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Do I need a 50/50 boot
I’m going to a boot fitter next week, so my question it’s not which boot should I actually buy. My dilemma is if the downsides of a boot capable of touring are worth it, even when I’m gonna tour just a couple of times per season. Or should I stick with a more down hill focused boot and sort it out for those rare tours.
nicofogliaI’m going to a boot fitter next week, so my question it’s not which boot should I actually buy. My dilemma is if the downsides of a boot capable of touring are worth it, even when I’m gonna tour just a couple of times per season. Or should I stick with a more down hill focused boot and sort it out for those rare tours.
I get to tour maybe once a season so I too just deal with it.
There are no real downsides these days to gettin boots which are tour capable, well at least if you are getting the more freeride side of touring boots.
Boots like the mindbender, xt, Lupo or hawk xtd are very capable and can happily be your only boot. I skied in the mindbender 130 all last season and did not tour once but rode everything else from park to even a race in them.
Like any boot fit is key but as long as you are not going for the ultra light rando boots they will be good for everything.
**This post was edited on Oct 31st 2019 at 11:18:07pm
Boots like the mindbender, xt, Lupo or hawk xtd are very capable and can happily be your only boot. I skied in the mindbender 130 all last season and did not tour once but rode everything else from park to even a race in them.
Like any boot fit is key but as long as you are not going for the ultra light rando boots they will be good for everything.
**This post was edited on Oct 31st 2019 at 11:18:07pm
Peyben skis on ascendants, so they def can be used in park
tomPietrowskiThere are no real downsides these days to gettin boots which are tour capable, well at least if you are getting the more freeride side of touring boots.
Boots like the mindbender, xt, Lupo or hawk xtd are very capable and can happily be your only boot. I skied in the mindbender 130 all last season and did not tour once but rode everything else from park to even a race in them.
Like any boot fit is key but as long as you are not going for the ultra light rando boots they will be good for everything.
**This post was edited on Oct 31st 2019 at 11:18:07pm
This. Just make sure they fit into your bindings, gripwalk/wtr/din norms are heinous
brogoldenhairThis. Just make sure they fit into your bindings, gripwalk/wtr/din norms are heinous
These days actually soles are getting really good. Now that grip walk has become the norm it’s alot easier.
Grip walk requires no adjustment compared to alpine soles so most new bindings will automatically work with alpine or grip walk with no modification needed.
Touring soles are still sometimes tricky but you will see less of those moving forward I believe too. Grip walk will become the norm for all boots very soon I think.
I should have stated that i am kind of an aggressive/big mountain skier, and my concern was about the flex. Anyway I think I’m going to trust you, I’ll see if any of those are gonna fit my foot properly. Thanks
nicofogliaI should have stated that i am kind of an aggressive/big mountain skier, and my concern was about the flex. Anyway I think I’m going to trust you, I’ll see if any of those are gonna fit my foot properly. Thanks
Flex wise I think so long as you go for a boot which can properly lock the flex, ie the mindbender or xtd you are good. 3 piece boots also work perfectly as you get the same flex as it’s all from the tongue anyway.
You can get plenty of stiffness from the newer freeride freeride boots and there are tricks to make them even stiffer still if need be.
tomPietrowskiThese days actually soles are getting really good. Now that grip walk has become the norm it’s alot easier.
Grip walk requires no adjustment compared to alpine soles so most new bindings will automatically work with alpine or grip walk with no modification needed.
Touring soles are still sometimes tricky but you will see less of those moving forward I believe too. Grip walk will become the norm for all boots very soon I think.
Can you expand on this? Are Delta angles still the same? If not how do they change with bindings that drop the AFD vs bindings that lift the toe piece up?
TurnfarmerCan you expand on this? Are Delta angles still the same? If not how do they change with bindings that drop the AFD vs bindings that lift the toe piece up?
So with grip walk the front of the toe lug is the same height as an alpine sole the difference comes further back on the toe. Because of this binding manufacturers only have to make a binding with a sloped afd, the front of the afd is flat and then the back angles down. This means a regular alpine sole will work and so will a grip walk sole without any adjustment.
You can still often adjust the afd height such as in the griffin or jester but you do not have to change the height just for the change of sole.
