Charging in non-beefy boots

[burrito]

The move in a lot of new touring boots lately seems to be “how much power can we put into a 1500g boot?” The selling points of things like the Salomon MTN, new Scarpa Maestrale, new Dalebello Lupo, etc. are that they’re much more uphill oriented than an alpine boot with a walk mode but there’s a limit to what they’ll sacrifice on downhill performance.

Today I saw this comment in the Salomon Shift thread, and it has me thinking:

Interesting how in Europe, the average ski tourer (and hard cores) are in no fall zones on their Dynafit Speeds and sub 1000 gram boots, and here in the states we need beef boots and 16 Din metal bindings to ski mostly mellow No American terrain .

It brings two questions to my mind:

1. Is this true? Seems a little suspect to me, but I haven’t been around the touring scene until the last couple of seasons.

2. Regardless of the answer to the first question is there a way to alter your riding style that allows you to charge in softer, less-supportive boots? Personally I have very different styles of riding depending on what skis I’m on, but I’ve always wanted the same feeling out of my boots — good power transfer with as little sloppiness as possible. Over the years I’ve modded a couple of pairs with things like booster straps and stiffer tongues to add power, and I’ve always been happy with the result. Am I missing out on the opposite?

[mall walker]

you can charge on anything in good snow

undeniably advances in technology/carbon fiber/etc has lead to improved performance/weight ratio in touring boots. idk how chargey a 1 kilo boot is at this point... probably better than 10 years ago, and not nearly as good as a heavier boot?

certainly there's a huge cultural element in the popularity differences in binding/ski/boot trends in north america vs yurp as well.

[Timberridge]

'Muricans are bigger people.

[MarcusBrody]

99% of people aren't going to be charging if they are in serious no fall zones. Why bother with the compromises of a heavier, stiffer boot if you're not going to be? In a lot of ways the "mellow" American terrain enables a more wide open style and so touring boots you can charge in make more sense.

It would seem that a centered, balanced style is better for getting the most out of lighter gear (rather than forward, driving the tongue), but you'd have to ask a better skier than me to test that out for you.

[Andyski]

To answer your second question: not likely

[cmcrawfo]

To call modern touring boots softer and less supportive, isn't really fair. and it depends on the type of boot you are used to... as an example, I just got a pair of Tecnica zero G's, and they are probably the stiffest boot I have been in in a long time. even my Cochise were equally as stiff as a comparable three buckle alpine boot... so its all relative.

as for the Europe comment..... as a generalization, steep, technical and exposed lines and the ski-mo style the crazy euros are famous for lend themselves more to light weight skimo oriented gear. You are not going to try and huck some massive pillow line, with a no fall zone beheneth it. Whereas in north america, ski-mo is fringe. and pillowy cliff lines, with minimal consequence abound... apples and oranges.

[GeezerSteve]

1. The best equipment to safely ski no-fall terrain vs. the best equipment for charging is apples vs. oranges

2. There is no universal answer because whether one's style is conducive to (relatively) softer AT boots varies from individual to individual.

FWIW, I have long rejected the TGR accepted wisdom that bigger guys need bigger AT boots. It's more about style than body mass.

[PNWbrit]

Can we ban the terms charge, charging & chargey?

[GeezerSteve]

chargelicious

[Skidog]

FWIW, I have long rejected the TGR accepted wisdom that bigger guys need bigger AT boots. It's more about style than body mass.

Dead on....using equipment as an excuse for poor form isnt the answer. I blame the fact that we werent all forced to skii 200cm straight skinny skis. Those will make you concentrate on form...makes that new tech even more fun.....

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Go spend a season skiing two buckle tele boots and cable bindings inbounds and then jump back into your light weight and less supportive AT boots. You'll feel like you can 'charge'. You don't even have to make tele turns, nothing promotes a centered and balanced style like a broken binding.

[XXX-er]

The move in a lot of new touring boots lately seems to be “how much power can we put into a 1500g boot?” The selling points of things like the Salomon MTN, new Scarpa Maestrale, new Dalebello Lupo, etc. are that they’re much more uphill oriented than an alpine boot with a walk mode but there’s a limit to what they’ll sacrifice on downhill performance.

Today I saw this comment in the Salomon Shift thread, and it has me thinking:



It brings two questions to my mind:

1. Is this true? Seems a little suspect to me, but I haven’t been around the touring scene until the last couple of seasons.

I think its a random quote from some dentist and I don't think its true, maybe a select few alpinists but the average ski tourer ...I call bulshit

bedroom slipper type boots are gona go uphill easier but if you tell me they are gona go down hill better as well I gotta call bullshit

[splat]

New ski gear might make you ski a little better.
But it won't make you a better skier.

[TAFKALVS]

Can we ban the terms charge, charging & chargey?

I'm going on a charging mission, to session the backcountry on my chargey skis. Epic.

[mall walker]

I think its a random quote from some dentist and I don't think its true, maybe a select few alpinists but the average ski tourer ...I call bulshit

bedroom slipper type boots are gona go uphill easier but if you tell me they are gona go down hill better as well I gotta call bullshit

I think he's just saying not everyone skis aggressively enough in the first place for it to matter much

Go spend a season skiing two buckle tele boots and cable bindings inbounds and then jump back into your light weight and less supportive AT boots. You'll feel like you can 'charge'. You don't even have to make tele turns, nothing promotes a centered and balanced style like a broken binding.

also this... all my AT boots have felt like olympic race boots since switching back from tele lol

I'm going on a charging mission, to session the backcountry on my chargey skis. Epic.

afterwards you can hit the berms for some brown pow hero dirt

[XXX-er]

how aggressive or good or charging of a skier do you have to be to experience a shitty time in shitty boots?

I supose you could buy a bedroom slipper and mod it stiffer OR buy some thing stiffer and make it softer

[El Chupacabra]

Can we ban the terms charge, charging & chargey?

But what if I do aggressive charging in red boots?

[mall walker]

how aggressive or good or charging of a skier do you have to be to experience a shitty time in shitty boots?

I supose you could buy a bedroom slipper and mod it stiffer OR buy some thing stiffer and make it softer

guess it depends what boots you mean, I got a buddy who charges pretty damn hard on "85 flex" TLT6Ms. I'm in ~95 flexers these days, but I never said I was good

if you mean like PDGs or yellow aliens yeah that's not my thing either

[PNWbrit]

But what if I do aggressive charging in red boots?

It doesn't count unless you do a sweet edit of it from the van you live in that same night bro.

[XXX-er]

OK everyone knows the skier who could "really charge" on soft boots hell why not telemark boots ?

but how fast could he have gone on beefier boots that he used TO go faster ?

and so how many people use shitty boots to go slower than they could if they bought real ski boots?

[cmcrawfo]

OK everyone knows the skier who could "really charge" on soft boots hell why not telemark boots ?

but how fast could he have gone on beefier boots that he used TO go faster ?

and so how many people use shitty boots to go slower than they could if they bought real ski boots?

how much gnar could a charger charge, if a charger could charge gnar?

[gregL]

99% of people aren't going to be charging if they are in serious no fall zones.

This is the key. Skiing in "no fall zones" is not charging, it is skiing not to die. Some of the same people practice both types of skiing, both here and in Europe, but they tend to do it on different equipment.

[Fritz]

Do it a lot and eventually you won’t know the difference. Pretty simple.

[El Chupacabra]

It doesn't count unless you do a sweet edit of it from the van you live in that same night bro.

My next edit of #vanlife yoga drops tomorrow.

[roQer]

I pretty much appreciate the invasion of mtb terms into the skiing world. Gnar, suspension, etc. New bred of AT boots can be so enduro.