Thread: Dynafit Vulcan - Scarpa Maestrale side by side

I can never find the boot threads after they've disappeared so putting this in its own thread. Here's other thread fyi - put questions there. This is just for boot pics porn

Cool side - by - side of Vulcan vs TLT5 - http://www.tetonat.com/2012/02/22/si...tlt5-at-boots/ - thx to Steve The Man

Will add info and obs later to pictures















Dynafit liner


Maestrale with Intuition liner


weight of entire boot with Dynafit liner


carbon interior - ooohh


Intuition luxury liner


Tongue weight.


weight with intuitions - tie with Maestrale!

That looks like the liner from the Titan Ultralights, not the liners I saw in the Vulcans at the OR show. Looks too short compared to the tongue.

Vulcans are so sexy, damn!

Logical

Randosteve said that the One is tongueless? Is that true? Sure looks like a tongue on the Wildsnow pics

More

ll, can you get a a shot of the front bucklee that shows how it is different from the current one on the TLT5P?

Originally Posted by harpo-the-skier

ll, can you get a a shot of the front bucklee that shows how it is different from the current one on the TLT5P?

Didnt get one but the wire closure on the Vulcan forefoot buckle is physically attached to the buckle lever unlike the Tlt's buckle so the wire won't fall off

LeeLau wanted a big fat guy to ski test the Vulcans and I was honored to be his natural pick. I'll start by saying I hate AT boots. Most are too soft for my weight/style and the ones that claim to be both typically suck at both (Cochise/Factors/Titans). I just suffer through long days on Lange RS 140 plug boots with Intuition plug liners. I had talked a bit with Hoji on the hill one day and he assured me these boot would be game changers, but I was a bit skeptical from the start and had my Langes in the truck, fully expecting to do one run and be done. I was pleasantly surprised.

The Vulcan is as stiff laterally as my Lange plug boot. Not kidding. The forward flex obviously is less, but in a good way. It has a nice predictable flex pattern and I didn't feel like I was going to fall flat on my face. The relatively high cuff also gave me quite a bit of power in the back for finishing my turns. I felt super quick edge to edge and felt like I was driving the ski, rather than just hanging on. Not something I have ever felt with an AT boot before! I was so stoked on the boots, I decided to get into some rowdy terrain and see how that went. A couple 10-15 ft cornice drops onto steep variable conditions and I was sold.

The Vulcan is finally a legit AT boot for people who don't want to compromise the descent to make the ascent easier. I'm sure the weight weenies will still balk at the extra few grams these puppies may have, but the folks looking for a do it all boot will be stoked. I managed to ski in this boot, pretty much out of the box, all day without thinking about taking them off, so the comfort level is there too.

I like to unbuckle on the chair, so the only negative is that the top buckle swings wide out, so you have to hike up the pant cuff when the top buckle is open. Not a big deal really, but also in walk mode too, so it just took some getting used to. I do like the fact that there's no chance the boot will switch into walk mode on the descent, so pretty much 1st world problem! Here are some action shots of the test. Thanks again to LeeLau for having the same size foot as me, although I'm probably going to have to boil my feet in cabbage after wearing the same boot as him!



cornice drop. no problem.



hard charging on steep, variable conditions. no problem.

Originally Posted by powder11

The relatively high cuff also gave me quite a bit of power in the back for finishing my turns.

How's the aft support compared to your alpine boots? I find that on my Titans it feels like there's not much to help me get forward if I end up in the backseat.

Tongueless as in no removable tongue like the TLT5/Vulcan. It still has the flexible tongue underneath to keep out snow and debris. You can tell the One doesn't have the cage over the toe of the boot that the removable tongues slot into.

Originally Posted by D(C)

How's the aft support compared to your alpine boots? I find that on my Titans it feels like there's not much to help me get forward if I end up in the backseat.

The rear/inside cuff is stiff like a brick wall and pretty high up, so it is extremely supportive. No joke. I landed a 10 ft'er in the back seat, expecting to blow an acl, but stood right up and skied out of it no problem. Don't forget that yesterday was +5 in the alpine, so I was dealing with warm plastic.

thx for that pow11! No way I'm going to stress a boot out charging like you so appreciate the feedback

Originally Posted by powder11

The rear/inside cuff is stiff like a brick wall and pretty high up, so it is extremely supportive. No joke. I landed a 10 ft'er in the back seat, expecting to blow an acl, but stood right up and skied out of it no problem. Don't forget that yesterday was +5 in the alpine, so I was dealing with warm plastic.

Nice, this sounds promising.

Nice feedback P11.

Going to say something controversial just because I may be about the only person on this side of the continent who's been on the Vulcan and the Maestrale RS.

I agree with P11 that the Vulcan is the most laterally stiff AT boot I've ever skied. It's certainly stiffer than the Titan UL, and might be even stiffer than what I thought was previously the stiffest (the Mobe).

Fore-aft the Vulcan isn't that stiff although I now am told that my boots are "close" to production and that production will be stiffer. However, I'm not too stoked on guesses and can't really opine now since I won't be getting productions till November.

I think this boot will category-kill the ZZeus and Titan. So that's the category killer for Dynafit. I think it'd be incredible head-to-head with the Maestrale RS which IMO is stiffer fore-aft than the proto (this might change in comps when checking out production Vulcans). As for lateral stiffness, I'd give it to the Vulcan by a slight edge but to be honest, I'm stretching there.

