Boot Reviews

La Sportiva Sytron — Gnar Level .9 and That’s Good

by Dr Alex Lee May 27, 2019

Alex Lee

La Sportiva Sytron

Not so long ago, the backcountry boot game involved a simple equation: tally the level gnar of you wanted to ski on a scale from 2 to 4 and correlate each gnar point to the number of buckles on your ski boot. If you wanted to rip spines in Alaska, you bought a 4-buckle boot and added a power strap. If you wanted to do Lycra laps in an up-down race, you bought a 2-buckle boot and removed unnecessary pieces (I am embarrassed to say I once unscrewed the logo on a pair of race boots to save weight. Boot gnar level 1/2!).

There is an obvious problem with this equation — no matter what sort of ski tourer you are, most of your day is spent going uphill and yet you don’t want to ski down in sneakers. This has led boot makers to both try and shed weight from (and add mobility to) the burlier end of their line, and add stiffness and durability to their lighter boots. The La Sportiva Sytron is a prime example of the latter: a ski-mo race style boot with backcountry capabilities.

Last week I had a chance to take the Sytron up and down some PNW volcanoes. They were oh-so-quick on the up and held there own just fine on the down. Here is my initial take after about 30k vert in corn and spring hot-pow.

May 27, 2019 6 comments

Tech Crampon on Hoji — Fits Like the Hendrix Headband

by Lou Dawson May 20, 2019

written by Lou Dawson

Tech Crampons have retailed for a while now. They work on the Dynafit Hoji. We still have the original version — not sure why we never got upgraded. I like the garage-made look of ours, but know the latest ver has that ‘factory finish’ look. They’re for sale at Pro Ski. Our full Tech Crampon Techpon review is here.

May 20, 2019 19 comments

Dynafit Cramp-In Crampons — A for Innovation

by Guest Blogger May 6, 2019

written by Guest Blogger

Gary Smith

Pulling Cramp-Ins in the Elk Mountains, Capitol Peak towering in the distance.

Many have lamented the “Speed Nose” toe Dynafit includes on a number of their boot models. Scroll through the Wildsnow archives and you will find comments such as, “The one drawback in the Hoji Boot’s design is the unfortunate inclusion of the Speed Nose.” That’s from me six months ago. Lou’s concerns are known as well. While it’s common for discussion of the Speed Nose limitations to lament incompatibility with bindings such as the Shift as well as incompatibility with “normal” crampons, my concerns are more about having a strong, effective “real” crampon. Dynafit’s minimalist aluminum Cramp-In solution is innovative, but how “real” is it? How much should I really be concerned — how rad do I really get climbing in my ski boots? How often am I kicking blue ice with serious fall potential?

I have used Dynafit’s Cramp-In with my Hoji Pro Tour boots for about a month now. Dynafit’s party line is these are more upgrade than band-aid for non-technical ski boot crampons — that they’re “real.” My impressions, after 8,000 vertical feet or so of steep snow booting and rocky ridgeline traverses on the Cramp-In’s, are largely positive and align with Dynafit, with a few concerns.

May 6, 2019 20 comments

Hoji Pro Ski Boot — Power Strap Length Mod

by Lou Dawson April 3, 2019

written by Lou Dawson

With due respect to Dynafit for producing an otherwise excellent ski touring boot — The Hoji Pro power strap is lame. The end of the non-buckle side is a thick wad of plastic that’s difficult to insert into and remove from the buckle. You can cut the kludgy end off and taper-melt the webbing so it inserts easier, but the factory-length strap is already too short for an easy grab-and-pull, cutting the tip off makes it even shorter. My solution, demolish and replace.

The short OEM strap, I cut the plastic wad off the end and made it even shorter, time for a mod swap.

The short OEM strap with the wad of plastic cut from the end, that made it worse in terms of length, though easier to insert and remove from the buckle.

April 3, 2019 8 comments

Hoji Pro Ski Touring Boot — Review

by Lou Dawson March 27, 2019

written by Lou Dawson

This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry.

Object at hand, 2018-2019 Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour ski boot.

“I design out of laziness. I want a ski boot that doesn’t require pulling my pants up and struggling with latches and buckles,” says Fritz Barthel as he stands on one leg like a ballet dancer (or, a stork?), hands free, and kicks down the lean-lock lever of his Hoji Pro boot. He smiles and says “Nice,” then glides a few meters away to check our descent route, leaving me enjoying the view of my unbuckled (insert brand-model here) ski boots.

As I found during my past year of testing the Hoji Pro, Barthel’s ideal can be realized.

Whoops, I almost forgot the eponymous Hoji, who designed the boot in partnership with Fritz. His goal was a touring boot that skied down better than most touring boots. Best of all worlds? The easily operated boot that’s light and skis downhill okay? In that we still have a winner.

I submit to the lasting obsession many of you readers have. It’s possible to measure last width using the heat-molded liner, which usually matches the inside of the boot. Left, Hoji liner from my 27.5 measures 102 millimeters, while the TLT-6 liner to right, also 27.5, measures 98 millimeters and is noticeably lower volume.

First, fit. Dynafit claims Hoji has a 103.5 millimeter last. I’ll testify that the boot is indeed on the wide side — but only at the metatarsal. The heel pocket width is average to tight, and the instep is low. I’m a skinny-heeled guy with a skiing problem, and the Hoji holds my heels down like a little troll grabbing my calcaneus with his horny hands. Being fully weaponized with my heat gun and boot press, I forced the troll back to his lair. The wide toe box is fine for me. But those of you who like a boot that pinches your foot might need a careful evaluation as to whether Hoji is your destiny. Operative point: Most skiers will not need punches in the forefoot area — you might not need that $200.00 boot fitting contract.

