January is a great month for new gear. Trade show time rolls
around and every ski vendor out there is strutting their stuff in hopes of
inticing customers for the following season. The AT market is interesting
because of the diversity of customers and their uses. One one hand you have the
light weight obsessed, who sacrifice performance for the sake of more vertical.
On the other hand you have the people who are about the down. The challenge is most people want a blend of both. With ski’s getting wider the need to
have a more powerful boot is warranted but at the same time lugging a 1900gr
monster up with you is less then desirable.
Scarpa and
Dynafit have been pushing the limits of
tourability and power over the last few years. Each company has carved out a
section one on the more powerful side the other on tourability. With Dynafit's signing of
Eric
Hjorleifson you knew that something
must be coming down the pipe that would give us both power and excellent
touring capabilities. I sure hope retailers aren’t sitting on lots of boots, 2013
will be a banner year for boots.
Powerful Big Boots
The
TLT 5 platform has
been largely considered the most efficient boot for touring on the market, but
left a lot to be desired on the down. There have been modifications abound to
make them stiffer to help drive larger skis the crew at
wildsnow.com have been pushing the
envelope.
Dynafit Vulcan
At only 1590g , no toe flex zone and the same 60 degree cuff
movement this is the most powerful light weight boot Dyanfit has produced. It
was designed with HOJI in mind needing a boot that you can confidently earn
your turns saving valuable energy throughout the day for that extra lap. Some skiers will rejoice as the volume in the toe box and forefoot increases slightly from the TLT5.
This boot might be overkill on the stiffness side for most. The target market is
Scarpa Mobe’s ,
Skookum’s ,
Titans . Tech bindings are no longer for the soft riding weight conscious skier. If you look
closely in the movie All.I.CAN you can see
Callum
Pettit lining up on of the knarliest lines in the movie on a tech setup.
Wondering how this boot stacks up against the TLT5?
http://bit.ly/yfjoPl Steve at Tetonat.com gives some insight.
Scarpa Maestrale RS
Drawing on the popularity of the Maestrale,
Scrapa ups the
stiffness but retains the free touring feel in this boot. The lower flex
Maestrale is often over powered in challenging terrain with big skis as they
don’t have the support needed to push the skis to their limit. This will speak to the
people riding a 105mm waisted stiff ski who fit the Maestrale but just needed a
little more support. Also of note riveted buckles in the 2013 lineup will help
solve some of the frustration of missing hardware of years past. Given its
1,559 gram weight it will be one of the hottest boots for 2013. Couple the
legendary touring and a price of about $300 less than the Vulcan, Scarpa will
likely be the go to touring boot for many next year.
Garmont Cosmos
I will have to admit Garmont has had a few rough years. None
of their boots had adjusted to the new reality of AT. They were heavy,
touring function was marginal. The last real success was the Radium. This boot
tips the scale at 1450g and a stiff 125 flex. Boasting a 60 degree range of motion (same as Dynafit
TLT5 based boots) will provide ample freedom and minimal shin bang in touring
mode. With the same wallet damage as the
Scarpa boot at $699 it will a personal fit choice that will guide the buyer in
this boot. Scarpa does have a slight advantage with the adaptable Intuition
liner. For anyone who was a big fan of the Radium this will be your boot.
Boots for us common Folks
The power boots will be great for the hard chargers but for
most of us a boot with around a 110 flex is plenty to drive most backcounty
skis. This is the most exciting category as the choice is so vast that everyone
will be able to find a boot that fits their foot shape.
We all get caught up in the weight, stiffness and obviously
colour. But boot fit should always be your number one criteria. If the boot is
low volume and you have a monster wide foot look somewhere else. If you are not
sure go see your local boot fitter and support them. Nothing is worse than a
boot that causes you agony on a daily basis. I have always trusted
Fanatykco Whistler for my boot fitting.
When one of the boys says that boot is no good for my feet I listen.
Dynafit
All the boots will feature the ultralock buckle for quick
and easy touring freedom. This year dynafit has gone with the tried and true
good, better, best strategy attempting to capture both ends of the market while
at the same time providing the best fit and touring comfort.
Dynafit Mercury
High performance and low weight backs off the stiffness of
the Vulcan. This boot should work for most people out there and the price drops
down due to material choice. This boot is light at 1600g. Likely to be one of
the volume sellers for 2013 watch out Scarpa.
