Salomon Ellipse E2

[upallnight]

Further hijacking on the dynafit-compatible topic...

I'm REALLY interested in the Spirit 3 after having seen them in shops in Chamonix.

My do-anythings are older Denalis stiffened with Flexon tongues; love them, but wish "do-anything" included stepping in to a Dynafit binding on occasion.

Anyone out there able to compare the Spirit 3s to the Denalis for firsthand info? Also heard a rumor that there will be a Spirit 4 (4 buckle)...true/false?

Don't know about the Spirit 3s, but I did give the boot some thought earlier this year when replacing my old (red/red tongue) Denalis, which I loved.

I decided to go with the MegaRides (which I stiffened a bit), but the Spirit 3s look like a good contender. I personally liked the lateral stiffness of the Denalis, but I did not like the forward flex of the newer, stiffer Denali tongues. I liked the older red tongue (after trying the XT/TT tongue as an upgrade).

I suspect the 4th buckle is sort of a waste (unless there are other changes, that one alone is not going to do much and it will cost you weight).

It's a shame the Denali is not DYnafit compatible. I never would have switched.

If you get the Spirits, be sure to let us know what you think. If you want something that is stiffer (fore/aft) than a stiffened Denali, either the MegaRides with a racing Flexon tongue (makes it awkward for hiking w/ the racing flex...but a "regular" Flexon tongue is a perfect compromise), or a Spirit w/ replacement tongue (should be easy to swap out with other Scarpa tongues, I'd presume) should be comparable.

[Yossarian]

yeah, will do. I may be the guinea pig on this one...

I have the old red-red Denali's as well, upgraded to regular flex Flexon tongues, so I'll be a good test case with the Spirit 3s if it happens. I had heard that eventually the Spirit 4s were going to replace the Denali TTs...EDIT: oh wait, yep, confirmed on pistehors!

But I'd agree, the 4th buckle doesn't do much on the older Denalis. So, we'll see...

[upallnight]

yeah, will do. I may be the guinea pig on this one...

I have the old red-red Denali's as well, upgraded to regular flex Flexon tongues, so I'll be a good test case with the Spirit 3s if it happens. I had heard that eventually the Spirit 4s were going to replace the Denali TTs...EDIT: oh wait, yep, confirmed on pistehors!

But I'd agree, the 4th buckle doesn't do much on the older Denalis. So, we'll see...

I might be smoking crack...but for some reason I remember reading/hearing that Flexon tongues *might* not work well with the Spirit.

I haven't seen the Spirits in person and was going to be relgated to ordering from Telemark Pyrenees. I did a whole bunch of research a few months back, and I *think* that could be the case. If it's a deal-breaker for you, it might be best to check.

There's a solid chance I'm wrong on that, and someone who has seen/worn the boots should know for sure. Would be very easy to determine.

[ski_rick]

I hitched back to La Grave after skiing the Freaux Couloir with a guy wearing the Spirit 3s back in Feb. He said he loved them, definitely stiffer then Lasers which he said was his previous boot. They look a lot like my Tornados, just with one buckle over the foot rather then two. Those buckles are attached to a plastic piece the distributes the pressure across the foot, so it seems to me 1 vs 2 buckles shouldn't make much of a difference.

The Tornado's tongues are easy to remove and swap (they come with two). I've never done the Flexon tongue mod, but at least removing the existing tongue is easy enough. The buckles are definitely different then the old Laser/Denali buckles (no wire buckle straps) so they might be an issue.

[bad_roo]

Will the color match your capri pants?

I think I may need a new pair of gold and grey capris to match but I would look the business on the glacier at Les Deux Alpes this summer.

Women would be frothing at the gash. Possibly.

[corn dog]

Bump, since I'm interested in an alpine boot with a bit more traction. Roo, any feedback? How is the fit? Anybody?
Bernhard Franz rocks these too apparently, which I'm sure is a good sign.

[mntlion]

fit is a similar to a Xwave, flex a bit softer then a wave 7?

[banzaibrothers]

Anybody use the E2 yet and got a review on it please? Now you can get them for $200 it's an interesting thought.

Cheers.

[mntlion]

level nine has em less then $200 as well.

they are a med to soft, med to wide, downhill boot with a good walk mode

[oxsnot28]

I have a random question for you. I am trying to get backcountry kit set up. I have some 190 snow rangers and bought some marker duke bindings. I had a tough time finding boots as I have huge feet. I finally found a pair of 31.5 salomon ellipse E2s from Levelninesports.com. From the little research I did it looks like some folks, including yourselves, have used this boot in an AT application. The boots fit fine but the problem is that the REI ski tech said they are not releasing consistently properly. Did any of you do anything special to address this or not have any problems. Do I need to find a different tech? Any help would be appreciated.