Eric Hjorleifson's 'Frankenboot' The truth.

[mntlion]

http://www.powdermag.com/features/on...ed+to+the+site


What's on Hoji's Feet?
Magazine Exclusive: Eric Hjorleifson's constant tinkering has created the ultimate 'Frankenboot'

Photo: Blake Jorgenson

(Ed's note: This article appears in the February 2011 issue of Powder, with additional photographic documentation.)

By Derek Taylor
Published: January 24, 2011

Eric Hjorleifson is skiing’s mad scientist. The 27-year-old from Canmore, Alberta, has been known to tinker with his gear obsessively, which in turn has led to two of the most sought-after skis on the market this year: 4FRNT’s EHP and Renegade. Now, Hoji is turning his attention to boots.

“I like the progressive approach Dynafit is taking with their randonee racing product,” says Hoji. “The Dy.N.A and TLT 5 series bring some amazing advancements in design, particularly the two-piece upper cuff walk/ski mode mechanism. I would like to see this design applied to a freeride touring boot.”

Never one to wait for the market to catch up, Hoji went out and built his own Frankenboots, which the MSP Films star used every day last season for filming, touring and skiing on the hill. Here’s what’s on his feet this year.

Photo: Blake Jorgenson

Photo: Blake Jorgenson

• The core of Hoji’s boot is the Dynafit Titan. “I started with the Titan because I feel that compatibility with TLT/Tech bindings will be essential to the future of high-performance freeride boots,” he says. “The Titan has one of the most supportive and solid lower shells currently available in the ski touring boot market.”

• “To try and minimize play between the upper and lower shell created by the ski/walk mechanism, I removed the black overlap polyurethane material and replaced it with the stiffest tongue on the market, the Dalbello Krypton B flex,” Hoji says. He then uses the tongue connector from the Garmont Adrenaline to fasten the tongue to the boot (slightly modified so he can take the tongue on and off quickly).

• Making use of the technology and materials used by his apparel sponsor, Arc’Teryx, in their Vancouver headquarters, Hoji laminated on a waterproof membrane, similar to what’s used in Dynafit’s randonee race shoe, the Dy.N.A. This keeps snow and water out of the boot, and allows him to remove the tongue for maximum range of motion while ascending.

• The ankle buckle on Hoji’s boot is attached through the pivot point. “Three-piece ski touring boots have the heel retention buckle attached to the upper cuff,” Hoji says. “When the boot is flexed forward, this buckle in turn moves forward with the upper cuff and heel retention is lost.” Attaching it through the pivot ensures the ankle stays locked in place. He uses the ankle buckle and wire from the Dalbello Krypton, held to the inside pivot point by a piece from a tele boot, the Scarpa Terminator X Pro. The pivot mechanism has also been replaced with a Tecnica canting assembly.

• The top buckles of the Titan have been replaced with the oversize buckle from a Salomon Ghost.

• Because interchangeable soles can create play between the boot and the binding, especially on wider skis, Hoji sanded the boot sole surface and inside the toe blocks, then glued the blocks in place using Freesole Urethane. He then removed some of the Vibram lugs so that the boot would fit into an alpine binding with an adjustable toe-height, such as the Salomon 916 or the Marker Duke.

• “To improve the lateral stiffness of the Titan, I laminated a Head Driver Plate onto the inside of my upper cuff on the medial side of the boot,” says Hoji. “Holding an edge on wider skis creates more force on the boot laterally.”

• For those keeping track, that’s one ski boot derived from seven different manufacturers, and one apparel company.

[bennymac]

there is another thread in here with lots of photos

"Because interchangeable soles can create play between the boot and the binding, especially on wider skis, Hoji sanded the boot sole surface and inside the toe blocks, then glued the blocks in place using Freesole Urethane. He then removed some of the Vibram lugs so that the boot would fit into an alpine binding with an adjustable toe-height, such as the Salomon 916 or the Marker Duke."

Just wondering if anyone has photos, ideas about this. I certainly don't ski like he does...but am currently using Titans with the AT soles on in my Dukes...any reason I should be chopping off some of the rubber to make the toe fit in better/lessen the chance of the AFD breaking?

[khyber.pass]

I have seen Hoji's boots, and they are a work of art.

