Ski touring boots: what are they and how to choose the best pair
Do you absolutely love skiing and want to broaden your on-snow horizons? Are you an athlete who’s looking for a great way to train outside in winter? Are you interested in some fun, cold-weather adventure? If your answer is ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, then you should really check out ski touring.
And if you’ve already made the decision to dedicate your life to skiing virgin powder and enjoying the beauty of the alpine, and you’re beginning the process of gearing up, then this article will fill you in on what will be a key acquisition: ski touring boots.
How are ski touring boots different from alpine ski boots?
A good way to begin this discussion is to answer the question, “how are ski touring boots different from alpine ski boots?” First and foremost are the features that enable skiers to move uphill smoothly and efficiently. These include:
- Ski/walk mechanism – this is a feature that unlocks the cuff of the boot so the ankle can be flexed freely, which allows the skier to move uphill using a regular walking motion. When the skier is ready to ski down, she simply flicks a lever to lock the cuff back into place.
- Tech/pin fittings at heel and toe – metal fittings at the heel and toe of the boot make ski touring boots compatible with ski touring bindings called tech bindings or pin bindings. Learn more about how to use ski touring bindings.
- Grippy sole – there are times when backcountry skiers need to take off their skis to make their way across rocky or very steep terrain. Ski touring boots feature a grippy, lugged sole that increases traction when walking on rocks, snow, ice or slippery après-ski bar floors.
- Light weight – alpine ski boots are heavy, and backcountry skiers can’t afford to use equipment that slows them down and that sucks all their energy before they’re ready to shred the down. To overcome this, touring ski boot designers have been thinking outside the box and have come up with some amazingly innovative designs combined with cutting-edge materials to shave weight while maintaining performance.
- Comfort – as opposed to alpine skiing where quick downhill blasts are interrupted by time spent ‘resting’ on a ski lift, backcountry skiers rarely take the pressure off their boots. This means ski boots must also feature increased comfort, which is made especially challenging by the cuff’s need to flex while moving uphill.
How to find the best ski touring boots
There’s an astonishing number of ski touring boots available so doing your due diligence so that you find the perfect pair for you is essential. And the best way to do that is to start with an honest evaluation of your skill level, how you plan to use your boots, your foot shape and which ski touring bindings will best suit your needs.
- Skill level – making an honest assessment of where your skiing is at now and where you want it to be in the near future will go a long way towards finding boots that are not too stiff, not too soft, but juuuuuuust right. (Learn more about ski boot flex.)
- How you’ll use your ski touring boots – is most of the time in these boots going to be spent deep in the backcountry experiencing remote wilderness in your search for untracked powder? Are you an endurance athlete who wants to test your skills by entering ski mountaineering races? Are you planning on taking advantage of the new skin tracks at your local resort to add a new dimension to your winter workouts? Or do you want to take your skiing to the next level by charging big steep lines and the kind of challenging terrain that can’t be found inside the resort? Asking yourself these kinds of questions before you start your search for the ultimate ski touring boot will enable you to narrow your search to models that are specifically designed for all-day comfort, uphill speed, all-mountain ski-ability, or high-performance descents.
- Foot shape – while some bootfitters might tell you they can make any boot fit any foot, the truth is that the closer the boot matches the shape of your foot, the less they will have to manipulate the boot to make it perform comfortably. And the less the boot is manipulated, the better it will hold its custom-fit shape.
Binding compatibility
Unfortunately, not all ski touring boots are compatible with all ski touring bindings. So defining the kind of skiing you’ll be doing is a big step forward in terms of determining what kind of binding will be most appropriate: tech/pin, frame binding, or hybrid. Once that is decided, you can then eliminate boots that are not compatible with your preferred binding. Following is a list of soles commonly found on touring bootsImportant: to ensure you get the security and performance you expect and need from your bindings, make absolutely certain that your ski touring boots and bindings are 100% compatible.
- ISO 9523 – boots with ISO 9523 feature the tech fittings at toe and heel that make them compatible with tech/pin bindings. They are also compatible with MNC bindings and Sole.ID bindings. ISO 9523 boots feature rockered, grippy rubber soles for easy walking.
- Gripwalk – boots with GripWalk soles can feature tech fittings at toe and heel that make them compatible with tech/pin bindings. They are also compatible with MNC bindings, WTR bindings, and Sole.ID bindings and feature rockered, grippy soles for easy walking.
- Non-compliant – boots with non-compliant soles feature tech fittings at toe and heel that make them compatible with tech/pin bindings. Boots with non-compliant soles are most often found in ski mountaineering and racing touring boots, which of course, are all about speed. In order to reduce weight, designers have started from scratch to develop boots without the typical toe and heel ledge that enable them to fit into alpine touring bindings.
Learn more about how to use ski touring bindings.
A few last words…
- Ease of use – enjoying your time in the backcountry is all about moving smoothly and efficiently. In addition, being able to move quickly when needed reduces the amount of time spent in exposed areas. Because of this, the easier it is to transition from walking to skiing and vice versa is not only a matter of convenience, but also of safety.
- Find a professional bootfitter – in recent years, ski boots have become remarkably comfortable straight out of the box. Nonetheless, all skiers feet are different and to squeeze the utmost performance out of your amazing new ski boots, we suggest taking them to a professional boot fitter to be custom fit. The interface between your feet and your boots is a critical link in the chain between your body and your skis, and the more precisely your boots fit, the better your skiing will be and the happier and stronger your whole body will feel throughout your excursion.
- Show the love – after each mission, remove the liners from your shells and the footbeds from your liners and set them out to dry. Avoid the temptation of putting them close to a heat source because the heat can deform the shape of your liners and shells. Take care of your boots and your boots will take care of you. On top of that, they’ll also smell a whole lot better!
So there you have it. Hopefully, this is enough information to get you started on the search to find the best ski touring boots for you. And while it’s helpful to get advice and recommendations from other skiers, it’s important to remember that every skier is different and what works great for one person might not be what’s best for another. So make an honest evaluation of your own skills and goals and before you know it, you’ll be making effortless turns in virgin powder, just you and a couple of ski buddies and no one else in sight.
Happy touring!
To learn more about ski touring including things like backcountry safety gear basics, how to use ski skins, and how to properly dress for ski touring check out our Skiing Stories and Guides page.