Tips for Ski Touring Boots

Going skiing in the backcountry brings its own set of challenges and needs. Especially when it comes to managing your ski touring boots, you will need to approach this differently than a regular ski boot.
Here are my best tips to make sure you will have a good time and your boots will feel good when you are backcountry skiing.
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Get all the gear and knowledge you need to make your ski boots fit! - www.patriotfootbeds.com
Craig Hemsley
Master Boot Fitter
Owner - Jindabyne Sports-- www.jindabynesports.com.au
Founder of Patriot Footbeds www.patriotfootbeds.com
Facebook: / patriotfootbeds
IG @patriotfootbeds
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[@jamess.7261]

Leukotape is great for blister prevention. I put some around problem areas like the pinky toes and on the backs of heels. Works a treat for me.

[@criskm64]

Great tips

[@hikinginalaska1877]

Backup pair of socks is a great tip. I also keep an additional pair in the car for when I get back. Either that or just slippers/mocs for the drive home.

[@vaughnsigal4560]

I’m a fan of the ugg boots for the drive home after a day on the skis, no level of comfort comes close

[@maksymmaletskyy6803]

Great video ,mate!! keep them going;) I got a question on Salomon MTN boots, do you use these as your all around boots , if so how do you like flex of it? or are they dedicated touring boot that you cannot use ,say , in the resort. I'm currently on the market, and really considering these boots, but not 100% sure, I'm skiing 50% resort 50% backcountry, rarely powder (only when travelling to Austria) thanks !!!!

[@BlurredVisi0n]

Great video!

[@PatriotFootbeds]

Cheers!

[@dari564]

very helpful

[@PatriotFootbeds]

Thanks Dari

[@wallstreetoneil]

I raised an ice hockey goalie son - who had to go through 4 hour summer camps for a decade (2 hours on ice , lunch, then another two hours - by the end of the week, no matter what he ate, he lost 10-15% of his body weight) - for 3 weeks a summer - every summer. If you want to survive a week at goalie school, and not be in the hospital after the 2nd day with foot blisters (you are often also working in next years larger brand new not broken in equipment), there is nothing more important than protecting your feet from blisters from soaking gear. The formula we ended up coming up with was Liquid Bandage on all the problem spots (boney rubbing areas) every single night BEFORE the next day of insanity - i.e., why wear away your skin to the bone when you can liquid bandage your feet before you start and let the friction wear the liquid bandage - and then repeat & repeat & repeat every night before the next day. The 2nd most important things we did was give him 2 of everything (socks, underwear, long underwear, helmets, hockey gloves - anything that touched his skin) so that in the afternoon session he would start with everything dry - it was a must - so your fresh socks for descents is a fantastic idea - and if anything, I would add a few more sets if you are doing multiple climbs a day. The final thing he would do was during the lunch hour - and that was do whatever he could to dry everything that he had to re-wear in the afternoon. I have done a lot of skiing these last few years and changed almost everything I wear with this concept in mind - and that is, I want to almost be 5% cold, all the time, so that I'm never sweating getting things wet. I have completely ditched anything wool - all synthetics for me. My outer and mid layers have pit zips or I have sliced open warmer mid layers, removed all underarm insulation - and created holes for airflow - when I look at new gear now I don't even worry about slicing it up to create airflow to manage temperature to avoid getting wet. Finally, I would add glove liners (lots of them) & 3/4 length leg insulating layers with side zips for ventilation.

[@PatriotFootbeds]

Thanks Paul! Awesome tips from someone who has truly put in the hours! :) And if you are looking for great air flowy outerwear, look into the new Futurelight from TNF! Next level for backcountry tech outerwear and super breathable. Even to the point where they removed a lot of their pit zips in their jackets.

[@Braddropsnoobs]

Can you recommend a boot for light touring mainly alpine skiing, looking to get soloman shift binding. Issue is my foot is 26.5 long and 107 wide... current boot is atomic hawx magna.

[@jazzman_10]

Absolutely agree on everything. I may add that there is a product called "Compeed" they are patches a little bigger than regular band aids, that adhere to the blister perfectly, they work as a second skin and are very sturdy and protective. There are many brands but right now I can only recall this one. Take them when mountaineering, skiing or hiking, they may safe The day!

[@PatriotFootbeds]

Thanks Jazzman! I will check Compeed out, sounds great!

[@Benzknees]

For a day they do, then they start peeling at the edges & sticking to the sock, forming a messy gloop that’s all but impossible to remove. I spent a happy few hours picking away bits of gloop last year, after two days of touring!

[@jazzman_10]

@@Benzknees 🤣🤣 True, but if you change them frequently they may safe your skiing... That is well worth a pair of socks..

[@jazzman_10]

@@Benzknees 🤣🤣 True, but if you change them frequently they may safe your skiing... That is well worth a pair of socks..

[@Benzknees]

Jazzman - I did try changing one overnight, but blistered skin peeled away with it, which was maybe not the most pleasant of experiences! After that I stuck ordinary plasters over the Compeeds to reduce the problem, altho’ I then had more pressure & catching on the ankle:(

[@thomasmedeiros5722]

Good to see your new video. Very well done and I really like the outdoor presentation. Looks like your using the Salomon S Lab MTN 120 which is the model that I am currently using as my dedicated Backcountry boot. I need a low volume fit (98) that was light but skied well on the decent. Plan to use it for some resort skiing as well so I set up a new pair of Blizzard’s Rustler 9’s with a Salomon Warden MNC to accommodate the ISO 9523 sole on the S Lab MNT boots for those resort days. By the way I heated the liner in our ski shop oven as per Salomon’s instructions and the fit was very good. I found that my 25.5 size did run a little short initially compared to my other boots but I didn’t have any issues.

