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Dynafit Titan Boots — Too Stiff or Just Right?

By Lee

Dynafit Titan

Titan is Dynafit’s latest downhill oriented overlap boot (see our preview here on Wildsnow.) Titan is designed to be only slightly heavier then but noticeably stiffer then the ZZeus boot, which I had previously reviewed with a favorable opinion. When Dynafit’s Canadian reps made a pair of Titans available for testing I took the opportunity, managing to get four days of on-snow evaluation in a variety of conditions.

As background, I weigh 160 lbs and ski mainly in the Coast and Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia. My skiing is usually in high moisture-content snow. Accordingly, my preference is for bigger skis and relatively stiff boots. I have used a variety of boots including the Garmont Mega Ride, Scarpa Spirit 3 and 4, Scarpa Skookum, Dynafit ZZero4-C and ZZeus. My current boot of choice are modified Garmont Mega Rides (Scarpa Tongue, Intuition Alpine liner and booster strap) and stock Scarpa Spirit 3s.

Me on the Titans -- they're terrific!

Weight

I weighed Titan on a kitchen scale. A single Titan in size 27.5 weighs in at 2,000g per boot (shells weigh 1600g and the TFX thermomoldable liner is 400g). To compare, my own Garmont Mega Rides weigh 1640g per boot; a stock Dynafit ZZeus boot is 1950g, and a stock Black Diamond Factor boot is 2300g. All these boots are weighed in a size 27 or 27.5. (More gear weight info.)

As a side note, replacing the Dynafit TFX liner with an Intuition Alpine Powerwrap liner (220g) brings the weight of Titan down to 1820g, a considerable weight reduction. However, more later on the excellent TFX liner and why one might hesitate before replacing it.

Titan liner.

Titan. Note that only the toe buckle is reversed. Personal preference; some might want the 2nd buckle reversed also which can be accomplished by drilling out and re-riveting. This is especially true of smaller sizes in the Titan and ZZeus, with which some users may find the third buckle bumping into and damaging the second when the boots is used aggressively at the more extreme forward lean angle.

Construction and fit

The shells of the ZZeus and Titan are essentially the same in terms of molding, though the plastic might be thicker or thinner in certain areas. The Titan liner is also similar to the ZZeus liner and I’ve noted differences below. Accordingly, Lou’s previous comprehensive article about the construction of the Dynafit overlap boots remains definitive. Of note, Titan will ship and be delivered to consumers standard with alpine boot blocks (for use with downhill alpine bindings) and with AT blocks (which have tech fittings and a grippy rubber sole).

Differences between ZZeus and Titan are as follows:

* While both Titan and ZZeus are made of polyurethane (PU) plastic, some of the PU plastic used in Titan is stiffer, namely the overlapping plastic tongue and beefier and stiffer spoiler on the rear of the boot.
* Different stiffnesses of plastic are used on Titan’s shell to tune and optimize the boot for touring performance (e.g. the black plastic around the boot cuff is stiff when buckled but is designed to flex when the boot is loosely buckled in touring mode).
* Titan’s TFX liner is designed to be skied out of the box but is highly receptive to thermomolding (an air-blown cook is recommended). These liners are essentially the same liner as the ZZeus liners except for plastic reinforcements around the heel cuff for added stiffness.

In terms of fit, I have a traditional Asian foot; meaning my forefoot is wider then most and I don’t have any arch to speak of. I had a problem fitting last year’s ZZeus liners as my toes pinched and they only worked for me when they were thermomolded. Even so, I preferred my own Intuition liners and tested the ZZeus accordingly. It turns out that Dynafit shipped last year’s ZZeus liners with factory lasting that caused more then a few consumers trying the boot in-store (without the help of a boot fitter or knowing employee) to think ZZeus’s last was too narrow. Dynafit has responded by factory lasting the Titan TFX liners with more room. Unmolded, the boot felt quite good to my own foot shape. When the TFX liner was molded, Titan fit like a glove (WildSnow continues to recommend that virtually ALL thermo liners be custom molded at some point during or after purchase). My feet felt great and were blister and pain-free even after a 1,800m vertical and 18km long tour up peaks and over glaciers. What is more, the TFX liner looks and feels tough and durable which more then justifies its burly heft.

