BOA garbage in AT boots

methscratchface

methscratchface

Active member
why is every light boot now using the boa tightening system in place of buckles. I really enjoy my backlands but Im not keen on them changing to the boa. Is it better now? I just remember my snowboard buds destroying theirs.
 
I just bought a pair of Scarpa F1s off a kid who works at Scarpa in Boulder. He said, since the F1 has been out (3-4 years?) he sees 1 to 2 boa repairs come in a year. He mentioned they were normally boots that were beat to fuck.

I did some more research and found that the ski boot boas, especially on the F1, don't undergo the same stresses as the ones on snowboard boots do.
 
Good to know! was worried that if actually skied hard they would explode. Curious to see what you think of f1s with boa after skiing them. They looks very light snd sick.

14067767:J_Berg said:
I just bought a pair of Scarpa F1s off a kid who works at Scarpa in Boulder. He said, since the F1 has been out (3-4 years?) he sees 1 to 2 boa repairs come in a year. He mentioned they were normally boots that were beat to fuck.

I did some more research and found that the ski boot boas, especially on the F1, don't undergo the same stresses as the ones on snowboard boots do.
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Granted I got a 31.0, they're not featherlites. Definitely light tho. I think for logging pow laps in meadows, and most midwinter CO bc skiing they'll be great. I've heard good things about them tho in steeps and what not.

I think what a lot of people lose sight of in the backcountry is the approach to your skiing style. Joe shmo who just got his first pair of tech bindings after using his alpine boots in daymakers, isn't gonna be dropping fat lines and shit.

Don't get me wrong though, I've done plenty of flips in my dynafits. So, keep it clean and I think touring gear can handle a lot more than most people believe. Just cuz Cody Townsend is on Solly shifts, doesn't mean you have to be. Oh btw, he still skis regular 10-12 tech bindings on big missions.

/rant over. I just hate seeing some threads where kids are so nervous about touring gear.
 
I hear ya. Everyone thinks they are gonna be hitting 60 footers all day in the bc. My backlands paired with speed radicals have held up to everything ive thrown at them

14067779:J_Berg said:
Granted I got a 31.0, they're not featherlites. Definitely light tho. I think for logging pow laps in meadows, and most midwinter CO bc skiing they'll be great. I've heard good things about them tho in steeps and what not.

I think what a lot of people lose sight of in the backcountry is the approach to your skiing style. Joe shmo who just got his first pair of tech bindings after using his alpine boots in daymakers, isn't gonna be dropping fat lines and shit.

Don't get me wrong though, I've done plenty of flips in my dynafits. So, keep it clean and I think touring gear can handle a lot more than most people believe. Just cuz Cody Townsend is on Solly shifts, doesn't mean you have to be. Oh btw, he still skis regular 10-12 tech bindings on big missions.

/rant over. I just hate seeing some threads where kids are so nervous about touring gear.
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Yeah man. I have radicals and the dalbello lupos. For cruising pow and even in manky steeps, they're fine. 80% of the skiing of anyone who bc skis in the interior US is gonna be on low angle pow. You could ski that in leather boots if you have good technique.
 
We've sold the hell out of the F1 for years at the shop I work at; we've seen one Boa come back mangled. Just one.

I think you'll be good.
 
I feel like the laces boa was a miss but the new boa system I've been seeing is with a wire or Kevlar line? They seem bomber.
 
14067767:J_Berg said:
I just bought a pair of Scarpa F1s off a kid who works at Scarpa in Boulder. He said, since the F1 has been out (3-4 years?) he sees 1 to 2 boa repairs come in a year. He mentioned they were normally boots that were beat to fuck.

I did some more research and found that the ski boot boas, especially on the F1, don't undergo the same stresses as the ones on snowboard boots do.
Click to expand...

Yep. I use a pair of F1's and I've had at least 20-25 days in on them. Boa looks and works like it's brand new. The boa tensions just fine for the lower part of the boot, and there's almost no way to really break it unless you're smashing them up with your opposing ski.. in which case, learn to ski better..

The only boas i've seen even on snowboard boots are either from people who broke them right off the bat because they didn't use them right, or ones that have been through the absolute wringer and have been hammered on for like 5 years.
 
Yeah, another data point:

I beat the crap out of some Fischer Travers Carbons over the last four years and have not had any issue at all with the BOA system. Big fan.

And honestly, when I have broken a BOA thing, (on a bike shoe) it was super easy to fix, and the parts were readily available.
 
14080099:cydwhit said:
Yeah, another data point:

I beat the crap out of some Fischer Travers Carbons over the last four years and have not had any issue at all with the BOA system. Big fan.

