I’d been meaning to do something like this for a while, because the Dynafit TLT-5 top buckle simply doesn’t fit that well under most of my ski pants when it’s open. TLT-5 owners who know the problem need no further description. And if you don’t have a problem with it, more power to you. We showed one solution a few days ago that involved mounting a plastic tab on the boot shell. Here is another. All it takes is 1/2 hour and a dollar or two of parts.
The device is a small chunk of 1/2 inch ID vinyl tubing from the hardware store, attached with thin bungie cord. I drilled a couple of holes in the vinyl tubing, inserted the ends of the cord, and knotted. To prevent loss, the bungee passes through the slot in the buckle. In this photo, the 'lock block' is deployed and is preventing the tang on the TLT-5 buckle from inserting into the cuff of the boot.
TLT-5 in downhill mode, cuff locked 'lock block' stowed by simply flipping it to the rear. Bungie cord is located through the slot in the buckle, thus preventing loss.
Oddly enough, the TLT 5 buckle has a catch on it that perfectly holds the buckle bail when in a semi-open position. I'm always amused by these sorts of things, as they make you wonder if some gnome of Montebelluna might have perhaps been thinking of this same sort of buckle stowage? Do great minds think alike? Oh, and you sharp eyed WildSnowers will notice another little mod on the boot tounge. Yeah, my stock one broke off, so I installed the stiffer tongue with a diminutive hinge that lets it fold completely forward and out of the way during foot entry and exit. Have to admit, this is a super nice little mod as well. Only thing left for me is to figure out a way to fix the my worn cuff rivets -- they've developed quite a bit of slop. The whiskey is an emergency kit item for the workshop, in case invasive surgery on my favorite boots has bad results and anesthesia is required. De-corking it was not necessary, but having it on hand next to the tool box just felt so right.
One thing to remember about these sorts of backcountry skiing boot buckle mods on the TLT5 is that you may find you’d rather simply leave the buckle open (flipped out) and attached so it’s easy to close back up and thus go to downhill mode with minimal fumbling. That’s why the boot is designed as it is — so you can make super fast and easy transitions. All mods we’ve published allow the boot to be used in stock mode, so no big deal. Just thought I’d mention that as once I made this mod, I realized that sometimes it’s really nice to just flip that buckle, and in nearly one motion be back in downhill mode quicker than your fumbling friends, so you can steal their line!
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
