Dynafit Boots - removable tongue

The Syborg achieves a large range of motion on the uphill and I find it stiff enough on the downhill with no complications.

skimo.co/la-sportiva-syborg-boots

I can't speak to the mountain version being enough boot for my kind of skiing on my skis.

If I wanted to drive gigantic Pontoons with the TLT5 pros, then I'd stick the tongues in. For Voile Vectors, the boots work fine without them.

I ordered a set of Atomic Backlands and I'm waiting (im)patiently for them to show up at Backcountry Essentials. You should look into those while you're shopping for boots.

I can't say much about how well they'll drive fat skis since I want them to hack up for splitboarding but the promise of a custom shell fit and the decoupled forward lean lock and cuff buckle are huge benefits to me. They also have removable tongues and come in a couple different versions just like the TLTs. I currently have a pair of Ones (pebax) and the difference in BSL between the Ones and Backlands is noticeable when walking around the shop.

I think the moral of the story is "try it both ways yourself!" I really appreciate the extra flex I get with the tongue out on my TLT5 Performance boot, and don't notice a big enough difference for most downhill that I do (with Manaslu skis) to bother bringing and swapping in/out the tongue. But I've skied with other folks who swear by the tongue. Perhaps part of the equation for me is that even w/o the tongue these boots are stiffer in downhill mode than my older 3-buckle Dynafit boots.

When in doubt - ask here. Appreciate the input.

Randy - where did you buy your boots? Haven't seen them in the shops

YMMV.  With the TLT5M I rarely used tongues (or power strap) with my Snowwolf or Manaslus but sometimes with my Stokes on ice and crud; I carried Booster Straps (TM) and use them if conditions were truly crappy (mush, breakable crust). Never used tongues or straps on firm snow. I removed the power straps from my TLT5, TLT6, Mercury, and Zzeus and carry or use Booster Straps.

With my TLT6 I rarely use the tongue or straps with my Cho Oyus, but I am regularly using the soft (yellow) tongues and straps with my Movement Shifts in deep snow.  I used the green tongues from my TLT5s with the TLT6s and Booster Straps when skiing with my Volkl Nanuqs (always on problematic snow--the reason I bought the Nanuqs).

I didn't especially like either my TLT5s or TLT6s with my Volkl Nanuqs--there I prefer my Mercuries (w/o tongue or strap); the Stokes perform better with the Mercs too;  I do use the black Merc tongue when skiing the Nanuqs and Stokes lift served.

I feel a real significant difference in skinning w and w/o the tongues--very apparent to me; I really dislke skinning with the tongues in,  but I have thick ankles and like longer strides and have no trouble with edge on steep traverses (if steep and icy, I buckle the top buckle but use a piece of tubing to prevent a forward lock).  FWIW, I found the TLT5M to be narrower mid foot and fore foot and stiffer than the TLT6, which is roomier in the mid foot and fore foot and much roomier in the cuff.  The Mercury is roomier still, I think I could have dropped down in a shell size.

I've never had a problem with the tongues--just stick them in the snow till I insert them. All my current boots give me as much control/power transfer as did my Zzero 4s and 3s; but the Zero 4 PU did provide a really nice progressive flex like my Zzeus (also PU) do compared to the grilamid/pbax 2 buckle boots; the Booster Straps do really help with having a progressive flex and require less firm buckling of the upper cuff.