Gear Lust – My Kit for Winter 09 Backcountry Skiing

by Dave Downing
written by Dave Downing

It's the same every year. Early season, there's snow on the high peaks, JLD has already jumped the gun and gone "skiing" at Marble, everyone is anxious for the season at hand. Patience my young Padawan, the time is near. Wax the skis. Cross train. Write down your "hit list". We wait. Often, the most tangible thing you can do, skiing related, is play with your old gear or buy new gear. However, the true dirt bag skier doesn’t always get new gear. So we simply lust after it – which has been my story many times.

This pre-season I've been fortunate to actually acquire new gear! So to get everyone psyched on gear and skiing, I'll share my Winter 2009 backcountry setup with you. I'll tell you what's new, what's old, and why it's making the cut.

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Garmont Axon 100,000 Mile Road Test

by Bob Perlmutter
written by Bob Perlmutter

The timing could not have been more perfect. A new pair of Garmont Axon’s arrived last fall to coincide with “Big Oh Eight” — the deepest winter and best spring skiing I’ve seen in thirty years in Aspen. I was determined to make the most of the opportunity as one never knows when another ski mountaineering season like that might come along. So I did. A hundred thousand miles worth.

Garmont Axon

Apparently Garmont has arrived at the perfect combination of sole durability and traction, as even after quite a bit of abuse they held up fine.

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Black Diamond Method Boots – Production Version Unboxed

by Lou Dawson
written by Lou Dawson

WildSnow blogger Dave has been on pins and needles for the last month thinking our production pair of Black Diamond Method boots was going to arrive in December. Lo and behold, we get them today! For now, all I can say is these shoes definitely follow suit to other amazingly high quality offerings this year we’re seeing from the other boot makers. Beautiful design and craftsmanship. All sorts of reviews coming, stay tuned.

Black Diamond Method Boots

Dave's first look at the Methods, he almost passed out.

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Overlap Construction AT Boot Guide 08/09

by Dave Downing
written by Dave Downing

(2015 update, we’ve removed defunct shopping links, shop for backcountry ski touring boots here.)

Colorado backcountry skiing.

Backcountry Freeride, Free Touring, Alpine Crossover — figure out your category yet? Skiers and industry players try to label the “new” trend in off-piste skiing, but we’re probably over thinking things. To keep it simple, I like to see it as simply “Powder Skiing,” since pow is what I’m out there for. But that’s not the point. The important thing is that gear is progressing in all areas of backcountry skiing. As we saw last year with all the pre-production boot demos we received, this year is bringing in an exciting slew of new, stiffer boots.

Backcountry skiing boots.
Garmont Radium shows its overlap construction during a fitting session.

Thus, we begin a series of AT (alpine ski touring) boot buyer guides that list choices under various categories. Today we cover “overlap” boots, meaning boots that close with an overlapping flap on the lower shell, rather than a plastic tongue which extends from the toe up to the top of the upper cuff (known as a tongue boot). Stay tuned for more category overviews as the season progresses, especially other beefy shoes.

Overlap closure is the same as that of many performance alpine boots. For skiers such as myself with a background heavily influenced by downhill and resort skiing, overlap AT boots are a welcome addition to our arsenals. Not necessarily because overlapping construction is better, I’m not claiming that, but simply for the familiar feel and performance.

Below is a quick peek of the main players in the AT Boot – Overlap Construction Category for 2008. This is simply a buyers guide for your comparison (not intended as advocacy of any one type of boot construction or brand). Just a quick guide to see which boots offer features such as Dynafit fittings, weights (provided by the manufacturer until WildSnow receives production models to verified), price and sole options. Use the weights as a rough guideline only, as some are verified and some are not. More importantly, our weights are NOT normalized for an exact size, though they’re generally for a size around 27.

We excluded Flex Index numbers. As this is mostly a marketing scheme (or way of comparing flex within a brand line), with no reliance on standards of any sorts, we came to the conclusion that all you really need to know is which boot is stiffest within a brand. Also, know that all the stiffest boots are similar in beef, and factors such as fit and temperature of plastic during testing cause enough variation in stiffness to make comparison between brands difficult at best. As we receive production models of each boot, we will look into providing real world data on their individual stiffnesses. In the meantime, each boot marked with a is the stiffest boot in its brand line.

On to the boots…

  Dynafit / Tech Inserts Flex Index Weight (pair) Sole Swap Included Soles Price
AT DIN
Black Diamond
Factor 9 lb 2 oz +$39.95 $729.99
Method 8 lb 12 oz +$24.95 $669.99
Shiva (Women’s) 8 lb 12 oz +$24.95 $669.99
Dynafit
Zzeus TF-X 8 lb 9 oz $759.95
Garmont
Radium 8 lb $759.95
Argon 8 lb 8 oz $699.95
Helium 6 lb 14 oz $739.95
Agent AT 7 lb 8 oz $825.00

Black Diamond

Factor

The Factor is a powerful combination of backcountry and alpine boots. It comes equipped with ISO Alpine DIN sole blocks and is compatible with BD AT blocks (sold separately), which are quickly and easily changed out with their four-screw attachment. (Though you have to remove the liner to access the heel screws.) BOA liner system offers a quick, fine-tuned liner fit.

