Tecnica ZeroG Tour Pro - 2018- 9 boot

[rod9301]

I have both and disagree. Freetour has a smoother flex and works better for me.

For bigger skis and resort bumps I’d rather have the smoothness of the Freetour. For the weight and ROM the ZeroG skis great and it’s a phenomenal do it all touring boot; to the point I got rid of my TLT6s.

Maybe. I skied Katanas with both boots and i still prefer the zero

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[macon]

I have both and disagree. Freetour has a smoother flex and works better for me.

For bigger skis and resort bumps I’d rather have the smoothness of the Freetour. For the weight and ROM the ZeroG skis great and it’s a phenomenal do it all touring boot; to the point I got rid of my TLT6s.

How similar would you say the Cochise and Freetour are?

I have 16/17 Freetours, and yes the flex is quite smooth but it's also quite soft when compared to the ZeroG TP. Room temperature, of course.

One of my complaints with the Freetours is that they're a little too soft imho. I'm 5'10", 155lbs.

[swissiphic]

FWIW, a few people who I’ve talked to that have skied both say the Hawx 130 XTD is a bit stiffer or supportive.

Also, I’ve read that some expansion of the ankle area is required for a good skiing boot - the expansion in that area gives you the space to roll your ankles to shift weight onto the edge appropriately.

But... by all means, get what fits the best (after bootwork of course).

Thanks for that perspective on boot shell ankle area lateral expansion phenomenon. I guess i'm inherently biased against it due to years of skiing the dinosaur era touring boots like the dynafit tlt 4s, all terrain, garmont megarides and radiums where the blowing out of the ankle area resulted in complete forward collapse of the boots when pounding moguls and skiing deep ski pen snow under breakable crust in the skinnier skis of the era.

Also, FWIW; I've been workin' on an adjustable forward flex mod for my vulcans. When set to the softer settings, there's a notable reduction in the lateral expansion at the ankle. I suspect that the energy gets absorbed by the rubber suspension piece as it squishes and absorbs all the micro and macro hits with shin resting on the tongue of boots. Works awesome so far in limited testing. I'm skiing them in the soft setting range these days and loving the long stroke ankle flex and much improved progressiveness and damping of flex feelz. Boot stiffness is probably in the 100-105 range at soft settings.

[gregL]

FWIW, a few people who I’ve talked to that have skied both say the Hawx 130 XTD is a bit stiffer or supportive.

Also, I’ve read that some expansion of the ankle area is required for a good skiing boot - the expansion in that area gives you the space to roll your ankles to shift weight onto the edge appropriately.

I'd say the overall flex of the Hawx Ultra 130 XTD and the Zero G Tour Pro is comparable, but the Atomic has more resistance early in the flex pattern and so might be perceived by some people as stiffer. At my weight the Zero G deflects a bit less at the bend in the shell when heavily loaded. Both boots ski well. I'd rate them both as 120-125 flex depending on which ankle is in the boot. I estimate the Lange XT Free at about a 115-120 flex, but prefer it for lift-served when there's no chance of skinning - skiing "well" isn't strictly about forward stiffness. FWIW I use the Hawx Ultra XTD and ZG Tour Pro almost exclusively for touring now, and ski both with no power strap.

I think the discussion of room around the ankle and medial midfoot is pertinent for competitive downhill and super G skiers, who want to roll into the turn very gradually and avoid excess edge on the snow (slalom and GS skiers have always sought to bring the clog and cuff as close to their foot/leg as possible).

Most all-mountain and backcountry skiers don't have the same needs and are usually impressed when they can subtly roll their ankle and get the ski to react in the Hawx Ultra series.

[macon]

I've decided I'm gonna mount my booster strap on my Zero Gs and use them 50/50 and ditch the Freetours.

I feel as though the stiffer flex of the ZeroG + the additional elasticity from the booster strap will lend itself to be a stronger inbounds boot than the freetour. Booster strap will only add ~90g.

Jury is still out till I actually get these suckers on snow... but that's my thought process right now.

[galibier_numero_un]

I only have 8-10 days on my Z-Gs (last Spring and two days this Fall), so I can't definitively compare them with my first year XT-130s.

Qualitatively (irrespective of absolute stiffness), the Langes feel a bit more like an inbounds boot however ... just a bit.

Having said that, if I didn't own the Langes, I'd be perfectly content skiing the Z-Gs inbounds.

In saying this, keep in mind that I scratch my head in amazement when folks report inadequate support from the Lange's spine. I'm the guy who's skied inbounds an entire morning unlatched (in climbing mode) - wondering if I was having an off day, until I realized I didn't switch to downhill mode.

