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cydwhitWill say more if I get a chance to review them. For now though:
That boot is entering a very saturated marketplace of touring boots that claim to ski like a 130ish flex alpine boot. A few of the already proven boots in that field:
Atomic Hawx Ultra 130 XTD
Scarpa Maestrale XT
Lange Freetour
Roxa R3 130
Salomon MTN Lab
La Sportiva Synchro
Full Tilt Ascendant
Technica Cochise
I skied the regular Recon and was much less than impressed. Weird fit, weird flex. Also have heard of a lot of issues with that boot cracking.
So, it would be awesome if the Mindbender was super freaking rad. But I'll keep an open mind until I've skied it, because:
A) It's hard to knock a touring boot out of the park in its first model year
B) K2's previous touring boots have been really terrible
C) The K2 boot it's based on was problematic
D) There are a ton of other proven options on the market that ski and walk very well. This catagory is very saturated and any new entry needs to bring something unique to the table.
So yeah, I'd really like to review this boot, and I'd really like to be impressed. And if I do, and am, I'll post back here. But just as a customer, at this point I'd look at any of the options I listed above, especially since there's a chance you could get them on sale, unlike this new boot which will be full price in its first model year.
tomPietrowskiHaha wow so no a fan.
What issue did you have with the recons? In Canada that boot is a huge seller and we have had zero issues with it.
The mindbender takes that awesome recon boot and turns it into a walk mode freeride beast. It is not a super light weight skimo boot this is the real deal. Stiff and no give in the cuff at all.
I have been skiing mine for a while and with a change of liner I have them around 140 and they are seriously one of the hardest charging boots I have ever used but they have that huge range of motion when you want it.
Fit wise it’s that true if volume. We call it a 98 but it’s a mid volume. Mid heel and instep so no of course it’s not going to fit everyone but it will account for the mid to high volume feet which currently are only really served by the Dalbello lull and Lange freetour.
It’s going to do really well for us I think and having skied it I can truly say it’s leaps and bounds ahead of the current completion.
cydwhitAgain, not trying to tear into the Mindbender. Just laying out how I'd be looking at that boot as an informed customer. It could be awsome, I'd love to ski it. But as a kid on NS looking to buy a new pair of 50/50 boots at the start of next season, I'd want to have the information I laid out in that post. And what are the chances that it's actually awesomer than any of the boots I listed?
None of the boots I listed are "super light weight skimo boots" all the boots in that list are the "real deal."
On your flex note: "Stiff and no give in the cuff at all" is exactly my problem with the Recon. It had a very stiff cuff that offered little in the way of suspension. A good 130 flex inbounds boot will have a smooth flex that ramps up evenly, like well tuned bike suspension. I found that the Recon's flex had a very high barier to entry (very hard to flex into) but once you did flex into it, the boot gave way in a linear, disconcerting way. That make sense? Maybe I had a unique experience with that boot, but over a bunch of days in a bunch of conditions, with a bunch of skis, that was my takeaway.
Again, I am 100% cheering for this boot, the more the merrier, especially since probably it's moldable to my disgusting feet. But it's far from the only option in this saturated market, so I think mentally locking into purchasing this boot right now is a very dangerous proposition.
How is it leaps and bounds above the current competition? Would love to see stated weights and ROM.
If I can get my hands on a pair I'll drop back into this thread with the full review. Hope K2 knocked it out of the park with this one!
cydwhitHow is it leaps and bounds above the current competition? Would love to see stated weights and ROM.
tomPietrowskiWeight in a 26 is 1675g and ROM is 50 degrees. The only walk mode I have tried close to it is a lupo with the tongue out. But more importantly in my mind is that in ski mode it is indistinguishable from a proper alpine boot, that is what sets it apart in my opinion. The only other boot I think flex's like it is the freetour, but that is heavy with a limited ROM. The Pebax cuff also gives it a really nice smooth flex so that may better for you if you did not like the more rigid PU cuff
tomPietrowskiWe call it a 98 but it’s a mid volume.
Chubz.So are these like a tour/alpine hybrid type boot? Sorry for my ignorance I know very little about AT stuff since I don’t really live in an area where there’s terrain worth touring for. (Although my local shop are pushing touring a TON and finding a lot of success which is cool.)
But would I be able to use these as a alpine only boot if I choose to? Assuming they fit me, not sure why but these boots really intrigued me when I saw them. When I get out to Utah next season I would like to get into skinning after taking the necessary precautions, so it would be nice for a boot to be able to do both if I decide to invest in a touring set up.
slashy2Tom, will it be possible to buy DIN soles for the minderbender boots ?
BrawnTrendsMind me asking what the point of doing that is? Being someone with narrow feet that only fits properly in low volume boots I'd like for manufacturers to be true to what they write.
TurnfarmerTom-
Can you compare Mindbender/Recon LV fit to Nordica ProMachine?
Thanks
ACID_Pics? How stiff will they be compared to 130 Recon?
ACID_How stiff will they be compared to 130 Recon?
tomPietrowskiCurrently we only have a grip walk option. But gripwalk will be replacing the current alpine standard. Gripwalk will work with most current bindings but not a few old ones. But in a few years the only boots without gripwalk will be race boots.
