How to become a hardbooter
This Splittie of the Week is not for or against, no us or them, no eat or die and no positioning. Others do that on YouTube. However, this article can simply provide a good impulse for those who are interested in the topic and are toying with the idea of switching. Because it all starts with the boot.
Although I am clearly in favour of hard and very hard systems, as they simply provide the necessary performance for alpine terrain on the ascent and descent, a solid soft boot setup will get you up and down just as well as a hard boot setup. In the end, it's a matter of taste. Stay true to yourself, follow your gut feeling and don't overthink it.
You can read our collected arguments and actually all the technical things you should consider when building a hardboard setup for your splitboard in the PowderGuide magazine. Even if the article is a little older, the content, including the products and their names, remains valid. Not much has happened in this segment.
We four authors write in this large overview article that we all initially modified our boots. That may seem daunting! And yes, after the boot there is still a lot of new material on the list.
I've already travelled the same path and in the end I also felt that switching from a super hard splitboard boot (K2 Aspect) with stiff bindings (Spark Surge) to a hard boot setup was a step up to a new level. But it's controversial and I understand anyone who doesn't want to go down that path.
I personally saw a splitboarder with hard boots in the wild for the first time about 10 years ago. I walked a few metres behind him on the ascent and was so impressed by the ease with which he walked that I was already sure of myself at that moment. That's exactly how I wanted it to be. He was wearing the Dynafit TLT6. When I got home, I did some research that evening and realised that the parts cost just under 700 euros and the forums said things like: "break out the walking mechanism", "drill a hole in the shaft for more flex", "cut off the front tongue", etc.; in short: you should destroy the boot. I didn't have enough money for that.
It was only with the Atomic Backland, which you could unscrew and experiment with to your heart's content, but which you could put back in its original condition at any time, that I dared to do it. But not everyone dares to even tinker with such an expensive boot. So, can the whole thing be done with less risk, i.e. off the peg, or simply thanks to the huge range of used touring ski boots now available?
YES, you can!