... Thom

[macon]

Thanks for your input on that.

I haven't had any issues with the freetour spine at all, so that's odd to hear as a complaint. I too have accidentally left it in hike mode on more than one occasion... the hike/ski mechanism doesn't provide a lot of feedback and can easily be flicked the wrong way, so maybe that's the source of that complaint.

[macon]

Alright I took my ZGTPs out for a resort day in absolute crap manky mashed potato snow, that ended up being decent as the day went on.

These ski absurdly well. Had them on my OG Bibbys and I uhh... I think I like them more than I like my Freetours. The flex isn't quite as progressive but it's close... and they're noticeably stiffer, so maybe it's that.

Anyway, the downhill hype for this boot is real. It skis so well. Can't wait to put on a booster strap and maybe shim the liner a bit more with a spoiler to bring me further forward.

Great boot.

[NorCalNomad]

The flex isn't quite as progressive but it's close... and they're noticeably stiffer, so maybe it's that.

Anyway, the downhill hype for this boot is real.

Ditto on this. I've been A/B-ing the ZGTP the last few weekends with some Salomon Xmax 120's in alpine bindings (plus last season riding the Scouts).

They are a little stiffer than the Xmax's so I'd 100% agree with the TGR Tour Boot flex adjusted rating of 125 for the ZGTP, and just a slight bit less progressive than the Xmax's. It really could be a true quiver of one for boots.

[macon]

Ditto on this. I've been A/B-ing the ZGTP the last few weekends with some Salomon Xmax 120's in alpine bindings (plus last season riding the Scouts).

They are a little stiffer than the Xmax's so I'd 100% agree with the TGR Tour Boot flex adjusted rating of 125 for the ZGTP, and just a slight bit less progressive than the Xmax's. It really could be a true quiver of one for boots.

I agree with your assessment / TGR boot flex adjusted ratings. 125 seems like a fair rating for the flex of this boot.

Truth be told, this will become my 1 boot quiver after a I get a little more time in them. Probably gonna sell the lange freetours to a buddy or to a maggot or something.

[XavierD]

A tour wrap liner drastically improved ski feel for me. Still doesn’t quite have the progressive feel or depth as the free tour but improved significantly. Defiantly enough where I could get away with it inbounds, especially with a tech toe binding like the Tecton or KingPin.

[smooth operator]

I could get away with it inbounds, especially with a tech toe binding like the Tecton or KingPin.

How does the tech binding increase performance? Or do you mean bc of the ramp angle?.

I've only had my ZGTP out on a few tours with decent snow so too early to say, but they ski really well. I have a foamed liner and booster strap inthere tho, so that may improve things.
I was afraid they'd be to upright but I actually think the first part of the flex is rather soft and you push through that so easily that the fwd angle is in line with other boots.
Need to AB more against my Lange ZA's but so far I am impressed. Also, they tour so much better than the previous ZeroG !

[XavierD]

How does the tech binding increase performance? Or do you mean bc of the ramp angle?.

I've only had my ZGTP out on a few tours with decent snow so too early to say, but they ski really well. I have a foamed liner and booster strap inthere tho, so that may improve things.
I was afraid they'd be to upright but I actually think the first part of the flex is rather soft and you push through that so easily that the fwd angle is in line with other boots.
Need to AB more against my Lange ZA's but so far I am impressed. Also, they tour so much better than the previous ZeroG !

The tech toe prevents the sloppiness of a rubber/rockered sole with traditional binding. One of the benefits of the Freetour, Cochise, and even the XTD over a 0G is a more solid sole connection with the binding. The firm section in the ZeroG helps but it’s still noticeable.

[macon]

I haven't noticed any slopiness when I have the ZGTP clipped into my shifts.

[GBB]

How much room in the instep can I gain by grinding the bootboard?

After spending some time carpet testing these with my custom footbeds and stock liners, I have significant pressure points across the entirety of my instep. For reference, I have a wide forefoot, obscenely high instep, and an extremely narrow heel.


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[wasatchback]

How much room in the instep can I gain by grinding the bootboard?

After spending some time carpet testing these with my custom footbeds and stock liners, I have significant pressure points across the entirety of my instep. For reference, I have a wide forefoot, obscenely high instep, and an extremely narrow heel.


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Have you heat molded the liner? You'll get some room there. Have you had the forefoot punched? There's a chance
you'll get some additional instep room as your foot is able to relax a bit more.

You can probably only grind the boot board 2mm. Which in a ski boot can be a remarkable amount of room.

