gear reviews

Gear reviews | Dalbello Lupo Carbon T.I.

Ascend like with a touring boot, descend like with a freeride boot?

by Tobias Huber • 12/28/2016

Lupo Carbon T.I., Lupo T.I., Krypton Pro
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Dalbello continues to develop the three-piece convertible ski boot design in the direction of ascent performance and presents a touring boot for the 16/17 season that should score points with both its downhill and ascent properties. We have been using the boot since spring 2016 and want to compare it with the normal Lupo and Krypton as well as with similar boots in its class.

With the Krypton and Lupo series, Dalbello is the only ski boot manufacturer to have consistently developed the proven, three-part ski boot concept. After initially adding a "climbing function" to the Krypton Pro (Lupo SP), tech inserts were integrated into the shell in the successor (Lupo T.I.). The latest development stage, which bears the name Lupo Carbon T.I., has an improved walking mode that has now earned its name and has a noticeably higher shaft rotation (67°). Lighter material was used for the cast plastic and the new carbon shaft replaces the usual powerstrap with only one upper buckle on a wider support. The weight with liner is specified at 1860 grams per piece, which is not necessarily very light for a touring boot, but the boot is not incredibly heavier than other models in the category of freeride ski touring boots. Dalbello didn't want to focus on lightness at all costs, but rather put stability and handling characteristics in the foreground to ensure alpine boot-like downhill performance.

Find out more about the three-piece (convertible) design and the handling characteristics of the sister model Lupo. T.I. can be found in the Firstlook and test article on the latter. After an introduction to the features, this article will focus on the noticeable differences to the Lupo T.I. In addition, a comparison will be made with "classic" ski touring boots that are in a similar category. The boot normally comes with the harder B-tongue, the hard footbeds and a Grip-Walk sole, which should fit in all standard touring bindings and WTR bindings. In contrast to the overlap liner of its predecessors, the inner boot has a tongue, but is also made by Intuition and is just as thermally adaptable. The boot is very easy to modify with accessories, so I used the slightly softer C-tongue on my test model after the first day in "factory setting", put in a softer footbed and moved the upper buckle down to attach a booster strap over it (of course, no holes were drilled through the carbon shaft). I also swapped the Grip-Walk soles for the alpine soles so that I can use the boot with all my skis/bindings at any time.

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The shoe without tongue or in walking mode. — The shoe without tongue or in walking mode
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Testers and test conditions

The test lasted around 20 days in the Alps in spring and fall 2016. The conditions ranged from icy glacier slopes on alpine skis to classic spring tours with Marker Kingpin on a DOWNSKIS TD 110 and 124, where BC kickers and cliffs were also jumped. The odd short detour through parks was also the order of the day in spring. The boot was used in the same way as the normal Lupo T.I. that I used before, simply to see what it could do and withstand... and because it was easy to ride everywhere. I'm 189cm tall, weigh 82kg without equipment, like to ride fast and jump around a lot. I've been wearing Fulltilt/Raichle ski boots for almost 10 years and switched to Dalbello two years ago and am very happy with them. I've never really been interested in other ski touring boots because of the mostly strange flex behavior and downhill performance. Before that, I toured quite a lot with the Lupo T.I. and Kingpin.

First impression

In order to have the best comparison, I initially used my well-worn overlap liner from the normal Lupo T.I.. Nevertheless, it is immediately noticeable that the shoe is noticeably lighter on the foot than the non-carbon version. The fact that there is only one buckle at the top without a strap seemed strange to me at first, so I fitted a booster strap as mentioned. I also had the impression that I was standing more upright in the carbon T.I. than in the normal Lupo, which I didn't like. After I swapped the hard B-tongue, which has a flex of 130, for the more moderate C-tongue (estimated flex of 110), I was much more comfortable with the flex and template. I also dropped the booster strap after a few days, as it made almost no difference to me and I like the practical one-buckle solution and the power transmission is good.

