Backcountry Skiing || How to Pick the Right Backcountry Boot

[@bboss8048]

Christof: Will you be starting your own mtb channel anytime soon?

[@AlpineShenanigans]

Danny out of nowhere on the next video "I'm running solo today as Christof suffered an unfortunate accident after he ran into my crowbar while walking his kids to school..."

[@cnuila]

I sure as heck don't have time to edit videos and I think Danny would implode in a fit of rage if I asked him to do it for me:)

[@daveygroothoff1366]

Interesting ski / boot weight comparison, never realised that weight of the boot is so close to the weight of the ski per category, but it makes sense!

[@TheKobool]

oh i did what you talked about... my skiis are the same as yours. the toar. really nice, but then i paired them with my walk mode lange thats almost 2kg per boot. those boots are awesome in the park tho. might just use them for that from now on. and get something closer to 1kg

[@kevwatski3351]

I'm in good company this year with my powder ski setup. Voile Hyper V8 with Hagan Boost 12

[@cnuila]

Hopefully they ski half as good as I've been fantasizing but they may live out their life in the gear room if we don't get some serious snow like NOW! We're dying out here.

[@kevinwatson5076]

​@@cnuila I can attest they are very nice! We are filling up fast here in Washington state.

[@Amperland]

Can you do a video on your avy preparedness & gear

[@justingelb2508]

Picked up a pair of F1LTs this year. Ski incredible for the weight. I have been skiing them with the older Mythic and they seem to do great. Hoping to upgrade to the M-Tour at some point. I wish I could have the 3 boot setup. But for now Im in the F1LT for midweight and light weight setups (Mythic and Blacklight 88) and have the Technica Zero G Pro Tour my Hyper V8s (such a great backcountry pow ski). Anyway thanks for video, love your content. If you ever come back to the PNW, Id love to get some turns in. Cheers

[@cnuila]

Yeah that F1 LT punches above it’s weight for sure. ALMOST good enough for me to ditch my F1, but not quite. For a two boot quiver you have the perfect setup IMHO. Why can’t they make a new F1 that weighs and walks like the LT, and skis like a Zero G and just be done with it😄!

[@mcousineau]

@@cnuila Do you think F1LTs would be appropriate for DPS Pagoda Tour 100 RP? I currently have Dynafit Mercury boots, but I find them too stiff for what I do.

[@cnuila]

@@mcousineau you could definitely pair the LTs with that ski but for me personally the sweet spot would be a boot like the regular F1 (something in the 1250gm range) The Pagoda Tour 100 isn’t the lightest of the 100mm waisted touring skis (but skis like a dream), and going from a Vulcan at 1600gms to a F1 LT just over 1000gm is quite the radical move. It will feel very very different. Not even sure it would be that much softer as there’s so much carbon in the LT, just you’d lose a lot of mass, so you’d really need to be on your A game technique wise especially if your not a technically advanced skilled skier (but maybe your are). You would definitely gain some walkability though. Again I can only speak to my style and preferences but unless your objective is really dropping some serious weight I think something in the middle would give you softer flex and still perform in a way that would be a good match for the ski setup. Just my .02.

[@mcousineau]

@@cnuila Thanks! I will look into the regular F1 then!

[@chien-yulin8929]

Thanks for the video! When you compare the weights, do you compare the weight of skis with bindings? or the weights you mentioned in the video are just pure skis?

[@cnuila]

just the individual ski and individual boot, no binding

[@chien-yulin8929]

@@cnuila I see! Thank you for clarifying!

[@Benzknees]

Oh hell, my boots are 1.9kg each whilst my ski & plate binding is 3.6kg per ski! I need to get closer to your matching weight idea.

[@cnuila]

Don’t read too much into it. I think it really only bears consideration if you’re putting together a dedicated light touring setup. A ski/boot/binding like yours really falls into the “resort setup that can tour if necessary” category. And I’m not being derogatory. It has it’s place and if it works for you that’s the best setup to have. If you were to ask me where to go from here to improve the backcountry touring experience, I’d say ditch that plate binding for ANYTHING that has pins (may require a new boot I know), and you’ll lose like a pound or more per ski and add so much efficiency it’ll be a whole different activity!

[@sjldfilms5126]

Always appreciate your videos. Thank you!

[@benc.8103]

Words of wisdom. Thanks Christof

[@cnuila]

Thanks! I really must be old if anything that comes out of my mouth resembles wisdom;)

[@jgg0207]

Where do you sell your old gear on?

[@Skulltech75]

Thanks for the video! What level of skiing would you suggest before going into backcountry skiing? Also, what do you think would be the best way to improve my skiing skills?

[@cnuila]

I always tell people that apart from being a solid advanced skier, you need to feel absolutely comfortable skiing off piste, meaning off the groomed runs in variable conditions. Being able to ski mach 5 down a steep run isn't as important as just being able to manage your skiing through powder, chop, ice, trees, etc. So I'd say when you're skiing around the local resort look for any chance to leave the groomers and explore the mountain. And the best way to improve is 1. Spend lots of money on GOOD instruction or 2. find someone that's better than you and ski with them as much as you can

[@Skulltech75]

@@cnuila How do I know a ski instructor is good? I planned to go the first way, as I don't know anyone that is a very good skier.

