UKC

Can anyone recommend a ski-touring boot that climbs well? As application I'm thinking those sort of routes where the approach is maybe 2hrs, the climb very long and maybe wi4 / m4 and the descent (after some abbing) maybe 1hr of skiing moderate terrain.

I know the choice between skiing in a rock boot and climbing in a ski boot is a widely debated topic, so answers to that are not really what I'm after. Unless someone has got some sort of magical method to transform a mountaineering boot into a ski boot at the push of a button

Cheers!

In reply to MSchobitz:
No doubt you will receive lots of helpful information here, but I would also recommend that you have a look at the Wildsnow site (where there are dozens of related items/posts), and Dane Burns' Cold Thistle site. He seems to be in search of the same Holy Grail.

In reply to MSchobitz:

I'm a backcountry skier, not a winter climber, but I read good things about the Dynafit TLT 5:

http://coldthistle.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/tlt-5-dynafit-series-part-i-of-2....
http://coldthistle.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/part-2.html

The TLT 5 has since been superseded by the TLT 6 and now the TLT 7, but I believe is rated better than the latter two for climbing because of the 5mm flex in the sole that has ben eliminated from the later models.

What size are your feet? I happen to have a pair of Dynafit TLT 5 Performance (the one with the carbon cuff) in Mondo 29.0 (Eur 44-45, UK 10) that has been gathering dust in the attic for two years. I would still be skiing these, but they were half a size too small for my left toe and I got fed up with getting black toe every season. I would be willing to part with them, as they are surplus to my requirements, for £99 incl of postage in the UK. If the size fits, it might be a cheap way to get your hands on the kind of boots you are after. Message me if interested.

In reply to MSchobitz:

Have a look at this

http://www.frostguiding.co.uk/blog/659

In reply to MSchobitz: I doubt the Backland is particularly special for ice climbing, but if it fits then it won't be any worse. I've had a pair on. What I thought good about them is that they work well if you have big calves.

If you have skinny legs the Arcteryx boot looks very interesting

In reply to MSchobitz:

Hi there!
I have the La Sportiva Spectre's (first generations), they are my first pair of AT boots (well first ski boots at all actually) but here is my take for what its worth.

-They skin and hike very, very well
-I did a ill judged day of back country skiing which ended up being 8 miles of dirt hiking in them and they were very comfortable, no blisters but pretty warm!
-I ended up soloing around 5.4 (YDS)/ VD in them, it was scary but doable!
-Plenty warm enough for me up to and over 4000m's
-I skied a fair few of resort days in them and I don't think they are what is holding back my skiing.
-They take a crampon well and feel pretty natural to climb in, I've spoken to people in Colorado who say they feel good climbing WI5 in them.. though this could be because they are beasts!
-there are on occasional problems with the tongues, one of mine cracked and one of my buckles broke, La Sportiva US were awesome and just sent me new parts straight away with out needing to send the boot to them so a massive thumbs up for product support.
-Some of the screws come loose on occasions but loctite will solve that and carrying a multitool is a good idea anyway.
-for extended expeditions its pretty sweet that all the screws and buckles are interchangeable, if you were to have a buckle break you cold just take one off the toe (they do the least work) and swap it out for the broken one.
-Apparently the shells are easy to mould (I've not had to do much to mine).
- They are very light and low profile in use, on fast alpine ascents I've felt comfortable running with crampons on in them, they feel that nimble!
-They have a great sole!.. they have great friction, good tread and seem to do well on most surfaces.. Mine are looking a little torn up from so much time climbing rock though! Not exactly what they are designed for to be fair.

Over all I have been very pleased with them, as an all round boot I've really enjoyed using them. I've skied on piste, in the park (badly, because I am terrible!), in powder, corn, bad snow, good snow, skinned many miles, hiked probably more than 20 miles of snow/dirt/rock, lots of crampon time and they have been great.
If I was buying a pair right now? Id take a really good look at the Arcteryx Procline boots mentioned above, though as it their first ski boot I imagine there will be some problem to be ironed out in this generation (I think in 4 or 5 years time they will be THE boot to ski and climb in), but if they work as promised they should be amazing for skiing and climbing.
The Scrapa F1 looks interesting too..
As mentioned in this thread Dane over on cold thistle is a good source of knowledge as is the site wildsnow.com for reviews on loads of boots.

Good luck, what ever you get is probably going to work well.. lets face it, unless you are going super hard its pretty rare for our gear to actually hold us back!

Gi

In reply to gi:

Anyone able to answer if the scarpa f1 flexes over the forefoot? I discounted it cause I thought the bulge there is to allow flex and it wouldn't work with crampons.

As I said in the other post, I started like you, but swapped to just trying to find a boy that was comfy over a few hours. I have the scarpa maestrale, which I've used a bit for climbing. It doesn't have the ankle twist, but the support is great.

In reply to craigloon:
Yhm, about the tlts

In reply to MSchobitz:

I find touring boots to be good for ice climbing but once you need some ankle movement (mixed or easier Alpine terrain) they're not so great. Whilst walk modes have improved and something like the Sportiva Spectres have heaps of flex, it's all in the front to back direction so touring boots are still quite a compromise for climbing unless all you need to do is front-point. Still better than skiing in a climbing boot, though and a lightweight 3-buckle design might be the best bet.

In reply to MSchobitz:

Cheers for all the replies guys! Will have a look at all the various websites and boots when I get a minute!

One thing I might add is that I have terribly wide feet... Anything I should (not) look at especially?

In reply to MSchobitz:

Dynafit TLTs probably won't do you if you have very wide feet, unless you get the shells blown. I have very narrow low volume feet, which is why I chose them.

In reply to MSchobitz:

TLTs were a definite no go for me as too narrow. The 6's are easier to punch than the 5's though so you could try that.

I'm very interested in the Arc' boots but yet to try a pair on. The design and reviews so far suggest they are a step up from anything else. Joey Vosburgh (ACMG guide/Arc' sponsored splitboarder) climbed M6 in his and said they were fine.

Sportiva sideral, atomic backland and scarpa alien would be worth a look at. All on the flexy/light skimo end of things so not a boot for skiing hard afterwards. Not sure about stiffer boots as I've only ever looked for ones from a splitboarding POV.

Did the ice pitch on Alladins Mirror (IV) last year with my mate wearing his Maestrales. He got on fine. Said there was a little less sensitivity than his Nepals but was happy enough.

As mentioned above wildsnow and the coldthistle blog are the go to for this kinda thing. Also maybe try searching the TGR forums.

In reply to MSchobitz:

I've used my TLT 6 (Performance version) on some pretty decent climbs, both ice and mixed.
They ski well and climb well too. Not the warmest for mid-winter ice routes and they are low volume
but easy to punch - I've had the toes blown on mine. Just worth making sure your 'poons fit well
- they're comfy enough for a decent length climb....