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Recommendation: New all-around skis

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  • #16
    Originally posted by MrKawfey View Post
    I have not yet tried the plastic mountaineering boots since I got them this spring so I can't comment on how they ski, but they feel considerably softer than my AT boots. My AT boots in walk mode are still stiffer than the plastic shell mountaineering boots.

    As far as technique, your fundamentals are twice as important when skiing in mountaineering boots. In downhill boots you can recover from getting in the backseat by leaning on the back of your boot. Also you can power the shovel of the ski by really driving into the tongue of the boot. With mountaineering boots you need to be centered on the ski at all times. Your balance needs to be perfect.


    I understood, or rather assumed, that when you said mountaineering boots, you were referring to plastic mountaineering boots. Thus, why I brought up the question about flex and technique...thinking you were using a hard shell plastic mountaineering boot.

    But nonetheless, you hit it right on the head with technique being twice as important, which is exactly what I was thinking, and exactly where my question was originating.

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    • #17
      Another vote for Vole Vector bc mounted with Vole 3 pin cable bindings and Garmont Excursion boots. Last year I skied this super light set up on anything from rolling touring terrain to Gulf of Slides on Washington. Note the tele set up gives one an advangate over AT on rolling terrain but 90% of the time I am making parallell turns on em.

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      • #18
        MrKawfey, I fit the profile you described in your 10/2015 post... I began skiing in the east coast at 4yrs but in the past few years I pretty much stopped bc got tired of the resort lift service skiing (crowded, pricy, not challenging enough). I switched to mainly ADK hiking in the winter, and am yearning to get back on skis so am eyeing the ADK slides and other backcountry AT. I have a pair of Sportiva Trango's (in hindsight I wished I went with the Baruntse's) and an old, reliable pair of alpine skis which I am planning to set up with a pair of Dynafit bindings. I anticipate doing 70% hiking to summits and 30% skinning/skiing.

        I'm curious how your experience has been with the Asolo boots. You and others noted that technique is critical when descending in mountain boots. For an experienced skier, I imagine this isn't too much of an issue for the short descents on slides after a snowfall. I'm wondering if it might be a good idea/investment to also pick up a pair of AT boots to have in the trunk in case I want to crush longer, steeper, deeper backcountry trails. I'm concerned about quick enough response when carving, especially bc I tend to ski aggressively.

        I came across a gadget that adds stability when skiing in mountain boots, providing same flex as alpine boot. It's a carbon fiber brace called Mountain Spring sold by a French company called Black Powder (http://www.alpcontrol.com/). You can almost buy a pair of AT boots for the price of this gadget, but I can see myself preferring a pair of flexible mountain boots with this gadget in my pack rather than hiking in AT boots.


        Also, any recommendations for backcountry AT spots in the NE? Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast by David Goodman seems like a good reference but haven't purchased it yet.

        Thanks for your informative post.

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        • #19
          Mr Greco,
          You'll likely have few responses to requests for BC or AT skiing spots...generally speaking, the best spots are closely guarded "secrets". As if a handful of AT skiers is going to shred an entire mountain!
          PM me for some suggestions, but I am biased away from slide skiing in particular. Snow pack is either too unstable, or conditions too fleeting to enjoy, for me at least.

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          • #20
            Vole Vector Ultra--that is all.

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            • #21
              I just bought k2 way back 88's. got the precut skins, k2 pinnacle 110 boot, and mounted marker kingpins bindings. It's a pretty nice setup, got everything on closeout. I'll be at whiteface Saturday for my first day of lift serve on this set up

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              • #22
                K2 Wayback 88 is my lift-served ski - I've been very happy with them. Had the Work Stinx for years until you couldn't get them anymore. The Wayback 88 is the most similar ski to the older Work Stinx.

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                • #23
                  Wow, old post revived.
                  I can update a bit. I was never able to get my Bates Tora Bora boots repaired locally and have been using Asolo AFS Guides. The plastic shell makes a very big difference compared to leather boots. Once again, front to back stability is minimal due to the fact that these are meant for mountaineering, not skiing. However the lateral stability is the real advantage of the plastic shell boots for their ability to set an edge.
                  I don't have a lot of experience with other plastic shell mountaineering boots, but these seem to be on the softer side. The old standby Scarpa INvernos are much stiffer.

                  The Asolo boots I have also came with a liner that has a "power strap" which I think gives an additional advantage. Unfortunately, because of my duck feet, I am using a boot that is 2 sizes larger than I need which adds quite a bit of slop so it's hard to tell how well a perfect fit boot would perform.

                  There is an interesting alternative that I recently acquired, but haven't yet tried. Apex alpine ski boots are a 2 part system that uses super comfy snowboard boots with a plastic frame for alpine control. If only they would have used a welted inner boot you could carry the frame in your pack on the way up and then buckle in for the down.

                  Also going to try a pair of Salewa guides that I got this summer to replace the Tora Bora boots. This is a separate topic, but for those looking for wide mountaineering boots there are VERY few options that I have found and most discontinued now:

                  Montrail Olympus
                  Bates Tora Bora
                  Salewa Guide and Vertical
                  Kenetrek Mountain Insulated and non-insulated.
                  And there was a Mad Rock or Kayland boot I came across, but can't seem to be able to find again.

                  That seems to be it in the entire history of fully welted, auto-crampon compatible boots. These are the only ones ever offered in a separate "wide" version.

                  BTW, the last pair of ski boots I bought new were the Denali TT's that I hated. That was over 10 years ago. Every pair I have now came from Craigslist or ebay. These types of boots tend to get purchased by people with big ambitions then used once or twice. So the quality is typically very high. Don't think I paid over $100 for any of these.

                  I love the Silvretta bindings as they are the only thing I have found that accepts any kind of boot (from alpine racing to leather mountaineering, AT, Tele, etc) and offers DIN release and the choice between free heel and locked heel. Of course, they are also discontinued. All good things must come to an end.

                  Quick diversion, There is a type of waterski boot/binding system that seems to use the silvretta ez-go hardware although no mention of the brand is made. hmmmm.....

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                  • #24
                    Looks like the HO Syndicate and the Reflex Hardshell systems use the old Silvretta binding design. Maybe they licensed it from them. Both are still in production. Would love to see a redesign of the Ez-Go binding for modern times.

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                    • #25
                      Take a look at the new(ish) Voile Objective. You can get it a scaled version or in a smooth base version, depending on what your "objective" is.

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                      • #26


                        Interesting read. Not too far off topic.

                        Also, high adventure sports here in Latham has a pair of madshush annums on sale really cheap. $249

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                        • #27
                          New Vole Vector is worth a look.

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by MrKawfey View Post
                            Also, would love to hear someone else's thoughts as to why people used to be able to ski in leather boots without as much trouble. Was it the skis? Heavier, no sidecut, lack of flex or camber? The length? I used to ski 200cm Dynastars and thought they were short compared to my Dad's old skis. He had ditched the leather boots by the time I started skiing. The width?
                            Or is it a fallacy? Was it just as hard back then as it is now?
                            WAY better skiers than we are, and they had plenty of "trouble". For a truly all around ski, consider the DPS tour one (more touring oriented), and another vote for the Vector's (no wax will give you bc capability on rolling terrain that skins will not). Again regarding rolling bc terrain, a tele set up will give you more control when performing complex kick turns in tight terrain that AT will not, regardless if you make parallel or tele turns.

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