[@LhiPhiL]

@@Skulltech75 Pick a good hill, ask around, try 'em out.

[@ormjo940]

Nice. How about a training video soon?

[@cnuila]

we've thought about it but we rarely have any kind of training plan or system other than "lets do stuff, whenever we can, as long or short as we have time for and whatever activity the conditions will provide maximum payoff" I think Danny actually gave somewhat of a training talk on one of the Patreon videos.

[@ironore8677]

Heavy set up touring on a frame binding on a powder ski….Also been skiing on race boots the last 15 years and using them to tour in… I want to try that radical pro that you have for touring ( I love the fit of the boot) but do you think ill be very disappointed in its dh performance? Am I fooling myself…

[@cnuila]

I honestly don't think you'd be disappointed. In the full review of the boot I kind of forgot to talk about one of the most important things, that is how does it ski? The short answer is that I've not skied a dedicated touring boot that skis more like an alpine boot than the Radical Pro. The ski mode has zero play and the flex is very progressive. I ski on a Nordica Dobermann 140 in the resort on my GS skis for comparison, and I love my Radicals. That's not to say the Radicals are a stiff World Cup race boot, just saying that they give me more than enough performance for the skiing I do in the backcountry. And always, it just depends on how fast, how big, and how sendy you get while touring. I rarely meet someone touring in the backcountry that is doing anything that warrants a four buckle alpine style ski boot. Usually those guys are getting out of helicopters, or starring in a MSP film.

[@KJGimages]

I had dynafit TLT6 boots on a heavier ski (shift bindings on Line Mordecais) - but after years of skiing stiff, heavier boots, I couldn’t get confident skiing a lighter / softer boot…so had to keep my older Dalbello’s for resort days. Bought Technica Cochise and hoping this year will be a better balance between resort and back country skiing on a one ski / boot quiver. Is skiing soft boots with confidence a technique or fitness issue or would I have gotten used to them after a few more days?

[@cnuila]

I have a couple of thoughts. One is that you highlight an issue and that’s using very light boots with heavy skis. Light boots can be great with wide skis, but I feel the skis still need to be light or else there’s just not enough power transferred to the ski to make it do what you want, so it feels like it takes twice the effort to get them to come around and you will not feel confident. Also, I think you’re spot on in that the lighter and softer a touring boot, the more skill/fitness/balance is needed to ski them well. A nice four buckle beef boot can mask or make up for a lot of deficiencies that are magnified in a minimal boot. Tend to ski in the backseat? It will be amplified ten fold in a Scarpa Alien. The TLT6 is a beloved boot by many because it punches above its weight, but in your case it’s weight was just too far from what your skis needed. Now, I also imagine if you had paired the TLT6 with a light mid-width touring ski it would have actually felt much more “normal” and skied a ton better. It’s like if you took the engine of a Honda Civic and threw it in a Dodge Ram, it’s just not going to do what you want it to. In a civic however, it can be a ton of fun. None of this is to suggest you aren’t a good skier. I’m sure you shred the gnar with the best of them. You are also undertaking one of the most difficult tasks in the modern world and that is having a one ski/boot setup for resort and backcountry. It can be done and we’re getting closer to the dream with all the options these days, but there’s still big trade-offs and you have to decide where you will sacrifice. The Cochise is a step in the right direction, and I think the creme of the crop of Backcountry Beef boots like the Lange XT3 Tour Pro, Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD, Dynafit Hoji Free 130 or Technica Zero G Tour Pro could offer even more of a weight savings, added efficiency and still have the cojones to drive some big sticks.

[@theopinson3851]

I have the Cochises. They ski great and I use them as my resort boot, but man touring with them is brutal. I’ve rented lightweight touring skis and paired them with my Cochises and I would echo what he said in the video…skiing ultralight skis/bindings sucks even in a beefy boot, and it kind of makes more sense to pair the Cochise with say a Shift setup and just accept that you’re probably not going to haul it up Rainier.

[@austincrowe7030]

I’m in FL, going to be taking a road trip out west and really want to get into backcountry skiing vs mostly resorts. Would you guys suggest to buy a set up online for maybe a better deal or should I definitely wait and go to a shop out there to get set up by professionals?

[@thicccboyztv]

Go to a shop. None of what he is saying matters if the boots don't fit you. Bootfitters don't exist online.

[@austincrowe7030]

Thanks, yeah I have figured that out by getting alpine boots before and having a bad fit. I’m mainly trying to find a budget minded one quiver type set up until I get some experience. I do have to me a decent amount of experience skiing resorts( 4-5 winter trips ) Would really just be buying the ski’s and bindings online for the deals. But watching another extra video maybe it was this one, Christof talked about selling his old equipment and I thought I would probably be able to find used gear for a much better deal than online ( I would think)

[@JohnDoe-eo8gi]

Nice