s doing a bit of skinning on a groomed trail.
Huge thank you to the Matterhorn Diamonds team for getting in touch. If you’re ever out in Zermatt, in need of a superbly run, English speaking ski school, give them a shout. They offer lessons in other languages too.
Wed’ze RT 500 touring ski package
Lengths: 150, 158, 166, 174cm
Sidecut: 122-78-111m in all lengths
Radius: 15.0m in 166cm
Weight per ski: 1,315g without, 1,705g with binding, in 166cm
Price: £499.99 / €500*, with bindings and touring skins
Value
As with all of Decathlon’s own-brand products, the value is excellent, especially as the binding costs over £200 / €200, and you get a paulownia woodcore ski and pre-cut skins.
Construction
The RT 500 uses a lighter paulownia woodcore, offering an easier ascent (due to the reduced weight and touring focussed binding) while maintaining good skiing performance.
The underfoot sidewall and cap at the tip and tail is the same as the XLD 500 RT. The RT 500 also has a slight rise through the front of the ski and early rise in the tail, again the same as the XLD model.
Binding
Even though Wed’ze call the binding their Tour Light binding, it’s made by Dynafit and almost identical to the Dynafit TLT Speed Turn binding, which alone costs £250 / €280. Wed’ze sells their Tour Light binding, with their branding, for £219.99 / €230.
This is a pure pin touring binding, without a brake. This is designed for skiers that focus more on their up-hill than skiing down. It does have a DIN adjustment in the heel, for vertical and lateral release, from DIN 4-10.
This binding has a greater adjustment range, in the heel track, than the one directly from Dynafit. This means you get 50mm of overall length adjustment, catering for ski boots with soles from 267-317mm in the 166cm ski. For adjustment ranges on the other length skis, hop over to the RT 500 page on Decathlon’s site.
You can tour with the binding flat, or rotate the heel again to engage one of the two heel rise levels.
The binding’s compatible with Wed’ze and Dynafit crampons.
Boot compatibility
You have to use boots that come fitted with pin inserts, and attach the ski to your boot using the included leash.
If you want to learn more about how to select touring kit to work best together, watch the SkiKitInfo.com ‘How to choose your touring kit’ video.
Suitability
Like the XLD 500, this ski offers good performance on firmer snow due to it’s relatively narrow waist and a good amount of camber underfoot.
You still have rocker front and back, but it’s not too pronounced, which is a good thing in this ski. There’s enough to float up when there’s fresh snow about, while not negatively impacting on-piste performance. A little rocker, like this, can make it easier to initiate and release the turn on firm snow anyway.
Even though this is similar to the XLD 500 RT, the set-up with the pure pin binding does make it a little more touring focused, although it’s a bit skinny if you want ski a lot of softer snow. If you prefer deeper, powdery snow then look at the MT skis.
MOUNTAIN TOURING SKIS – MT
The two MT models have a wider footprint, designed to skin and ski better in softer snow. They’re still light and come with pin bindings, so are very much tailored to those that want to make their own tracks in the backcountry.
Wed’ze MT 85 touring ski package
Lengths: 154, 161, 168, 176cm
Sidecut: 122-85-108mm in all lengths
Radius: 17.0m in 168cm
Weight per ski: 1,300g without, 1,690g with binding, in 168cm
Price: £549.99 / €575*, with bindings and touring skins
£349.99 / €375*, with touring skins but no binding
Value
This is a little more expensive than the RT 500, although it comes with the same binding. You do get a wider ski and greater off-piste versatility. Even at this price, the all-new MT 85 still provides cracking bang for your buck, providing a ski, binding and skins for the same price as some 85mm touring skis.
Construction
The MT 85 has a full paulownia wood core, which is really light but still offers good ski-ability. Like the RT skis, there’s a decent sidewall underfoot, with cap at the front and back.
The MT 85 has quite a pronounced tip rocker, with a slight rise through the tail. This adds to the soft snow performance of this ski, picking up nicely in soft and variable snow. The early rise tail releases easily from the turn, allowing to readily change course should you approach any buried off-piste nasties.
The skin attachment system used on the MT 85 is a ski-mo style bungee that slots into the tip notch of the MT 85. Like the other Wed’ze touring skins this also has an adjustable tail strap.
