Do I really need multiple boots?

[PeachesNCream]

My skiing is a true 50/50 resort/touring. Right now I Salomon Mtn Lab boots, they fit great and I love the boots. I have black crows Noctas w/ Kingpins and Salomon Rocker2 109s w/ Shifts. Both skis work pretty well for touring and for the lifts. But I've been thinking of getting a resort specific ski where I don't have to worry about weight. My original thought was to just get non-touring bindings that are touring boot compatible (I think Marker makes one?). But I know many people have touring boots AND downhill boots. Do you really gain that much from downhill specific boots?

[adrenalated]

Yes the best alpine boots are more powerful than even the best touring boots. Does it matter to you? Depends on how you ski and what you want out of your gear....

I would say that my Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 have probably 85% of the power of my Dalbello Scorpion 130s. That's enough for a lot of people... including me on many of my inbounds days.

[El Chupacabra]

IMHO pin bindings (Dynafit etc) are not as durable or as safe as alpine bindings, so that should be factored in to whether to use a touring boot for everything. They just do not release the same way, or as consistently. If you're thinking touring boot in a MNC alpine binding, that isn't an issue then.

I also don't think touring boots are nearly as durable as alpine. YMMV.

[SupreChicken]

I have wrestled with this conundrum a lot. I settled on the dalbello lupo TI for downhill performance. Don’t want to lug that uphill if I don’t have to. Zero g tour pro for longer missions. Fits me better than the maestrale RS.

The lupo performs just as well downhill as a KR2 pro, IMO. It’s not a scorpion or a plug boot, but it’s damn good.

[toast2266]

This is kind of a "what you don't know doesn't hurt you" situation. Personally, I find alpine boots to ski massively better than touring boots in pretty much every situation (except, of course, for walking up hill). But if you like skiing in the Mtn Labs inbounds, then stick with them. I certainly wish that I was happy skiing in one boot, all the time - it'd make things a lot easier (and cheaper).

But yeah, get an alpine binding that works the Mtn Labs. Pin bindings suck inbounds for all kinds of reasons.

[PNWbrit]

It's a pity this hasn't been discussed before.

[gregL]

Do you really gain that much from downhill specific boots?

IME, yes. But you have to ask whether you ski enough "resort only" days to justify it. A good alpine boot gives you more power, quicker response, and more fit options (I have skied the MTN Lab at the resort a number of days and it is pretty damn good as touring boots go, plenty of my friends use it all the time with both tech and alpine bindings, too). My "alpine" options are the Tecnica Mach 1 LV 130 and the Lange RS 130, for reference.

Any Marker binding that says "SoleID" on it works with the ISO 9523 sole on the MTN Lab, as does any Salomon/Atomic/Armada binding that says "MNC" and any Tyrolia binding that says "AT."

[reckless toboggan]

Do I really need multiple boots?

I'd say so.

At the very least, I'd say you need a right and a left.

YMMV.

[SlyFoxxx]

If you don't buy downhill boots, you'll be replacing your touring boots that much sooner. That's what I just told myself when asking this question after getting FX95 HPs for resort use (but I am becoming a gear whore). I also really like my Freetours and don't want to buy the new ones with the stupid blue accents any time soon (no offense to anyone who likes those stupid blue accents).

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[XXX-er]

I was on a garmont AT boot with convertible sole as a one quiver boot cuz I didn't really know where I was at with skiing, or if i wanted to tour

10 yars later , I have 7 setups that will tour, > half a doz pair of skins, AT skis, DH skis, and a ski in every underfoot size in 10mm widths

IME Alpine gear works a little better, releases a little better, its cheaper and you are very much more likley to find some stuff used that will do you fine

[1000-oaks]

If you want to keep tech fittings, a crossover boot like the Cochise is noticably better inbounds than even a great "powerful" touring boot like the ZeroG Tour Pro.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I would say that my Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 have probably 85% of the power of my Dalbello Scorpion 130s. That's enough for a lot of people... including me on many of my inbounds days.

My "inbounds boots" are Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 120's. 90% of my touring is in Scarpa F1's, with occasional days in the Atomics when I expect some difficult snow or I'm traveling with one pair of boots. If I skied 50-50 BC-resort I'd get some alpine boots. Right now I find them heavy and clunky. I'm more like 10-20% resort, unless you count days skiing with a 5 year old. They way I've adapted to ski on lighter gear doesn't take advantage of heavy, stiff boots. 85% is enough for me for sure. Oddly, I do still enjoy somewhat burly skis (185 Cochise) for skiing funky snow. I do have a good performance fit on my touring boots which makes it work.

When my boy starts skiing some real terrain I'll get alpine boots again. I'm sure if I spend enough days in them I'll re-learn to appreciate the power.

[Jongle]

I tour in Mtn Labs and have A/B'd them in the resort against my inbounds boots, the Nordica Speedmachine 130 (same skis/bindings). I could easily ski the Mtn Labs every day and still enjoy life, but the Nordicas have a noticeably smoother, more progressive flex that translates into a less harsh ride (less transmission of impacts/vibrations to the legs). Obviously this makes less difference the softer the snow is.

