Madshus Fjelltech M50 Skin Skis review: great for swapping between wild and tamed slopes

A ski you can grow into, he Madshus Fjelltech M50 is ideal for skiers who want more stability on in-bounds and the ability to go off trail

By Berne Broudy
published
Madshus Fjelltech M50 skis in snow
(Image: © Berne Broudy)

Advnture Verdict

The Madshus Fjelltech M50 is a lively ski that will please skiers of all experience levels who want to take on both tracked and ungroomed runs.

Pros

  • +

    Durable mohair traction

  • +

    Fast (for a recreational ski)

Cons

  • -

    Not great in icy conditions

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Madshus Fjelltech M50 Skin Skis: first impressions 

With a waist width of 50mm (there’s a clue in the name) the Madshus Fjelltech M50 ski is a fast cruiser on groomed Nordic tracks, but it’s also lots of fun to explore with, making it one of the best cross country skis around for people who like to mix it up when they’re in the hills during winter.

Specifications

• List price: $270 / £300
• Weight (per 187cm pair): 1780g
• Base: Intelligrip integrated skin
• Edges: Three-quarter length metal
• Sidecut: 60 / 50 / 55
• Sizes: 177cm, 187cm, 192cm, 202cm

A lightweight classic touring ski for using in and out of the tracks, the Madshus Fjelltech M50 uses integrated mohair and nylon skins for grip and three-quarter-length steel edges for control.

The Fjelltech M50 now comes with a pre-installed binding plate for tool-free set up. The ski is built on a farmed paulownia wood core wrapped in fiberglass and carbon fiber, which adds lateral stability and helps the ski feel more stable.

Madshus Fjelltech M50 Skin Skis: on the slopes

Madshus Fjelltech M50 Skin Skis on white

Madshus Fjelltech M50 Skin Skis are light, but that makes them great for uphill skiing (Image credit: Madshus)

I used the Madshus Fjelltech M50 Skin Skis to explore all the trails at my local ski area, including an unmaintained one that circumnavigates a mountain, and I always came back with a big smile. 

The skin has good grip in a variety of conditions. And, although they are a little light duty, I used the Fjelltech M50s to sled gear into a backcountry hut on mellow terrain, and they got the job done surprisingly well. 

They were also light enough that when I needed to herringbone uphill it wasn’t exhausting. These skis glide every bit as well as they grip, and because they’re narrow, I was able to move fast through the wintery landscape. But, all that said, when it was icy on downhills I couldn’t help wishing they had full edges go give them more stopping power.

Berne Broudy
Berne Broudy

Vermont-based writer, photographer and adventurer, Berne reports on hiking, biking, skiing, overlanding, travel, climbing and kayaking for category-leading publications in the U.S., Europe and beyond. In the field, she’s been asked to deliver a herd of llamas to a Bolivian mountaintop corral, had first fat-biking descents in Alaska, helped establish East Greenland’s first sport climbing and biked the length of Jordan. She’s worked to help brands clean up their materials and manufacturing, and has had guns pulled on her in at least three continents.