Binding
The binding on this ski is the Wed’ze Tour Light binding, as detailed above in the RT 500 ski.
In the 168cm length, the binding accommodates boot soles between 267mm and 317mm. For the sole length range of other lengths of this ski, visit the MT 85 page on Decathlon’s site.
You can get this package without the binding. This gives the option to get this cracking ski and skin package, then select whichever binding you want to use.
The £200 / €200 you save, opting for the binding-less package, can go towards your alternative binding.
If you want a pin binding with a brake Wed’ze offers the Wed’ze Tour Free (used on the MT 90 ski), which costs £249.99 / €280.
Boot compatibility
You have to use boots that come fitted with pin inserts, and attach the ski to your boot using the included leash.
To learn more about matching the right boot with this type of ski, check out the SkiKitInfo.com video about touring kit selection.
Suitability
This is a great traditional-style touring ski. You get a lot of kit considering how little you pay and it still skis pretty well. If you’re getting into touring and want to use your uphill efforts to access soft snow, the MT 85 (and MT 90, below) are great options.
Even if you already tour, but want another set-up, the MT 85 is a solid choice. It’s not the stiffest ski, but paired with a light free-tour boot it works really well.
There are some lighter skis out there, but the weight of the Wed’ze MT 85, at 1,300g in 168cm, is still competitive. For comparison, the Atomic Backland 85 is 1,240g in 172cm, the Faction Agent 1.0 (86mm) is 1,380g in 162cm and the K2 Wayback 84 is 1,287g in 174cm.
The binding doesn’t include brakes, so we’d opt to get the cheaper flat mount package then buy the Wed’ze Tour Free binding (we just prefer brakes to leashes), or a binding of your choice .
The ski looks pretty good too, in the dark blue and flouro green combo.
TESTED: Wed’ze MT 90 touring ski package
Lengths: 162, 170, 178cm
Sidecut: 129-90-113mm in 178cm
Radius: 18.0m in 178cm
Weight per ski: 1,575g without, 2,130g with binding, in 178cm
Price: £649.99 / €650 / $899*, with bindings and touring skins
Value
This is the most expensive ski in the Wed’ze touring range, but it’s also got the most going on and still provides mouth watering value. This ski was called the FR 950 last season but, apart from a new name and graphic, it’s essentially the same ski.
You get a more expensive core than others in the range, a pin binding with a brake, along with pre-cut skins.
The binding is Decathlon’s own Tour Free, but this is essentially the Dynafit ST Radical Turn, which retails for £340 / €380 when bought from Dynafit. So, you’re getting a 90mm freetour ski and skin for around £310 / €270; pretty good, we think.
Construction
Wed’ze has really gone for it with this ski using a light karuba woodcore, which is more expensive than the paulownia or poplar woodcores of the others in the range. You also get carbon on top of the wood core, running the length of the ski, adding more stability and energy without unduly increasing the weight.
The tip rocker is actually a little mellower than the MT 85, with a similar tail rise. Standard camber underfoot helps with rebound between turns and makes it easier to slide the skins forward when touring.
This the only ski in the line with sidewall running the entire length of the ski. There is a little top-sheet rollover, to help protect the ski from chips and dinks.
This is also the only ski in the range where the sidecut changes depending on the length you select. The 162cm is 124-88-109mm, R16.0m, 1,365g without / 1,920g with a binding, and the 170cm is 127-89-111mm, R17.0m, 1,470g without / 2,130g with a binding.
Binding
The binding on the MT 90 is the Wed’ze Tour Free model, which comes with a brake (yeah!). This has a lateral and vertical heel release range of DIN 4-10.
You’d be forgiven for looking at this and thinking it’s the Dynafit ST Radical Turn. It is basically the same, apart from you get a whopping 50mm of length adjustment in the heel; Dynafit’s own brand version only provides half that.
You can actually buy this binding on it’s own from Decathlon, retailing for £249.99 / €280; a considerable saving compared to buying it direct from Dynafit.
Like the Tour Light, you rotate the heel for tour mode, to have it flat or rotate again to use one of the two heel rise levels.
In the 178cm length, the binding accommodates boot soles between 287mm and 337mm. For the sole length range of other lengths of this ski, visit the MT 85 page on Decathlon’s site.
