Ultimate alpine TOURING boot?

Hey Alan, all this bemoaning the weather yet I've been able to ski and sled from my doorstep for about a week or so. Thats all changed now of course! But then there's wheeled rigs to train with. Life is good!<br><br>Do AT boots have laceup liners like the tele boots? If not this might be moot.<br><br> www.overshoe.com/

Dave,<br><br>My boots do not, however the strap on the NEOS instep might be enough to secure the setup.<br><br>Of course on our side of the mountains, we don't usually get anything at sea level.<br><br>Alan

I've been reading through this with interest- a couple years ago I bought the MTL's for easy tours and summer skiing- have used them for climbing and snow shoeing too. I tried to make them stiffer, used a thermafit liner, straps and looked into a buckle; but never did. I was looking at my TLT Pro4 boots yesterday, same lower boot and buckle mounting point. I used to have the older version of the TLT that Jan has and wondering how he skis the big slopes in them- they were great for touring; but not very stiff toward the back and less forward.<br><br>I also have pair of Garmont Mege Ride for alpine skiing and patrolling at Alpental. I think they tour pourly; but ski pretty good; but almost always use the Pro 4's.<br><br>I'm planning to try to get the Pro 4 buckles for the instep and use a quick lace system for the uppers. They are light, comfortable and walk pretty good, and ski allright. From my perspective the summer turns aren't the big turns anyway- friends going for a hike with some skiing tosed in there for a bonus.<br><br>Maybe I'll have a version of the Ultimate Alpine Touring Boot?

I also have pair of Garmont Mege Ride for alpine skiing and patrolling at Alpental.  I think they tour pourly

<br><br>Rickster, exactly which characteristics of the MegaRides do you find makes them tour poorly? Is it the height? Do the cuffs not have as much range of movement as the TLT4Pros? They aren't significantly heavier, 6.8lbs vs 6lbs for the pair. And by touring, you're talking about on-snow touring, not hiking right? It seems like in this thread the term touring has been used interchangeably with hiking, I think we should make distinction between the two.<br><br>I really wish I could demo a pair of F1s, anyone know where I could (I'm doubtful this is possible, except maybe at the BD store in SLC?).<br>

<br>I come from the telemark side rather than the AT side of the discussion but the concerns are pretty much the same. One of the original strong attractions of the telemark system was how much better the boots were for both touring and hiking as opposed to the mountain boots I used for AT. This advantage, of course, has been nearly completely lost in newer generations of plastic tele boots (and the bindings they require). So we're left with most of the disadvantages of the tele system and few of the advantages. This is not progress.<br><br>The Salomon BC system is one way I've tried to keep mobility in a touring outfit. This has been my favorite ski system since it came out. The binding is seemingly bombproof and tours almost as well as a classic track skiing setup. When the boot is down, the rail is in the groove and the system is as laterally strong as any other binding system. The boots are strong enough to control skis up to Tua Heliums (72 mm waist). Technique has to adjusted a little to accomodate the wimpier boots ( 2 footed parallel, for example) but this is not hard. Modern skis are so active that they very much reduce the demands on the boots compared to what was needed in the old days. I have become used to (dependent on, actually) having a nearly free ankle fore and aft. I think this does not get in the way of good skiing and is safer and much more comfortable for touring and hiking. Wider skis that the Heliums are, I think, ruled out, but they certainly aren't necessary for enjoyably skiing the Cascades (please feel free to disagree). Unfortunately Salomon has dropped the ball on this by discontinuing this year any high level BC boots - supposedly they will bring something back next year. If they could see the light they could produce a very satisfactory backcountry boot, one that was light, strong, mobile, waterproof, durable (no exposed external stitching)...or just encourage Garmont to stick a Salomon sole on an Excursion.<br><br>Of course, Excursions can be used in a simple 3-pin binding. The result is not bad, but could be better; the 3 pin binding is simply not the equal of the Salomon one. Nevertheless this system is capable of high level skiing with a wide range of skis - there is plenty of edge control, and it is comfortable for touring.

sb, I use heliums with the Voile 3-pin cable and it sounds like I am getting about the same level of performance as you are on the the BC system. My boots are the leather Asolo with 2-buckles added. Also, sounds like you are skiing with the same level of compensation for softness in the system, which really impresses me about either your technique or the boots.<br><br>I find this skiing to be very pleasant and intend to continue to do it where appropriate (for me). Maybe you can start a thread on these bindings, because I have seen little on this subject, gotten very little info from dealers on the utility and appropriateness. If it performs as you say, then it would probably shed lbs off of my tele setup. (My boots are pretty heavy and get even heavier when wet!).<br><br>I still have hope that AT gear I have will allow me to ski slopes that I know just would be too much effort to enjoy on my light gear. However, being new to the sport I fear that I may have gotten boots with a tad more support than necessary and therefore less tourable than I desired. (My wife is going to kill me!) This thread has been very informative but in the end I need the opportunity to tour to know for sure.<br><br>Alan