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Denali - Ski Boot help

Original Post
sandrock · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 200

Hello,
I plan to climb Denali this June, we are bringing skis to 14camp, still undecided if we'll bring them higer and ski the Orient.

I've been seeing recommendations of buying a full shell size larger in the ski boots to allow for feet to swell at altitude. Would anyone recommend this? Seems like a waste as they won't fit here in Colorado and I will not be able to use them after this trip. Same problem with the overboots.  With a full shell size larger, do people get the Intuition liners a full size larger too? I am normally a size 26 in ski boots.

Any specific recommendations on ski boots? La Sportiva has a sale right now so I'm looking at the Spectre

thanks!

Thaddeus F Baringer · · Boulder, CO · Joined Dec 2016 · Points: 0

My brother and I did that (used boots a size larger) and it was awful to ski in. He actually fell and tweaked his knee skiing, which he attributed completely to the boot being too big. Due to weather we didn't make it past 14k, so I can't comment on the swelling, but when we go back we will be taking our regular ski boots. If you do get boots a size up definitely use them a lot before your trip so you get a feel for how they ski! (Stupidly we did not...)

I use the spectre as my standard ski boot and like it. Then again I stick to less steep slopes than the orient!

Cheers

Clint Helander · · Anchorage, AK · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 617

I have the spectre and I’ve climbed Denali three times. I’ve never used my ski boots, but I live in Alaska and think those are warm enough for Denali. I would recommend fitting a Forty Below overboot on your boots for summit day, just to be safe. I wouldn’t oversize, but I might recommend taking the boot to a special boot fitter and getting the toe box stretched out to make sure your toes aren’t too constrained. That may also allow you to wear a thicker sock if needed. 

Lots of friends have gone up there with their regular BC ski boots numerous times and never reported major problems. Either way, the skiing at 11 and 14 is good.

Martin le Roux · · Superior, CO · Joined Jul 2003 · Points: 416

You don't want your boots to be so tight that you cut off circulation to your toes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you need to go a full size up. If your boots are too loose you'll compromise your skiing, and you may get blisters on the uphill.

If you're replacing the stock liners with Intuitions I'd get the Intutions in your regular size, but put in some extra padding around your toes when you have them molded. A liner that's slightly too tight out of the box can be molded to fit, but a liner that's too loose won't shrink.

You may or may not need a larger shell. Depending on the boot, a size 26 may be the same shell as a 26.5. In that case you may have enough room to accommodate a thicker liner without changing the shell size.

Some people have had success with overboots, but not everyone (see e.g. wildsnow.com/27125/denali-2…). I prefer insulated supergaiters (e.g. mtntools.com/cat/techwear/G…). They're not quite as warm as overboots but they're less likely to interfere with bindings or crampons.

By way of background, I'm a mediocre skier and my feet get cold very easily. But I've worn a pair of Dynafit TLT6s to the summit of Mt Logan up in the Yukon and returned with my toes intact.

sandrock · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 200

Awesome guys! Thanks everyone for the great advice. I'll go with my regular boot size in the Spectre. Will get some overboots or supergators. My feet do run cold so I will plan to upgrade to liners to intuition.

thanks!!!!

wisam · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 60

I used my regular boots and didn’t notice them fitting any tighter on summit day or any other part of the trip. Obviously it’s an individual thing but if I did have swelling of my feet it wasn’t enough to notice or I’m not that observant.  I was glad to have overboots though!  

Kevin Bradford · · Boise · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 228

We skied from the summit in early June of 2017 and I wore my regular fitting ski boots and intuition pro liners. Others in my crew had slightly roomier fitting boots and commented that they were no problem. Most importantly, we all tested out our Denali setups by ski touring in -20 temps several times the previous winter. Of course on summit day it was 15 above and our feet were totally fine.

Linnaeus · · ID · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 0

I have owned the Spectres (orig version, black and yellow) and also the Sideral 2.0 and more recently got the Spitfire 2.1. I have not been to Denali but toured a lot in these boots.

If you haven't purchased yet, I would recommend you get the Sideral, Spitfire, or a similar lighter 2 buckle boot and not the Spectre. The Spectre are awesome ski boots but are more boot (and weight) than I think you would need. The Sideral skis almost as well as the Spectre, but it tours so much better and has a lot more cuff articulation. An additional Powerstrap at the top (I have a big 2" wide one off some Langes) makes an impressive difference in the downhill performance, especially with a big pack. Pro tip: don't attach the Powerstrap to the boot with the screw, simply add it for downhills but remove it altogether for longer uphills. There were also some design flaws in the biggest size of the Spectres which always annoyed me, although I don't think this was a problem for your shell size. If you did get the Spectre, they are still a great boot, consider removing the lowest toe buckle to save weight. 

sandrock · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 200

Thanks Linnaeus, it looks like the Spitfire and Sideral are being discontinued. Which model do you recommend instead? The Sytron?

Gerrit Verbeek · · Anchorage, AK · Joined Sep 2017 · Points: 0

For what it's worth, the AT boots with the best reputations in this area for mountaineering and long tours are the Dynafit TLT6 and TLT7, the Scarpa Maestrale and F1 Evo, and the Atomic Backland Carbons. I can't vouch for them personally because they don't fit my feet, but all are supposedly lightweight, warm and have the biggest range of motion in walk mode compared to other boots.

Linnaeus · · ID · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 0

Hi Sandrock,

I was out touring today on my Sideral 2.0 today with 192cm skis with a 116mm waist and the boots drove those big skis just fine! I have not skied or seen the new Sportiva boots in person. However, looking at Skimo.co website and scoping out the new La Sportiva Sytron and Skorpius (and reading the Q&A for the Skorpius, which looks helpful), it appears that the Skorpius is the heir apparent to the Spitfire. I would check those out. Also lots of great options from other manufacturers, like the Scarpa F1.

There are some posts on wildsnow.com that worth checking out, acknowledging that boot technology has changed a lot since some of those posts that are ~10y old wildsnow.com/?s=denali+boot  

You should also bring your desired crampons when you buy the boots or sort it out before you go on your trip. In my shell size (31) and with the rocker sole contour, I had to bend/modify some front bails to work well with my boots. It may not be a problem with different sizes or models, but you wouldn't want to test fit on the glacier.

Jeff Bone · · SLC, UT · Joined May 2015 · Points: 35

I would highly recommend Scarpa F1,Tecnica Zero G and probably the LS Skorpius (but the Skorpius is a first generation boot, so taking some chance with that) I would not go with the Sytron, that boots is too complicated and I have already seen issues with walk mode/top latch.The Backland has a great walk mode, but does not ski great and the liner is on the thin side. I would not go with the TLT8 due to the lack of a toe welt and complex buckle system that can also break, consider the Expedition over the Carbonio due to liner thickness if you do go with TLTs. It does really boil down to what fits your foot though, try to get with a competent fitter for a trip as important as Denali. Give Skimoco a call or email, there's at least 2 guys there that have Denali skiing experience and love talking boots.

mwoodsh · · Helena, MT · Joined Aug 2016 · Points: 0

i did fine in my run of the mill, normal sized dynafit radicals. would agree on the overboot suggestion, though careful with those and crampons - the crampons don't lock down as well as you think due to the neoprene and seem to pop fairly often.

have fun!

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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