Any reviews on the Full Tilt Ascendant

**njfreeskier** · 01-23-2019, 06:02 AM

Just wondering if anyone has had any time on the Full Tilt Ascendant? I know it's a new boot, but there is only one video online about it (from one of their athletes), and couldn't find much info on here. Thanks in advance!

**margotron** · 01-23-2019, 11:03 AM

https://blisterreview.com/gear-revie...tilt-ascendant

**babybear** · 01-23-2019, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by njfreeskier

Just wondering if anyone has had any time on the Full Tilt Ascendant? I know it's a new boot, but there is only one video online about it (from one of their athletes), and couldn't find much info on here. Thanks in advance!

that athlete in the video is my husband, who occasionally posts here too
He's been skiing the ascendant as his main set of boots now for the 2nd season (and obviously we have a shelf full of FT's to choose from)

The boot itself is a little shorter than our alpine FT's, which lends itself to be a little softer overall.
He added boosters and for in bounds skiing (JH) he switches out the stock liner and uses his intuitions from his 1st chairs bc they are a little taller and adds a little stiffness.
He's 6' and not too heavy- like 170lbs and he kept the stock tongue. (he rolls an oversized 10 tongue on his 1st chairs which equates to maybe an 11 flex)
but I have been surprised that he always chooses the ascendants over his alpine boots this yr
I dig the ascendant buckles too vs my 1st chairs. They don't get the snow build up issues I sometimes have with 1st chairs
The boot is slightly wider in the forefoot than 1st chairs, which is well documented as well as their being slightly heavier than other touring boots.
what else do you want to know about and I'll ask him his thoughts

**margotron** · 01-23-2019, 12:20 PM

Interesting. The Tour Wrap from intuition is definitely different than this wrap:

**margotron** · 01-24-2019, 10:56 AM

Has anyone here skied this liner?

**SupreChicken** · 01-24-2019, 11:37 AM

@njfreeskier. I got to try on the prototype side by side with my lupo TI last year.

Cuff is noticeably shorter on the Ascendent, Which is why I have kept my lupo.

12 tongue sounds cool though.

**scandy89** · 01-24-2019, 10:46 PM

I havent been able to find an ascendant to try on, but having been in full tilts before and having wide feet im sure itd be a good fit. I have tried on the lupo ax120, it was a great fit, but wasnt a fan of the liner and it felt soft for a 120.
Whats the negative/positive of a short cuff? im wondering if being used to park boots/skiing, if i'd like the short cuff more possibly? Cuff height isnt something i've really factored in before.

Originally Posted by SupreChicken

@njfreeskier. I got to try on the prototype side by side with my lupo TI last year.

Cuff is noticeably shorter on the Ascendent, Which is why I have kept my lupo.

12 tongue sounds cool though.

**margotron** · 01-25-2019, 01:19 AM

I prefer a tall cuff. Especially if you are tall. More control over the ski, more support.

Imagine extremes to visualize it: a ski boot only as tall as a hiking boot.

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**ffmedic84** · 01-25-2019, 07:48 AM

How’s the heel pocket and instep? I’ve got a huuuuge instep and a baby ankle.

**babybear** · 01-25-2019, 09:06 AM

somewhere in another thread about this boot I posted side by side picks of it's height next to my lupos
I'll try to find and post here

it's a touch shorter but doesn't seem to hold andrew back :P

**burrito** · 01-25-2019, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by b-bear

somewhere in another thread about this boot I posted side by side picks of it's height next to my lupos
I'll try to find and post here

it's a touch shorter but doesn't seem to hold andrew back :P

It’s funny how little difference there is in measured cuff heights and how big of a difference there is in feeling between the Ascendant/Descendant shell and the original FT/Raichle shell. I’ve been squarely in the camp of taller cuffs since riding the original Kryptons back in the day, so it only took a quick side-by-side fitting to switch from my beat to hell FTs back to Dalbello and the Lupos.

Side note: What ever happened to knee-height cuffs?

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**dgillis73** · 01-25-2019, 03:01 PM

I really want to like this boot because I have been looking for a hybrid boot like this, and I have a little bit of a wider foot, and these fit in the fore foot, but after trying them on I wasn't a huge fan of the shorter cuff. I'm sure they ski just fine however, and if you're a Full Tilt guy and are looking for a "freeride/touring" hybrid boot, this maybe just what you're looking for. YMMV, but I think after trying on both the ascendant and the Nordica strider, the strider still has my heart.

**scandy89** · 01-25-2019, 09:07 PM

I tried on last years lupo ti id today, which i think is a 130 flex, and wasnt a fan, didnt get that pre flexed sensation i've gotten from other dalbello's/ FT's. Which is 90% of the reason I like them so much, being able to have a pretty stiff boot but really flex through the initial flex of the boot without too much resistance, I think i've just really gotten used to skiing with a boot that allows that much movement. the Ti id kept your legs pretty locked in position unless you really forced it, which i really dont like.
Was trying to think of how a shorter cuff with that same flex would feel, if that would create more of a "flexing from the ankle" sensation, where a taller cuff has that feeling of driving the ski from your shin/upper part of the cuff?

