Boot Reviews Archives - Page 2 of 31 - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog

Hoji Pro Ski Touring Boot — Review

by Lou Dawson March 27, 2019

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 20 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 32 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 17 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 12 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

The Making of the PDG 2 — Dynafit Boot Craftings

by Lou Dawson October 15, 2018

written by Lou Dawson

(This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry.)

Dynafit is proud of their gradated color logos. Said to not be the easiest thing to accomplish on nylon (Grilamid) plastic.

I was recently in Montebelluna, Italy, checking out a full gamut of secret Dynafit boot happenings. Most interesting? Seeing various boots punished on a Fritz Barthel contraption I call the “Butter Churner,” (as a few of the parts came from eponymous machinery).

No photos allowed for now. Fantasy is better anyway. Buxom Tyrolean lass in the midst of a green field full of dairy cows? Not quite. Envision a tower about three feet tall, built with threaded rod, steel plates, and bushings. A worm gear system is attached to a load cell and measurement instrument. Parts of the tower move and load an artificial leg-foot in a boot, which in turn is tightly clamped to a frame.

As the Butter Churner does its thing, you might eventually get a popped rivet in your eye, but not until you’ve taken things way beyond the normal forces of skiing. The main purpose is to compare different model boots, as well as verifying changes in design that result in different flex ratings. “Hey, hold my ~~beer~~ espresso and watch this,” is the kind of thing you might hear as the Butter Churner whirs.

A word about boot testing during the development process. The test boots come to the workshop directly from the injection molding facility, in pieces. Each time the mold is changed they output evaluation parts. A technician hand assembles the boots, one at a time. They’re then tested, on the bench for quantified stiffness and durability, with major iterations skied on-snow for overall performance and feel.

Oh, and about that PDG-2 (a nice lightweight style boot, by the way), how about some factory snapshots?

October 15, 2018 16 comments

Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour vs Vulcan — Ski Boots Comparison

by Lou Dawson September 17, 2018

written by Lou Dawson

You guys were asking, thought I’d do more bench touring seeming as it’s 82 degrees outside.

Vulcan and Hoji geometry are clearly more similar than different. Not clones. Kind of like comparing your feet to those of your sibling. DNA and all that sort of thing. Vulcan can be had for a song, discounted all over the place (including by our post sponsor Cripple Creek Backcountry). So why buy the Hoji Pro Tour instead of Vulcan? Glean a few reasons below.

The objects at hand. Vulcan to right, spankin’ new Hoji to left. It is common knowledge that the Hoji designer’s point of departure was the Vulcan. So, it is asked, what’s different?

In my view, the over arching item is the “Hoji Lock” cuff lock system boasted by the Hoji Pro ski touring boot. Benefits: Probably a true “one motion” touring/downhill lock, but more importantly, stiff yet progressive flex in downhill mode, with minimal to no bulging when you drive your knees forward. Read on for additional comparison details.

September 17, 2018 27 comments

Dynafit Hoji Pro Ski Tour Boot — Fritschi Evo Tecton Toe Jam

by Lou Dawson September 12, 2018

written by Lou Dawson

(This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry)

Knowing the discerning denizens of the jungle known as the internet will pick up on this, I figured we might as well get on it. Essentially, an addendum to Gary’s excellent Hoji review yesterday.

Fritschi Tecton and Evo bindings are known to ‘bump’ your boot toe while touring, sometimes damaging the boot, other times simply being an annoyance or interfering with kick turns while using high heel lifters. Rumor is Fritschi has changed the binding toe to help with this, but until we see that… Click images to enlarge.

We thought it PSA worthy to illustrate that Hoji does exacerbate the effect. Why? Simply because the Hoji tech fittings at the toe are located a few millimeters rearward of the ‘standard’ position, thus moving the toe box closer to the binding ‘bump.’ Is this a deal breaker in terms of pairing the exciting Hoji with the equally compelling Tecton? Perhaps yes for extended ski touring, clearly not if you’re building a rig for mostly downhill use and occasional uphill.

(For those new to ski touring gear, please know that we’re talking specifically about the Fritschi bindings here, most other tech bindings do not present these sorts of problems, and bench testing will tell you the story with any boot-binding combo. Also, important, note this post is not about the boot triggering binding toe opening during forward release. FYI, Hoji does that just fine.)

September 12, 2018 19 comments

Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour Ski Boot – Freeride – Allride

by Gary Smith September 11, 2018

written by Gary Smith

(This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry)

The Hoji Pro Tour tested where it belongs — below the powder. Silver Couloir, CO

Last March was the perfect time to acquire a pair of limited edition tester Hoji Pro Tour boots, and begin dialing them for spring. Colorado was finally getting frozen precipitation, while avalanche danger was reducing at about the same rate as my workload.

I had been following Hoji’s ski touring boot tinkering for years, and had gotten first hand info on his and Fritz Barthel’s “Little Machine” project over a hut brew, in the fabled dining hall of Argentina’s Refugio Frey a couple of summers ago. In Hjorleifson’s observations, the limitations to skiing performance in touring boots come from the lock system between cuff and shell. The various systems all rely on a static catch that allows for play as well as uneven distribution of power from the cuff to the shell. Enter the Hoji Lock. I’ll defer here to Lou’s excellent description of the Hoji Lock system as Lou was privy to the development of this boot since near its conceptual genesis.

Hoji. True skiing performance in a touring boot, coming from an incredible skier with a knack for gear adaptation, and aided by ski touring’s most revolutionary gear developer? The backstory is as great as the boot.

September 11, 2018 70 comments

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