Read the full WildSnow review of Factor ski boot.

Method & Shiva

The “Assistant to the Regional Manager,” these boots are slightly less stiff than the Factor. Sold with BD AT blocks (Alpine DIN blocks sold separately). Method is a bit friendlier in the climbs, but still stiff enough to drive big skis. Shiva is the women’s specific model.

Read the full WildSnow review

Dynafit

Zzeus TF-X

Two boots in one? The Zzeus’s secret lies in its ability to convert from an alpine ski boot like flex into exceptional range of motion for uphill touring comfort. TF-X Liners for excellent out-of-the-box fit and probably the most durable of any liner we’ve seen. Dynafit’s “Quick Step-In” toe sockets for ease of binding entry. The ZZeus is designed to achieve both up AND downhill success. Includes both Alpine and AT soles standard. These boots may run slightly narrow for you wide footed Yeti’s out there.

Read Wildsnow first report

Read the full WildSnow Dynafit boot review

Garmont

Radium

This boot is Garmont’s 4-buckle boot with Dynafit binding compatibility. Available in a Men’s and Women’s model with G-Fit Liners. The manufacturer states weight savings of up to 1/2 lb per boot due to the boot being made from Pebax plastic. We’ll let you know our weight findings once we get all the boots at HQ. Radium offers a fixed AT sole with no alpine-swap options. Note that the Garmont way of doing an overlap is to extend part of the lower overlap up to the top of the cuff as a sort of modified tongue. This yields more beef and is also a handy “handle” used to open the boot when you put your foot in.

Read the more in-depth Garmont WildSnow report here

Argon

Burly enough to rip the toughest terrain and conditions on big skis, similar in stiffness to Radium. This polyurethane (PU) boot is available in a Men’s and Women’s model with G-Fit Liners. Argon gives you a price break if you don’t have the need for tech binding compatibility. Fixed AT sole with no swap options.

Read our initial report from OR

Should be available for purchase soon at Backcountry.com

Helium

Utilizing a high overlap construction with only 3 buckles, Helium looks to provide a high level of downhill control at the lowest weight in the category. Perhaps the best choice for alpine tourers. Like the rest of the Garmont line, G-Fit lines and a fixed AT sole standard.

Read our initial report from OR

Tecnica

Agent AT

Tecnica’s foray into the Backcountry market. A few unique features we’re excited to see for ourselves including an instep buckle that has multiple positions for skiing and skinning (and only one lower buckle). Plus a spoiler that lowers when in walk mode (it drops down when you flip the walk switch). It will be interesting to see how a company with a more alpine focus executed an AT boot. Our samples indicate this boot runs large, and is of average yet adequate stiffness. Rearward cuff travel is excellent.

(Guest blogger profile: Dave Downing and his wife Jessica live in Carbondale, Colorado, where Dave is a freelance designer and owner of Ovid Nine Graphics Lab. Dave’s ski career began due to a lack of quality skiing video games for NES.)

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Garmont Radium Backcountry Skiing Boots – OR Part 3

by Lou Dawson
written by Lou Dawson

Shop for ski boots here.
Unless you’re a visually challenged Marxist, you have to admit that business competition can yield positive results. Consider ski boots.

Black Diamond shook things up around a year ago when they announced a new line of backcountry skiing boots they’re making in China. As “BD” usually designs good stuff and markets it well, that moderate sized blip on most skier’s radar screen is more like the trace of a jumbo jet if you’re a boot maker such as Scarpa, Dynafit, or Garmont — all of whom have truly ramped it up by refining existing models and coming up with a slew of majestic new offerings (check our dozens of backcountry skiing boot reviews for proof). Today we turn the WildSnow eyeball to Garmont, with perusal of their Radium overlap cuff boot (final production version).

Garmont backcountry skiing.
The retail production Radium looks about the same on the outside compared to the pre-production boots we checked out last winter. From the buckles to the lettering, everything on this ski touring shoe screams quality. In walk mode, because the overlap cuff opens and closes due to your ankle movement, your stride will be super comfy. The upper two Radium buckles have a cool feature: a system of tiny latches in the buckle slots that trap the buckle bail ’till you push a button, thus, no more looking down during your TGR audition only to see a boot buckle waving at you like a flag, mocking your aspirations to stardom (our only wish, how about adding this feature to all the buckles?).

According to Garmont, while the Radium shell has been pretty much where they wanted it since pre-production boots came out last winter, improvements to the liner have been ongoing. Most importantly, resistance to “packing out” has been improved. How? Garmont told me they feel much of the packing out problem with boot liners is caused by the foot dropping down as the sole of the liner compresses over time (sometimes quite rapidly, in my experience).

