Downhill focused boot I could dip my toes into touring with?

D

drifts

Member
already have full tilts and I've toured on them in my friends frame binding skis but they are starting to feel too soft now that I have bigger wider skis so I've been looking at boots trying to figure out what to focus on trying on first when I get a chance, its going to be about 90% downhill 10% tour if the local hills aren't a zoo this winter. the weight doesn't matter to me, I like the 3 piece boots because they go on easy and I'm lazy but it doesn't have to be a 3 piece boot, biggest priority is the downhill and being able to click them into a Salomon shift

so far my list of boots to try on first is:

dalbello lupo pro hd

atomic hawx xtd

k2 mind bender

**This thread was edited on Oct 21st 2020 at 8:18:26pm
 
Obligatory see a boot fitter comment. But what model of full tilts do you have? That gives me a better idea of what to recommend.
 
14186701:AGOF said:
Obligatory see a boot fitter comment. But what model of full tilts do you have? That gives me a better idea of what to recommend.
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the tom wallish. im planning on getting them fitted I just want to have an idea of the boots I wanna try on first instead of going in blind
 
You’ll want a narrower boot then, I would recommend atomic hawx ultra. The only lupos that come in a 98mm last are the 130s, which will be significantly stiffer than twalls. Technica cochise are 99mm. I’m drawing a blank on any other narrow touring/side country boots with a tech toe

14186705:drifts said:
the tom wallish. im planning on getting them fitted I just want to have an idea of the boots I wanna try on first instead of going in blind
Click to expand...
 
14186709:AGOF said:
You’ll want a narrower boot then, I would recommend atomic hawx ultra. The only lupos that come in a 98mm last are the 130s, which will be significantly stiffer than twalls. Technica cochise are 99mm. I’m drawing a blank on any other narrow touring/side country boots with a tech toe
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I might go 130s, the full tilts sometimes just go noodle on me in a turn and feel like they have zero effect on the ski
 
Another vote for the Hawx Ultra. Just grabbed a pair in 130 flex and they are super comfy. I'm saying this coming from using a dalbello rampage boot for the past 7 seasons. I have also tried on Fischer's touring/downhill boot and they were great, super cool walk mode as well!
 
14186739:drifts said:
I might go 130s, the full tilts sometimes just go noodle on me in a turn and feel like they have zero effect on the ski
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You may not want to go to 130 straight away. You are coming from a reasonably soft 90 flex boot so perhaps 100-120 may be a better range for you to start with.

Fit wise the 99mm Soul shell is not super low volume so if that fits well you may want to avoid real low volume boots.

I may be biased but maybe try the Mindbender 120. The fit will be similar to what you have and it will be one of the lightest boots which still feels like a alpine boot inboards but can tour super well too.
 
14186709:AGOF said:
You’ll want a narrower boot then, I would recommend atomic hawx ultra. The only lupos that come in a 98mm last are the 130s, which will be significantly stiffer than twalls. Technica cochise are 99mm. I’m drawing a blank on any other narrow touring/side country boots with a tech toe
Click to expand...

Roxa R3 TI fit just like the FT soul shell and are super fire boots. Tech inserts for touring and they have pre punched problem areas for a more modern fit
 
14186921:tomPietrowski said:
You may not want to go to 130 straight away. You are coming from a reasonably soft 90 flex boot so perhaps 100-120 may be a better range for you to start with.

Fit wise the 99mm Soul shell is not super low volume so if that fits well you may want to avoid real low volume boots.

I may be biased but maybe try the Mindbender 120. The fit will be similar to what you have and it will be one of the lightest boots which still feels like a alpine boot inboards but can tour super well too.
Click to expand...

the full tilts fit okay, I feel like I could have sized down from a 27.5 to a 26.5 if they had been fitted. part of the reason I've been leaning towards 130 flex is my dad whos similar height/weight/ability has 120 flex cochise and hes been saying he wished he was in 130s instead
 
14186921:tomPietrowski said:
You may not want to go to 130 straight away. You are coming from a reasonably soft 90 flex boot so perhaps 100-120 may be a better range for you to start with.

Fit wise the 99mm Soul shell is not super low volume so if that fits well you may want to avoid real low volume boots.

I may be biased but maybe try the Mindbender 120. The fit will be similar to what you have and it will be one of the lightest boots which still feels like a alpine boot inboards but can tour super well too.
Click to expand...

I know ur a genius boot boi, and I love your insight, but I went from a FT high flex (black tongue) to a 140 race boot and my skiing completely changed for the better.

I'm not tryna knock you Tom, and you're prlly right. I'm just expressing my experience with a leap and it worked.
 
I’m not saying not going stiffer will not be a good thing but jumping up 40 points in flex in one go may be more then you actually need to do.

Obviously flex is based on lots of factors so being fitted and having your needs assessed will be the best thing, but for most people getting hung up on what flex they “think” they need probably won’t help.