Titan also ships with a volumizer (a thin shaped material conforming to the bootboard made of hydrophobic fiber). Some consumers have found that the ribbed bootboard inside the boot shell imprints their liners. The fix is to use the volumizer between the bootboard and liner if you have enough space in your shell. The alternative for those with high-volume feet is to use the old duct-tape standby on the ribbed bootboard. While we are on the subject of duct-tape, exposed rivets are also visible on Titan (as they are in many AT boots). Duct tape or some other convenient adhesive material placed over the rivets will help preserve your liners from abrasive wear.

Titan - interior. Note the exposed interior rivets, hard limiter stops (which did not limit feel of the boot when skiing ) and the ribbed bootboard.

On Snow Performance – Downhill

Titan has two forward lean angles; 15 and 21 degrees (real world angle depends on binding ramp angle, of course, as well as boot fitting tweaks). I set Titan at the 21 degree angle for skiing. Titan’s PU plastic construction should mean that the boot gets stiffer as temperatures drop. Since I was using the boot in mild spring temperatures I did not notice a change in flex. Anecdotal comments from other PU plastic boot users indicates that stiffness increase in cold temperatures is noticeable.

Last year I said “ZZeus felt fantastic skiing”. Thinking about it more, I would refine my comment to say that ZZeus’s stiffness felt like an incremental improvement in skiing control. In contrast Titan made me go “oh wow…”. Inarticulate babbling aside, Titan was an exponential improvement in skiing performance. To put it in relative terms, Titan felt as stiff as my relatively soft alpine downhill boots (detuned older Atomic plug boots). To add to the mix, I also tried out a pair of Black Diamond Factors and found those boots as stiff as Titan. I also tried Titan with an Intuition Alpine Powerwrap (Intuition’s stiffest liner and this combination did not hurt Titan’s skiing prowess. I would rate Titan’s stiffness as comparable to the BD Factor and the Scarpa Skookum and noticeably stiffer then the ZZeus, Scarpa Spirit 4 or 3 or my modified Garmont Mega Rides.

Overlap ski boots are reputedly designed to deliver smooth application of power. My alpine boots still hold a slight edge in that regard. On the corn and groomers I skied, both Titan and Factor felt a tad harsh as speed went up and carving pressure increased to the point that I even backed off buckle tightness! It would have been interesting to compare Titans, Factors and my alpine boots on a carving ski to optimize skis to conditions but I didn’t have that opportunity.

I did manage to try Titan on a Movement Logic ski in dust-on-groomers conditions (Movement’s new lightweight touring ski – approximately 7lbs, 88 width, tight turning radius ). In those conditions, Titan overpowered the lightweight Logic ski but skied well when paired with the heavier Movement Goliath Sluffs. On my touring days where I encountered powder Titan was incredible, resulting in a telepathic marriage between what my feet/legs wanted to do and how my skis responded. Having said that I would expect nothing less from a relatively stiff touring boot.

Comparison of rear cuff heights (from L to R: Titan, ZZeus, Factor, Megaride, F1) The ruler is held level on the Factor's rear spoiler. The tallest boot is the BD Factor followed closely by the ZZeus and Titan.

Please bear in mind that height of interior footboard as well as thickness of the liner sole will influence real world cuff height. See Lou’s boot measurements for a more specific take.

Comparison of fronts of all boots show that they are all very comparable except for the wee little Scarpa F1.

On Snow Performance – Bootpacking and touring

I’ve mentioned that I was previously lukewarm on the touring performance of Dynafit’s overlap boots. I now will unashamedly swallow my words and attribute that (mistaken) impression to the psychological barrier of having boots that look like alpine boots, ski like alpine boots yet tour so well. I don’t have a particularly good explanation for why I’ve changed my tune other then perhaps I’ve gotten over my blinkers when looking at overlap – design touring boots. More, as previously mentioned, Titan’s plastic is somewhat tuned for touring and the TFX liner is exceptionally comfortable.

One clue for Titan’s touring performance and comfort may be seen in the picture below depicting a collection of overlap design four-buckle boots. In walk mode the Titan can lean back past upright. The Factor cannot lean back to upright and is restricted in walk mode by its shell. Radium (rear boot) can lean back completely upright. In practical terms, the difference between Titan’s ski mode and walk mode is remarkable. When buckles are loosened (in my opinion, proper methodology for testing touring performance), Titan’s walk mode permits a comfortable relaxed motion with relative ease in cuff movement permitting long skinning strides. Perhaps it is a combination of Titan’s tuned plastic shell and the relatively free-floating cuff that makes for such a positive impression of Titan’s tourability.