[@PatriotFootbeds]

Nice setup! Yeah I have been really loving the Slab as a boot, holds up for sure no matter how you ski it!

[@Le0bu]

@@PatriotFootbeds nice tips! How are those visions on descent?)

[@PatriotFootbeds]

@@Le0bu They are very, very good! :) Still trying to find a binding I love, but couldnt be happier with the skis.

[@Le0bu]

@@PatriotFootbeds tried fritschi?) Few guides from our area using it are super happy with them) mostly vipecs

[@PatriotFootbeds]

@@Le0bu Had some Fritschi's back in the day. Old frame type that were pretty light on but alright. I need to take a closer look at their newer options!

[@gobikeyourself]

Great video! And reassuring to keep trying to make my touring boots work and fit finally. Looks like I pretty much did everything wrong when I went out for the first time this winter with my new boots. I didn't give it any thought before my first tour, after the boots seemed to have a nice fit in the shop. But I pretty quickly noticed a hot spots on both inside heels but decided to keep going since I didn't want to annoy my partner with stopping and I had nothing with me anyway to cope with my developing blisters. Of course this resulted in serious open blisters that took weeks to heal. Added some L-Pads now to keep my heels in place since I had a lot of movement there. I will see if this works any better. Just saw your videos with your video with the new liner sleeves. I think I want to give those a try ... do you ship to Europe as well? Cheers Christian

[@PatriotFootbeds]

Hi Christian, thanks for the kind words! Yes management is key for a successful day touring. Even the nicest fitting boots can turn to horrorshows without the right management! :) Yes ship the sleeves everywhere through Europe. I think they would be a great addition to help you secure your feet better. Cheers!

[@gobikeyourself]

@@PatriotFootbeds Thanks for the quick reply! I will give the liner sleeves a try and place the order right away! Cheers Christian

[@PatriotFootbeds]

@@gobikeyourself Thanks mate, hope you love them!

[@fernandog.aguirre2791]

Should AT boots be a little bit larger or roomier than alpine ski boots?

[@larsuma770]

Thanks for sharing your expertise! I've been enjoying your vids for awhile now. Could you give a first timer touring skier a few gear options? I'm expert level downhill skier that's old (47)and stove up with very, very, very narrow feet(Salomon shoes and Hawk Ultra 130 currently, love them). I want to take it easy but be able to take some couloire once in awhile and more rare cliff launches. I just don't know the best equipment for touring. I need to trust everything when and if i need it. Thanks again!

[@PatriotFootbeds]

Thanks Lars, Possibly a good choice would be the Hawx Ultra XTD. Same great narrow fit and adjustability, but it has a walk mechanism. :) But there could be some other options. You could look to save even more weight and go towards a more dedicated touring option. Something like a Salomon XAlp or a Dalbello Quantum would keep you secure and get you uphill faster.

[@larsuma770]

@Patriot Footbeds I'm an ultra-light long distance hiker so most definitely lighter is better, to a point. Ski wise, what do you like? I'll be doing mostly spring skiing so powder, corn ice, crud conditions. You know how it is. I'm thinking an all around mid weight? I want to stay high so i can ski long and easy but with the occasional shoot and even more rare cliff. What brands will hold up for that without weighing 100 stone?

[@larsuma770]

@Patriot Footbeds ... also, it'll be the American rockies and Sierra range.

[@fernandog.aguirre2791]

Great tips! Thank you for sharing good tips, there's so many and most of them are really stupid!

[@PatriotFootbeds]

:) Thanks Fernando

[@abdullahryan8816]

I know I'm quite off topic but do anybody know a good website to watch newly released movies online ?

[@zakaigerald5985]

@Abdullah Ryan Try flixzone. Just google for it =)

[@waynecollin6888]

@Zakai Gerald Definitely, been using Flixzone for since march myself :D

[@abdullahryan8816]

@Zakai Gerald thank you, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) I appreciate it !!

[@scottmcdonald3545]

I always get toe bang if I ever need to go down a little hill on my tour. I like to have my ankle and heal locked in to prevent that. It seems to prevent chafing and toe bang--but I still get sore toes the next day. My boots are sized appropriately and it's not from skiing backseat. Any other tips?

[@PatriotFootbeds]

Not really more I can add. Possibly look to the footbed, more support could keep you back, but still needs to work for climbing. Sliding on skins downhill just sucks :).

[@kevinhoule6547]

Great tips, what are your thoughts on going performance fit on your touring vs tru size? Do you give yourself more room in the toe box, or stay true to your downhill? Also have you ever soften the flex by cutting the shell (no rivets to remove from the back) had a kid today that just could not drive an 80 flex, so wanted to provide that option. Only talked to the some of the reps on how 2 but never did it. What’s ur thoughts? Snowing in Colorado- already got a few days in.

[@PatriotFootbeds]

I have seen all the snow you have had over there! So good to see CO off to a great start! :) Have you been to Loveland? or just BC? Yeah I allow a bit of extra space in a touring boot fit, just so the toes aren't so jammed when climbing. Yeah the easiest way for a junior boot would be cutting a V in the back of the shell with some tin-snips or grinding the front of the cuff with your dremel a little bit to soften up the flex.

[@kevinhoule6547]

Patriot Footbeds got 2 days in at Keystone, didn’t pick up a Loveland pas but have both the icon & epic so can ski almost everything here in CO. Heading to Jackson Hole and Big Sky in March

[@PatriotFootbeds]

@@kevinhoule6547 Nice!

[@stevedoe1630]

What is that noise I hear coming into my left channel? Is that a bird? Or, am I just going crazy?

[@BlurredVisi0n]

5:06 foreskinning ;)

[@PatriotFootbeds]

haha