Jan 22 2013
Nowhere is the interest in backcountry skiing as evident as in the number of choices being offered for ski boots next season. Ten years ago there were a handful of companies making boots for turn earners, and none of them had any affiliation with a major alpine ski brand. This year there are very few …
Jan 15 2013
Finally managed to put Scarpa’s Maestrale to the test last week. Not just a couple of conditioning tours with a few tepid turns thrown in to get back to the car, but an actual locked-heel bombing mission. Frankly it was hard to resist. Not only was the snow perfectly prepared – I was also armed …
Dec 04 2012
Everyone is getting in to the backcountry these days with ski boots that offer some form of a walk mode. Most don’t have much range of motion, but compared to none, anything is a welcome improvement if you’re hiking for your turns, or just want a more comfortable walk to and from the lifts, …
Oct 22 2012
It was love at first kiss and the way the Lange XT held my feet I couldn’t help wonder what a longer term relationship might produce. I still haven’t had the pleasure of even a single day tour with a pair but I’ve had a chance to look a lot closer at the design. Aside …
Sep 10 2012
my eyes zeroed in on the metal bar at the back of the boot; the one that the cuff is locked or released from to turn with power, or walk in comfort with…Because the mode bar can pivot too the cuff never binds against it, allowing it to rotate well past vertical.
May 28 2012
The prospect of locking your heel for skiing is a nice option to have. Most times I’d rather switch between a pivot for skinning, or tele-resistance for turning. When it gets steep though, I like having a locked heel. Nowadays the angle of slope that I prefer a locked heel on is less than …
Feb 09 2012
Though the subtleties of downhill performance with training heels may elude me, boot and ski performance is relatively easy to evaluate. I managed to get on four different AT boots for next season – Tecnica’s Cochise Pro Light, Dalbello’s Sherpa, next year’s addition to the groundbreaking Virus, a pair of Lange XT‘s, and one of Black Diamond’s new Free Tour boots, the Prime.
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