March 27, 2019 17 comments

2020 Atomic Backland Carbon Ski Touring Boot — Review

by Guest Blogger March 22, 2019

written by Guest Blogger

Jamie Caudill

This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry.

2019-2020 Atomic Backland Carbon.

First impressions of Atomic Backland Carbon Ski Touring Boot:

Aesthetically pleasing

Comfy as a slipper made from clouds and puppy fur

Obscene range of motion — good boots for yoga

For years I have dodged the oncoming tide of flimsy “skimo” twigs with teeny low-tech bindings and neon morphsuits, But alas, the lure of lightweight long-distance touring has won out over the desire to slog uphill dragging five-to-ten pounds on each foot.

Sure enough, I found myself in the market for a lightweight pair of boots. I envisioned them wrapped in flashy euro-inspired neon stripes sporting an exotic name that is reminiscent of Italian race cars and spelled incorrectly like syclone, syber, or sychology. Instead, I landed on the 2019-2020 Atomic Backland Carbon (retail available this coming fall).

March 22, 2019 29 comments

Review — La Sportiva Solar Ski Touring Boot

by Aaron Mattix March 15, 2019

written by Aaron Mattix

This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry. SPRING SALE.

Powder dingo approved plastic origami power.

I could count on one hand the number of races I’ve entered, and still be able to grasp my favorite beverage. Though I don’t dream Lycra, I love how racing technology trickles down to make pedestrian ski touring life more enjoyable. The La Sportiva Solar uses design cues from skimo racing; Sportiva claims it’s a simplified entry-level skimo-race type boot. Works for me.

Any advances that help me get fresh turns quicker and easier are appreciated. Much of my skiing occurs as a side benefit of being the groomer for the West Elk cross country ski trails outside of New Castle, Colorado; located at the southern edge of the Flat Top mountains. This is “upside down” touring — the parking lot and xc trails are located at the top; you enjoy your turns first, then earn them back on the return to the car.

March 15, 2019 15 comments

Hoji Free Ski Touring Boot is Real

by Lou Dawson February 6, 2019

written by Lou Dawson

This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry.

We did experience the Hoji Free at a press event a few weeks ago — and I was privy to much in the way of the development process thanks to industry insiders. It is a beautiful boot. Lots of questions from you so I’ll file a “first look” (once I get over my gear blogger hyper ventilation and clean my keyboard). Next review you’ll see will be from a few months testing.

Salient points: Same overall construction as Hoji Pro but “20 %” stiffer and a narrower last though we need to verify that with actual measurements and sources. I’m told Dynafit is still working on the retail liner. I’m optimistic about that, as word is they’re attempting to up the liner game, not simply imitate Intuition. Not that imitating Intuition is a bad thing, but it’s high time that ski touring boot liners received the kind of attention shells have been getting for the past few years. One other thing: this boot is truly a “quiver of one.” Use it as an alpine boot in the appropriate binding, and tour with it, you will be happy.

Dynafit Hoji Free, available fall 2019, stiffer, with same systems as Hoji Pro.

February 6, 2019 10 comments

La Sportiva Tech Fittings — Overview

by Lou Dawson January 15, 2019

written by Lou Dawson

Readers asked me to detail the La Sportiva tech fittings. Here you go.

La Sportiva started their ski touring boot line around 2012 (has it been that long?). They’ve experimented with tech fittings since the fine day their first pair of ski touring shoes exited the injection mold. You could argue their S3 and S4 inserts, combined with the Trab TR2 binding, are the “Tech 2.0” that I ballyhoo more than is appropriate. Whatever the case, Sportiva tech fittings are not well documented. Perhaps the following will help.

Sportiva attempted to copy Dynafit fittings for their first effort, circa 1012.

Sportiva attempted to use an aftermarket copy of Dynafit fittings for their first effort, circa 2012. These were the same fittings used by Garmont. During my testing the fittings had uneven performance. Some were fine, others did not release as smoothly as I like. Sportiva reportedly attempted to obtain fittings from Dynafit, but at the time Scarpa was the only licensee. These factors led to the Sportiva S3 fittings, covered below. For want of a better moniker, let’s call these originals the “S1” fitting, but they were really just an attempt to imitate the Dynafit OEM fittings. (The term OEM, as used here at WildSnow.com, means “Original Equipment Manufacturer”).

January 15, 2019 17 comments

Ski Touring News Roundup — G3, Scarpa, Everest, More

by Lou Dawson November 9, 2018

written by Lou Dawson

We are in Denver, Colorado at the moment, attending Outdoor Retailer trade show. The weirdness of the trade show scene continues to manifest. Instead of one monster show, as ISPO Munich provides*, “across the river” here in the U.S. we get a fractured scene that’s got everyone hopping. I’ll not waste space on a detailed B-to-B commentary, main point is this might be the death convulsions of the trade show concept.

G3 Minimist Speed is 100 percent mohair plush. Glide and Universal models are nylon, and a 70/30 mo-ny mix. Numerous lengths and widths.

Not that trade shows will go away entirely. But my crystal ball says that in terms of media relations and retail order generation the shows might fall to other approaches such as one-on-one meetings and small confabs.

For example: last evening. Neither Scarpa nor G3 paid the ridiculous cash-per-square-foot the show producers rob for a show booth. Instead, G3 and Scarpa rented a wonderful venue a few blocks away, invited a mob of journalists and a pod of dealers, then had fun with their captive audience. All enhanced by a nice catered meal, open bar and the sort of junket stuff that you guys know we WildSnow elite employees seek out like we’re shoveling gold on the Klondike.

November 9, 2018 21 comments

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