Written by Lee Lau with help from TGR forum users (aka the "maggots"). Today's your last day for 20% OFF the entire TGR merchandise & movie store and you can get FREE SHIPPING for any purchases from our gear store over $50, powered by Backcountry.com!
If you've read this far and are prepared to buy into what I've said about how to shop for a touring boot in my previous article, you've now thought a little about what kind of touring you'll do and what kind of touring boot you'd buy. There's one more important thing you'll discover about AT boots. Manufacturers have good intent but there is no standardized rating system for stiffness. A La Sportiva 120 flex is not necessarily the same stiffness as a K2 120 flex and almost certainly not the same stiffness as a Lange 120 flex.
We now turn to the TGR forums for a very useful resource. This discussion thread is a crowd-sourced collection of impressions of almost 5 years of collective geek impressions about AT boots and their stiffness relative to each other. If you want some basic idea of how new AT boots and older used AT boots feel relative to each other than read on. Also feel free to jump into the discussion in the forums and throw in your two cents.
The list has been (un-scientifically) compiled by:
A) Forum users' input comparing their stiffest AT/Freeride boots' flex (Endorphins, Tornado, Aero Freeride) against their alpine boot. A single alpine boot brand's flex range (in this case, Salomon) makes for better comparability in contrast to mixing flex ranges from Lange, Tecnica or Nordica.
B) Once the stiffest AT/Freeride boots flex ratings have been established, the ratings of the softer AT boots were established down the flex range fine-tuning up or down according to, again, posters' input.
The alpine boots used for comparison:
140 - Lange 140 RS
100 - Salomon X-Wave 9
95 - Salomon Gun
90 - Salomon X-Wave
THE LIST (stiffest to softest) as of November 28th, 2013
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130 - Dynafit Vulcan, Tecnica Cochise Pro 130
120 - Scarpa Mobe, Tecnica Cochise Pro 120
115 - K2 Pinnacle 130
110- Dynafit Mercury
105 - Scarpa Maestrale RS, Dynafit Zzero("The Green Machine") CF 4-buckle (2011-12 version with full carbon cuff)
100 - Dynafit TLT6 Performance, Tecnica Cochise Light 120, Black Diamond Factor, Dynafit Titan & Titan UL, Scarpa Hurricane
95 - Scarpa Typhoon/Skookum (stiff tongue)
90 - Dynafit TLT5 Performance, Dynafit One PX, Black Diamond Quadrant, Black Diamond Prime, Dynafit ZZeus, Dynafit Aero Freeride (4-buckle)
85 - Scarpa Maestrale, Scarpa Tornado/Pro (black tongue), Dynafit TLT5 Mountain, Scarpa Spirit 4 (black stiffer tongue), Dynafit Zzero (older "Green Machine") CF 4-buckle [pre 2011-12 version), Black Diamond Method, Salomon Ellipse e2
80 - Scarpa Denali XT/TT, Scarpa Spirit 4 (green softer tongue), Dynafit Zzero PX 4-buckle
75 - Scarpa Rush, Scarpa Spirit 3, Dynafit Aero Speed (3-buckle), Dynafit Zzero CF 3-buckle
70 - Dynafit Dy.N.A EVO, Scarpa Matrix, Old Scarpa Denali (4-buckle red shell), Dynafit TLT 700
60 - Dynafit Dy.N.A PDG, Scarpa Laser, Dynafit TLT 500 (2-buckle + strap), Scarpa F3
50 - Scarpa F1, Dynafit TLT 4 Evo (3-buckle), Dynafit TLT 4 Lite (2-buckle + strap), Dynafit Zzero 2C
40 - Scarpa F1 Race (2-buckle, no strap), Dynafit TLT Race Pro (1-buckle + strap)
This list should help you negotiate the true flex of a whole host of touring boots in relation to each other, and make more informed decisions when deciding which boots to look at in the first place.
About The Author
stash member Lee Lau
Professional Recreationalist. I ski mainly in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia in the Whistler/Pemberton area. I often travel to the Selkirks, the Monashees and to other touring destinations. http://instagram.com/sharon_and_lee