**This post was edited on Feb 19th 2019 at 12:26:30pm
freeskibum82I hate this trend of Gripwalk. it adds unnecessary weight and design to the toe piece of bindings. take the aaattack and pivot for instance. those things got so bloated because of gripwalk compatibility. im glad all the manufacturers got on board with a single system and they killed WTR but i just have no need for the gripwalk.
freeskibum82I hate this trend of Gripwalk. it adds unnecessary weight and design to the toe piece of bindings. take the aaattack and pivot for instance. those things got so bloated because of gripwalk compatibility. im glad all the manufacturers got on board with a single system and they killed WTR but i just have no need for the gripwalk.
onenerdykidIt only adds weight/bulk to your binding if your binding wasn't designed properly in the first place :)
Honestly, I am stoked for GripWalk. Here's why:
1. You get more way tread and traction than what the alpine norm allows for. This is not insignificant when boot packing and climbing around on slippery terrain.
2. Basically all bindings from commercial race up to freeride are GripWalk compatible next year. This means that I can officialy use one boot from everything from pin bindings to 2-piece/flat mount bindings to system bindings. So, whether I use a Backland 117 ski or a Redster G9, I can use my Ultra XTD 130s and not have to adjust the toe height or cram my boot into a toe piece that was alpine-only before.
3. Better power transfer than a full rubber sole. Part of the reason why full-on touring boots don't ski as well as alpine boots is because you are standing on 4-6mm of soft rubber and the sole compresses while initiating a turn. Integrating a hard AFD into the sole prevents this compression from occurring and your 130 plastic performs as it should.
onenerdykidIt only adds weight/bulk to your binding if your binding wasn't designed properly in the first place :)
Honestly, I am stoked for GripWalk. Here's why:
1. You get more way tread and traction than what the alpine norm allows for. This is not insignificant when boot packing and climbing around on slippery terrain.
2. Basically all bindings from commercial race up to freeride are GripWalk compatible next year. This means that I can officialy use one boot from everything from pin bindings to 2-piece/flat mount bindings to system bindings. So, whether I use a Backland 117 ski or a Redster G9, I can use my Ultra XTD 130s and not have to adjust the toe height or cram my boot into a toe piece that was alpine-only before.
3. Better power transfer than a full rubber sole. Part of the reason why full-on touring boots don't ski as well as alpine boots is because you are standing on 4-6mm of soft rubber and the sole compresses while initiating a turn. Integrating a hard AFD into the sole prevents this compression from occurring and your 130 plastic performs as it should.
freeskibum82I understand the PROs to this but id say 90% (my estimate) of the skiing recreational public will be sold on it only for "being able to walk around easier". Im curious as to the actual percentage of skiers that really boot pack and climb to ski compared to resort goers. Yea i could get gripwalk soles for my ultra130s but why? i dont need it and I'll keep my now vintage (pre gripwalk) FKS with the smaller toe and be happy. no? They are forcing people who want to buy just boots next year into gripwalk and their old bindings wont work. During the transition techs now have to worry about remembering to place the sticker on the boot etc.. Now you've just made the barrier of entry for an existing skier to continue skiing even more expensive because some company came up with a replaceable sole for ski boots that has grip and all the boot manufacturers were sold on it and their existing bindings dont work.
onenerdykidBut this is why GripWalk is beneficial for a super wide range of skiers. It appeals to the FWT guys who are scrambling around on slippery, lifted race boots, all the way down to someone who is simply looking for more grip walking from the parking lot to the lift.
Your last part is not totally accurate though. Alpine 5355 soles will never be phased out, so if someone buys new boots that happen to be GripWalk, they don't necessarily need to upgrade their bindings or get an entirely new system ski set up. If someone doesn't want to make the plunge into a full GripWalk setup, then there's a pretty cheap way to keep using their existing ski & binding. And if it was big deal for the customer, the shop will probably throw them on for free.
freeskibum82I understand the PROs to this but id say 90% (my estimate) of the skiing recreational public will be sold on it only for "being able to walk around easier". Im curious as to the actual percentage of skiers that really boot pack and climb to ski compared to resort goers. Yea i could get gripwalk soles for my ultra130s but why? i dont need it and I'll keep my now vintage (pre gripwalk) FKS with the smaller toe and be happy. no? They are forcing people who want to buy just boots next year into gripwalk and their old bindings wont work. During the transition techs now have to worry about remembering to place the sticker on the boot etc.. Now you've just made the barrier of entry for an existing skier to continue skiing even more expensive because some company came up with a replaceable sole for ski boots that has grip and all the boot manufacturers were sold on it and their existing bindings dont work.
soupcanSorry for sort of thread stealing here but this discussion brought up a question. Which mode would you recommend using on the WTR pivots for a grip walk sole? I know for this season they went with a full new mnc afd but I believe it was the year before where Rossi only used a WTR AFD with a screw to flip which mode from standard alpine to WTR.
soupcanSorry for sort of thread stealing here but this discussion brought up a question. Which mode would you recommend using on the WTR pivots for a grip walk sole? I know for this season they went with a full new mnc afd but I believe it was the year before where Rossi only used a WTR AFD with a screw to flip which mode from standard alpine to WTR.
tomPietrowskiMatt may know for certain bu I think it’s good to use grip walk in The alpine mode. This was one big advantage of grip walk over wtr, as it’s more an angle pattern rather then being fatter then alpine. So long as you have an angled afd you should not need to move the height of the toe like you would with wtr. I belive this is correct but Matt will know
onenerdykidTo be honest, I am not very familiar with Rossi's Dual bindings. Every binding manufacturer will manually adjust to GripWalk or automatically accept GripWalk depending on their specific binding and how it operates. Check with a shop to be sure.