And honestly, when I have broken a BOA thing, (on a bike shoe) it was super easy to fix, and the parts were readily available.
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no doubt the boa systems are proven and hold up really really well but I have a little story here to add regarding the Fischer traverse CC. a guy who is a guide here in the alps went on a longer trip with them. 4 days to be exact. crossing glaciers here and there. some crevasse rescue training, climbing, hiking, touring etc etc. no gnarly runs down. quite mellow terrain. on the 3rd day he wanted to fasten his boa system and bang, that knob you turn to tighten the boa cord ripped off. Fischer just glued that plastic knob onto the shell! why the fuck do they go the cheap route on a boot that retails for almost 800 euros? he had to ski down with a more or less loose right boot. that boot definitely had more than 500 days on it but still. why not screw it to the shell? at least don t glue it...
 
14081113:cozyco said:
no doubt the boa systems are proven and hold up really really well but I have a little story here to add regarding the Fischer traverse CC. a guy who is a guide here in the alps went on a longer trip with them. 4 days to be exact. crossing glaciers here and there. some crevasse rescue training, climbing, hiking, touring etc etc. no gnarly runs down. quite mellow terrain. on the 3rd day he wanted to fasten his boa system and bang, that knob you turn to tighten the boa cord ripped off. Fischer just glued that plastic knob onto the shell! why the fuck do they go the cheap route on a boot that retails for almost 800 euros? he had to ski down with a more or less loose right boot. that boot definitely had more than 500 days on it but still. why not screw it to the shell? at least don t glue it...
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I mean... 500 days on a boot? Yeah that’s pretty much more than I’d expect that boot to last 5 to 10 times over...
 
14100065:DingoSean said:
I mean... 500 days on a boot? Yeah that’s pretty much more than I’d expect that boot to last 5 to 10 times over...
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I definitely exaggerated there. I reckon he had this pair for 1 1/2 to 2 seasons. So around 200-300 days. I think shells are estimated to outlive a liner by 3-4 times. so around 200-300 days.

are you replacing your boots after half a season?
 
14100069:cozyco said:
I definitely exaggerated there. I reckon he had this pair for 1 1/2 to 2 seasons. So around 200-300 days. I think shells are estimated to outlive a liner by 3-4 times. so around 200-300 days.

are you replacing your boots after half a season?
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That boot is pretty damn minimal.. so about a season worth of touring is about all I’d expect out of it. 200-300 days is At least twice the actual lifetime I’d expect of it.

its not like a standard polyurethane alpine boot.. the shell doesn’t go forever and the liner certainly doesn’t have a whole lot to it to keep going.

I don’t expect my F1s to go beyond 100 days either. The liners are paper thin and nylon shells tend to get chewed up easy.
 
14081113:cozyco said:
no doubt the boa systems are proven and hold up really really well but I have a little story here to add regarding the Fischer traverse CC. a guy who is a guide here in the alps went on a longer trip with them. 4 days to be exact. crossing glaciers here and there. some crevasse rescue training, climbing, hiking, touring etc etc. no gnarly runs down. quite mellow terrain. on the 3rd day he wanted to fasten his boa system and bang, that knob you turn to tighten the boa cord ripped off. Fischer just glued that plastic knob onto the shell! why the fuck do they go the cheap route on a boot that retails for almost 800 euros? he had to ski down with a more or less loose right boot. that boot definitely had more than 500 days on it but still. why not screw it to the shell? at least don t glue it...
Click to expand...

WTF did he even do? The only thing I could think of is to tie it off because there's (hopefully) enough slack? Duct tape it around the shin?

Gah.
 
My takeway from this thread is that entropy is real, everything breaks eventually, both buckles and BOA can fall apart if you put a million days on them. So carry a bunch of extra ski straps.

Also... It's pretty easy to throw a spare BOA knob and some cable in your repair kit. Mine already has an extra boot buckle in it, if I skied with anyone with BOA boots I'd throw in that kit as well, it's an easy repair to do, even in the backcountry.
 
14112219:Twinjibber77 said:
WTF did he even do? The only thing I could think of is to tie it off because there's (hopefully) enough slack? Duct tape it around the shin?

Gah.
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he went in the boot and then we tighten it with cable ties and dut tape. probably the two best repair ,,gadgets" when you re out there and sth. breaks.
 
14067784:J_Berg said:
Yeah man. I have radicals and the dalbello lupos. For cruising pow and even in manky steeps, they're fine. 80% of the skiing of anyone who bc skis in the interior US is gonna be on low angle pow. You could ski that in leather boots if you have good technique.
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Jumping in late to say that even on some of the steeper East Coast windbuffed hardpack you can make your way down in whatever if you're careful. A few weeks ago my boots iced up in the Gulf of Slides on Washington and I had to ski down in walk mode. It was sketchy, and not fun, but manageable. My point is that when are getting into the backcountry they should be keeping it together and not pushing the limits of their gear to the point that they need the biggest badass boots and bindings
 
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