I'd like to see a ski boot manufacturer give him free reign, preferably Dynafit.

Not mentioned: he takes the tongue off for touring to increase forward/aft movement, and pulls up the waterproof membrane to keep snow out.

Smart.

[ectreeskier11]

dudes got a career for life. it'd be so sick if someone let him develop a boot.

[Huck_Schmuck]

Sweetness, I wish I had the resources to be able to tinker like that.

[njfreeskier]

His boots should have their own exhibit at MOMA. Those are quite the exquisite piece of art...and science. Way to go Hoji, you continue to impress on and off the hill.

[vanisle]

there is another thread in here with lots of photos

"Because interchangeable soles can create play between the boot and the binding, especially on wider skis, Hoji sanded the boot sole surface and inside the toe blocks, then glued the blocks in place using Freesole Urethane. He then removed some of the Vibram lugs so that the boot would fit into an alpine binding with an adjustable toe-height, such as the Salomon 916 or the Marker Duke."

Just wondering if anyone has photos, ideas about this. I certainly don't ski like he does...but am currently using Titans with the AT soles on in my Dukes...any reason I should be chopping off some of the rubber to make the toe fit in better/lessen the chance of the AFD breaking?

My Titans will fit my 914s with the tech sole installed , because the afd doesnt move up and down like the Dukes i think he may be grinding the sole to keep the boot ramp-delta-whatever its called closer to what the thinner alpine soles are at.

[SpinalTap]

Here's a link to the other thread with less description, but better pictures.

[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208859"]Eric Hjorleifson custom Dynafit Titan Boots - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]

[Loon]

probably been answered in one of the other Hoji threads but... does anyone know if he skis dynafiddles with the toes locked?

[freak]

Sweetness, I wish I had the resources to be able to tinker like that.

yeah, that would be really cool.

freak~[&]

[SiSt]

probably been answered in one of the other Hoji threads but... does anyone know if he skis dynafiddles with the toes locked?

Yup.

(It´s in the interview/q&a he did somwhere I can´t remember...)

[Skidog]

My Titans will fit my 914s with the tech sole installed , because the afd doesnt move up and down like the Dukes i think he may be grinding the sole to keep the boot ramp-delta-whatever its called closer to what the thinner alpine soles are at.

I too do this...w 914, sth 916, and 957's. I know this isnt "recommended" but i havent had any issues yet...knock on wood..

I too ski nothing like Hoji so....

[marshalolson]

interesting they don't mention the wet layup carbon on the inside on the shells.

[mikebrom]

I'm with him- it would have been great to see TLT5 type of technology in some more freeride oriented boots for '11-'12

[willmtbike4food]

The ankle buckle seems to make so much sense...

I too wish I had the resources to tinker like that...

[grskier]

interesting they don't mention the wet layup carbon on the inside on the shells.

I'd guess that would stiffen up the flex a few notches... which part part of the shells?

[Andyski]

Very impressive. As mentioned in the other thread, there are bunch of cool little details, but this looks an awful lot like a Spirit 4 with a stiffer tongue. Being able to remove the tounge and have killer forward articulation is something I'd definitely do, but there are plenty of people in the TLT5 thread who consider this a PIA even on that ballet slipper.

[EEC]

Hmm, I think I'm going to have to give some of these mods a try. I have an old unused pair of kryptons and some dynafit zeros to work with. I think the ankle buckle and tongue mods would be doable, although I'm not sure how to modify the ankle pivot without scarpa parts. Anyone got ideas?

[D(C)]

What are the opinions on grinding down the Vibram soles so that they fit in a DIN binding without having to swap soles? Are there any downsides? I'd imagine a shop that does sole canting could do this using their sole planer.

I'm quite happy with the Titan's fit and performance otherwise, but I think this mod would be nice for easier use with my Duke setup.

[mntlion]

I just used a belt grinder and lowered the Technica agent BC, by 2mm. just left the sole on the boot, and lowered the vibram part, 5-15 cm back from the toe...

[marshalolson]

d(c) - i ground down the toe and heel slightly on my titan's to ski them in jesters. no issue there. jsut angled the heel a bit, and then knocked maybe 2mm off the toe height.

i just used a small black and decker hand held circular sander. took 5 min's or less.