Miscellaneous Notes :

* Titan is squeaky. I am told that a bit of lube squirted into pivot points at the cuff solves this.
* The upper forefoot buckle of Titan is not flipped. In my opinion, outside handled buckles are disasters waiting only to be caught on inopportune rocks and thus broken! Having said that, there was no tendency for the buckles to flip open when walking in snow, perhaps due to the buckle’s camming spring tension.
* Titan’s hefty weight was not that apparent on my day-tours. Having said that, it is my experience that extra weight really begins to show its detriment on longer tours or perhaps when one is fatigued at altitude, and I did not have the opportunity to test in those circumstances.
* Some consumers have noted that, in small boot sizes, Dynafit boots have buckle placements that tend to abrade against each other (as mentioned in photo caption above). Dynafit has noted this issue and is said to be addressing it.

Titan in the front. Factor is in the middle. Radium is in the rear of the picture.

Summary

For aggressive skiers, Titan may be that holy grail of skiing performance that does not compromise tourability. Those with lightweight physiques such as myself might even be able to use Titan as a dedicated inbounds boot for it is indeed that beefy. Not everyone might appreciate the in-your-face graphics and stark whiteness of these boots – which are easy to get dirty. Titan may also be overkill for light or finesse skiers on light soft skis — so there is still more then enough space in the market for light, soft boots. But for me, paired with Black Diamond Verdicts, Titan was indeed the perfect shoe.

It’s been interesting to watch the stiff AT boot category evolve. Early attempts showed that stiff boots could be designed to ski like bricks and reduce touring to a shuffling exercise. Presently, boots such as Titan show they can make backcountry skiing footwear that does it all. Aiding in this evolution, North American consumers have expanded their perception as to what weight is acceptable for touring boots. Thus, manufacturers now have leeway to design boots that both ski and tour well. In my opinion, Dynafit Titan is, for now, king of this category.

Titan will be shipped in a size range of 25.0 – 30.0 in half sizes. Dynafit will also be shipping the Gaia (woman’s specific – ZZeus) in sizes of 23.0 in 27.0 in a silver color. All Dynafit’s overlap boot offerings will be shipped standard with Alpine blocks and AT blocks. The anticipated MSRP of Titan is USD $759 (C$849).

(Guest blogger Lee Lau is an avid skier and outdoorsman embarking on many adventures with his loving, and sometimes concerned wife, Sharon. He has over fifteen years of experience backcountry skiing and dabbles in mountaineering. In the “off-season” he is occasionally found working in his day job as an intellectual property lawyer when he is not mountain biking. As a resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, Lee’s playground extends mainly to Western Canada, including South West B.C. and the Selkirks. Lee blogs here.)

Posted by Lee on April 28, 2009 | Filed Under Boot Reviews, Lee Lau, Your Guest Blogs

Comments

48 Responses to “Dynafit Titan Boots — Too Stiff or Just Right?”

Tucker April 28th, 2009 10:10 am

Great review, thanks.
Nick April 28th, 2009 10:50 am

Lee – great review. The pictures of rear and front cuff height are a good bonus.
Justin Wilcox April 28th, 2009 1:00 pm

so how much does the shell only (no liner) weigh in comparison to the Zzeus. You have your number for the Titan listed, and Lou has a number for the Zzeus, but Im sure they were on separate scales… I’ve been skiing in Factors this year, which ski great, but the lack of any rearward motion for touring is fairly annoying and I think it actually makes me use up more energy than I should while skinning. Titan does look interesting, as does the Dalbello Virus….
Lee Lau April 28th, 2009 1:41 pm

Justin,

In the article I said Titan weighs 1600g weighed on my scale. Lou’s scale has the ZZeus at 1618g. I weighed a sz 27.5 shell. Lou weighed a sz 27 shell. Does that answer your question?

Other notes:

- There is cant cuff adjustment on Titan. Sorry I forgot to mention that.