[PeachesNCream]

IME, yes. But you have to ask whether you ski enough "resort only" days to justify it. A good alpine boot gives you more power, quicker response, and more fit options (I have skied the MTN Lab at the resort a number of days and it is pretty damn good as touring boots go, plenty of my friends use it all the time with both tech and alpine bindings, too). My "alpine" options are the Tecnica Mach 1 LV 130 and the Lange RS 130, for reference.

Any Marker binding that says "SoleID" on it works with the ISO 9523 sole on the MTN Lab, as does any Salomon/Atomic/Armada binding that says "MNC" and any Tyrolia binding that says "AT."

Good to know. Looks like Look/Rossi makes one too?
https://www.evo.com/outlet/alpine-sk...ok-pivot-14-aw

[Lindahl]

I thought the MTN Labs were pretty soft, especially in the rearward direction. There’s no way I’d want to ski them as my only boot. Not even as a burly touring boot either honestly. But it sounds like you’re happy with em, so my opinion should probably be disregarded.

Durability definitely should be considered. Cochises, which are probably one of the best-skiing tech compatible boots don’t last long for me. I wear out the walk mode (or snap it) after a couple seasons. I doubt the ski mode pin on my Hawx is that much stronger, so it may not last long either. We’ll see.

The Hawx don’t ski quite as well as the Cochise in firm snow or even just crud. They just don’t flex as smooth and are a bit harsher. Honestly, I could do it... but why?

Cochises are a bit too heavy for frequent touring.

Conclusion: Yeah, I really do need two boots. I like 3 though... a superlight boot like the Backland is awesome for long days. Still waffling between Cochise and a real alpine boot. I want more durability, but the option for sidecountry is always appreciated. Being in Europe now, I just went with the Hawx. Not as much skied up snow out here, and longer sidecountry tours. I’ll probably miss my Cochises though. We’ll see.

[gregL]

Good to know. Looks like Look/Rossi makes one too?
https://www.evo.com/outlet/alpine-sk...ok-pivot-14-aw

No.
An "AW" Look/Rossi binding fits Alpine ISO 5355 and GripWalk soles, you have ISO 9523 Touring Soles on the MTN Lab. The discontinued Look Dual WTR bindings with the adjustable height AFD are certified for WTR, GripWalk and Alpine, not ISO 9523. The only Look bindings that are approved for touring soles are the re-branded Look HM Dynafit tech bindings.

[XavierD]

I agree in the yes canp

three pairs of boots which each get significant use: Lange RS, Lange XT Free and Tecnica ZeroG. Each got at lead t10 days last year. ROM and weight of the ZeroG is good enough it can be my primary boot for volcanos and long spring days. XT Free if I’m flying or going to mix some short tours/side country and resort soft snow. I hate hiking in the RS. RS if I’m not in danger of touring.

The RS definitely extends the life of my XTs and the XTs extend the life of the ZeroGs.

[eskido]

Heehee! This is fun! Everyone has different opinion, mine matches most here, I do have different boots and would recommend such, but my personal prefs differ from most, just like everyone here does. My rec (just like my Blister rec), is take it all in, a ton of good info if you take the time to sort through it and see what applies to you.

[gramboh]

Went from three pairs of skis and two pairs of boots (Tecnica Dragon 120 with Intuition Luxury and Booster straps and Scarpa Maestrale RS 1.0) to Hawx XTD 130 with Tour Wrap liners and one pair of skis with Shifts this year. Pretty much only ski soft snow in the resort and tour if no new snow... plus young kid at home so limited ski days = don’t want to waste time/stress about picking the wrong setup for the day.

I know I’ll miss how well those boots and Cochise with STH916 skied resort variable/hard pack but I just don’t ski it enough to justify all the gear. When the kid is older I’ll get another resort setup.

[Falcon3]

I'd say so.

At the very least, I'd say you need a right and a left.

YMMV.

Single leg mono-ski? I'd watch that.

I tried to single-boot quiver the last two seasons. However, my boots (Hawx XTD120) needed a lot of work to get them comfy, and I noticed my boots getting pretty beat up inbounds. I went with some Lange RX130's as a resort boot and I think the quiver works pretty well- still getting the Langes dialed for fit though.

[eSock]

semi-related question: If I've got a 325mm touring boot and a 328mm alpine boot, do I need to do anything to my bindings if I switch boots?

[XXX-er]

I think you will because of different toe height, you will need to set your toe height first and then probably for length

[xksrx]

You need 3 pairs. A real alpine boot, a burly 50/50 side country boot and a real touring boot. Yes, a dedicated alpine boot is going to give you better performance than any boot with a walk mode. Some burly touring boots get close but not quite there. Certainly some are very stiff but the flex is not damp and progressive like a real alpine boot. Likewise, those boots don’t quite do it as far as stride, comfort, weight, and agility on sketchy ridges as a real touring boot.


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[yellofin]

Going to buy a pair of Tecnica Mach 1 120 in a 26.5 to give my Cochise in the same size a break from lift skiing.
Both have a 305 bsl and I have wardens.
Is there a different toe height adjustment needed or can I just click in with either boot.

[SB]

I'd say so.

At the very least, I'd say you need a right and a left.

YMMV.

Unless he has only one leg.