**kootenayskier** · 01-26-2019, 08:21 AM

For the love of fucking God, all I want is tech inserts and a walk mode in the original FT/Raichle shell.

**dgillis73** · 01-26-2019, 08:56 AM

Originally Posted by kootenayskier

For the love of fucking God, all I want is tech inserts and a walk mode in the original FT/Raichle shell.

The Ascendant is very much not that, FT kinda missed the boat on that one. It wouldn't have been the boot for me, but I think it would have been a better route to go with a hybrid "tour-able" boot than the one they chose. Always next year though...

**Sessiøn** · 01-26-2019, 09:06 PM

The Descendent/Ascendant shell is a fucking bucket.

**Reformed** · 01-27-2019, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by kootenayskier

For the love of fucking God, all I want is tech inserts and a walk mode in the original FT/Raichle shell.

Add buckles that don't fuck up multiple times a year and take my money.

**burrito** · 01-27-2019, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by Reformed

Add buckles that don't fuck up multiple times a year and take my money.

I had good luck with their metal buckles after breaking a couple of the original plastic ones.

**gregL** · 01-27-2019, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by kootenayskier

For the love of fucking God, all I want is tech inserts and a walk mode in the original FT/Raichle shell.

You and a few thousand others . . .

**Reformed** · 01-27-2019, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by burrito

I had good luck with their metal buckles after breaking a couple of the original plastic ones.

I'm pretty aware/careful with my stuff and am running metal buckles but have still had to replace 3 of 6 over the last few years. Lower cables break reasonably frequently as well. The good news is that they're easy to work on and FT usually has parts, but there's something to say about the basic buckles and ladders on most other boots...

**Benny Profane** · 03-30-2019, 07:57 PM

Do you guys just toss your boots around after taking them off without buckling them?

**cydwhit** · 03-31-2019, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by kootenayskier

For the love of fucking God, all I want is tech inserts and a walk mode in the original FT/Raichle shell.

Next year's Roxa R3 130 is damn close to this. I love mine, didn't jive with the Ascendant, but used to only rock Konflicts. R3 is like a heat moldable Konflict with a walk mode and tech fittings. And it weighs way less than the Ascendant.

**burrito** · 04-03-2019, 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by cydwhit

Next year's Roxa R3 130 is damn close to this. I love mine, didn't jive with the Ascendant, but used to only rock Konflicts. R3 is like a heat moldable Konflict with a walk mode and tech fittings. And it weighs way less than the Ascendant.

Tried the R3 130s on at SIA this year and talked with a rep for a while. They seemed to use a really weird last shape. I have a narrow foot, medium instep, and low volume ankle, so I expect most boots to feel a little too big at first (and consequently why I love the narrow fit of the original FT/Raichle shell.) The Roxa boots were just strange - really snug in some areas, roomy in others. I suppose molding would take care of some of that, but they’re definitely not a boot I would recommend as a blind buy for anyone. That said, their walk mode and flex seemed pretty great.

I have been rocking the current-gen Dalbello Lupo 130C all season and been extremely happy with them. They fit very similar to the original FT/Raichle shell. Unless we get a non-Descendant shell FT with a walk mode, I plan on sticking with the Lupos.

**bearasaur9000** · 10-10-2019, 10:51 AM

What's your experience with durability? Some of the reviews I've read say the area around the tech inserts got chewed up to the point of being unusable pretty quickly, I've also heard complaints about the buckles breaking. Thanks.

**babybear** · 12-23-2019, 06:30 PM

skied the ascendant a couple times now and I love how it skis almost exactly like my FT First chairs.
I had Dalbello lupos & maestrales in the past and always hated how they skied- just really having to totally adjust my skiing style for them, whereas if you ski Full Tilts or Dalbellos for alpine these are the easiest cross over I've found.

Have only done 1 tour up snow king but I was basically looking for a boot that has touring mode but still skied downhill well too and these are the answer.
I mean, they are only 10% lighter than my alpine boots but considering that I hated my old touring boots so much that I would literally tour in my 1st chairs for anything under 2 hours, I'm psyched
I switched over my alpine liners for inbounds on recommendation from andrew and that made them feel just like home as well as raising the height a bit and firming them up
will add a booster strap and call it good. Feels like they have a hair more fwd lean than my first chairs but I also don't roll with any of the fwd lean inserts in my First chairs
some scoff at these bc they are not that much lighter but I was tired of mediocre touring boots on the dh which is the reason I drag my keister uphill in the first place

Originally Posted by bearasaur9000

What's your experience with durability? Some of the reviews I've read say the area around the tech inserts got chewed up to the point of being unusable pretty quickly, I've also heard complaints about the buckles breaking. Thanks.

husband has been skiing these as his everyday- even at the resort and the buckles are holding up well- they are more standard hook style vs other FT's which have the ratchet.
I'm skiing his pair from last yr- actually he got them 2 seasons ago mid- yr so he skied them a season and a half. the toes are a bit more chewed up than my alpines but more the general plastic being banged up vs around the tech inserts. maybe the plastic is a hair softer