A good boot fitter can punch for instep room but it's not super easy to accomplish.

[dfinn]

4 days in on these and so far am really happy. I'm coming off the previous version Guide Pros (which are for sale, 27.5). These newer boots are lighter, tour better, have a better walk mode and also ski better on downhill. The added stiffness is noticed and they feel more precise and less vague than the previous boots did. A worthy upgrade so far. I'm skiing them on 187 Moment Meridian tours with dynafit superlight 2.0s.

[XavierD]

How much room in the instep can I gain by grinding the bootboard?

After spending some time carpet testing these with my custom footbeds and stock liners, I have significant pressure points across the entirety of my instep. For reference, I have a wide forefoot, obscenely high instep, and an extremely narrow heel.


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As another with a high instep, not enough.

Cutting the elastic out of the liner helped a bunch. Swapping to a tour wrap liner accomplished a lot more. I did some minor instep stretches.

[Boissal]

As another with a high instep, not enough.
Cutting the elastic out of the liner helped a bunch. Swapping to a tour wrap liner accomplished a lot more. I did some minor instep stretches.

This. My bootboard is sanded to the point it's nearly transparent but it didn't do as much as removing the elastic band holding the tongue down. I have to be more careful now when I take the boot off as it's a battle and the tongue could get ripped out. No instep stretching was needed once the elastic came out.

[GBB]

Have you heat molded the liner? You'll get some room there. Have you had the forefoot punched? There's a chance
you'll get some additional instep room as your foot is able to relax a bit more.

You can probably only grind the boot board 2mm. Which in a ski boot can be a remarkable amount of room.

A good boot fitter can punch for instep room but it's not super easy to accomplish.

I haven't heat molded the liner yet nor have I punched the forefoot. I was actually surprised at how well they shell fit given my wide forefoot.

As another with a high instep, not enough.

Cutting the elastic out of the liner helped a bunch. Swapping to a tour wrap liner accomplished a lot more. I did some minor instep stretches.

Helpful. I hadn't yet considered cutting the elastic out of the liner. My initial plan was to throw a tour wrap in them once the stock liner ran its course. Are you happy with the fit after these modifications? What experiences have you had with them on long days post modification?

This. My bootboard is sanded to the point it's nearly transparent but it didn't do as much as removing the elastic band holding the tongue down. I have to be more careful now when I take the boot off as it's a battle and the tongue could get ripped out. No instep stretching was needed once the elastic came out.

From you and Xavier sounds like the boot board grind isn't going to do much for me. Will start with the elastic band first. Thanks for the feedback all.

[Boissal]

From you and Xavier sounds like the boot board grind isn't going to do much for me. Will start with the elastic band first. Thanks for the feedback all.

For me grinding the boot board helped reduce pressure above the toe knuckles, I lost a bit of height there when the boots were punched for width. The instep pressure went down with a combination of boot board grind + cutting the elastic band + molding with thick padding on top of the foot. I went from really painful couple of days at first to banging out back to back 6k days with boots that feel as good as my ultra-comfy Spectres which have 150 days on them.

[GoldenBC]

Anyone here have issues with the screws in the walk mode falling out? I had two people walk into my shop, back to back, with a screw missing in the walk mode.

[SupreChicken]

Tour wrap always sounds like a good idea...

I’m so impressed with this boot. I think it descends better than the orange/blue Cochise 130. Walking in them is easy. Mild Achilles soreness, but otherwise, usable fit without any liner molding or boot work. They drive the 190 bibby tour/Tecton combination really well.

[Choucas]

Anyone here have issues with the screws in the walk mode falling out? I had two people walk into my shop, back to back, with a screw missing in the walk mode.

So I went and checked my boots (this year's Zero G Scout), and found that I was missing 4 screws and the other ones were loose. Yikes! I've only skied in them three times and toured (short tour) in them twice. My guess is that they might have never been there at all. Off to hardware store and bust out the locktite. Worth a look if you have same boots.

[Huskier]

So I went and checked my boots (this year's Zero G Scout), and found that I was missing 4 screws and the other ones were loose. Yikes! I've only skied in them three times and toured (short tour) in them twice. My guess is that they might have never been there at all. Off to hardware store and bust out the locktite. Worth a look if you have same boots.

I've actually had a couple gripes re: the hardware in this boot. I've had buckles shear straight through the metal, toe fittings go out of spec to the point of auto-releasing, etc. I don't know if it's just growing pains with a newish boot or if they traded durability for weight savings by going with a mushy alloy, but I'm not super pleased.