Meh, despite improvements in ski boots there is still no free lunch. None of the ‘cross over’ boots ski as well as a true pinned alpine boot. If they did companies wouldn’t be making non Race high performance alpine boots. Sure, you can ski with them, but you don’t get near the same smooth power transfer to the ski, let alone feedback from the ski. For some folks it’s worth the sacrifice but they really ski like shit compared to a good alpine boot. Anyone who can’t tell the difference between an XTD and Hawx Ultra, mind Bender and Recon, Cochise and Mach or XT Free and RS is likely just an oblivious or shitty skier. Even a Lupo HD and Krypton Pro are pretty easy to distinguish the difference in ski feel.
do what you want, but if your just doing short side country or not even touring just get an alpine boot.
**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2019 at 5:23:58pm
do what you want, but if your just doing short side country or not even touring just get an alpine boot.
**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2019 at 5:23:58pm
cobra_commanderMeh, despite improvements in ski boots there is still no free lunch. None of the ‘cross over’ boots ski as well as a true pinned alpine boot. If they did companies wouldn’t be making non Race high performance alpine boots. Sure, you can ski with them, but you don’t get near the same smooth power transfer to the ski, let alone feedback from the ski. For some folks it’s worth the sacrifice but they really ski like shit compared to a good alpine boot. Anyone who can’t tell the difference between an XTD and Hawx Ultra, mind Bender and Recon, Cochise and Mach or XT Free and RS is likely just an oblivious or shitty skier. Even a Lupo HD and Krypton Pro are pretty easy to distinguish the difference in ski feel.
do what you want, but if your just doing short side country or not even touring just get an alpine boot.
**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2019 at 5:23:58pm
Seriously? sure a pinned boot will still be slightly better but especially in soft snow you really will not be able to tell a difference. Personally having a boot which is 95% of an alpine boot but has all the advantages of a touring boot is well worth it.
Maybe 80%, nowhere near 95%. I can definitely tell the difference in soft snow in the resort, especially after it starts to get tracked, wind or sun affected. The boots really tend to give out when you get deeper into the flex pattern, this is especially true with lighter boots like the XTD or ZeroG Pro. I can still notice it, although a little less in my XT Frees and Cochise.
There was no comparison skiing an XTD and a Hawx Ultra back to back in soft resort conditions on a mid week pow day.
Sure, if I’m traveling and skiing a mixture of resort and BC, I’ll take my XTs, but I know I’m making a sacrifice.
A day of mostly or all touring: ZeroGs. Resort shred day with minimal hiking: RS.
Moatly Resort with some hiking of tour: XT or Recons
I don’t ski in race boots anymore, too cold and too much work.
**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2019 at 6:28:21pm
There was no comparison skiing an XTD and a Hawx Ultra back to back in soft resort conditions on a mid week pow day.
Sure, if I’m traveling and skiing a mixture of resort and BC, I’ll take my XTs, but I know I’m making a sacrifice.
A day of mostly or all touring: ZeroGs. Resort shred day with minimal hiking: RS.
Moatly Resort with some hiking of tour: XT or Recons
I don’t ski in race boots anymore, too cold and too much work.
**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2019 at 6:28:21pm
cobra_commanderMaybe 80%, nowhere near 95%. I can definitely tell the difference in soft snow in the resort, especially after it starts to get tracked, wind or sun affected. The boots really tend to give out when you get deeper into the flex pattern, this is especially true with lighter boots like the XTD or ZeroG Pro. I can still notice it, although a little less in my XT Frees and Cochise.
There was no comparison skiing an XTD and a Hawx Ultra back to back in soft resort conditions on a mid week pow day.
Sure, if I’m traveling and skiing a mixture of resort and BC, I’ll take my XTs, but I know I’m making a sacrifice.
A day of mostly or all touring: ZeroGs. Resort shred day with minimal hiking: RS.
Moatly Resort with some hiking of tour: XT or Recons
I don’t ski in race boots anymore, too cold and too much work.
**This post was edited on Nov 1st 2019 at 6:28:21pm
I’m not saying there is not a difference but honestly for most people the difference is so small that if you don’t want multiple sets of boots then you really are not sacrificing any thing. Do i have both pinned and touring boots, sure, but if I just had one set I would for sure go freeride as you get so much more in terms ofoptions for barely any downside. I literally only wore my recons once last season and that was only to test out the pulse stiffening thing, other then that it was mindbender all year for everything and I never thought, I wish I was in the recon.
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