AT boots

MCwisemanHey,

So my weight fluctuates between 165-175lbs and I’m currently touring on the 2019 JJ’s with the tyrolia aaadrenaline 16’s riding British Columbia backcountry/whistler in bounds . I’m looking to slowly move towards a tech set up but first move would be boots. Does anyone know if there is a 120+ flex with 100mm last that have tech inserts but fit in frames until I can upgrade binders? Kinda like the ascendants? The reason for this is my current problem is the flex on my boots.... so driving the new stiffer JJ’s properly is shit without the boots folding over.... so right now it’s a flex problem but I’d like to solve my future tech problem at the same time.

Thanks

I know there are a few boots which have interchangeable soles, those with tech toes and regular alpine DIN soles. Salomon QST PRO 120 and 130 do for sure, I have the older version. I'm not sure how well they walk compared to a lot of other boots out there and obviously have no idea if they'd fit your feet. I haven't tried other crossover boots or done very much walking with them.

It goes unmentioned by many, but the Fischer Ranger Free 130 is an amazing boot. I have absolutely loved mine. A few friends have as well. They make a 120, comes with gripwalk or you can buy regular dine soles. They're very light, and absolutely rip. I use them on my 19 JJ's with Pivots inbounds and Liberty Origin 116's in the woods with Kingpins. I tried on every boot and really loved the more linear flex the Ranger has. Give it a whirl.

I ride the Dalbello Lupo Ax's and I swapped the gripwalk soles for alpine soles to use them with FKS 180's on my park skis. I wish they just came with an intuition wrap liner, but I put a set of ID Max's in them for resort use. My dad is actually looking into AT boots and he's narrowed it down to the QST, Cochise 130, Lupo, or the Ascendant. The best boot is the one that fits!

i have a buddy who ride the roxa r3 almost exclusively in bounds with pivot 18s. 99mm last so just a mil shy of what youre looking for. seems to work great. ive seen some other dudes with the unmistakable r3 130 lime green absolutely hucking stuff and seems like they hold up. If they fit my feet i would have snagged some by now. check them out

Over the summer I ended up debating between the Lupos and the Ascendents. I ended up getting the Ascendents for a decent price. They fit really well and I find the wider full tilt models have always fit me well. Im debating getting the interchangeable tongues to try different flex's as there is a stiffer and a softer tongue.

I have the Scarpa Mastrales. Stiff, light, simple design and a wicked walking range are the advantages.
Fitting them was very difficult, the locks can ice up. For 900$, it was still worth it. going onto the 3rd season with them.

I have the Cochises for a freeride boot. they can be converted to alpine binding, They are comfortable, easy to fit, not too expensive and a fair flex. They are great for short hikes, but will hurt on longer ones.

As was mentioned, the boot that fits is the right one.

Definitely check out the Hawx XTD 130 (narrower last, but the whole shell can be cooked to move 3mm in any direction, so the effective last can be 104mm) and the MTN Lab (likely you'll need a sixth toe punch, but they ski super strong).

MCwisemanHey,

So my weight fluctuates between 165-175lbs and I’m currently touring on the 2019 JJ’s with the tyrolia aaadrenaline 16’s riding British Columbia backcountry/whistler in bounds . I’m looking to slowly move towards a tech set up but first move would be boots. Does anyone know if there is a 120+ flex with 100mm last that have tech inserts but fit in frames until I can upgrade binders? Kinda like the ascendants? The reason for this is my current problem is the flex on my boots.... so driving the new stiffer JJ’s properly is shit without the boots folding over.... so right now it’s a flex problem but I’d like to solve my future tech problem at the same time.

Thanks

I'm 6'2", almost the exact same weight. I have men's size 10 feet with nothing weird about them, and the last 2 pairs of boots were 100mm last. Last year I agonized over some AT friendly boots that could handle some inbounds skiing. Here is a summary of my research:

Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 120:

https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/2017-2018-atomic-hawx-ultra-xtd-120

This is what I bought. Mine are sized a little bigger for AT (28.0 Mondo). Comfy straight out of the box, got even better when I heat molded the liners. I put a pair of SuperFeet RedHot insoles in them (do that with all my ski boots). I picked them up at the end of last season so I don't have any turns yet, but I'm pleased with the fit and construction. Depending on the review, they are considered a 50:50 boot (backcountry vs. inbounds).

The runner up for me was the Lange XT Free 120: http://www.lange-boots.com/products/skiboots/allmountainfree#men. Again, comfy out of the box, but heavy versus almost everything else in the category. They favor inbounds more than backcountry, so maybe 60:40.

I was very curious about the Head Kore 2 boots (link) and the Nordica Striders (link, my feet have always been happy in Nordicas), but could not find them in stock to try on. They seemed to fall in the middle of the pack as far as reviews went; they didn't suck, but were not great.

I was not willing to consider the boots that require you to remove the tongue to get full range of motion. I have restricted movement in one ankle anyway (old injury), so I will never fully realize the full range of most of these boots.

I would not buy anything that I didn't physically try on. It had been a long time since I bought boots and was very surprised on how the fit differed between brands/models. Hope this helps!

bootfitter ;)