- The entire PU plastic part (white color) of Titan is stiffer then ZZeus’s plastic. Therefore the entire Titan PU shell is stiffer and not just in key places
Sean April 28th, 2009 2:24 pm

Great as usual Lee. Thanks very much, this boot is on the short list for me next season.
curious April 28th, 2009 2:46 pm

Lee- curious if you could elaborate on your Mega Ride setup/mods … I have a pair myself, and am looking to get some more performance out of them – specifically when I lean forward, it feels like I am going to break my shin because the tongue is too short? (best way I can describe it )

thanks
Lou April 28th, 2009 3:50 pm

Lee had something in there about the cuff cant but it made a sentence awkward so it got edited out, sorry about that.. yeah, the boots have a cuff cant…
Lee Lau April 28th, 2009 3:58 pm

curious. These are fairly common mods to a boot that’s served me well.

1. Replaced the terrible Garmont stock liners with an Intuition Alpine liner (I got an Alpine liner. The Alpine Powerwrap is stiffer if you want that. More comfortable and warmer and the boot fits better.

2. Replaced stock soft tongue (my boot was 1st generation and the newer Mega Ride tongues are siffer) with black tongue you can buy from Scarpa. This pops right into place without tools.

3. Replaced velcro straps with Booster straps. To be honest I can’t tell the difference. I just did that because I had booster straps lying around.
Federico April 29th, 2009 3:01 am

HI Lee,

thanks very much for the very nice review, it makes us of the Dynafit boots development team very happy ;-)

All the analysis you did is very accurate and precise, you also noticed the buckle contact on small sizes, it’s a little bit there on size 26,5 – 25,5 and it’s quite normal for all alpine boots kind, and it doesn’t make any problem in term of downhill performances.
Anyway we are modifing a little the positioning of the buckles on these two sizes to completely avoid the problem. It will cost a hell in mould modifications but to make our customers 100% happy is a priority. All Titans/Gaia will have this small issue solved.

About buckle positioning we decided to have the middle buckle not inverted for a matter of performances. On this kind of construction having an inverted buckle on the instep so the with the “main buckle body” right on the instep will work less better (less pull) and will transmit more pressure (pain) on your foot.
This is why all alpine boots buckles are outside handled. On traditional ski touring boots like ZZEro or MEga Ride it’s ok to have both flipped because the tongue protect your instep and also because their buckles close with a little less power compared to the Titan/ZZeus kind.
I would not really suggest to flip the buckle, might make unhappy skier, decreasing the closure performance and adding pain…
The fact that buckles opens on snow is more or less impossible as the buckle is really close to the shell shape… And get hitted and brocken by a rock is really really hard to happen… and if happen replace a broken buckle is quite easy and cheap… but as I said it’s really really hard to happen especially in north america where you lucky guys have much more poweder than rocks in the mountains!!! ;-)

Federico
Mark April 29th, 2009 3:59 am

Hi Lee,

Great article – I stumbled across your own blog a view years ago while living in Nelson B.C. (Now back home, New Zealand).

Always enjoy viewing your latest tour in and around B.C with Sharon and Co. – reminds me of all the great Kootenay slack country powder I enjoyed! Keep up the good work.

Yours, patiently, waiting for another Tasman Sea effected snow pack down under…Mark.

Oh, Lou, your works pretty good too!
Lou April 29th, 2009 5:05 am

Um, I keep forgetting to link to Lee’s blog in his guest blogger bio. I’ll fix.
Lee Lau April 29th, 2009 10:15 am

@ Federico – thanks for remembering that some of us who tour with heavy boots actually like having a meaningful walk mode and that sometimes it is about the up! Thanks also for clarifying the boot buckle – I never thought about that for the overlap boots. What I also really appreciate is that the Titan (and ZZeus) buckles have a slight camming/spring action so they’re easy to engage and also they’re pretty resistant to flipping open when you’re snow-walking.

@Mark – thx! It’s a fun hobby – I seem to keep getting sucked up to the N Selkirks and haven’t been to the S and Central Koots in a while.
Lou April 29th, 2009 11:44 am

Feddy, you’re the man!
dan April 29th, 2009 2:57 pm

Thanks for the review Lee,

Kinda off subject, but since you mentioned it, now seems like a good time to ask.

