 |
| Ismelda Marcos had a closet that looked like this. |
You can always throw those skis and bindings on your back and hike to the top of the mountain on your daddy's old snow shoes. Alpine boots, however, aren't designed for walking from the car to the ticket counter, much less to the top of Mt. Cardigan. More importantly, your feet are usually the first part of your body to get cold if not properly cared for. They are also your most important body part, and asset, when you're more than ten miles from your car. Frozen or blistery feet = slow or no movement = searchers find your body in June.
Hands down, if you're going to spend money, spend it on a properly fitted, light and comfortable pair of backcountry boots. To help you get started, I've put together a comparison chart of some of the more popular backcountry boots.
I've listed the weight per pair. I made sure to use units that nobody else uses so that I had to calculate the weight for each and every boot. Fun stuff.
There's also a column to indicate whether it is compatible with a "tech" or Dynafit/Onyx style binding.
The "TGR Flex" number comes from the forums at Teton Gravity Research. While the folks on the TGR forums haven't yet rated the new line of Scarpa and Black Diamond boots, I was able to calculate their values by comparing older boots' ratings with the Black Diamond and Scarpa proprietary ratings. Unlike the TGR ratings, these come straight from the manufacturer and lack any real peer review. So feel free to speak up if they are full of shit.
 |
| The Dynafit TLT 5 Mountain. Hubba Hubba. |
Unfortunately I had no information to rate the newest Dynafit boots, including the TLT 5 Mountain, TLT 5 Performance, and the DY NA TF. Maybe if I had something like FREE DEMO GEAR, in say... size Mondo 26.5 ( Do you hear that Dynafit?) I might be able to give an informed opinion. In the meantime, feel free to share your experiences with the folks who read this.
Admittedly, the list is incomplete: No Lowa, no Diabello and no Salomon. I wasn't able to get any reliable info regarding their flexibility, and lean angle, so I've left them off the list. I've also omitted tele syle boots and women specific boots. If someone knows how they compare to the other boots feel free to educate me with a comment.
Lastly, wherever you buy your boots, make sure you go to a local ski shop to get them fitted correctly.
| Boot | Weight | Tech? | TGR Flex | Mx Lean | Material | Cost | Retailer |
| Scarpa Mobe | 7.9 | Yes | 110 | 22 | Pebax Renew | $675.00 | www.backcountry.com |
| Dynafit Titan TF-X | 8.8 | Yes | 100 | 21 | PU Plastic | $759.00 | www.ems.com |
| Black Diamond Factor | 9.4 | No | 100 | 22 | Pebax | $719.00 | www.ems.com |
| Scarpa Skookum | 8.3 | Yes | 95 | 23 | Pebax | $647.50 | www.backcountry.com |
| Garmont Axon | 9 | Yes | 95 | 25 | Poly Fiber | $680.00 | www.backcountry.com |
| Garmont Endorphin | 9 | No | 95 | 25 | Poly Fiber | $600.00 | www.backcountry.com |
| Black Diamond Quadrant | 7.6 | Yes | 90 | 18 | Pebax | $620.00 | www.gearx.com |
| Garmont Radium | 8.3 | Yes | 90 | 23.5 | Pebax | $400.00 | www.gearx.com |
| Garmont Shogun AT | 8.5 | Yes | 90 | 25 | Polymer | $600.00 | www.evo.com |
| Dynafit Zzeus | 8.6 | Yes | 90 | 21 | PU Plastic | $670.00 | www.evo.com |
| Scarpa Spirit 4 | 8.4 | Yes | 85 | 23 | Pebax | $450.00 | www.rei.com |
| Dynafit Zzero4 C-TF | 7 | Yes | 85 | 21 | Pebax/Carbon | $650.00 | www.evo.com |
| Scarpa Tornado Pro | 8.1 | No | 85 | 20 | Pebax | $330.00 | www.gearx.com |
| Black Diamond Method | 8.8 | Yes | 85 | 22 | Pebax | $639.00 | www.e-omc.com |
| Garmont Adrenaline | 8.9 | No | 85 | 25 | Poly Fiber | $400.00 | www.gearx.com |
| Dynafit Zzero4 PX-TF | 7 | Yes | 80 | 21 | Pebax | $650.00 | www.backcountry.com |
| Scarpa Maestrale | 7 | Yes | 80 | 22 | Pebax Renew | $600.00 | www.evo.com |
| Black Diamond Prime | 7.3 | Yes | 80 | 18 | Pebax | $569.00 | www.ems.com |
| Black Diamond Slant | 7.8 | Yes | 80 | 18 | PU Plastic | $500.00 | www.backcountry.com |
| Garmont Mega Ride | 7.3 | Yes | 75 | 24 | Pebax/Poly | $450.00 | www.sierratradingpost.com |
| Scrapa Spirit 3 | 7.8 | Yes | 75 | 23 | Pebax | $447.00 | www.backcountry.com |
| Garmont G Ride | 7.9 | No | 75 | 24 | Pebax/Poly | $450.00 | www.sierratradingpost.com |
| Scarpa Denali (Red 4 Buckle) | 7.4 | No | 70 | 23 | Composite | $350.00 | www.e-omc.com |
| Scarpa Matrix | 8 | Yes | 70 | 22 | Polymers | $400.00 | www.gearx.com |
| Garmont Daemon | 8.1 | Yes | 65 | 25 | Polymer | $360.00 | www.mammothgear.com |
| Scarpa F3 | 6.6 | Yes | 60 | 23 | Pebax | $370.00 | www.gearx.com |
| Scarpa F1 | 6.4 | Yes | 50 | 22 | Plastic | $630.00 | www.backcountry.com |
| Garmont Megalite | 6.5 | Yes | 50 | 22 | Pebax | $300.00 | www.gearx.com |
| Scarpa F1 Race | 4.9 | Yes | 40 | 22 | Pebax | $980.00 | www.backcountry.com |
| Dynafit DY NA TF | 4.3 | Yes | NR | 12 | Carbon | Wow | www.dynafit.com |
| Dynafit TLT5 Mountain | 5.4 | Yes | NR | 15 | Pebax | $750.00 | www.gearx.com |
| Scarpa F1 Carbon | 4.0 | Yes | NR | 22 | Pebax/Carbon | $1,699.00 | www.scarpa.com |
| Dynafit TLT5 Performance | 4.9 | Yes | NR | 15 | Carbon | $1,000.00 | www.backcountry.com |
If you're looking for a good deal on backcountry boots, be sure to check out the deals at The Outdoor Gear Exhange.
Scarpa Spirit 4 is heaver than listed... Lou Dawson has actual weight of 67.5 ounces per boot, or 8.4 pounds per pair.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting together the list!
Thanks for the correction. That makes more sense than the 5.4lbs I have listed. (Especially given that the Spirit 3 is 7.8lbs!)
ReplyDeleteNow if I could only get some info on those newer Dynafits....
Great chart, the max forward lean on the endorphin is 25 tho -
ReplyDeleteI'll make a correction. Thanks for the feedback!
ReplyDelete