One of the major material trends in the freeride sector in recent years has been the increasing popularity of freeride ski boots. If you want to get away from rutted ski variants or have had enough of wobbly ski touring descents in soft touring boots, you can choose from an ever-growing selection of freeride ski boots suitable for touring. So that you don't lose track in the product jungle, we have once again presented and categorized all the freeride boot models available to us for the 2011/2012 season in this market overview.
Trends
Furthermore, two trends in the area of freeride and strongly downhill-oriented touring boots can hardly be overlooked this season. Firstly, the range continues to grow strongly, and well-known manufacturers from the alpine boot sector (Tecnica, Nordica) in particular are presenting new collections. But almost all manufacturers from the touring boot sector are also expanding their model range, which of course increases the choice and therefore the possibility of finding the perfect boot, but can also lead to more confusion and confusion.
Secondly, there are also more and more models with tech inserts for 2011/2012. Previously only of interest to lightweight fanatics and ascent-oriented ski tourers, the tech concept for Dynafit, Plum and G3 bindings is also becoming increasingly popular with more downhill-oriented ski tourers.
Furthermore, the range for female freeriders is still rather small. Even if one or two models have been added here, the selection is still rather limited (some of the men's models are available in quite small sizes, however).
The following market overview first shows the new products for the 2011/2012 season and then categorizes the models currently available on the market according to their areas of use and product features.
New products for 2012
Black Diamond
The freeride ski boot Oldie Factor has been improved in detail. A new, more comfortable inner boot with improved walking comfort, as well as some detail changes to the outer shell for longer durability and better performance. On the outside, the design change and the new name are the most noticeable changes. The Factor becomes the Factor 130, the Method the Factor 110.
Dynafit
The new Titan Ultralight, which is offered in addition to the unchanged Titan, is almost 300 gr. (15%) lighter than its namesake thanks to the use of carbon with the same hardness and shape.
Garmont
The touring boot manufacturer Garmont is coming up with a completely newly developed freeride boot series for this season. Several completely new models for men and women are a clear sign of the direction they want to take, as old models will also continue to be offered.
Nordica
A completely new boot line is also coming from alpine boot manufacturer Nordica. The Hell&Back Hike series offers three men's and two women's models. All models are designed to be more alpine, but still have a walking mechanism and partially rubberized soles.
Salomon
After some models have already successfully made it onto the market over the last few seasons, the freeride boot range is being expanded to include the top model Quest 14.
Tecnica
A completely new boot series is being introduced by Tecnica. An interesting price structure and the solid Tecnica boot quality make the new models particularly interesting for freeriders who want to get further and further away from the ski resort and who have already had positive experiences with Tecnica's alpine boots.
The candidates - the ultimate overview
We present all models currently available in German-speaking countries in the PowderGuide market overview. Our inclusion criteria: the models must be suitable for uphill and downhill freeriding. Relabeled standard boots that are at home in one of the "Alpine" or "Tour" disciplines are explicitly not listed here. A relatively hard flex and thus a downhill-oriented design of the boot are decisive for inclusion. At the same time, there must at least be a profiled sole or the possibility of fitting one. Whether a curved sole with DIN approval for touring soles or an alpine sole with a light profile in some places was not a knock-out criterion.
The hard minimal tourer
The models with a flex of well over 100 often have the weight, strength and usually the classic construction with a two-piece shell of sporty alpine boots. As a result, they are in almost no way inferior in terms of power transmission. They are recommended for freeriders who attach great importance to downhill performance and want to be able to rely on their boots one hundred percent in every situation. However, they must be prepared to accept the shoes' moderate comfort on the ascent.
Some of the models do not have a walking mode and are therefore more for the hardy on longer ascents with skins. The main area of use for these boots is likely to be short ascents on foot through rocky terrain and shorter ascents with skins, as well as on extremely difficult descents. In combination with a Marker Duke, you can achieve the stability of alpine equipment - with a correspondingly high weight.
Men
Atomic Tracker 100 and 130
Black Diamond Factor 130
Dalbello Virus Free
Dynafit Titan and Titan Ultralight
Garmont Delirium FR+ and Mystic
Lange Superblaster and Blaster Pro
Nordica Hell&Back Hike Pro and Hike Exp
Salomon Quest 10, 12 and 14
Scarpa Hurricane Pro, Tempest, Mobe
Tecnica Bodacious and Cochise
Women
Garmont Asylum and Azula
Nordica Hell&Back Exp W
Salomon Quest Woman 10
Scarpa Domina, Shaka
The versatile all-rounders
The models with a flex of 90 to around 100 can often not quite keep up with the hardest models in terms of hardness and therefore power transmission. When riding, they give you more of a feeling of being in touring boots. On the other hand, their properties on the ascent are really much better. They have a sophisticated walking mechanism and the models with inserts for tech bindings from Dynafit, G3 or Plum in particular also save a lot of weight. Nevertheless, downhill performance is still clearly in the foreground here. These boots can really be used anywhere, from a short ascent to a day on the piste to a day tour. The user has to decide for themselves whether the performance of a softer boot on the piste is enough for them or whether they want to go on longer tours with a relatively heavy and hard boot.
Men
BD Factor 110 and Quadrant
Dalbello Tour&ID, Lite ID
Dynafit ZZeus
Garmont Radium and Shogun
Nordica Hell&Back Hike
Salomon Quest 8
Scarpa Mobe, Typhoon
Tecnica Bonafide and Bushwacker
Women
BD Shiva
Dynafit Gaia
Garmont Luster and Hydra
Nordica Hell&Back W
Salomon Quest Woman 8
Scarpa Shaka
The sensitive lightweight
Models with a flex of around 80 were the toughest touring boots you could get until a few years ago. Today, they can hardly keep up in this respect. They offer the freerider with an affinity for touring a relatively low weight and quite comfortable ascent characteristics, as they usually have a lower cuff and a lower shaft than the harder shoes. They are mainly used for long ascents as well as day and multi-day tours, with downhill performance taking a back seat, especially if you value comfort on the ascent. It should not be forgotten that steep north faces, narrow couloirs and icy slopes can also be tackled with these boots without any problems, provided you have sufficient skiing ability.
Men
Black Diamond Prime
Dynafit TLT 5 Performace
Garmont Outrider
Scarpa Skookum
Women
Black Diamond Swift
Garmont Outrider W
Scarpa Domina
All models at a glance - men
All models at a glance - Women
Buying tip
As always, when buying ski and touring boots, a personal fitting and, if necessary, advice and optional fitting of the boots are almost always necessary. Experience has shown that buying ski boots blindly on the internet has led to happy results in the least cases.
Disclaimer and background knowledge on the test
- The flex index indicates the flexibility of the ski boot. The higher the value, the harder the boot. The value 100 is generally referred to as "hard". The scale starts at around 40 for adult boots and ends at around 150 for commercially available ski and touring boots. All flex values are adjusted to the flex index of the market leader Salomon for better comparability and may therefore differ from the manufacturer's specifications.
- Depending on the country, Lange Blaster Pro and Superblaster are also referred to as Banshee Pro and Superbanshee respectively.
- Unfortunately, it was not possible to classify the flex hardness and fit of the women's models, as the authors' feet do not fit in with the best will in the world and the boots are generally not very common. Due to the lower weight of the female freeriders, the flex is in relation to the corresponding men's model.
- The categorization and inclusion of the models is based on a subjective assessment by the authors. In some cases, it was not possible to try them on in practice in the snow, which is why there may be slight misjudgements.
Text & graphics: Lorenzo Rieg, Marius Schwager