Dynafit One PX/U
Essentially the same boot made to hurt the wallet less than
the mercury. The PX version sports a stiffer Pebax shell and cuff where as the
U is a simple polyuerethane cuff. The trade off is almost 110 grams this makes
the Dynafit One PX in direct battle with the Scarpa Meastrale. These boots won’t drive the big sticks in
challenging conditions but for most of the skiing here midseason in BC it
doesn’t matter cause you are slaying pow anyway.
Garmont Orbit
Once again Garmont is showing they are serious about AT
boots again. This boot touted with a flex of 115 and a svelte 1345g is pushing
the limits of what an all around boot could be.
The 60 degress cuff articulation will make touring feel free and easy.
With this offering Garmont has positioned itself to take a run at Scarpa’s
market share.
2012/2013 is shaping up to be the year of the boot. The last
few year have been dominated by ski technology with everyone and their uncle building
a hide early rise tip reduced camber skis. It is encouraging to see a concerted
effort towards the most important piece of equipment the boot. Can’t wait to
get my hands on a few of these boots!
Feature Summary
| Boot |
Category |
Cuff Material |
Cuff articulation |
Weight |
Boot material |
Relative flex |
Buckles |
Forward Lean |
Sole |
Price |
Last width |
| Dynafit
Vulcan |
Power |
Carbon Fiber and
Grilamid |
60 degrees |
1590g |
Grilamid |
N/A - about 130 |
Ultralock |
15-18 Degrees |
Klauen At Sole |
$999 |
103mm |
| Dynafit
Mercury |
All around |
Carbon Fiber and
Grilamid |
60 degrees |
1600g |
grilamid |
N/A About 115 |
Ultralock |
15-18 Degrees |
Klauen At Sole |
$699 |
103mm |
| Dynafit One
PX |
All around |
Pebax |
60 Degrees |
1490g |
Pebax |
N/a about 100 |
Ultralock |
15-18 Degrees |
Klauen At Sole |
$600 |
103mm |
| Dynafit ONE U |
All around |
PU |
60 degrees |
1650g |
PU |
N/a About 100 |
Ultralock |
15-18 Degrees |
Klauen At Sole |
$549 |
103mm |
| Scarpa
Maestrale RS |
Power |
Pebax |
40 Degrees |
1550g |
Polimide |
120 |
3 Buckle + |
18-22 Degrees |
Vibram At Sole |
$600 |
101mm |
| Garmont
Cosmos |
Power |
Grilamid |
60 degrees |
1450g |
Grilamid |
125 |
4 Buckle |
11.5 Degrees |
Vibram At Sole |
$699 |
103.5mm |
| Garmont Orbit |
All around |
Grilamid |
60 degrees |
1345g |
Pebax |
115 |
3 Buckle |
11.5 Degrees |
Vibram AT sole |
$649 |
103.5mm |
Up next 2012/2013 Skis....
Labels: Gear Reviews
At only 1590g , no toe flex zone and the same 60 degree cuff
movement this is the most powerful light weight boot Dyanfit has produced. It
was designed with HOJI in mind needing a boot that you can confidently earn
your turns saving valuable energy throughout the day for that extra lap. Some skiers will rejoice as the volume in the toe box and forefoot increases slightly from the TLT5.
I will have to admit Garmont has had a few rough years. None
of their boots had adjusted to the new reality of AT. They were heavy,
touring function was marginal. The last real success was the Radium. This boot
tips the scale at 1450g and a stiff 125 flex. Boasting a 60 degree range of motion (same as Dynafit
TLT5 based boots) will provide ample freedom and minimal shin bang in touring
mode. With the same wallet damage as the
Scarpa boot at $699 it will a personal fit choice that will guide the buyer in
this boot. Scarpa does have a slight advantage with the adaptable Intuition
liner. For anyone who was a big fan of the Radium this will be your boot.
High performance and low weight backs off the stiffness of
the Vulcan. This boot should work for most people out there and the price drops
down due to material choice. This boot is light at 1600g. Likely to be one of
the volume sellers for 2013 watch out Scarpa.
Essentially the same boot made to hurt the wallet less than
the mercury. The PX version sports a stiffer Pebax shell and cuff where as the
U is a simple polyuerethane cuff. The trade off is almost 110 grams this makes
the Dynafit One PX in direct battle with the Scarpa Meastrale. These boots won’t drive the big sticks in
challenging conditions but for most of the skiing here midseason in BC it
doesn’t matter cause you are slaying pow anyway. 