Fit
As the fit of the shell is the same as the Lupo/Krypton, I won't go into it any further, but refer you to the articles on the Lupo T.I. Only the calf area of the carbon shaft is cut a little tighter, which suits me with my rather thin calves, and which could also be a reason why I can do without a power or booster strap here. However, this narrower calf area could be a bit tight for some riders with more pronounced calf muscles. As already mentioned, the inner shoe can be thermally adjusted (several times) and if that doesn't help, the plastic shell can also be thermally adjusted. A so-called toe cap is recommended for the fitting process of the inner shoe. So far I have always made something like this myself, with the "official" version it works even better to build a toebox with the help of your own oven. Other problem areas should also be fitted with a few volume spacers if you heat the inner boot and let it cool down on the foot, as the inner boot shrinks slightly during the process.

Descent and ascent properties

The boot has a flex of 130 in the factory setting according to Dalbello. This is too stiff for me and I feel too upright in the boot, so I prefer the medium-hard tongue, which I also use in the normal Lupo T.I.. Depending on how tightly you close the top buckle, you can also influence the flex of the shoe a little. Compared to the normal Lupo, the shoe rides relatively similarly, only the aforementioned narrower shaft is noticeable in the calf area if you fall back a little. The main difference, which you also notice when riding, is that the Carbon T.I. is simply a little lighter. This difference is more noticeable at the beginning and it feels as if you are a little less stable with less mass on your feet. This phenomenon is also familiar from skis, but once you get used to the weight after a few days, it's no longer a real disadvantage. I haven't worn heavy alpine boots for a very long time, even the Fulltilts/Raichles were always relatively light. The flex to the front feels harmonious and progressive with the softer C-tongue.

Carbon T.I. | Lupo T.I. — Carbon T.I | Lupo T.I.

I don't get on so well with the B tongue, with it the Lupo Carbon reminds me more of other ski touring boots with degressive or non-existent flex, but I think for somewhat heavier skiers, or after a certain familiarization period, the harder B tongue also makes sense for many. Experience has shown that Dalbello's tongues soften a little over time, so you can change or improve a few things here over the course of a ski boot's life. All in all, I had so much fun skiing in the boot that I wanted to use it everywhere and all the time. In contrast to the normal Lupo, however, it looks a little more delicate due to the carbon shaft and after the test phase it will now mainly be used as a touring boot and the normal Lupo will be used again for all alpine/park/freeride use, as it is simply too good for me to "use it up" so quickly.

Compared to more ascent-oriented touring boots such as the Scarpa Maestrale RS or more freeride-oriented models such as the Salomon MNT Explore, the shaft rotation of the Lupo is slightly lower, even in the carbon version, as it cannot be fully utilized due to the rather massive and raised lower part of the shell. This is not really annoying, but is noticeable on longer flat sections. However, you should not forget that the Lupo offers a natural and progressive flex on the descent due to its system.

Conclusion

I am very impressed with the Lupo Carbon T.I. and can highly recommend the shoe to anyone who appreciates the riding characteristics of convertible design shoes. The walking mode of the normal Lupo has been greatly improved, leaving nothing to be desired when climbing. When skiing downhill, you can and want to do everything with it and don't have to do without anything. Whether the boot is now "one for everything" or an additional, good touring boot as a supplement to the alpine setup, or an alpine-like touring boot as a supplement to the light touring setup, probably depends on the eye, the preferences and the purchasing power of the observer. All-round suitability is a given in any case.

Advantages & amp; Disadvantages

+very light in relation to downhill performance
+very good downhill properties
+very easy to modify to personal preferences
+good durability so far
+good handling of buckles and walking mode
-removing the tongue, open buckle - it hangs around a lot in walking mode
-sometimes annoying to wear without power straps
-relatively expensive

Details

Dalbello Lupo Carbon T.I.
RRP € 999.95
- Shell: PA (GL)
- Shaft: Carbon
- Tongue: PA
- Dynalink
- Grip Walk
- Replaceable soles
- Tech inserts
- Ski/hike mode
- Centralized stance
- Kinetic response tongue
- Low cuff pivot point
- Quick-release tongue
- Twin canting
- Flex 130

Here is the link to the Dalbello website with further information.

The boot was provided to PowderGuide free of charge as test material. You can find out how we test them in our test statement.

With additional material on the liner, you can get a little more pattern out of it — With additional material on the liner, you can get a little more pattern

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