To remedy the “dropping foot,” Garmont uses a type of liner construction called “stroebel stitching,” meaning the sole portion of the liner is stitched in such a way as to allow any choice in material. Thus liberated from construction constraints, they use a higher density foam in the sole, so it doesn’t crush. Let’s hope this works, as the problem of liners packing out is an ongoing annoyance with almost all AT boots.

Garmont backcountry skiing.
Every boot has a signature feature or two. Radium’s most obvious is the lean lock. Easily removed for repairs or modifications, the completely external mechanism will warm the heart of any gear geek. Interestingly, Garmont went against current trends and only provides one lock angle in the unit.

Our opinion has always been that having multiple angles in a lean lock just leads to confusion and hassle — nice to be validated. More, since this machinery is easy to remove and work on, I’m thinking it’ll be easy to mod and thus change the lean angle. Better still, perhaps the aftermarket will kick in and someone will make a super trick lean lock similar to that of some alpine boots, with a flex spring and user adjustable lean.

If you’re an agro skier who goes for human powered vertical, Radium appears to provide the performance blend you need. This boot is beefier than the famed Garmont Megaride, still feels comfy in walk mode, and the overlap cuff construction will no doubt yield that sweet flex many skiers long for. Wildsnow thumbs up!

(Please bear in mind that this year’s boot offerings are complex and can be categorized in many different ways. For example, Dynafit’s “ZZeus” and Black Diamond’s “Factor” are probably similar in performance to the Radium — but have the added option of swappable soles. That’s a plus or minus depending on how you look at it, but definitely makes categorizing things tougher. Additionally, I’d not make a god out of overlap cuff boots. They’re the big buzz this year, but tongue boots such as those from Scarpa and all other boot makers have advantages such as lighter weight and ease of entry in cramped situations. We’ll be trying both types of boots quite a bit this winter, and doing ongoing blogging about our tests.)

Shop for ski touring boots here.

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50,000 Mile Report — Dynafit ZZero CF Ski Touring Boot Long Term Testing

by Lou Dawson
written by Lou Dawson

One hundred thousand is a milestone with an automobile. If converted to human years, 100,000 used to be considered rest home fodder. But with most of today’s autos, it just means you’ve spent your college fund on petrol and perhaps it’s time for new spark plugs and an oil change.

What’s the equivalent of 100,000 miles in a backcountry ski boot? I’d say that would be about 200 ski days, or perhaps 100 if you’re agro.

Since their first snow in October, my Zzero “Green Machines” got at least 90 days this past season, so they’re not quite ready for the rest home. But it seemed a good time to take a look at the shoes and see what held up and what’s beat. I’d say they’re at the 50,000 mile mark, (in automobile miles, of course).

Dynafit backcountry skiing.
Dynafit ZZero C-TF 2007/2008 (lower 4th buckle was removed on purpose, to prevent catching on rocks and to reduce weight).

Overall, I’ve been very happy about how my ZZeros held up. Other backcountry skiers reported problems with the lean lock not latching, but such never materialized for me (though they do have slightly more play then when new). Likewise, a few other skiers had cracks develop around the toe binding fittings — not for me. My cuff pivot rivets are still snug and slop free, and all the buckles work. The shell plastic is somewhat scuffed from boulder scrambles and the occasional regression to 1960s ski technique, but that’s all cosmetic. Ditto for the carbon fiber “stringers,” which have some damage near the cuff pivots, but nothing that appears to compromise structural integrity.

Regarding the carbon, a surprise wear point is under the lower second buckle, where the buckle rivet has dug in and routed out some fairly substantial dings in the carbon tongue stiffener. I noticed that was happening early on and tried to prevent with duct tape, but the metal kept wearing through the tape. Solution is the rivet needs to be sunk deeper so it doesn’t touch the carbon. Yep, WildSnow boot mod #5,672.

Dynafit backcountry skiing.
Sole wear at the toe (pictured above) seems to be as common to most rando ski boots as rocks are to mountain trails. ZZero is no exception. Why in the world after 40 years of plastic randonnee boots we can’t have a few extra millimeters of rubber in the wear zone is a question that perhaps can only be answered by the Flying Mystics of Tibet, so perhaps they could be retained as boot consultants? Or if not, myself and friends are always available…

And least we forget the liners: After 90 days nearly any liner is going to bite it to some degree. Mine have packed out twice, both times fixed with a heat gun. The interior surface of one liner is is ripped open at the heel and repaired with duct tape. All seams are intact, and the outside only worn under rivets I forgot to protect with adhesive patches the boots come with. So my bad on that.

Conclusion: This pair of ZZero boots supported me for one of the most amazing backcountry ski seasons of my life. So what the color crashes Photoshop and they have a vestigial buckle? WildSnow thumbs up.

For all our ZZero boot blogs just do a site specific Google search or check our Boots category in our nav menu.

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