Pins but no walk mode is the new wave.

Average k2 dickrider when k2 finally makes a half decent boot. If you don't remember the walk mode on those mfs were so shit for like 5 years straight. I agree all boots should have pins but where the fuck is the rear clip in you can only use these boots on like cast or dukes so it ain't a quiver killer...

Have people actually blown up their walk mode riding park? I got 2 full seasons of park riding in on my touring boots and they’re still intact

Speaking to the people 🙏
Want to only ride one boot, and do enough BC so i'm stuck in a "hybrid" style which end up sucking in many aspects. Trying the redesigned mindbender 130 this season, have higher hopes for this one.

MisfitSkisSpeaking to the people 🙏
Want to only ride one boot, and do enough BC so i'm stuck in a "hybrid" style which end up sucking in many aspects. Trying the redesigned mindbender 130 this season, have higher hopes for this one.

That one might be dope, would be cool if they just put pins on most ski boots.

Dalbello makes one.

CAST will do this to most boots too.

all K2 boots should be burned. Literally, just a vessel for them to make more money for their shareholders.

but 100%. best option for the casual bc skier who rips. IMO every boot should include tech inserts

BrattyTickall K2 boots should be burned. Literally, just a vessel for them to make more money for their shareholders.

but 100%. best option for the casual bc skier who rips. IMO every boot should include tech inserts

You got proof on k2 boots being shit? Or you just hating on k2?

andreyerYou got proof on k2 boots being shit? Or you just hating on k2?

Wasn't even talking about the boots themselves, but they suck too

Heard the SC buckles snap so I might swap them out with the standard evolution buckles should it come down to this hybrid hemp hero sideways slidin kind of life

BrattyTick

Wasn't even talking about the boots themselves, but they suck too

Fuck that’s gnar

andreyerYou got proof on k2 boots being shit? Or you just hating on k2?

Recons are known to crack. I’ve had mine for 2 seasons no problem but I’ve seen 2 other guys at the local snap them within a year.



cant comment on the Flex boots

Blew up a pair of mindbenders skiing park 2 seasons ago..covered under warranty. Plastic is so thin on k2's lineup/the hawx series. Full tilts are somewhere around 1/2 a pound heavier if I'm not mistaken. 1650g vs 2030g according to google

I think this is whack.

I think I would rather tour on a frame binding with a walk mode than on pins without.

BrattyTick

Wasn't even talking about the boots themselves, but they suck too

Wow! Ive never seen a boot break like that! That is shit quality.

I tried hiking without a walk mode on my Full Tilt Booters and its just the worst experience Ive ever had. After a mile, my feet hurt and im so busted that I wont make that mistake again.
Ive gone through 3 pairs of freeride boots (dalbello, Nordica and technica) and never broke the walk mode, it was the bolts, straps and buckles that I kept braking.

Im not too sure about this. Maybe for low incline stuff, but I was happy to get into a walk mode after starting my touring journey with RX130’s and daymakers. Inb4 “daymakers suck.”

I guess for the person who tours a couple times this would make sense, if you are looking to have one boot. I do agree that a walk mode in bounds if you’re a biig rippah does have its downfalls, especially if you’re in a K2 apparently.

BrattyTick

Wasn't even talking about the boots themselves, but they suck too

How did this happen???

ajbskiI think this is whack.

I think I would rather tour on a frame binding with a walk mode than on pins without.

Thats busted. I feel like you have so much extra weight with frame bindings and your heightening your center of gravidity which i never really have been a fan of. I gues if your just going up there for a couple turns sure but I dont really get that.

MisfitSkisSpeaking to the people 🙏
Want to only ride one boot, and do enough BC so i'm stuck in a "hybrid" style which end up sucking in many aspects. Trying the redesigned mindbender 130 this season, have higher hopes for this one.

Have backup walk mode release hardware or check those screws often. I lost both walk mode bars as well as a an ankle buckle last year, cost me three days.

Glad to see that image is still going around :)

Yeah we did have some issues with some of the early Recon and MB boots, no excuses and it was not good enough. But changes and adjustments have been made and we are now seeing a warranty rate well below what we were when these boots first hit.

