In the area of ski boots and bindings, there were also no major revolutions at ISPO 2016. When it comes to boots, however, many manufacturers have at least followed suit in the freetouring boot segment with a focus on downhill performance and a weight of between 1500 g and 2000 g. For many manufacturers, however, only product maintenance was on the agenda. Tech inserts were often integrated directly into the shells instead of in removable soles. The biggest news in the ski boot sector is probably the withdrawal of Black Diamond. Following the end of telemark boot production this season, there will be no more touring and freeride boots from Black Diamond from next season. There will be virtually no innovations in bindings. If anything, the manufacturers have limited themselves to product maintenance.
Ski boots
Arc'teryx:
Arc'teryx has recently entered the ski touring boot market with the "Procline" series. The two-buckle boots (plus strap without Velcro) are very light and are designed for ascents, but also offer some notable innovations, such as a laterally movable shaft. The boots are aimed at all those who want to combine ski tours with climbing inserts, but are certainly also very interesting for all ascent-oriented tourers and for the less common species of hardbooting splitboarders. Blizzard/Tecnica:
The Salzburg-based ski manufacturer with the Italian boot brand is consistently pursuing the path towards freeride and freetour. With the Zero G Guide Pro 130, they now offer a 4-buckle touring boot that can easily keep up with the freeriders in terms of key figures, but is clearly in the ascent-oriented segment in terms of weight. With a flex of 130 and a last width of 99mm, it weighs less than 1500g (size 26.5). This low weight was achieved by using a special plastic in the shell and a PALU liner weighing just 215g. There are deductions for the shaft rotation of 44° degrees, which is even less than that of comparable boots. The tried and tested Cochise freeride boot has undergone a complete overhaul. While reducing the weight by 100g at the same time, the shaft rotation has been increased from 23° to 42°. In particular, forward mobility has been increased. The tech inserts are now molded into the shell and the walking mechanism has been revised so that it automatically readjusts when play occurs.
Dalbello:
With the Lupo T.I. Carbon, Dalbello is launching a new top model onto the market. Thanks to an elaborately designed full carbon shaft, not only has weight been significantly reduced, but shaft rotation has also been considerably increased. The tongue, which can be removed with a lever, also makes climbing easier and will also be integrated into the Lupo T.I. Plus, another Lupo model, from the coming season. Dahu:
Many would perhaps classify the concept of Dahu ski boots under the heading "curiosities":
A winter boot that becomes a ski boot by means of a shell. This concept was realized with a rather narrow-cut boot that is somewhat reminiscent of a lace-up boot (and in which the heel hold is quite pronounced). With this shoe, you can step into the hinged shell with the help of a mechanism (comparable to a walking mechanism). Once you are standing in the shell, you close it and the shoe is ready to go. If we hadn't tried the shoe on at the trade fair, it probably wouldn't be mentioned here. However, when we tried them on, even the softer model seemed quite stable and solid, so we didn't want to withhold this innovation, which is already quite popular in France and Switzerland, from you. Two models are available for men and women in different degrees of hardness (up to a flex of 120 according to the manufacturer). Dynafit:
With the TLT7, Dynafit is introducing a new, ascent-oriented shoe series. The shoe weighs just over a kilo and is particularly designed for good walking properties, for example thanks to the even shorter sole. The TLT6 remains in the range, as does the Khion, which has been equipped with a new liner (now without the Boa system) and an additional powerstrap.
Dynafit is also presenting the new "Master"inserts, which are designed to make it even easier to get into pin bindings.
Lange:
With the XT Freetour series, Lange also presents downhill-oriented shoes with a walking function and a weight of well under 2000 g per shoe. The top model Freetour XT130 weighs only 1770g and is available in two versions: 100 millimeter (XT 130 FREETOUR) and 97 millimeter (XT 130 L.V. FREETOUR) lasts. The boots have a WTR Ultra sole and a 43° shaft rotation. In addition to the XT130, the XT110 and XT110 W are also available.
La Sportiva:
With the Sparcle 2.0 and the Spectre 2.0, the Italians from La Sportiva are offering two new downhill-oriented touring boots in their range. As you might have guessed from the color scheme, the pink Sparcle is the women's model. The 4-buckle boots are both compatible with 3 types of bindings (frame, Tech Inserts and TSkitrab TR2) and equipped with the Pegasus buckle system. With a weight of 1440 g per boot and a shaft angle of 60°, the two Italians don't need to shy away from comparison with the competition at ISPO 2016.
Scarpa:
New to Scarpa's freeride range is the Freedom SL, which is also equipped with tech inserts compared to the already available Freedom model. It is available as a men's and women's model and has a shaft rotation of 27°. The sole is interchangeable and in size 27, each of the boots equipped with Intuition liners weighs 1895 g.
Product list:
Many brands have only carried out product maintenance on their boots for the 2016/17 season, such as design updates, the aforementioned integration of inserts into the shell or updates to the soles for the WTR system. Some of the updates are mentioned below. Roxa has slightly changed the design of last year's models and improved minor details. The three designated freeride/freeride touring models are: the X-Face Tour, a 3-buckle model with Tech Inserts, Intuition Liner and Flex 110. The X-Face 120, a 4-buckle model (Flex 120) with Tech Inserts and Overlap liner. The X-Face 100, a slightly softer version of the X-Face 120 without tech inserts. Fischer has given its Ranger boots a new liner with the "Active Fit Zones Liner". Atomic brings a light version of the Carbon Backland with less than 1000 g per boot.
Bindings
Fritschi:
Fritschi presented the new "Black Edition" of the Vipec for the first time at ISPO. This is an improved version of the well-known Vipec, which is already on sale this season. The M Equipment:
With the Meidjo, The M Equipment is building a hybrid alpine-Telemark binding. The toe piece is a combination of LowTech-Toepiece and NTN system. New for next season is a rear jaw that can be used for telemarking as well as with a fixed heel. The ATK-like toe piece has a U-shaped clip that can be pushed forward and then snaps into the boot.
The other brands, such as Marker, Look, Tyrolia and Dynafit, have only carried out product maintenance. For the time being, BAM is also only showing the already familiar front jaw of the Pindung and only presented a small model of the not yet fully finished, Look-like rear jaw.
