Touring Gear

ShredMasterPlus

ShredMasterPlus

Active member
Hey, I'm looking at picking up some used touring gear and am wondering what sort of brands I should look out for. Like what bindings break often, which boots are really uncomfortable. Any good recommendations? Thanks a lot guys.
 
black diamond has a strong emphisis on low weight (skis boots and bindings), and lot of the snowbird ski partrol live by thier shit which is reason enough for me to buy it, however:

i do really really wanna try the new Guardian 16 by salomon
 
It is such a risk to buy a used boot- the liner has molded to someone else's foot, which is most likely not the same as yours. Same with boot work...

If you want the best boot for your foot, go get fitted and spend the money on the right thing for your foot, not what someone else likes to ski in.
 
check steepandcheap, i have seen a lot of touring boots no their from time to time, some scarpa, black diamond, and Garmont... all kick ass names in AT boots..
 
the Atomic Tracker 130 and Black Diamond Factor are pretty legit for someone that wants touring and uphill performance and a similar feeling to skiing downhill in a downhill boot. with that being said- there is no AT boot that is as legit on the way down as a downhill boot.

it really depends on how hard you are going to be skiing on the downhill and how much you want comfort on the uphill. AT boots are sick and Dynafits are as light as it gets- but on the flipside they aren't as nice for sending cliffs and hitting jumps as say - downhill boots with the MFD alltime and P18 setup.
 
Hey thanks a lot, so your saying if I'm going to be touring and going for pillow lines and cliffs and what not, I should just stick with a downhill boot and tough it out for the up hill? and MFD alltime and p18 setups could you explain a little more about those. Btw thanks for all the replies really appreciate the input.

I would love to buy a brand new boot but Right now moneys tight and i've seen some setups going on classifieds for like 400bucks-boots-skis n bindings and skins some for less so I was kinda wondering if their was some old gear that was always breaking and stuff that I should watch out for. I just kind of want the basic gear so I can get a taste of this and see If its something I really like before I go out and get all top of the line stuff. Though I do understand that having top of the line stuff would make it much more enjoyable but I just can't afford to go out and spend a couple thousand as currently I'm just a poor ol' ski bum. But yea thanks again for all the input guys really appreciate it.
 
If you are just looking to get a taste, make sure the first thing you do is get some avy training done and the appropriate gear there first, and then pick up some skins and trekkers. easiest cheapest way in, even though it wont last long. should be enough to get into it. buy it from a retailer that has an unlimited return policy (like backcountry.com) so then if it breaks, or when you want to upgrade, you can do it for no additional cost.

On another note, tech bindings have come a long way. Ive been on the dynafit radical a ton this year, with a dalbello virus tour boot, and so far so good! in and out of resort. if you are skiing more than 60 percent out of resort, go tech binding (dynafit/plum) if you are in a resort more, go with dukes, barons, mfds, or the guardians. so many awesome ways to go, and no one correct answer.
 
Avy training and gear should be your first priority. An avy 1 course, reading a book or two, getting a solid beacon, probe, and shovel should be your priorities.

If you plan on doing a lot of touring, then tech bindings are pretty much the way to go. The solid names in the game are dynafit and plum. The onyx and other offerings don't have the bets rep. A nice light boot is amazing and good technique can make up for the lack of stiffness unless you're bum rushing some serious lines. A lot of companies are coming out with some good stuff options though for touring boots.

If you're looking for something more downhill oriented, then the MFD or duke are the way to go. That being said, you might get dynafit jealousy pretty quick. An option is to get a pair of dynaduke plates (bindingfreedom.com) and get a pair of dukes and dynafits. Use the dukes for short tours, where you plan on hucking it and side country and then the dynafits for anything greater than 2-3 hours.

 
Thanks a lot guys +k and Yea I'm def taking some Avy Courses to start and I have a few friends that have been touring for a while so they should be able to teach me some stuff as well. Cheers guys happy shredding looks like we got some now overnight here in the Lake Louise
 
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