Arcteryx ski boots

[Lindahl]

Did you find the F1 to be as stiff as the TLT6?

[truax]

Did you find the F1 to be as stiff as the TLT6?

Good question. Without them for side-by-side comparison, I'll stab an educated guess that the F1 falls somewhere between the TLT6 MTN and TLT6P. I've skied both the MTN and P extensively, and feel that the F1 skis (and tours) better than both, although I'm fairly sure it is a bit softer than the P. Maybe not though. It could be the progressive nature of F1 throwing me off. I'll get a better feel for the F1 as I get more than a few tours on em. Wish I had the TLTs here to give you a better answer. Maybe someone else can corroborate...calling Lee Lau...

[XavierD]

The flex on the F1 has much more substance than the TLT6. I think the TLT6p has a stiffer initial few degrees flex, however it's not stiff enough to keep most from breaking through to where it folds over. The F1 is softer initially but has a slightly more progressive flex, and feels more powerful. I would say it is the best skiing ~1300g or less boot. The question to go with it or a ~1000g TLT7 is one for each person to make.

FWIW, I have warmed up to the Procline. The carbon is a great looking boot. Similar to a TLT6 in flex, but tours much better. There is much more to this boot than the lateral flex. It tours better with the cuff closed than a TLT7 does with everything open. I honestly find transitions faster with the procline than TLT7. You can keep the cuff buckled and powerstrap closeed and still get great ROM in walk mode due to some innovative design. The fit still sucks, just like everything else Federico has designed.

[::: :::]

the boots are actually being sold on zappo's of all places
i was on there looking for wool slippers, and they popped up in one of the sidebar "people also bought these" links

[sfotex]

Ok, I bit on a pair of the procline carbons and a pair of Fischer travers, I'm going to return the one after I some good carpet testing.

[foreal]

Suuuuuper interested in these. I am an ice climber / mountaineer first, skiier second. Skiing is more of a convenience than anything for me, as it makes getting to and from the climbing quite a bit faster and much more fun. Modern AT boots climb ice reasonably well, and more than "good enough" for moderate ice and snow, but there is definitely a pretty serious gap in performance when things get technical, due largely to ankle range of motion, general clunkiness, and inconvenient buckle systems of AT boots.

For whatever reason, the newer tech offerings from Dynafit and others are making boots that are LESS attractive to climbers. See the TLT-7, which is not compatible with tech crampons (except by some clunky looking adapter?) and does not easily allow buckling up without also locking the ankle (though that was true of their other offerings, and can be fixed with a stupid boot mod).

If these things climb comparably to modern dedicated ice boots and are pretty decent to ski in, that's HUGE step forward for people like me.

Plus, the price really isn't bad relative to others. Retail $750 US retail for the "regular" (i.e. non carbon fiber) version, which is basically the same as pretty much every other brand's comparable offerings (TLT-7, backland, etc.).

Jesus....spam much. Do you work for Arcteryx? Sure sounds like it. Nice first post.

[LeeLau]

Requested the Procline to look at it. I've actually not skied the TLT6 so can't say anything.

I can compare to the TLT5P.

F1 feels progressive and stiff laterally. Stiffer than the TLT5p. A bit brick wallish fore aft but again better quality of flex than TLT5p.

And for me, F1 has pretty astounding fit and heel hold in particular

[shoo]

Jesus....spam much. Do you work for Arcteryx? Sure sounds like it. Nice first post.

Haaaa. You think that arc'teryx, aka a giant, massively overpriced, hipster design trendy, fashion / outdoors company whose retail shops look like an a warren miller film tour truck ran into an apple store would, as a marketing tactic, tell people to post on the third page of a web forum that will only be read by a handful of tech geeks and certainly not by the orthodontists who actually make the company bottom line by paying retail for this shit?

Though in your defense, I do have a friend who does work for dead bird. He's a bit, erm, enthusiastic, and I could totally see him make such a post. But no, I am just geeking out over something that is genuinely pretty new and interesting.

Edit to add: Just going to add a bit more meat to the gap that is being filled here. If you primarily climb and want to ski in/out, you have two choices: climbing boots w/ silvretta bindings (godawful to ski in), or AT boots w/ touring bindings (mediocre at best to climb in). Dynafit TLT-5s were the standard for the latter use case for a long time. Sportiva has stepped up their game a bit (I currently use spectres for this purpose). Had been hoping that the exploding ice climbing market would have induced dynafit / atomic / others to improve offerings in this segment, but apparently not.

[kevino]

It is a niche market, but it is there. I've climbed a bit of grade 3-4 ice in my TLT6 with ok experiences, but I agree, they are not like climbing boots. Once my TLT6s die it'll be interesting to try on the Proclines. Where I live we will frequently skin in to ice climbs and of course we just like to climb mountains and ski down, so having a boot that climbs like climbing boots but skis well enough to still make it enjoyable is the ultimate goal.

