If you’ve been waiting for beefy Dynafit compatible ski boots, your wait is over. Garmont is giving us the Axon, Black Diamond has a new line that’s got people I know panting like dogs (we’ve got a review in the works), Scarpa offers the 4-buckle Spirit — and Dynafit is debuting one of the most beautifully designed heavy-duty rando boots I think I’ve ever seen.
It’s called the ZZeus. Instead of stuttering, just pronounce it “Zeus,” as in the the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus and of the Greek Pantheon of gods. Is it worthy of the name? Not sure, but perhaps close. Check it out:
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| Basically, this is an overlap cuff boot with an innovative closure under the lower buckles that slides to the side so it tends to snug the shell better, rather than crushing down on the top of your foot. The boot includes a cuff cant rivet, walking mode with excellent for/aft cuff articulation, and a truly nice liner that’s as strong and high-tech as any alpine boot. The interchangeable soles click on with the precision of a Lego brick, and are secured with screws. One set for standard alpine bindings, and one set for touring, (touring sole has Dynafit binding fittings, of course). |
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| Check out this cutaway of the lower shell. Thick plastic that can take a beating and is easily punched by a boot fitter. A nice flat boot-board (not pictured) covers up the inside bottom. |
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| Detail of a sole piece. It attaches with standard screws. |
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| ZZeus in all its glory. I skied them on ice and hardpack. Not since my days of resort skiing with heavy, overlap cuff boots had I felt the kind of progressive flex and support these things have. If you’re in the market for a one-rig boot or just a heavy duty touring shoe you can take my word, these are worth a look. |
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For the record, here is the Dynafit press release, lightly condensed and edited:
Winter 2008/09: Dynafit is launching their ZZeus ski boot with “Triple Binding Sole” (TBS) system, providing the Alpine Touring FreeRide skier with one boot, compatible with all binding systems: Dynafit, ISO Touring and ISO Alpine. The revolutionary NEW Dynafit Zzeus offers ski mountaineers, FreeRide-Tourers and more conventional alpine skiers the most aggressive off-piste skiing performance possible combining it with lightness and agility for touring. For those who climb what they aim to ski, choose to take a lift to the top, or simply head out-of-bounds, the ZZeus will deliver.
The success of Dynafit’s New Ski-Touring / Free-Touring Boots in 2007/08, with it’s debut of the Zzero line, and highly successful Zzero 4C (carbon 4 buckle boot), has set the stage for the ZZeus’s entry in the growing “Alpine Cross-Over” market. The Dynafit footwear team has an unrivaled alpine and touring ski boot design background. They combined forces to produce state-of-the-art technologies, resulting in the lightest ski mountaineering boots with the best ski performance and fit.
The Zzeus sets new standards in touring boot technology. The patented Triple Binding Sole is an innovative 3 part sole system. It enables the wearer to use all bindings by easily replacing the toe and heel section. The rubber alpine touring sole is compatible with Dynafit’s Patented Quick-Step-In system and all touring bindings within the ISO norm. The plastic alpine sole is also fully compatible with all ISO norm alpine bindings. You can change the sole very easily by using a screwdriver and simply sliding the integrated toe and heel sections off.
Another key design feature is the “alpine overlap” on the ZZeus. This construction offers more downhill support than ever before. The Alpine Overlap area allows for touring comfort and ease of entry but buckles down with an alpine-like feel. The “heel booster” reinforces the heel area and adds more torsion stiffness and skiing stability without needing a heavy boot shell. The mircometrically adjustable Magnesium buckles are designed specifically for optimum performance uphill and downhill lock-down power.
The Zzeus arrives on the market with the new TF-X liner. This new Thermoformable liner is a beefed-up alpine performance ski boot liner, ideally suited to the Zzues’s adventures. This loden-lined luxury liner comes preformed on a very anatomical last and can be used by most skiers without being thermoformed.
With the launch of ZZeus FreeRide-Touring Boots, Dynafit is setting the bar even higher for the 2008/09 season. This design and performance breakthrough arises from a year-round commitment to ski mountaineering and a close cooperation and feedback loop with our passionate ski mountaineering athletes and community
Zzeus TF-X / Zzeus MF
Shell/cuffs: — Polyurethane
Heel reinforcements: — Rilsan
Buckles: — 4 Magnesium buckles + Power Strap
Sizes: — 25 to 30.5 (including half sizes)
12 comments
Thank god for Dynafit and their continuing peusuit of light, functional touring gear. Hopefully they stay that way and don’t stray too far into the heavy, bro/brah market.
