Vibram sole on an Alpine boot – DIY

[turnfarmer]

Ulty guy wrote- "older sally's have a sliding afd like the look/rossi though, AND, they still have the toe and wing height adjustment. then would this not be the better alpine binder if you are going to use rubber soles?" Any one know which models to look for?

[ScottG]

bump for good DIY, but no offense intended:

the end of your foot is the "heel", not heal
if your Vibram sole comes off, that's a "peel" not a peal

[crashnburn'd]

...but a seal is a seal. Unless you're sewing up eyes, then it's a seel.





I'm glad I did my homework on this one....
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionar...ionary&va=seel

[dude_le_skibum]

so, i picked up the vibram catalog and soles are like 20$ cost and come in different thickness. we are quite use to putting up lifters on racing boots through the shop. when you set up lifters you got to grind the top of the tongue that goes in the binding to keep it din, shaving off with a vibram sole would be the same. i m going to get on the project.

[Idris]

so, i picked up the vibram catalog and soles are like 20$ cost and come in different thickness. we are quite use to putting up lifters on racing boots through the shop. when you set up lifters you got to grind the top of the tongue that goes in the binding to keep it din, shaving off with a vibram sole would be the same. i m going to get on the project.

I grind the sole as far as I dare first - Drill a fine hole through the sole to determine thinkness if you are unsure.....I have shaved quite a few heel lugs/tounges/binding thingys but only one set of toes - grinding heal and not toe increases your ramp angle....if they are going in Salamons or AT bindings you don't need to worry about toe height so much....if you are puting a curve on the sole like an AT boot you will never get din anyway....one thing to beware some boot toe tounges are hollow, you brake through if you grind down from above - Heads are realy bad boots for this.....I think I'm up to 8 pairs of boots vibramed this season - mainly sunshine ski patrol.

[mntlion]

I think I'm up to 8 pairs of boots vibramed this season - mainly sunshine ski patrol.

Nice, glad that it is working out, saving up to come and ski with us?

[Choucas]

Has anyone tried to put Vibram on the removable soles from a Lange 120? If this is doable, you'd have the option of being able to screw on hard soles or soft soles without butchering the boot. Still no walk mode, but a lot more security scrambling around on rocks. Has this been done? Can this be done?

[laseranimal]

I think I'm up to 8 pairs of boots vibramed this season.

Just got my boots back, look great, can't wait to go touring this weekend. Idris I sent you a PM about $$$ let me know how you want it

[Idris]

Nice, glad that it is working out, saving up to come and ski with us?

Only 4 pairs were not close freinds - so not making much cash - JH Summit trip cost me...ouch!

Has anyone tried to put Vibram on the removable soles from a Lange 120? If this is doable, you'd have the option of being able to screw on hard soles or soft soles without butchering the boot. Still no walk mode, but a lot more security scrambling around on rocks. Has this been done? Can this be done?

Not yet....done some on Atomic boots though for Powslut...I think the system is similar...it can be done, depends on how much effort you want to put in....walk mode is also posible on Langes, you doon need the lock thingy off the back of an old pair of AT boots for this mod though.

Just got my boots back, look great, can't wait to go touring this weekend. Idris I sent you a PM about $$$ let me know how you want it

glad to hear it, just trying to fix my paypal account.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Bump for Welsh redneckin'.

Also, I checked out a new pair of '05 Freerides the other day. The AFT no longer pivots. It's a peice of teflon (or whatev) just like a Solly. What does this say about the prior logic of AT boots in Solly's being unsafe?

[Idris]

Also, I checked out a new pair of '05 Freerides the other day. The AFT no longer pivots. It's a peice of teflon (or whatev) just like a Solly. What does this say about the prior logic of AT boots in Solly's being unsafe?

.....the AFD does pivot on the newer freerides, but only whenthe toe piece rotates....turn your DIN all the way down and try

Oh my sallys release fine when I crash...2 notches above Type #3 on the chart and toes would down hard.

Bump for Welsh redneckin'.

Homemade Trekkas/Securifix commming soon from a basement near here

[hick]

Those who have vibramed their alpine boots, I'm wondering what the best adhesive and where to locate it, ie hardware store, cobbler... And how has the various adhesives out there used held up? Fuck'n great thead!! I'm getting my vibram asap no more slippin on the rails of my sled!