As for quality of travel (goldenboy will know what I'm talking about), the Vulcan isn't like the fake-stiff AT boots that were stiff only because they pretty much had rigid hard-stops built into the shell or felt like you'd hit a brick wall when you flexed forward. Vulcan actually feels really good. But then so does the Maestrale RS.

Into that category of crappy stiff boots that skied liked bricks without feel I'd put the Garmont Adrenaline (perhaps the shittiest boot I've ever had the displeasure of skiing), more recently the BD Factor, the Dynafit Aero. And to a lesser extent the TLT5 Performance (I know I'll get flak for this but that thing skis like poo).

In the category of mediocre feeling boots (as opposed to those which skied like shit) I'd put Megaride, Spirit 3, Spirit 4, Denali.) Into the category of boots that ski well with good quality of travel I'd put Maestrale, Skookum, ZZeus, Titan, Vulcan if that gives you some idea of what I think are boots that had good feel

HOWEVER, I still don't think the Vulcan prototype skis as well as my alpine boots. They're stiffer but they still have that subtle notchy feel of not-so-smooth power transmission. I've only had three days on them and hopefully will get out more if the weather improves (rained to the peak at Blackcomb all night last night so that turns even N Faces to complete shit). Curiously I tried the Vulcans without the tongues and they're obviously not as stiff without tongues but feel a lot smoother (sidenote was that while I thought the TLT5P's skied like ass with tongues they skied quite well without tongues)


Bear in mind though that the walk mode is a complete dream. And they still are among the best skiing AT boots I've ever pleasured my gangrenous toes with. So if they fit you, and you're willing to forgive the lack of replaceable soles, and suck up the cost then this might be the boot for you

Are you going to ski the Mercury for a comparison? Dynafit press claims it is as stiff (or almost) and just as light, so it would seem the ticket for the average joe who wants to save $$.

hey lee, have you been in the cochise pro light yet? if not, get your hands on a 26.5 (same general shell fit as 27 RS / 27.5 titan).

its not quite as light as the above boots (1475g per shell + 205g liner / 1680g total), but it skis like a legit overlap alpine boot. the RS is rad, but it does not ski like an alpine boot.

i will save my rant about rigid spines vs fake stiff stops for another day

Lee's observations are those of a guy who thinks the TLT5 with tongues "skis like poo," so maybe not so relevant to those of us who like/love how the TLT5 ski. FWIW, I didn't love my TLT5s until I lessened the forward lean by c. 3*. Now I love 'em.

Originally Posted by marshalolson

hey lee, have you been in the cochise pro light yet? if not, get your hands on a 26.5 (same general shell fit as 27 RS / 27.5 titan).

its not quite as light as the above boots (1475g per shell + 205g liner / 1680g total), but it skis like a legit overlap alpine boot. the RS is rad, but it does not ski like an alpine boot.

i will save my rant about rigid spines vs fake stiff stops for another day

It saddens me that I can't fit a Cochise Pro because two people who've had a lot of time in different boots and who have accordingly had a lot of different experiences (you and Frank) have raved about the Cochise Pro. The heel pocket kills me. I'll keep trying though.

I'd love it if one day you unload on boots with the fake stiff stops. My babbling about that is pretty inarticulate because I'm more a boot-feel kind of reviewer and can't explain it technically as well as you can

you cannot fit the cochise/cochise pro light? or the cochise pro 130 shell? or both? grind them heels a little bit man, no biggie!

and give me 2-3 weeks. i have a pretty major "going off" on boot design coming

Originally Posted by Big Steve

Lee's observations are those of a guy who thinks the TLT5 with tongues "skis like poo," so maybe not so relevant to those of us who like/love how the TLT5 ski. FWIW, I didn't love my TLT5s until I lessened the forward lean by c. 3*. Now I love 'em.

Steve - I liked the MaestraleRS at the 16 deg angle and the Maestrale at the 18deg angle. I didn't mind the TLT5 with is 15 deg angle. So i don't think the lean angle was the problem. Keep in mind I'm a hell of a lot less skier weight. Another friend of mine who is also hudge (200lbs ex ski-racer) thinks the TLT5 skies with smooth forward progressive flex. But then others agree with my impressions of the TLT5 so there you go

Dynafit specs the TLT5 forward lean 15*, but it's definitely more leany than anything else I've skied spec'd at 15* or even more, including other Dynafits (Zzeus). For me and others, the TLT5 skis way better with c. 3* less FL. Before I changed the FL, I was ready to sell my TLT5s cuz they put me in the back seat so bad.

Re skier weight, lots of smaller guys (e.g., Silas, GregL) are lovin' their TLT5s. Anyway, I know you didn't like the TLT5, and it's fair to plug in that factor when one reads your comments about other Dynafit boots using the same cuff lock system.

Different boots for different galoots : )

Lee, what did you think about removing the tongue to tour? Steve Romeo seemed to think it was a PITA to get the tongue in and out.

Originally Posted by wilcox510

Lee, what did you think about removing the tongue to tour? Steve Romeo seemed to think it was a PITA to get the tongue in and out.

I thought it was pretty easy. Just undo buckles and slip it in and out. No worse than the TLT5. If you're on a knife edge then it'd be a pain but then putting on your skis is a pain on any kind of chopped out ledge.