Buckling Touring Boots Correctly

[skibum93]

Backcountry novice here (I do have an avy 1 so some common sense), and I'm trying to get my gear dialed.
I'm touring on Scarpa Freedom 120s, which have a powerstrap, 2 top buckles, and 2 lower buckles.
For similar Freeride AT boots, how does everyone tighten the buckles?

I've been doing buckling to the second rung and using the power strap, but I feel it could be a lot better.
Any better ideas to experiment?

[wooley12]

Rule#1 - Boots should be worn with buckles facing the front.

[PNWbrit]

Backcountry novice here (I do have an avy 1 so some common sense), and I'm trying to get my gear dialed.
I'm touring on Scarpa Freedom 120s, which have a powerstrap, 2 top buckles, and 2 lower buckles.
For similar Freeride AT boots, how does everyone tighten the buckles?

I've been doing buckling to the second rung and using the power strap, but I feel it could be a lot better.
Any better ideas to experiment?

Unbuckle the top two and undo power strap.

Keep lower two buckled.

Not really that complicated.

[XXX-er]

You wana make sure you got them on the right feet so put an L and R on the boot toe with a felt pen

but seriously IME for touring up if the foot moves around you gona git blisters so I do the lower buckles up fairly snug and leave the top buckles & powerstrap very loose

for going down tighten the buckles up till they hurt and back off a rung

[skibum93]

Not really that complicated.

Perfect. Thanks!

[mcski]

Your boots are useless unless you have custom skis

[auvgeek]

PNWbrit and XXX-er pretty much covered it, but you might want to be sure the heel gets back into the heel pocket before snugging up the lower buckles. You can kick your heel on the ground hard after you put the boot on (if you have a hard surface available) or buckle the upper ones first (and then unbuckle for touring).

[XXX-er]

ya ^^ do up the top buckle or pwrstrap and lever your foot backwards into the heel pocket

[Danno]

eh, I don't think there is a "right" way to buckle boots for touring. All I know is that on every hut trip I go on, lots of people have blisters, and are constantly trying to dial their boots in. What works for one doesn't work for another.

FWIW, I skin with boots completely unbuckled (as in none), and I don't get blisters. YMMV.

[auvgeek]

^^Agreed.

Case in point, no blisters for me going the total opposite direction: tight shell fit with an instep buckle buckled tightly. Not sure I could avoid blisters without an instep buckle.

[XXX-er]

I go for a pretty tight shell fit and lower buckles snug enough for the ski down, YMMV of course

I think besides boots that don't fit some of the people you meet in huts just don't venture out of the cube more than a couple of weeks a year so thy never get boots dialed, the muscles and skin of their feet are never really in shape

[nickel]

Do them up together with duct tape to reduce the risk of pre-release on your monoski.