I have an old pair of megarides, I recently drilled the holes in the back so that they could fit on my minimal adjustment tlt classics. I have since gotten a pair of comforts, so now i wish i didn’t drill the holes. I am going to fill the holes with some kind of epoxy and glue, and reshape them accordingly. Is there any particular epoxy/filler that you have worked with before on ski boot plastic? I am thinking expoxy puddy. Thanks
Lee Lau April 29th, 2009 3:02 pm

Geez Dan. Are these the holes where the Dynafit heel pins go? I haven’t worked with filler for ski boots before. Anyone else? I would think JB weld would work as well as anything but it depends on how confident you feel about the boot I guess
Mark W. April 29th, 2009 10:40 pm

Saw the Titans earlier this season but couldn’t ski ‘em. For days of mostly downhill cranking, these could be the ticket. I ski light, very tourable Garmont Megalites virtually all the time, but have skied several stiff boots this season and had my eyes opened once again to the reality that beef sometimes is indeed just what the doctor ordered.
Chris May 1st, 2009 1:43 pm

Hi,

I just made a rather impulsive purchase of some Garmont megarides, which were available for cheap–350–on tramdock.com. I’m a Salt Lake City resident, so returning them in the event they’re not ideal/i go broke wont be an issue.

I bought the boots because im going on what will hopefully be a big trip to the eastern Sierra next week, and because I hope to be touring in dynafit bindings from now on. I’ve been using the biggest tele boots available in the BC for years, and just this season I began using the biggest alpine boots available at the resort, after growing tired of tele gear breakage. I know the megarides have been popular boots for a while, but I also know AT boots have been changing a lot in the past few seasons.

My question is: will I find Megarides too soft? I’m inclined to think that, coming from telemarking, I’d be able to make the megarides work just fine. I have booster straps I can use. But, will I try on a pair of those Titans in the fall and kick myself?

Thanks for the feedback,

Chris
Lee Lau May 3rd, 2009 12:40 am

Well Chris, since I don’t know how you ski, how much you weigh or the conditions in which you ski I couldn’t really guess. There’s only one way to find out I suppose and that’s for you to ski them!
Scott May 4th, 2009 2:37 pm

@Chris,

Spend your time worrying about the quality of your turns. If you can’t rock in the megaride, its not like you’ll rock in the Titan.
Euro Rob May 5th, 2009 6:42 am

I’m surprised there is so much hype around the Titan, especially in the states. I only touched it in the shop, but I’m skiing on the Zzeus and just recently found out that when jumping down a steep Couloir it helps to switch to walk mode to leverage the ankles’ power. Even then it’s still stiffer than my Scarpa Laser.

Really seems to me that Titan is not for everyone, but then again my biggest stick is the 175 Kilowatt, which works very well with the Zzeus.
Lou May 5th, 2009 6:51 am

A boot can be too stiff and drive you instead of you driving it. Each person’s style and gear change the equation. In my opinion a boot stiffer than a conventional AT boot is only going to make a noticeable improvement in your skiing if you’re on large skis doing higher speeds. Also, some folks simply like the feel of a stiffer shoe even though they ski just fine on softer boots. For all the above reasons, it’s great we now have boots such as Titan. But I still prefer the softer variety. Even the Radium is more than I usually want or need, but my son Louie is using the Radiums and they’re perfect for him, while his Spirit 3s were too soft.
Lee Lau May 5th, 2009 4:23 pm

Rob,

I ski in BC powder. That’s pretty heavy stuff. If you ski in Europe you probably don’t have to deal with the amount of snow I deal with. Coastal BC snow tend to be stable enough that I can often get onto steep couloirs and faces in mid-winter conditions. I ski with enough Europeans that I know their conditions are very very different then ours. Might that be why there’s so much buzz about stiff boots in this part of the world?

I’m also going to respectfully disagree with Lou and say that, in my experience, a stiffer boot is nice to have not only on large skis at higher speeds but when in heavy deep snow in steep situations. Conversely when I am in champagne powder (eg Rogers Pass blower light 3 to 5% water content snow) I could be on slippers and be just fine.
Lou May 5th, 2009 4:47 pm

Lee, how dare you (grin)?

Seriously, I guess I’ll have to cave and really get out for multiple days in something stiff. Have to admit I did like the Radiums, but the ZZeus and Titan both feel too stiff when I’m in the backcountry, though I’m sure I’d love them for inbounds and sidecountry… a friend just got some ZZeus for exactly that purpose and loves them. A lot of this has to do with how they are fitted.