14187279:elm. said:
I know ur a genius boot boi, and I love your insight, but I went from a FT high flex (black tongue) to a 140 race boot and my skiing completely changed for the better.

I'm not tryna knock you Tom, and you're prlly right. I'm just expressing my experience with a leap and it worked.
Click to expand...
 
14187324:tomPietrowski said:
I’m not saying not going stiffer will not be a good thing but jumping up 40 points in flex in one go may be more then you actually need to do.

Obviously flex is based on lots of factors so being fitted and having your needs assessed will be the best thing, but for most people getting hung up on what flex they “think” they need probably won’t help.
Click to expand...

Yes you're right that flex is just one characteristic of a boot and is too often looked at as the defining factor. It's too bad flex is a somewhat arbitrary number that varies from brand to brand. I think this is what makes buying ski gear so fun. You're cinderella and the ski companies all have a different shoe for you.

Back to OP. Another thing that helped me is getting away from a 3 piece boot. I found a 4 buckle was much more aggressive, but less forgiving.
 
14187486:elm. said:
Yes you're right that flex is just one characteristic of a boot and is too often looked at as the defining factor. It's too bad flex is a somewhat arbitrary number that varies from brand to brand. I think this is what makes buying ski gear so fun. You're cinderella and the ski companies all have a different shoe for you.

Back to OP. Another thing that helped me is getting away from a 3 piece boot. I found a 4 buckle was much more aggressive, but less forgiving.
Click to expand...

I guess that makes me and [tag=134699]@onenerdykid[/tag] the fairy god mothers to Newschoolers
 
14187486:elm. said:
Yes you're right that flex is just one characteristic of a boot and is too often looked at as the defining factor. It's too bad flex is a somewhat arbitrary number that varies from brand to brand. I think this is what makes buying ski gear so fun. You're cinderella and the ski companies all have a different shoe for you.

Back to OP. Another thing that helped me is getting away from a 3 piece boot. I found a 4 buckle was much more aggressive, but less forgiving.
Click to expand...

I’m ready for a way less forgiving boot and I’m going to go to a reputable boot fitter to get them fitted. the FTs just feel like noodles when I’m on really steep challenging terrain and it makes it super sketchy
 
I have the mindbender 130s from last year in a 27.5 for this season, I usually ski a 28.5, and these are tight tight on my feet. If you're looking for a low volume boot, MIndbender 130 is a solid pick
 
ft ascendant. Super comfortable. Make sure to buy a size bigger than you normally wear because full tilts always run small (or at least the ascendants do).
 
14189692:friendlyserbian said:
ft ascendant. Super comfortable. Make sure to buy a size bigger than you normally wear because full tilts always run small (or at least the ascendants do).
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Ok so this is pretty terrible advice because A. A boot is only comfortable if it fits your foot and B. The BSL runs short, the internal length is an entirely different thing.
 
14189779:animator said:
Ok so this is pretty terrible advice because A. A boot is only comfortable if it fits your foot and B. The BSL runs short, the internal length is an entirely different thing.
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Sorry to reiterate what I was saying is that the liner is a cozy and cool perk, and the full tilt boot lengths for the ascendent are just straight up too short. I've had friends try on their apparent size with it being too small, and the size up being good (length wise).
 
14189801:friendlyserbian said:
Sorry to reiterate what I was saying is that the liner is a cozy and cool perk, and the full tilt boot lengths for the ascendent are just straight up too short. I've had friends try on their apparent size with it being too small, and the size up being good (length wise).
Click to expand...

Ok but just because your friends try something on and they can’t wear a boot a little tight doesn’t mean that it’s a fact. Please refrain from giving advice if you’re not a fitter because it could lead to someone spending a lot of money on something that does not work for them
 
14189826:animator said:
Ok but just because your friends try something on and they can’t wear a boot a little tight doesn’t mean that it’s a fact. Please refrain from giving advice if you’re not a fitter because it could lead to someone spending a lot of money on something that does not work for them
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Obviously always have the boots fitted and get the correct size from the shell check, but the FTE shell was originally designed in a size 28 rather then the standard sample size of 27 as the bigger size was what fitted our development team who normally always wear a 27.
 
14189826:animator said:
Ok but just because your friends try something on and they can’t wear a boot a little tight doesn’t mean that it’s a fact. Please refrain from giving advice if you’re not a fitter because it could lead to someone spending a lot of money on something that does not work for them
Click to expand...

just giving advice to a fellow NS who might be buying online. Helping him not make the same mistake me and my friends made when getting the boot. It runs short.
 
14189692:friendlyserbian said:
ft ascendant. Super comfortable. Make sure to buy a size bigger than you normally wear because full tilts always run small (or at least the ascendants do).
Click to expand...

Cuff height is much lower on the ascendant than the souls so watch out for that.
 
the XT3 liner is packing out kinda quickly a little worried about that but other than that good so far. guess ill have to put zipfits or intuitions in them later
 
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