[gregL]

. . . on the third page of a web forum that will only be read by a handful of tech geeks and certainly not by the orthodontists who actually make the company bottom line . . .

People in the dental health field have a lot of spare time; they often take Fridays off to research their hobbies. You'd be amazed at the number of professionals who come in ski shops quoting obscure third page TGR comments verbatim . . .

[XXX-er]

Yup working in a bike store I remember this lawyer who would quote verbatim things I had read in MBA but it is the medical types who are spending 5 figures a year EVERY year on CF skis and bikes that make a big difference to a retail store so you drop everything when they walk in to make them an espresso

There is one customer who will buy a 15k bike and just put it in his gear room like art with wheels, he doesn't even ride them anymore

[LeeLau]

Is iceclimbing seriously getting more popular?

Adding some datapoints.

For me Procline fit like the TLT6. My feet are mid volume, wide at forefoot. No arch. Ie generic Azn foot. I'm 27 in Vulcan, TLT5, TLT6, F1, Maestrale (liners cooked. No punches) 26 in Tecnica, Mtn Lab, Backland (but all of them need fairly generous punches at toe).

Sidenote is that I swim in the TLT7 and Backland.

[kevino]

Is iceclimbing seriously getting more popular?

Adding some datapoints.

For me Procline fit like the TLT6. My feet are mid volume, wide at forefoot. No arch. Ie generic Azn foot. I'm 27 in Vulcan, TLT5, TLT6, F1, Maestrale (liners cooked. No punches) 26 in Tecnica, Mtn Lab, Backland (but all of them need fairly generous punches at toe).

Sidenote is that I swim in the TLT7 and Backland.

Just to make sure, so same mondo size in Procline as the TLT6?

And to answer your first question, ice climbing is way more popular, even in the ten years I've been climbing. However, the amount of people that are combing technical ice climbing and skiing? Probably hasn't increased significantly, but it is sweet we have all these options!

[LeeLau]

Yah 27 in Procline and TLT6 p

[XavierD]

Technical mountaineers are picking up skiing at a rapid pace. It doesn't take many days of watching some chubby knuckle head like me summit after them and then beat them back to the car - and a burger joint, by several hours.

This boot speaks to those people.

[gregL]

I'm 27 in Vulcan, TLT5, TLT6, F1, Maestrale (liners cooked. No punches) 26 in Tecnica, Mtn Lab, Backland (but all of them need fairly generous punches at toe).

Pretty much the same here, though I would have bought a 26.5 in the black and orange TLT6P (had 27.5 in the green and black, getting 27.5 in the Procline Carbon).

[shoo]

Technical mountaineers are picking up skiing at a rapid pace. It doesn't take many days of watching some chubby knuckle head like me summit after them and then beat them back to the car - and a burger joint, by several hours.

This boot speaks to those people.

Apologies for thread drift. New here.

Yup. This is exactly why I picked skiing back up after many years lapsed. And I can tell you for sure that people are catching on to the same thing.

But yes, ice climbing is getting massively more popular. Part of that has to do with the general explosion in the popularity of rock climbing, and part has to do with huge improvements in ice climbing gear in the last decade or so. Technical ice axes, screws, and boots have all had game changing improvements which make ice much more accessible and enjoyable. As a result, places where I would used to be able to walk right up to when I started climbing ice now always have lines, even on weekdays for the more popular spots.

So yeah, I am super interested in how these things climb ice and handle snow. And if they ski ok (especially for people for whom skiing isn't our primary sport), perfect.

[TAFKALVS]

Technical mountaineers are picking up skiing at a rapid pace. It doesn't take many days of watching some chubby knuckle head like me summit after them and then beat them back to the car - and a burger joint, by several hours.

This boot speaks to those people.

And you'll still beat them back to the car because you can actually ski...

[sfotex]

Got 3 days on my Carbon Proclines. 2 tours - 1 'resort' day. Fit is a little roomier then my Green TLT6's. The toes aren't so pointy and there's a little more room over the arch if the foot. I really like the gaiters, I was wallowing in the snow all day today and my feet were nice and dry and warm. Flex: There's a little give before you hit the wall, unlike the TLT6P- the procline seems to address my biggest grip with the TLT6. I wouldn't call it progressive, but there's enough to work with that I can get the job done. Lateral and forward flex seems in par with the TLT6P, I need to do a side by side comparison.

Transitions are pretty easy. . I would say on par with any other boot in this class out there.

Walk mode: It seems pretty subtle on the uphill while skining. I really notice it skining or walking on the flats. I should hopefully get to climb some ice in these in the next week or so, I'll report back.

[LeeLau]

Man i have way too many boots.

Cooked some sz 7 low volume ProTours to fit in the Procline Carbon. 1 day on them in an uncooked liner and I had blisters. No surprises so far. The carbon infused plastic can take a punch. Not the most anatomical of lasts so punched a tad for the big and little toe for width.

