New Ski Boots – AT or Alpine?

Ski boots. For so many of us, buying boots is a fairly arduous process. Everything from choosing a boot, getting it fitted properly, breaking it in, dealing with custom vs stock liners…there are lots of decisions involved in getting new boots. Add to that, over the last five years, both alpine ski boot makers and alpine touring boot makers have converged on what is becoming one of the fastest growing segments in the ski boot market – AT boots that perform like alpine boots: the one boot to do it all.

Up until the last couple of years, the ever important walk mode and touring binding compatibility was something we just couldn’t get in a regular ski boot. So most of us had two pairs of boots. One that performed like a racing boot going down but offered no help or weight savings on the way up and one boot that was great to ski tour in, but really only offered the performance of a spaghetti noodle going down. Having two pairs of boots sucks. 

While several boot makers have spent the better part of the last five to ten years trying to offer a light, stiff boot that performed like a regular ski boot but offered a walk mode, binding compatibility and Vibram-like soles, most, up until the last two years, have failed. But over the last two seasons, a few companies have really stepped up their game and are closer than ever to offering up one boot that can do it all.

I’ve had several pairs of touring boots, from the old Scarpa Denalis to the Garmont Adrenaline, the Scarpa Skookum, the BD Factor to the Dynafit Titan TF-X and I have to say, all of those boots paled in comparison to my regular ski boots when it came to descending. But boot makers have come a long way, especially those that have gone into the touring segment. AT Boots from traditional boot makers like Lange and Salomon have pushed touring boot companies to come up with better boots. There’s no reason, with modern technology, that boot makers can’t offer one boot to do it all, and do it all well.

And the top three out there, in my opinion, are the Black Diamond Factor, Scarpa Freedom and the new K2 Pinnacle 130. Aside from K2, which is making its first foray into the ski boot world, Scarpa and BD have both spent the last five years fine tuning their beefier boots and now, I think, really do offer something that you could ski a hundred and fifty days on,  be it on the hill or in the backcountry. Both offer Dynafit compatibility, lug soles, good walk modes and relatively light weight. They punch well and have a good, stiff, progressive flex.

As for the K2, I chose that because they have started at a time when they can take everything that’s worked and not worked from other companies and come up with something that offers all the best points of everything else out there. The boots ski well, they offer a stiff flex,  good walk mode and best of all, two options for width: a low volume 97mm last and a more normal 102mm last.

So if you’re out to buy boots this year, don’t discount having just one boot for everything. There’s so much more on offer out there both in terms of performance touring boots and a fit to suit just about every foot that maybe it’s time to forgo your world cup race stock boots and find one boot that will truly do it all.

Be safe, ski hard.