AT Boot in the Park

[MPoub]

Need boots this year but I’m looking to tour as well.

My days will consist of 40% park, 50% all mountain (powder and slight carving), 10% Touring (casually).

I thoroughly enjoy not spending money. Do I need 2 boots? Do I have anything to worry about when using an AT boot in the park?

For reference I would be getting a Mindbender 120/130 (it fits my foot the best blah blah blah) and a Drop Kick Pro with stiffer tongues.

 

[animator]

If you’re thinking a Mindbender it’ll be fine. Jake Carney rides them in the park and he does just fine. It has a beefy external walk mode so the durability aspect is pretty much that of an alpine boot. With an ultralight touring boot like a Scarpa or a Dynafit you’d want to be more careful due to thinner and lighter plastics. If you wanna your just a bit consider something like the Dalbello Panterra that has a walk mode and pair it with DayMakers or a frame binding.

 

[Kevski]

I ride my Lupo 120's every day I ski, including park days. No issues at all. Another homie rides his Hawx on park laps too. I get the sense this generation of crossover boots is pretty bomber and you can't really go wrong once you hit that 120+ flex freeride category?

That said, if you only plan on touring 10% of the time and if you don't see that changing in the near future, the bigger question might be which of your skis are you gonna be running pins on? Your boot would probably handle park, but you're not gonna want to do resort/park on tech bindings unless you go with a shift or cast or the new duke since none of those actually use the pins in downhill mode. Whether you want a dedicated touring ski or a burly touring binding that you only use 10% of the time is something to think about. Daymakers would let you have a no-compromise alpine setup for the 90% of the time you aren't touring.

 

[MPoub]

the bigger question might be which of your skis are you gonna be running pins on? Your boot would probably handle park, but you're not gonna want to do resort/park on tech bindings unless you go with a shift or cast or the new duke since none of those actually use the pins in downhill mode. Whether you want a dedicated touring ski or a burly touring binding that you only use 10% of the time is something to think about. Daymakers would let you have a no-compromise alpine setup for the 90% of the time you aren't touring.

I currently have 5 sets of skis (looking to cut back for sure, hopefully to 1 dedicated AT, 1 park ski).

I would do all touring on a Sick Day 104 with a shift binding. I’d also use it for casual days with friends/family.

Other skis include Afterbangs and Blends (Both park, blends will be gone by spring), DPS 106, and a Reckoner 112 for the 1 powder day a year in New England.

For some reason I had a suspicion that it’d be really easy to break the walk mode in something like a Mindbender, however it’s probably more common in something like a Cochise or Alltrack.

Its very comforting that you and @animator have seen people with AT boots in the park.

 

[Kevski]

I currently have 5 sets of skis (looking to cut back for sure, hopefully to 1 dedicated AT, 1 park ski).

I would do all touring on a Sick Day 104 with a shift binding. I’d also use it for casual days with friends/family.

For some reason I had a suspicion that it’d be really easy to break the walk mode in something like a Mindbender, however it’s probably more common in something like a Cochise or Alltrack.

Its very comforting that you and @animator have seen people with AT boots in the park.

Oh then you'd be all set on the sick day and shifts.

For what it's worth I know the Lupo's walk mode lever can be replaced pretty cheaply/easily. I haven't had it happen to mine yet after 60+ days but I think I saw a dude on here mention replacing his without much issue. Could be a replaceable part on other boots too in the rare event that they fail?

 

[Cade2]

I currently have 5 sets of skis (looking to cut back for sure, hopefully to 1 dedicated AT, 1 park ski).

I would do all touring on a Sick Day 104 with a shift binding. I’d also use it for casual days with friends/family.

Other skis include Afterbangs and Blends (Both park, blends will be gone by spring), DPS 106, and a Reckoner 112 for the 1 powder day a year in New England.

For some reason I had a suspicion that it’d be really easy to break the walk mode in something like a Mindbender, however it’s probably more common in something like a Cochise or Alltrack.

Its very comforting that you and @animator have seen people with AT boots in the park.

id get rid of the afterbangs, not the blends lol

 

[MPoub]

id get rid of the afterbangs, not the blends lol

I’ll see when I ride them. Not really a big fan of the blends only because they’re so soft. Fun, but so soft

 

[animator]

I currently have 5 sets of skis (looking to cut back for sure, hopefully to 1 dedicated AT, 1 park ski).

I would do all touring on a Sick Day 104 with a shift binding. I’d also use it for casual days with friends/family.

Other skis include Afterbangs and Blends (Both park, blends will be gone by spring), DPS 106, and a Reckoner 112 for the 1 powder day a year in New England.

For some reason I had a suspicion that it’d be really easy to break the walk mode in something like a Mindbender, however it’s probably more common in something like a Cochise or Alltrack.

Its very comforting that you and @animator have seen people with AT boots in the park.

Yeah man the external walk modes are way more bombproof (K2 Mindbender, Dalbello Lupo, Roxa R3, Full Tilt Ascendant, Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD). The boots where it’s just a tiny switch like the Lange XT3, the Rossi AllTrack, the Tecnica Cochise, etc, the walk modes are slightly different and less durable (e.g. I landed backseat in a Cochise 130 and broke the whole mechanism). Those external walk modes are durable and the upper cuff of the boot isn’t weakened like the internal ones.

 

[anders_a]

they changed the mechanism for cochise dyn 130s, have at least 20-30 park days on the 2020.

 

[animator]

they changed the mechanism for cochise dyn 130s, have at least 20-30 park days on the 2020.

Mmmmm no it’s the same. It might look different on the outside of the shell but inside it’s the same mechanism

 

[animator]

they changed the mechanism for cochise dyn 130s, have at least 20-30 park days on the 2020.

It was changed back in like 2016 or 2017 if that’s what you mean

 

[Cade2]

They won’t last as long as blends, and that’s saying something

I’ll see when I ride them. Not really a big fan of the blends only because they’re so soft. Fun, but so soft

 

[MPoub]

Eh we will see, I take good care of my skis. I’m aware that wood sidewall isn’t ideal but I’ll just keep an eye on them

They won’t last as long as blends, and that’s saying something