Touring Boots Vs Alpine Boots

[californiagrown]

Id like to get a dedicated touring setup for the spring season here in the PNW. It will not be used when the resort chairs are spinning, but in late april through june i would like to take advantage of what i have around me to explore. Ive been using CAST 1.0, with alpine boots with a tech toe for a few years and after some long days out bushwacking with multiple shoe-boot-skin transitions im ready to just bite the bullet and get a used lightweight touring setup intended for easier travel up, and milking the turns down. My real question is about the boots- I have a super high arch and my shoe size is 11-11.5, but my boot size is 27.5 with a 28 intuition prowrap stuffed in (a proper insole shrinks my foot a full size). I cant decide if a tight/dialed fit in a touring boot is super important, or if it will be OK to go with a slightly looser fit like a 28/28.5 because its mostly about comfort on the up, not a performance fit for shredding down. But i also dont want rubbing and blisters.... I was hoping to buy used everything, including boots, otherwise i would just do the normal program of going into Evo and letting the bootfitter set me up. Is a dialed, "proper" fit in a dedicated lightweight touring boot just as important as in a dedicated Alpine boot, or is it almost preferable to have some level of slop?

[toast2266]

Personally, I try to get the heel and ankle areas tight in my touring boots and as close as possible to my alpine boots. I like to have more room in the toes, partly because my toes slide forward while walking on flat ground, and partly because it's just more comfortable when my feet are hot and sweaty.

Realistically, I find touring boots to universally suck when it comes to fitting my foot, so it's all a compromise. They either give me blisters, cramp my foot, or ski like shit. Or, fairly frequently, all of the above.

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[jackstraw]

If you have an alpine boot that works I would look at that brand and see if they have a touring boot. I've had a few AT boots and none have fit great. If I was to invest again I'd try the ZeroG considering how well my Cochise fit.

[XXX-er]

when I looked for AT boots i wanked around and asked a lot of people on Tech talk high arch/ wide forefoot was Merccury/ Vulcan back in the day and got a great fit buying on-line, but seeing all the mismatches I don't know if I could recommend it LOL !

I DID NOT up size so I use same size boot for alpine as for AT my thot being I didnot want the food moving around in a loose AT boot

[Dromond]

I think you want a really tight fit in the ankle/heel so your foot doesn't move while walking and you can ski, but you need more toe room - possibly more length - for touring. I have skied Hawx XTD for Touring and Hawx Ultra for alpine for years now which have the same last. What alpine boot do you have?

[mr_pretzel]

Get a zero G pro tour, you might be able to sneak into the 27 since it fits longer than other touring boots.

[Full Trucker]

I've always been a "one boot" guy, in a 50/50 boot. I just picked up a more touring oriented version of the 50/50 boot I already have, and I sized it the same. Hard saying since I've never upsized a touring boot, but I can't imagine I'd want the extra room even for the uphill. Feet get hot, and sweat, and a bunch of movement in the boot leads to blisters. I have a pretty specific buckle strategy for walking that keeps my foot from moving around but also allows the cuff to go through it's ROM when walking. YMMV

[Full Trucker]

Another thing to ponder is, how light is light enough for the type of touring you want to do? For me, I'm in a 130 Lange XT3 as a DD which is a 50/50 boot. And it's basically fine for me and how I ski and tour for most of the stuff I do. I'm not doing crazy big touring missions but wanted something that could handle a bit longer days and hut trips and such. Found a great deal on the same size of 130 XT3 Tour Pro here on TGR, and they'll save me like 300g per foot which ain't a HUGE amount but also ain't nothing, and they'll probably ski well enough while being a marked improvement for uphill. I personally can't imagine wanting to go into a super-light dancing slipper type boot, ever. Not for my skiing.

[californiagrown]

I am in a Dalbello Lupo AX 120 from a few years ago (navy blue/orange) with a 28 Intuition Prowrap liner w/ booster strap. Fiddlefucking around with removing/replacing the tongues, combined with fiddlefucking around around with CAST for every transition kind of sucks. I want a boot that i can bushwack on dirt, walk on dirt trails a mile or two, and easily step into/outof tech bindings for spring days where the first 2000' and 3 miles is mixed skinning and hiking to get into a bowl with skiable snow for 1000' laps. I just want a set-and-forget boot/binding combo that is lightweight and is logistically easy to use and abuse.

