boots
boots
Randonnée ski boots need to perform a number of different functions in order to serve their owners' needs. They must provide control over your skis for descending, but also be flexible and comfortable enough to skin, hike and climb well for hours on end.
To achieve this multi-purpose ideal, most modern randonnée boots are designed with light weight as a primary goal. They have a relatively soft overall flex, a lugged sole with a slight curvature for hiking and climbing, and a lockable walking hinge that lets your ankle flex freely when not skiing.
The available range spans a wide range of weights and stiffnesses, from near-alpine (but heavy) boots like the Garmont Endorphin, to quite soft and super light examples like the Scarpa F1.
Buyers must choose between the hinging "shaft" type binding and the Dynafit alternative at the outset with all but a few boot models (some exceptions are the Dynafit Zzero 4C/TF, Garmont MegaRide, and Scarpa Spirit 3, which will all work with either style of binding). Note: Retro-fitting Dynafit toe and heel connectors into non-Dynafit boots has been done, but is extremely tedious and calls for a dedicated do-it-yourself personality. Of the boots shown on this page, all models pictured above are NOT Dynafit-compatible, while those pictured below are. The TLT 4 Pro and F1 are ONLY for use with Dynafit bindings. The F1 and F3 have a flexible tele-style bellows at the ball of the foot and require a shim under the flex point to keep the boot stable and securely held by the heel pins while skiing.
As with skis and bindings, there is a trade-off between control while skiing (and the ability to drive longer, wider skis) and comfort and energy conservation while climbing and skinning. Experienced ski tourists are often willing to forgo some downhill control in favor of lighter weight and improved climbing - after all, the vast majority of their time is spent going uphill. The amount of downhill control a skier is willing to sacrifice is a personal decision - longtime expert alpine skiers used to alpine race or freeride boots may find it difficult to adjust to the softer randonnée boots right away.
Those who need to use their touring boots for occasional lift-served skiing are also faced with this dilemma, but need to compromise on the side of downhill performance. There are plenty of adequate choices for this sort of use - for example, I currently use the Scarpa Spirit 3 for almost all my lift-served skiing as well as for touring with heavier setups. People who swear by mondo-stiff race boots for recreational skiing are often blown away by the increase in comfort an AT boot affords and can't bring themselves to go back to alpine footwear once they've tried a rando boot - check the feet of many ski coaches and pro patrollers and you'll see this is true!
Thermo-formable boot liners (which are heated in a convection oven, then placed in your boot and buckled up to mold to your foot) are highly desirable both for lightness and comfort; they can easily lighten the weight of a pair of boots by over a pound.
As with any form of non-conforming plastic footwear, problems with protruding bony areas are best addressed by a professional boot fitter - it's not a cheap solution, but a good fitting boot with a custom footbed can do wonders for your skiing, not to mention your disposition.
© 2007 Gregory C. Louie