Dynafit TLT-7-P Ski Boot Technical Review

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson
The object at hand: TLT-7-P ski touring boot.

The object at hand: TLT-7-P ski touring boot.

I’m amazed and delighted by this shoe. Firstly, I’m here to tell you that we have in the TLT-7 much more than a model iteration. This is easily one of the most innovative boots to drop in the last few seasons. It’s like a Tesla coming after a Prius. From the one-motion mode change that actually might be best-ever, to the chop toe, to the through bolted heel fitting, super.

But more, let me brag. This boot incorporates a goodly number of TLT boot hacks and innovations we’ve made here in the WildSnow mod shop over the past decade. Yes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Thanks Dynafit! Let me count the ways, with linkage to some of our mod posts.

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Skialper Buyer Guide 2017 Prodigious Ski Touring Information

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson

For the buyer guide reviewed below, the link:
http://mulatero.it/buyers-guide-2017-apertura/

Cover, Skialper 2017 Buyer Guide.

Cover, Skialper 2017 Buyer Guide.

Last year’s apoplexy inducing drop of the first Skialper Buyer Guide in English was exactly that. The book was so good, I fainted due to heart palpitations — then I went shopping.

The new 2017 edition follows along. It appears even slicker, with excellent descriptions of their test categories, bonus articles, and so much more. English translations are improved, though still a bit rough. It’s all understandable if you read between the lines a bit. To visit the Skialper website, browse to http://skialper.it (We’re not doing a live link due to researching some issues.)

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Scarpa F1 2.0 Ski Touring Boot – Unboxing Review

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson
Scarpa F1 Evo version 2.0 2016-2017

Scarpa F1 Evo version 2.0 2016-2017 is basically the same F1 that was retailed last year, and replacement for F1 Evo that was recalled. We suspect it has a few tiny improvements.

Remember the F1 Evo? Amazingly good boot in so many ways, but the Tronic lean lock (automatic locker) of the F1 Evo was flawed so they up and recalled every boot with a Tronic. Mature way to handle things in my opinion. Nice to see. Promise was to send the recall swap boots out this fall, sans Tronic, and they delivered. Ours came a few days ago and they look fantastic.

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La Sportiva Spectre 1.0 2.0 Comparo Review

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson
La Sportiva Spectre 2.0 is easily one of the better power-weight ratio shoes out there.

La Sportiva Spectre 2.0 is easily one of the better power-weight ratio shoes out there.

La Sportiva Spectre backcountry skimo boot

La Sportiva Spectre 1 was a good effort. Low shell over the arch and a modicum of bulging during flex were downsides. Qubbles aside, they served a lot of backcountry skiers.

La Sportiva’s freshman “light beef” Spectra 4-buckle “1.0” ski touring boot was a solid performer from the start, what with a few fit glitches and since resolved first-run bugs. Version 2.0 is nearly identical. In our view, what’s said to be a “5 percent” increase in stiffness is real, though not something every skier needs to be concerned about.

A few other Spectre 2 changes and improvements are of interest as well, but nothing apocalyptic. Most importantly in my view, a bit more vertical toe volume is important, and the low shell above the arch of the foot has been fixed. We don’t mind the color scheme, but prefered the less garish motif of the original dark version. Cuff alignment rivet is gone; not an issue for most skiers and perhaps one less thing to fail, but some folks truly need cuff alignment. Overall, WildSnow kudos to Sportiva for well executed incremental improvements.

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Testing La Sportiva Hybrid Trab Tech Fittings

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson

See our review comparing Sportiva Spectre 1.0 and 2.0

So, boys and girls, we lashed up this rig using the G3 ION as it provides consistent release and noticeably more clamping pressure than most other bindings, which makes them easier to test.,

So, boys and girls, we lashed up this rig using the G3 ION as it provides consistent release, and noticeably more clamping pressure than most other bindings, which makes them work well as a test bed. And yes that’s a real “force gauge” measurement instrument. As engineer Cam Shute of G3 says, “Don’t talk about it unless you can measure it.” I used this unit as a “push” gauge, with only my muscle power and a slide platform made from plexiglass to reduce friction. The heel of the boot is held by an anti-friction shim at the same level as if latched in downhill mode. Much of the variation in my data sets is no doubt due to using poorly regulated muscle power to push the gauge, but my results had obvious consistencies so I didn’t trouble with creating a mechanical force injector. BEAR IN MIND, this test was performed WITHOUT THE HEEL LATCHED to measure retention tension of the toe unit presumably related to the shape of the boot toe tech fittings.

The ski touring rumor factory: You could banshee scream “IT’s ALIVE” and you wouldn’t be far off the mark. As with any gossip, do not trust — verify like crazy before you base your credit card I/O or personal safety on what you hear muttered over the digi-waves. Today, case in point. Folks are questioning the performance of La Sportiva’s “hybrid” “tech-Trab” fittings (used in their Spectra 2.0 boot and others), designed to function with both “standard” tech bindings as well as Trab’s Attaco TR2. (Note, Trab has truly interesting bindings, check them out.)

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WildSnow Technical — Dynafit and Tech Binding Heel Gap Spacing and Safety Release

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson

You’ve heard of the generation gap, and you might know about your spark plug gap, but what about the Dynafit tech gap? And now, the “kiss gap?”

To function properly, most “tech” type backcountry skiing bindings require specific spacing between the boot heel and the rear unit of the binding. The “tech gap,” if you will. In this WildSnow.com technical blog post, we’ll look at the “tech gap,” with emphasis on Dynafit brand bindings though the concepts apply to other brands as well.

Illustration of small gap used for spring-loaded tech binding.

Dynafit Radical 2.0 heel unit, with ‘kiss gap’ adjusted to what we think works best, a very small gap that just allows a sliver of light to come through. We recommend this method because it insures you are not pushing the heel unit up too tightly against the boot heel. Note that some Radical 1.x bindings have a spring-loaded heel unit that moves fore/aft, but still requires a 5.5 mm gap! Confusing? You bet. (Note the binding shown here is all black and may be confused with Radical version 1, current versions of Radical 2 have green and gold components that make it easily identifiable.

Before we get started, fair warning: Due to numerous Dynafit binding models that look similar, have the same names and sometimes were even sold under the same SKU number, the issue of proper adjustment has become incredibly confusing. We feel that competent ski shops who deal with this issues daily are in many cases better than efforts at DIY. Even so, beware of the ski shop as well. They’re only human and can be easily confused as well.

2016 autumn addendum: We added a few photos at bottom of post to clarify how the tech binding pins should appear with a “classic” tech binding such as Dynafit Superlight 2.0.

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