I think I said it before but just in case I didn't I fit a TLT6 and TLT5 with a liner cook and am a perfect Scarpa foot but with a nice footbed in the liner to keep them from getting cold. The Procline almost fit perfectly

Someone asked me if the boot would be cold. it was only minus 12 C. Stuck Intuition liners in there because Intuitions are God's gift to us and because the OE Arc liners aren't molded so would be too tight. The boot would be cold no matter what IMO but Intuitions would help. Someone else tell me if those OE Arc liners would be OK or if they would make your toes fall off? I'm trying to keep an open mind here but that liner looks like poo.

I couldn't really tell if that lateral ankle flexion would make the boot good for climbing or mountaineering because I was skiing knee deep blower. The only time I could feel the flexion was on some firm sidehills in walk mode where the boot let me angulate into the slope and bite more with the edges.

Otherwise the boot feels like a representative member of the 1300g or lighter boots that tour exceptionally well and ski reasonably well. Just 1 day so far though and on conditions that are far too easy

[sfotex]

Someone asked me if the boot would be cold. it was only minus 12 C.

I used them for a long tour in the single digits F and my feet stayed pretty warm. I think the gaiter helps with the warmth a bit. Definitely better then my TLT6's.

[djhutch]

I feel the comments above about how they ski are accurate so I won't add anything about the Procline's ski performance. I much prefer them over the TLT6 for skiing but that may be due mostly to the facts that the Proclines are roomier in the toe box and I loathe the one buckle lean-lock on the TLTs.

Yes, folks wanting a climbing boot that skis well is a small niche but it is there and growing, and this boot basically perfectly fills this gap. The first Procline production run sold out almost immediately this year and everyone I know who has bought them for this purpose, including me, raves about them.

These boots are lighter and climb as well as my single ice boots. I have climbed WI5 and moderate mixed in them and I strongly feel they will change the way alpinists approach, climb, and descend big objectives. They have me and my partners dreaming up objectives that didn't sound that appealing before since two pairs of boots were previously required. DyNA's and TLT5s were the previous go tos for alpinists but the Proclines are much preferred now.

They are not as warm as the new light double ice boots by Scarpa and Sportiva though, so no one is not gonna use their sexy Phantom Techs (over the Proclines) on an climb that doesn't have a long approach.

And as predicted, Amer is already regurgitating the Procline:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOXeNTmBevF/

[BFD]

any reports on durability? the liner seemed a little flimsy but looks like it maybe warm enough. Interesting that an intuition will fit in the shell I was wondering feels like a narrow shell. Any blown out zippers yet? 40% off was tempting.

[dark_star]

Bumping this thread- contemplating these boots as I try to solve some fit issues with my old pair.

I've tried on a bunch of boots, all in the 1100-1250g or so category. 1st AT boot was TLT5 so lightweight is all I know, skied past three seasons on TLT6s, with and without tongues. Loved the Hagan Core but not crampon compatible, and the TLT7 was actually too light for this purpose and starts to overlap with my rando boots somewhat.

So it comes down to this vs. Scarpa F1. I'm not an ice climber but I do do a fair amount of rock scrambling/cramponing/mountaineering with ice ax out, and I love the idea of the lateral flexibility with this boot, especially when sidehilling and rock scrambling. For me that's the appeal. OTOH, the F1 seems like it skis better and the intuition is warmer- plus the 26.5 is a bit of a a better fit in the toebox, and for whatever reason the shell fit is tighter vs. arcteryx 27.

So, for one boot to handle everything - winter powder touring/mountaineering/cramponing/couloir skiing/rocks/crappy new england icy backcountry conditions, which should it be?

[sfotex]

Bumping this thread- contemplating these boots as I try to solve some fit issues with my old pair.

I've tried on a bunch of boots, all in the 1100-1250g or so category. 1st AT boot was TLT5 so lightweight is all I know, skied past three seasons on TLT6s, with and without tongues. Loved the Hagan Core but not crampon compatible, and the TLT7 was actually too light for this purpose and starts to overlap with my rando boots somewhat.

So it comes down to this vs. Scarpa F1. I'm not an ice climber but I do do a fair amount of rock scrambling/cramponing/mountaineering with ice ax out, and I love the idea of the lateral flexibility with this boot, especially when sidehilling and rock scrambling. For me that's the appeal. OTOH, the F1 seems like it skis better and the intuition is warmer- plus the 26.5 is a bit of a a better fit in the toebox, and for whatever reason the shell fit is tighter vs. arcteryx 27.

So, for one boot to handle everything - winter powder touring/mountaineering/cramponing/couloir skiing/rocks/crappy new england icy backcountry conditions, which should it be?

I had the procline carbons for a month or so and sold them to a friend, I wound up with a pair of Fischer Travers and found myself reaching for them because they are so warm and comfy. That said, the Procline definitely is more boot then the Travers. That said, I might check out the Salomon version next season and see how they ski.