The new BOA boots also take a big step forward in terms of shell construction so yeah we did have a few issues but now we feel really good with where the boots are. Any questions or concerns let me know.

As for the original topic yeah tech toes in boots should be a standard! it just makes sense in my opinion. There will for sure be room for both freeride and fixed cuff boots like this but for many people no walk mode just makes sense for how some people ride.

This certainly is not the last tech toe non walk mode boot we will be making.

I think it’s sick and definitely feel sketched out airing cliffs over exposure in my hybrid boots. It seems this thread turned into a K2 hate thread so I’d advise anyone interested to check out the dalbello krypton 130 TI ID boots, they run the same tech toe w/o walk mode setup. Plus with the 3-piece I feel like it’ll feel much more natural to tour with the calf buckles undone. I’ll be buying a pair of those when I can for sure.

I've had the Dalbello Lipo for the last three iterations of the boot and I've never had any problems with the walk mode. (Perhaps I just didn't send it hard enough). But it seems pretty well designed that when the boot is buckled there's really no way to engage walk mode as the switch sits deep in its crevice. Due to the three piece construction, once you unbuckle, you can flex forward and put it in walk mode. I would hate having to tour more than an hour without it.

andreyerThats busted. I feel like you have so much extra weight with frame bindings and your heightening your center of gravidity which i never really have been a fan of. I gues if your just going up there for a couple turns sure but I dont really get that.

It really depends what you trying to do.

If youre buying this boot with pins but without walk mode: I dont think you are doing extended trips. probably just slack or resort access stuff.

I dont think the benefits of a more natural pivot point and weight (efficiency) for a kinping or cast system would outweigh the losses for range of motion. you might lessen the (effort per step) but you will undoubtedly add 20% to 50% more steps because each stride is shorter. I think the overall workload would be pretty similar and would all just come down to preference.


Lets say hypothetically:
- 1500' climb (ignoring horizontal distance because range of motion and glide efficiency would matter more on flat)
- 10lbs for pins no walk mode with cast, and 15lbs for frames with walk mode (1/3 more weight)
- 2' per step on pins no walkmode, 3' per step on frame w/ walk mode (1/3 more range)
- 90% efficiency pins, 80% efficiency on frame w/ walk mode

If difference in workload = (1+(1 - efficiency% / 100) ((climb / ft per step)(weight / 2)

pins without walk mode = 4125 step lbs
frame with walk mode = 4500 step lbs

ok nvm. i was wrong.

pins without walk mode are superior to frame with walk mode with these assumptions. assuming the difference in range of motion and weight is the same then they cancel out and efficiency is the only factor for effort. at the same time my assumptions are probably flawed, and i dont think step lbs is a great metric for effort. id prefer the extra stride on flats and probably the smaller weight per step on steeps.

people just getting into alpine touring now have it really nice. Before if we wanted to take a nice ski up a hill we had to use trekkers or MFD all time plates. often without a walk mode. I guess i would just revert back to what i know instead of giving something new a chance.

Got to be a dentist dad to rock pin boots in the lift line.

andreyerI think this is the new wave. All quiver killer, ski park and tour. You don't have to worry about walk mode blowing up on you in the park but can still go do a bit of walking if you're into that. Plus, if you loosen your boots, it's pretty much the same as walk mode and you will get super ripped quads. The recon is the only example I could find but I know there's some more out there. I'm Tryna get the homies fired up on this. 

I agree with everything you’re saying here, but my hip flexors don’t.

^gotta let those puppies open up and extend.

I’ve definitely blown out some split shells so Jah feel

Hoji boots ftw.

walk mode is sooo nice. And they perform as well as any alpine boot I’ve owned, which is more than I care to admit. This has been my one boot quiver going on 3 years. I ski everything from 3-4k vert skins to park and bumps and lots of pow and pillows. But where I actually appreciate walk mode the most is just walking to the bus, driving with my boots on, or longer than expected apres’.

and btw, you don’t need the heel clip deal if you use kingpins. And I definitely use these boots in alpine bindings too.

Yeah, a friend of mine had the dalbello kryptons and had nothing but praise for them. I dont get why dalbello stopped making them.