The main draw for these spring tours is the adventure of it all, good skiing is just a bonus if i can make that happen, but downhill skiing on enjoyable terrain usually ends up being about 3 minutes or less of a 6+ hour day. Most time is spent going up a shitty partially melted out approach, or survival skiing/shwacking my way out the same approach. so im not too worried about being in a boot i cant DRIVE.

[skaredshtles]

I am in a Dalbello Lupo AX 120 from a few years ago (navy blue/orange) with a 28 Intuition Prowrap liner w/ booster strap. Fiddlefucking around with removing/replacing the tongues, combined with fiddlefucking around around with CAST for every transition kind of sucks. I want a boot that i can bushwack on dirt, walk on dirt trails a mile or two, and easily step into/outof tech bindings for spring days where the first 2000' and 3 miles is mixed skinning and hiking to get into a bowl with skiable snow for 1000' laps. I just want a set-and-forget boot/binding combo that is lightweight and is logistically easy to use and abuse. The main draw for these spring tours is the adventure of it all, good skiing is just a bonus if i can make that happen, but downhill skiing on enjoyable terrain usually ends up being about 3 minutes or less of a 6+ hour day. Most time is spent going up a shitty partially melted out approach, or survival skiing/shwacking my way out the same approach. so im not too worried about being in a boot i cant DRIVE.

If your Dalbellos work, perhaps investigate their dedicated line of touring boots? The fit should be similar, I would think.

[kamtron]

Comfort is the most important thing. It needs to fit your feet and not bother them over long days, and this is hard to get right. As for skiability, any boot that fits well enough to not bother your feet and is in the correct weight class for what you want (beefy or lightweight) should ski well enough *for that category* these days.
For me I have 1-2 mondo size larger touring boots than inbounds.

[plugboots]

Yer basically describing me.
Hawx 130 for alpine, and Scarpa F1LT for bc.
Even in the bottomless mushy crap, leg-breaking shit I ski today, my Praxis BC’s, ATK’s with the Scarpas were fine enough.
And if the conditions are powder or corn, it’s great.
Heel hold is by far the most important thing. Then toe space. When fitting, put a tow dam on, and put spacers between your toes etc. to make space. I had a fitter once call it yoga toes.
I’m probably gonna get the new zip fits for next season to really lock in the heel fit.
Find a really lightweight boot that fits your foot.
Greg L at EVO can help you

[AK47bp]

Dalbello Quantum is like touring on air compared to my Cochise in walk mode. Worth it .


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[waveshello]

I am in a Dalbello Lupo AX 120 from a few years ago (navy blue/orange) with a 28 Intuition Prowrap liner w/ booster strap. Fiddlefucking around with removing/replacing the tongues, combined with fiddlefucking around around with CAST for every transition kind of sucks. I want a boot that i can bushwack on dirt, walk on dirt trails a mile or two, and easily step into/outof tech bindings for spring days where the first 2000' and 3 miles is mixed skinning and hiking to get into a bowl with skiable snow for 1000' laps. I just want a set-and-forget boot/binding combo that is lightweight and is logistically easy to use and abuse.

The main draw for these spring tours is the adventure of it all, good skiing is just a bonus if i can make that happen, but downhill skiing on enjoyable terrain usually ends up being about 3 minutes or less of a 6+ hour day. Most time is spent going up a shitty partially melted out approach, or survival skiing/shwacking my way out the same approach. so im not too worried about being in a boot i cant DRIVE.

I feel ya... I went from Dalbello Lupo Pro HD to a ZGTP for most of my touring, and for my foot, they work great with minimal adjustment. I just needed one small punch at the 5th met head. They also have a lower instep than the Lupo, so if you're maxed out in the Lupo that might be a more difficult problem to solve.

I still love the Lupos--they are my DD inbounds, and give me the option to tour if I'm up at the pass and the lifts aren't spinning. I still use CAST to but it's a similar use case--I can throw one pair of skis and boots in the car and not have regrets when plane change or an opportunity comes along.