We mentioned it above, but it’s worth reiterating that the Tour Free binding includes brakes. You don’t have to use a leash and risk being beaten up by your ski in a fall, or being attached to your skis if the worst happens and you get caught in an avalanche.
As with the Tour Light, the Tour Free is compatible with Wed’ze and Dynafit crampons.
Suitability
We were able to get out on the MT 90 for a night of touring in the French Alps. We were supposed to be skinning only on prepared slopes but we were able to escape to test the MT 90 when ascending in soft and variable snow. This ski is eminently capable on the way up.
It’s no slouch
There are lighter skis in this freetour segment from some other big-name brands, but they cost a lot more money. Considering the value in the Wed’ze MT 90, it’s no slouch on the way up and it felt light on our feet.
The flotation through the shovel helps it break trail in soft snow really well, and there’s plenty of grip through the edge for traversing, thanks to the sidewall.
Unsurprisingly the Tour Free binding performs impeccably, as you’d hope from a binding made by Dynafit. The skins, as highlighted earlier, didn’t leave us wishing for something different; they just work.
It was a dark night of testing, but we could still open the throttle to see how the Wed’ze MT 90 performs on the way back down.
It skis better than you may think
This ski performs a heck of a lot better than you may imagine, especially when you think how little it costs.
On firm snow, it behaves like a light all-mountain ski, easily cutting lines on groomed snow. Even on hard packed, manmade snow we were never worried about the edge washing out.
At one point we were caught out by an unseen mound. The ski remained stable and composed for all of us that were caught unawares. The carbon along the top of the core really boosts the stability of the MT 90.
This is an excellent free-tour style touring ski for intermediate and advanced skiers. It tours well, and skis like others costing twice as much.
If you’re after a super-light 90mm ski, for big ascents and super-fast descents, there are other skis to look at before this. There’s not that many people that want a ski like that, so the Wed’ze MT 90 will work for the majority of free-tour enthusiasts.
TESTED: Wed’ze FR 900 Vario ski pole
Lengths: Adjustable from 100cm to 130cm
Weight per pole: 295g
Price: £29.99 / €35*
We know, not a ski and not strictly part of the Wed’ze touring range.
These poles impressed us a lot, so we wanted to include them. They’re not actually a touring pole, but they have features you’d normally find on touring poles, are stiffer and lighter than many touring poles we’ve used and only a fraction of the cost.
We managed to snaffle the pair belonging to James, the Freeride ski designer, for a day.
Light but stiff
Their quoted weight is 295g per pole. We didn’t have scales with us in France, but the Wed’ze poles felt a little lighter than the other touring poles we had with us (we know they weigh 280g, as we’ve weighed them, and they cost £100 / €125 more than the Wed’ze ones). Everyone testing thought the Wed’ze poles were lighter.
The broad diameter aluminium shaft is 18mm at the top and 16mm in the bottom section. It has a firm plastic grip, with a softer foam cover below this. This is great when touring, as you often need to move your hand position when skinning.
It’s also really convenient that you can simply undo the screw and remove the adjustable straps; a real benefit in the backcountry where straps may not be wanted.
The big powder basket has enough support for work in softer snow.
Height adjustable
The poles are adjustable from around 100cm up to 130cm, catering for most skiers from mid-teens and older.
The adjustment lever in the middle is easy to use, but the really superb feature is the toothed tensioning dial.
Touring poles are notorious for slipping and getting shorter while skiing. Often you have to carry something to be able to tighten the tensioning screw, just in case. Not so with these beauties. There’s a toothed wheel on the lever, which allows you to adjust how tight the clamp is without the use of tools. We wish all brands had this type of system, it works really well, even wearing gloves.
Trying to find these poles via the search on the Decathlon site doesn’t work, so if you you want to read more about the FR 900 poles, here’s the link. We don’t earn anything if you click it – it’s not a commission system or anything, just a link to make it easier for you.
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To find out more about Decathlon’s ski gear, along with all the other kit they offer, head over to the Decathlon site.
Quoted Prices
*Prices quoted here can be a mixture of recommended retail price from the brand and prices that you can currently get the skis for from retailers in that territory. The prices may therefore be less or more than you can find in-store / online and are only intended to give you a guide as to what you may expect to pay for the skis.
Always ensure you do adequate research when buying ski equipment to ensure you’re getting the best service and advice from the retailer, combined with a price that works for your budget.
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