[marshalolson]

Those who have vibramed their alpine boots, I'm wondering what the best adhesive and where to locate it, ie hardware store, cobbler... And how has the various adhesives out there used held up? Fuck'n great thead!! I'm getting my vibram asap no more slippin on the rails of my sled!

i used barge cement and screws.

[mntlion]

and lots of pressure on the soles for 24 hours or more to make them stick on

[sanjuaner]

You're right about the the liability issues. Its a matter of acceptable risks in two different settings.

In the 70's, before AT boots, dozens of first descents were done in Alaska with Galibier Raid soles (thinner) glued to the bottom of Scott boots (lightest boot of its time). Several routes on Denali, in the Wrangells and Fairweathers fell to this scheme.

[Conundrum]

First of all thanks Marshal for the shells-the soles were beat but worked great for this project.

I used to resole Birkenstocks for the dirty hippies so I used a large belt sander in the shoe shop to grind the soles down. I already have AT boots and wanted as little trouble as possible with alpine bindings so I kept the soles flat vs. rockered. Vibram makes all sorts of soles so I got these which were pretty thin and that allowed me to keep the ISO 20 and 30 mm standards. After grinding the appropriate amount off the boot I used a 3M contact addhesive that seems to be holding up well. It's the same stuff used to resole Birkenstocks. You paint it on both surfaces and then heat it until it's shiney and then slap them together. I then ground off the excess sole so it looked good and was the original shape of the toe and heel. I bought some little screws and put those in just in case the glue fails. I have Sollies on my skis and the toe height is the same as my Beast shells and the length is the same. Here are some pics. I think the total amount was under $40...$20 for shipping for the shells, $18 for soles, and a couple bucks for the little screws.

[marshalolson]

FUCK YEAH DUDE - they look awesome. well done.

[splat]

Yo, way to go, Conundrum.
Tom came by and showed me the procedure on my boots and left me all the gear to do this. After my first good fall, first day of the season, with wrongly adjusted freerides for the retrofit, I tore a heel off and had to redo it. It has now stayed on very well. I'd offer to do retrofits for Tahoers, but have no time. I love the vibrams. Since I've been flipping in and out of demo bindings on the Bros, I have to carry a screwdriver because the extra height I gained tops out the adjustment screw on the toepieces. Dudele's advice to shave the tongue that goes into the toepiece sounds like a good adjustment.

Tom rules.

[hick]

bump. The cobbler turned me on to a new glue: Freesole. I've done a couple of resoles with barge cement and wasn't to impressed. Urathane (sp?) based glue seems to be the key. This stuff is super burly and turned out really clean looking. They look like they are pro job not some hack like myself vibraming in his basement. I knew the glue had to be good, it warns that is can cause birth defects. You know you have the good stuff then.

[BrunoOya]

Hi, what do you think abou it ?

http://walk-ez.com

[StroupSkier]

Looks like it would work walking around town, but these guys are using these soles on some serious terrain.

I would not want to carry the extra weight, or risk having them fall off while skiing or climbing.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Bump. Thinking about doing this to my falcons. I won't be hiking in them so much in the near future, but the out soles are not replaceable. How do you keep the contour of the slight upturn in the toe and heel?
It seems like the bottom of this boot is pretty thin, will I have to take it down too much or can I get, say, 1/8th inch thick vibram soles.
This will allow me to walk all over the place in them and not have to worry. I probably won't even do it right now. Just a few questions.

[hick]

If they are already pretty thin, just get them nice and smooth. I grind an ever so slight rocker on the front for a little walking ease. As far as sole thickness you can always adjust by grinding down the vibram after you have attached it to the sole. Get your glue (freesole=$$$$) and vibram from Carters boot shop in Bozo. those guys have been super helpful to me in the past. Good luck.

[DEVO]

I have a pair of Garmont Adrenalines, but don't have the Vibram soles to go with these. I know I can order them from Garmont, but they are $70-$80. Could I just order vibram soles like the ones you guys are using here and cut them to fit my adrenalines? Or are the actual Garmont replacement soles on plastic plates, etc?

[Conundrum]

I have a pair of Garmont Adrenalines, but don't have the Vibram soles to go with these. I know I can order them from Garmont, but they are $70-$80. Could I just order vibram soles like the ones you guys are using here and cut them to fit my adrenalines? Or are the actual Garmont replacement soles on plastic plates, etc?

Order them from Garmont. There is a backer for the vibram you would have to make. If you tried to screw on just the vibram part without gluing it to either a backer or the boot, the vibram sole won't stay on. I think it would be tough to get a homemade piece to fit well with the boot.