BTW, Ted and I skied a lot of breakable crust during this last trip in EU, and I never felt like I needed more boot, though there were times I would have preferred having a wider and slightly longer ski as I’ve really gotten into trying to carve or semi-carve the breakable, at least when it’s not too steep…
Scott May 5th, 2009 4:49 pm

Lee,

I don’t think the Euros are on blower pow either.I’d guess that it is mostly about different styles and attitudes.

Kinda like how you won’t catch me wearing day-glo spandex hot pants rock climbing in Yosemite like the Italians, even though they probably work just fine.

Scott
Lou May 5th, 2009 5:42 pm

Indeed, blower pow is more something you get in Wyoming and Colorado, not EU, even though when they do get it they publish the photos forever to keep the myth alive. Sort of like the northeastern US (grin).
Lee Lau May 5th, 2009 6:18 pm

yah – glad you guys took it the right way. That’s not to say that coastal snow is always stable but I can ski 45 – 50 degree slopes in mid-winter with waist deep snow and have some confidence that I’ll get sluff but not slabs. Usually that kind of snow is 8 – 10% water content. I believe you Colorado’ans would call that “elephant snot” or some other unkind word.

Like I said Lou, you’ll just have to tear yourself away from those shindigs gallivanting with the rich and famous in Europe; sampling sacchatorte and Chablis and roll in the elephant snot with the masses in Coastal British Columbia.

Add note – I might have mentioned more then a few times that I’m not a particularly finesse skier. Finesse skiers can get away with light boots. I know guys on F1s driving big skis even in Coastal Cement. Call it a crutch if you will. I do try my best to disclose my biases in the reviews and hope they are useful even with all the caveats.
Euro Rob May 6th, 2009 1:10 am

Lee,

it was not not my intention to question the accuracy of your review, sorry if it came out like that — the insights on snow quality make things much clearer.

Am looking forward to trying a 110+mm waisted ski next season, maybe that’ll make me crave for the Titan anyway :-)

Since the Zzeus matches the design of the Manaslu ski I’m still wondering Dynafit is bringing a(n even bigger) ski that matches the Titan …
Lou May 6th, 2009 9:56 am

Sacchatorte is indeed the root of elegant skiing.
Lee Lau May 6th, 2009 3:18 pm

Rob – you got me thinking and that’s never a bad thing.

I took the ZZeus’s out for a spin and managed to find some May pow in Blackcombs inbound (http://www.leelau.net/2009/blackcomb2009_05_06/ – if you’re curious).

The pow was pretty heavy. I was on lighter skis then when I tested the Titans (Salomon Guns as opposed to BD Verdicts). Like I said in my review I actually felt like the Titan was almost too much boot for me on the Verdicts in some situations. I wonder when too much boot is just … well, too much.

Anyway this is just more pointless meandering. Both the Titan and ZZeus’s are fun boots. The Titan is indeed stiffer but the question is whether You, as the skier, need that extra stiffness.
Patrick May 10th, 2009 1:06 pm

Lou,
As someone diving headfirst into the sport of ski mountaineering, I’m trying to wrap my head around what sort of boot should be on my foot. I want to be able to be confident in my boots and their power on the way down, but I also don’t want excessive weight, difficult strides, or trouble with crampons etc. I’m leaning towards a dynafit boot to match their superior bindings, but I’m not sure which one is up my alley. Any thoughts?
Patrick
Lou May 10th, 2009 1:28 pm

Sure Patrick, my first thought is that when I read your blog, I get the impression you are taking up telemarking, or was that a passing fancy (grin)?

Also, it looks like you do a fair amount of ski mountaineering already. What boot have you been using? And what’s your style?
Patrick May 11th, 2009 11:31 am

Lou,
No need to be cheeky (grins back). I got bored of skiing alpine in-bounds, so for that days when the snowpack looks bad, I’ll be on my sweet hippie stinx. For the real skiing though, like I said, I’m diving in head first and hevn’t done too much before ths season. I’ve been using a borrowed pair of Scarpa Denali TTs that kill my feet, and don’t seem to have much of a difference between walk/ski modes.
I prefer to go fast and light when the lines will allow it, but I also ski aggressively, so I have to balance weight with solidity.
P
Lou May 11th, 2009 12:06 pm

I asked the Great Louienie, he says first empty your mind of all thoughts about skiing, as thinking about skiing without skiing causes suffering.

