AT boots continue to develop, and there were several updates and new boots visible at OR. Here are a few of the highlights I saw at the show. With the huge variety of touring-capable boots out there, I focused on new developments of the tech-compatible variety.
Super-light race style boots continue to see more development. The LaSportiva Syborg is an inexpensive grilamid version of their full-carbon high end race boot. It of course has an unreal walk mode, and locks down to what seems to be a passable stiffness. 800 grams per boot (size 27)
Scarpa's Alien boot is another plastic race boot aimed to be a lower cost version of pricier carbon race boots. It's been around for a few years, but this year gets a plastic interior cuff, making it more comfy and useful for standard ski touring. Previous versions of the boot had gaps in the plastic shell and required an exterior fabric gaiter to keep snow out.
Fischer is coming out with touring oriented AT boots this year. They have three boots that are basically slight variations of each other. They are general touring boots, with a fairly good walk mode, and not super stiff in ski mode.
Crispi's been making AT boots for a while, but they've never been distributed in the US. This year that's changing. Their Skr!!m boot (yes, that's how its spelled) looks to be a nice general touring boot. It features carbon incorporated into the rear cuff, and into the lower shell. It also has a neat upper buckle that also activates the walk mode lock.
Technica's Cochise line gets a lighter version, the Cochise Pro light. It has a standard power strap (as opposed to the buckle power strap on the heavier Cochise), lighter buckles, and it's a bit softer. The size 27.5 weighs 1705g
The Radical from Dynafit is a nice general touring boot, with PU construction. It's aimed to be a little more inexpensive than Dynafit's other stiffer touring boots. It's not quite as stiff as the Vulcan or Mercury; it feels very similar to the old PU Zzero. One cool feature is the power strap. The power strap is similar to a NRS strap, or a lightweight “Booster” strap, and can be tightened and loosed super fast. It weighs 1830 grams in the size 27.5
Of course there are several other nice new boots coming out, including Dynafit’s Pierre Gignoux full-carbon boot, and Scarpa’s F1 Evo. Lou’s reported on those from Europe, and you can find those posts here: FI Evo, Pierre Gignoux
Thanks a ton to Joe Risi for helping out a with this post. Most of the photos are his.
Louie Dawson earned his Bachelor Degree in Industrial Design from Western Washington University in 2014. When he’s not skiing Mount Baker or somewhere equally as snowy, he’s thinking about new products to make ski mountaineering more fun and safe.