Lou,
It doesn’t look there is a carbon insert to provide lateral rigidity on the side of the boot.
Is the boot as laterally stiff as the ZZero CF even without the carbon insert?
Lee, yeah, it’s all thick plastic, it felt as stiff as ZZero but more progressive…
Excellent! Waiting for reviews COMPARING the new breed of stiff Dynafit campatable boots. If this is possible. Performance skiing in Juneau Ak requires a stiff boot and a big ski. Would love to try the FT12’s now that blowing out of the heel at speed wont be such a thing.
Four buckles, DIN-sole, overlap cuff, ski-walk lever, stiff…. Sounds like my six year old (guessing) Dalbello CRX Superrides. If you can find some, buy them. They will be CHEAP, and all you need to do is put in some modern liners.
I’m am not trying to prosteletize, just letting folks know of another option.
If you need something lighter, then get it. I’m impartial, ie. have the right tool for the job. I own Denali’s and Zzero 3c-tf’s that I enjoy when not snowboarding.
Hi Lou, thanks so much for the great info as always. Question about the Zzeus Boot volume: I have somewhat wide feet and a high instep. Will the Zzeus accommodate that? I’m currently using the Garmont Endorphins, which work great.
David, the ZZeus is on the narrow side. As for high instep, I think it’s probably average in that area and could easily be tuned by a boot fitter.
Lou, could you post how to mount Dynafit bindings with spirit4 boots. Seems to be some confusion out there on how to deal with the pivot point.
Thanks
Ian, you just mount the binding so the midsole mark on the boot corresponds with the mark most manufacturers place on the ski. Wherever the pivot point ends up is where it ends up. Sounds like people are probably over-thinking this?
If necessary, find the binding position by clipping a toe unit on a boot, then matching the boot midsole mark to the midsole location mark on the ski, then mark where the toe unit ends up. I even do this when using a jig, to double check my mount.
The problem with mounting the Scarpa Spirits is in the Dynafit binding mounting jig. The midsole point on the dynafit jig does not match up to the midpoint on a Spirit boot. If you mount a dynafit binding with the factory jig, The spirit boot ends up about 1 cm forward on the ski.
Most Shops just trust that the jig is right and dont double check the mounting point as Lou mentions above. I have not found a shop yet that knows what I am talking about with the Sprirt midpoint offset. I have had 2 different shops mount incorrectly.
Getting a Dynafit Jig if you are not a dealer is as easy as obtaining plutonium, I am not sure if there have been any Jigs made with updated mid marks? So I mount my own now with paper template… mostly good results but kind of a pain. I would love to get a Jig If anyone want to sell please let me know.
“If you mount a dynafit binding with the factory jig, The spirit boot ends up about 1 cm forward on the ski.”
— But the toe sockets are set back only about 4mm, so how can the mount end up off by 10mm?
— The way I do it with my Dynafit jig is:
1. set jig for boot as usual
2. place jig on ski
3. w/o moving jig, open up toe lock, move toe length adjustment back 4mm, lock adjustment back down, then drill as usual
hi, was just wondering if anyone has any experience/advice in regards to using the Zzeus boots with Marker Duke bindings without attaching the interchangeable soles? Could this be damaging for the boot itself or way the boot releases?
Hi Lou,
I’ve had these books for a few years now and recently realized my cant adjuster (pivot between cuff and foot box) had completely blown apart. There is now a void space the size of a nickle or dime where the pivot/cant-adjust used to be and you can reach your pinky finger in to poke the lining. The cuff is only attached to the toe-box via the inside-edge pivot and the ski/walk mechanism. They ski okay still (In B/C pow), but I’d like to repair the pivot for obvious reasons. Problems would probably worsen after skiing at a resort for a few days.
Have you ever come across any clever home-brew solutions for this? I’m trying to envision a system of washers and a large diam hollow bolt and nut. I wonder if I could send them back to Dynafit to have the pivot reinstalled. I looked at the pivot/cant-adjuster on the good boot and there doesn’t appear to be any serviceable hardware – looks press fit.
I’d be happy to email some photos. I may be able to return the boots but I’m really happy with them and dread the thought of breaking in new boots to my bizarre feet.
Thanks,
Kurt
PS, I can’t believe I missed you at Whitewater – my home hill! Thanks for sending the stickers a few weeks (months?) back.
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