Beginner Ski touring boot recommendation

Heya,

While not exactly a climbing related quest, rather ski mountaineering, I hope some of you guys can give me a bit of advice since I'm kind of lost in this one.
I'm currently preparing to get my first backcountry skiing/ski touring setup. I have read a lot of stuff about how important the boots are so I really want to get this right. First of all I have fairly wide feet with a last of a bit more than 100 mm and a rather low instep (circumference measured at something around 25 cm) and a pretty narrow heel. My bootfitter measured my feet right between 25,5 and 26.
So my initial idea is to get a rather solid boot like a Scarpa Maestrale RS or Atomic Hawx since I'm a solid skier but have been out of business for quite some time and never skied in a touring setup before. My bootfitter quickly steered me away from this and recommended getting lighter boots right away and get a setup for ski mountaineering objectives first and maybe a pair of fatter skis for freeriding/AT if I should be interested in this kind of skiing. I'm not entirely sure if this is the right thing for me because I certainly won't be doing super challenging ski mountaineering objectives right away since I simply lack the technical skills for it. I'm much rather going to do some easy tours, maybe even on piste the first few months, because  I'm starting to get into this with my gf who has quite a bit less experience in alpine skiing than me.
Well anyhow after trying on a lot of boots and spending a stupid amount of time on this I settled with the Dynafit TLT 7 Performance in 25,5. It feels nice and snug all around and my heel feels bomber in them, even when tip toeing around. The problem is walking around in the store for a solid hour I experienced some discomfort in my big toes right away and it did not get much better. I would describe it as hot spots on the upper and medial side of my big toes in the nailbed area (pretty similar to what I sometimes experience in a climbing shoe). I think the problem is that I have constant contact with the shell (maybe it's just the liner though?) in this area since the boot feels a bit short. I have a pretty bad feeling about this because I know this nailbed stuff can be a bitch to deal with and get chronic and hard to fix. The 26 in the TLT 7 has way to much volume and I have to crank down the buckles like crazy to get a similar feet. The Scarpa F1 did not fit as good overall sadly.

So I'm asking you experienced skiers if this is something to worry about or can this be easily fixed with some work on the liner and/or shell? And what do you think about this boot recommendation at all? Would you recommend a boot this light to a beginner in bc skiing? I'm thinking if it would not make more sense to get a more solid boot which can tour and ski nicely and get some ultralight stuff for when you need it. Advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you all in advance!

Cheers

First thing that comes to mind for me is a punch on the big toe side should fix (or at least help) the discomfort. Another thought is a lightweight touring boot isn’t going to ski all that well and this should not be sized like a resort boot, size up and make it comfy. I personally am a total proponent of lighter weight stuff, but, tlt7s will not perform in bounds as well as something like the maestrale. Even so, I’d still stick with the tlt7s as touring will be far more enjoyable. I ski tlt6 performances in bounds with the black stiffening tounge and they do the job, but its not where they’re most at home. If you’re thinking of pushing more in the the ski mountaineering world then the lack of a toe welt on the 7s will get annoying and the adapter that Dynafit makes is a poor fix. Just my 2 cents, good luck!

Keep in mind that all high end ski/touring boots have liners that are designed to be heat molded.  Its difficult to judge comfort without them being properly heal molded to your foot.

My only advice is be honest with yourself regarding your objectives for 90% of the touring you’re doing. The Maestrale RS is a perfectly capable boot for both the up and down and if that’s the boot you were psyched on and felt fit the best then roll with it. If you’re doing 6k-10k of vert in a day and are planning some long approaches and overnighters then by all means go the with a lighter setup.

If you’re going the TLT7 route I would also recommend sticking a Maestrale (Intuition) liner in them and then trying them on. The stock liner is junk and you’ll want to upgrade to an Intuition liner eventually anyway whih will feel much different and you might even have to size up to the 26 to get the Intuition to work with the boot. All that said, I have the TLT7 and love it due to the fit but it doesn’t give me any advantage over my buddies with a Maestrale or S/Lab on a typical day out touring.

I have the Maestrale RS from several seasons ago, had 'em heat molded and they fit like a glove, with no pressure points...light enough for extended touring, bomber on the descents (in and out of bounds)... put them on a few days ago for first day of skiing this season and they're still awesome...some companies use the same liners for sizes/half sizes of boots...a solid backcountry shop can advise on this...