With your purified being, demo a pair of Garmont Radiums and a pair of Dynafit ZZeus.

Sounds good to me.
Patrick May 12th, 2009 11:13 am

Lou,
Most sagacious words.
P
Kenny June 3rd, 2009 12:10 pm

Lou,

I am 6′6″ 220lbs and looking to buy some AT boots that are geared primarily to Alpine with a small portion of use touring. However, I wear a size 15 shoe and ski in alpine Mondo size 31-31.5 boots depending on boot manufacturer and have no arch to speak of. Any reccomendations? Most manuf. do not make AT boots that size.
Tony August 20th, 2009 9:22 pm

Do the Titans have the same last as the Zzeus? I was a 26.0 when I was boot fitted in the Zzeus, and am wondering if I will be the same in a Titan?
Lou August 21st, 2009 6:03 am

Tony, yes, the shell molds are the same last though the liner could be a bit different than whatever generation you ended up with when you fit your ZZeus.
Kevin November 1st, 2009 9:27 am

Just got a pair of dynfit Gaia for my wife. She has small feet and has always had a hard time getting boots small enough. For inbounds she has used lange boots. Years ago she had size 23 dynafits that fit great, but were too soft to ski. Now, with the Gaia, looks to be a one boot quiver for inbounds and touring. Finally a boot that fits good out of the box. Of course still need to get them cooked. Anyone know if you can use the convection oven style heaters, or if they must be fitted with the air blower units. My local ski shops seem to prefer the ovens.
trey spencer November 26th, 2009 9:35 pm

I’m an alpine race coach, currently in Atomic RT Ti 130s, new from original Atomic Race Tech S(oft) that I ran for 5 years. Would like to go to an AT boot for long hours standing on the hill, but want good fit and binding compatibility. I’m 6′0″, 155#. Which Dynafit would go best, Titan or Zeus? Thanks.
Lou November 27th, 2009 10:25 am

I’d do Zeus…
caleb Weinberg November 28th, 2009 4:54 pm

Do you know if the Titan 1/2 sizes are different liners or just different footbeds?
Lee Lau November 28th, 2009 9:58 pm

caleb – different liners
Mark November 29th, 2009 12:52 am

Kevin, Gaia liners may be heated in convection-style ovens, but stack heaters eliminate any concerns of scorching the outside of the liners.
angus maxwell December 3rd, 2009 1:57 am

Lee, great info!
I live in your general neighborhood (squamish) and am wondering if you can tell my of any retailers who will carry the titan, and who also have boot fitters on staff?
keep up the good work,
cheers
angus
trollanski December 7th, 2009 12:00 am

Hi folks. Was looking for comparisons btwn the Titans and Factors on skiing performance. Haven’t really found much. Thanks for your inputs on both boots, but I believe the Factors will be my next boots. Got both on my feet while on a trip to the lower 48, and the BD’s felt more like a regular ski boot. The Dynafits still flexed like a light-touring boot to me. Yes, I could crank them down to stiffen them up, but for our crazy terrain in Southeast AK, more is better.
Lee Lau December 7th, 2009 12:26 am

I think you’re asking for comparisons?

The Titans are minisculely laterally stiffer. They are both pretty comparable stiffness in forward flex. I know you didn’t ask this but the Titan tours much better then the Factor – but the Factor tours so poorly that isn’t saying that much. Of course this is just my opinion. Would be open to hearing from others of course
Max December 16th, 2009 6:00 pm

This is an amazing review. I bought a pair of Zzeus last year and tried them over two weeks in Tarentaise (around Val d’Isère). I used to have Scarpa Lazer boots. They are totally different. They hold your foot and ankle way better and are proper ski boots, not like the Scarpa which I hated since day 1. I love the Zzeus, they ride like my Salomon (flex 110 or 120) downhill and are super comfy uphill. I’m not sure they had the Titans last year, but I definitely would have prefered even stiffer boots…
But again as you say, it depends on the snow and more importantly the rider…
Anyway, the Zzeus are fantastic, so I guess the Titans can only be as good or even better.

Max
Lee Lau December 16th, 2009 10:33 pm

Thanks Max!