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As innovations in Alpine Touring binding technology have
increased in recent years, boot manufacturers have followed
suit and raised the bar substantially. AT boot choices now
range from low-top touring boots to high performance four
buckle monsters, and everything in between. Unlike your alpine
boots, all AT boots are built with rubber soles and have some
rocker underfoot for hiking. Also, upper cuffs can be unlocked
for greater comfort and movement while skinning. Sure you
can use your big, heavy alpine boots with some AT bindings
- but if you plan on spending much time in the backcountry,
you'll want an AT boot. Which boots should you buy?
First, decide which boot characteristics are most important
to you. Lightweight, low top boots are very comfortable
to tour and climb in, but lack the support and performance
of a bigger boot when skiing downhill. These boots are great
when skiing in soft snow conditions, in terrain that isn't
too steep, or when skiing a softer or lighter weight ski.
Conversely, tall and stiff boots offer downhill performance
closer to that of an alpine boot. They can drive the biggest
freeride skis out there and can handle steep, icy conditions.
Of course, these boots are going to weigh more and be less
comfortable to hike in.
Touring: People
who are more concerned with touring comfort will
lean towards a lower profile, softer flexing boot.
These are people who like to do long days over multiple
passes and who are out there to see how many miles
they can log, not necessarily for the turns they're
going to get. Also people who are lighter weight,
or who are just starting to get into Alpine Touring
without a strong background in alpine skiing will
want to go with a softer flexing boot. You also want
a good match with your set up. If you have a slimmer
lightweight ski, you want a boot that's
going to compliment your ski.
Some good options for
tour oriented skiers are the Scarpa
Spirit 3,
Scarpa
Matrix, Scarpa
Star Lite, Garmont
G-Ride,
or the Garmont
She-Ride. Both the Mega-Ride and the
Mega
Star could also fall into this category, but
these two are leaning towards the stiffer side.
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High Performance:Some people with
a strong skiing background, who have been Alpine
Touring for years may, or who are moving into bigger
and wider skis may find that their 3 buckle boot
isn't getting the job done. While you sacrifice
some in hiking comfort, moving up to a four buckle
stiff boot will give you more control in thicker
conditions, on steeper pitches, or more aggressive
skiing. Of course, these are more appropriate for
a step in binding and are typically not Dynafit
compatible anyway. The only boots that we would
put in this category that is Dynafit compatible
is the Spirit
4 from Scarpa and the Zzero
4 from Dynafit.
A couple of these boots have even taken out the
'walk-mode' like the Garmont
Shaman, the Garmont Astral or the Scarpa
Hurricane.
If you're wondering why someone would buy any of
these instead of a regular alpine boot, the answer
lies in the sole and the weight. All of these have
an (interchangeable) rockered Vibram grip sole
and have taken measures to reduce overall weight--always
a factor when traveling in the backcountry.
If
you are an aggressive skier but want something
that still has a 'walk mode', there are plenty
of options: Garmont
Adrenalin, Garmont
Endorphin,
Garmont
Xena, Scarpa
Diva, Scarpa
Denali and the
Scarpa
Tornado Pro.
Most of these boots have interchangeable
soles--one with Vibram rocker and the other a flat
sole for use in traditional alpine bindings-- as
well as interchangeable tongues to give some extra
stiffness when you need it.
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Randonnee:It's
worth mentioning the super light boots meant for
lightning fast ascents. Randonnee isn't as big in
the US as it is in Europe, but it's slowly gaining
popularity. These people know who they are and what
they're looking for. . . like the Scarpa
F1 the F3.
If you don't see the boot you're looking for, give
us a call; we may be able to special order it for
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When choosing which boot manufacturer to
go with, the most important consideration is fit. While
AT boots don't have as wildly different fit as tele boots,
there are distinct differences in manufacturer lasts. Narrow
feet are best off with Scarpa, but would also be happy
in Garmont. Wider, higher volume feet will be most
comfy in Dynafit boots, but unless they are real wide,
will be just fine in Garmont boots too. Scarpa
AT boots, similar to their tele cousins have a little lower
volume, but fit great for most "normal" mid-volume
feet. Garmont AT boots are generally narrower than their
tele boots, especially in the toe-box, but maintain their
overall higher volume characteristics, especially in the
insteps. . These differences are subtle, and with a little
customization or a thermal liner, all of these boots can
be made to work with just about anyone's feet.
At this point,
almost all of the boots that we carry have a heat moldable
liner. They provide a custom fit to your foot - great
if you have problem feet or are trying to take up or
reduce volume in a shell. Keep in mind that your boots
should feel extremely snug out of the box, with the exception
of Scarpa's new Intuition liners that feel fairly true
to fit out of the box. The heat moldable liners are meant
to be molded before skied, and should be comfortable
and secure after they are molded. If your boots feel
like hiking boots out of the box, chances are you're
in too large of a size. Visit our boot
fitting page for more info on getting the best fit
in your boots, and our size
chart for help figuring out which size you need.
For more information on liners,check out our moldable
liner page or our how
to shell fit page.
As you are checking
out the boots on our site, remember that every boot we carry
has an individual product review that can help you make
your decision. We recognize that purchasing boots on line can be a difficult task. Many people chose to buy two different sizes to compare fits at home, and then return whichever one doesn't work. We take returns on boots due to sizing, no problem, within 14 days for sale boots, and 30 days for new boots. We cannot take boots back if you have molded the liners.
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