Thanks guys I really appreciate your advice! Well the smaller TLT 7 had the best overall fit from all the boots I tried except the big toe issue. The 26 feels extremely comfortable but I need to crank the buckles as hard as possible to get a good heel fit (which might of course change with a different liner). I also dont quite touch the front of the boot with my feet and I thought that should be the case even for touring boots. Please correct me if I'm wrong about this.
Another problem is the Intuition liners are not readily available in Germany and my shop of choice doesn't have them stocked. Also the TLT is really expensive as it is and another 200 for an aftermarket liner is a bit much though I would probably do it if that leads to a perfect fit. Maybe I need to give the Maestrale another shot I dont exactly remember the way it felt but I guess not quite as nice as the smaller TLT.

Were you trying them on with custom footbeds? These definitely help ensure a good fit in your heal. I think if your toe is pushing out the liner to the point that your touching the shell that you might plan on having shell work done (but I’d spend a day or two in them first). That liner is pretty thin so you wont get more than 3-4mm of space tops.

Regarding getting Intuition liners. You should be able to order the Maestrale Intuition liners from Scarpa through the shop rather than having to order through Intuition.

The Maestrale has a lower instep and similar width (maybe a slightly less rounded toe box). They lightened it up and increased the ROM some so if it fits I highly recommend it. Also, most reputable shops should let you heat mold the liner to see if that seals the deal if you think the Maestrale will fit once you mold it with some toe caps.

Hey Markey,

I do not have custom footbeds yet but I definitely gonna get some at my next visit at the local shop because I have pretty low arched feet and tend to pronating so I think this might help - maybe even enough to stabilize my feet and stay away from the medial shell. I'll try both the TLT 7 and Maestrale with them and let you know how it goes.

Cheers!

Moe Montana wrote: Another problem is the Intuition liners are not readily available in Germany and my shop of choice doesn't have them stocked.

If you're based in Europe and you're looking for an after-market liner then an alternative to Intuition would be Palau ( palau-ski-boot-liners.com/s…). They're a French company.  I used them to replace the stock liners in my Dynafit skimo race boots and they worked well for me.

A bootfitter will have no problem blowing out the toe box of any ski boot so if the heel and instep feel great then that's the right boot for you. Length and width punches are pretty easy to do. Additionally you can stretch the liner beyond what you get from heat moulding with spot heating and stretching.

If the stitching of the liner is irritating your toenails you can unpick it and tape instead. But considering they're Dynafit liners, I would just throw them in the bin and get a good set of Palaus instead.

From the sounds things you want a lighter boot, so sticking with something in the sub 1300g weight class would be ideal. Remember that LaSpo, Fischer and Atomic all make great lightweight boots too, so try them if you haven't yet. 

Hey everyone just wanted to drop by to thank all of you for your great advice, the MP community is awesome!
Seems like I will pay my local shop one more long visit and finally decide on the TLT7 or Maestrale. I really think I'll let this come down to the fit. I will just ask the boot fitter to put a Intuition liner from one of the Scarpas in the bigger TLT 7 and see how that works. Thanks for the tip with the Palau liners I'll look into them as well.

One more thing about the TLT  - I saw a lot of ppl complaining about the missing toe welt of the TLT7 and the resulting incompatibility for automatic crampons. Isn't it just possible to use a semi automatic crampon instead? I don't think I'll climb super hard ice with them and even then I thought meanwhile a good amount of ice climbers prefer semi automatic crampons anyway.

Moe Montana wrote:...Isn't it just possible to use a semi automatic crampon instead?...

yes

Just a short update I was at my local shop again today and decided to pass on the TLT7. Instead I tried on the new Arcteryx Procline AR and they had the best fit of any boot by far.
Wide enough in the toe box (though not as much as the TLT7) but pretty low overall volume and super snug around the ankles and also my skinny calves. I had a custom footbed made and it got even better. I barely need to close the buckles for a great fit. The liner is very comfy and supportive overall.
I highly recommend anybody with a similar shaped foot to try this one out. I will gladly report back once I have taken them out a bit.

Good to hear your happy. The Procline is significantly narrower than any of the other boots you were trying before so I'm skeptical that you have "fairly wide feet". Regardless, a good fit is a good fit.

Briggs Lazalde wrote: Ahhh shit...I have the proclines from 2 years ago....what has changed other than I see a fatter strap?

I think they stopped exploding too

Moe Montana wrote: Isn't it just possible to use a semi automatic crampon instead?

Just an anecdotal word of caution... I used the semi-automatic BD Sabretooth's with my touring boots for a season (even though my boots have a toe welt) and near the end of the season the rivet holding the toe strap onto the crampon failed.  BD replaced the crampons without trouble and the guy handling the return correctly guessed that I had been using them with touring boots. Apparently it isn't uncommon since the metal tech insert can rub right on the crampon rivet and wear it down over time.  Probably not a problem for many, but something to check for with your specific boot and crampon.