Ski boots-Suggestions please!

I will be riding on marker kingpin 13s, on 106x165 skis.

I know Jack shit about skiing except it’s pretty fun, I’m not very good at it (yet), and it will make getting to and from ice climbs more fun.

I’m a heavier climber/skier, and will likely use the skis a lot carrying heavy multi day bags.

My planned usage is about 50/50 resort-backcountry with the majority of the resort skiing being chill laps after work. I’m kind of jumping into the skiing thing headfirst, and am asking the internet to give me all of your YGD advice. (But also some boot recs) 

Cheers! 

Fit is paramount. Get fitted at a reputable shop. No one who knows what they’re doing would recommend a particular boot to you without knowing how they fit your feet.

I don’t skis pins in the resort do to the unpredictable release values on firm resort snow. I think that might be even more relevant for a beginner who will likely take some unconventional and unpredictable falls, but there are certainly people out there riding pins exclusively at the resort. Just don’t lock the toes, particularly as a beginner, that that’s a really bad idea.

Finally, weight really matters; unfortunately, there’s almost a perfect inverse relationship between ride quality and weight. So, if you get serious about resort and backcountry skiing, my best advice would be to buy two separate setups. It might sound excessive for someone just getting into the sport to have two skis, but it’s really like climbing shoes, you need different tools for different applications. You’ll be so much happier, and safer, if you buy a heavy resort setup with a conventional alpine binding and a separate lightweight backcountry setup with pins. It might even save you some money in the long run because a lightweight backcountry setup will not last long at the resort with frequent use.

Depends on your foot. I love nordicas for my foot shape (wide forefoot, skinny heel, tall instep) but everyone is different.

Take some lessons. If doing mostly resort that's not our west you may want skinner skis.

Are you planning on carrying your ice climbing boots in addition to touring in your ski boots?  Will the tours to reach ice be very long or steep?  How much do you care about ski quality?

Without knowing more I'd suggest Atomic Backland XTDs if you'll also be carrying climbing boots and Backland carbons (non-XTD) if you plan to climb in your ski boots.  If the tours are very short and you don't mind a boot that prioritizes skiing over range of motion while touring then you should try on the many boots that fit that category and pick the one that fits your foot the best.  Also, this kind of question fits better in Tech Talk on TGR.

Find a ski touring/mountaineering oriented shop and get fitted. It should be a shop where they also sell climbing gear. If there are facebook or meetup groups for ski touring, ask them where they go. It's pretty common to go through 2-3 boot configurations ($$) when you're new. Your foot will also change as you ski

Ideally you'll be able to hike for miles, ski, and climb in these boots, and these uses have contradictory requirements.

Your foot doesn't change as you ski, you just got a bad fit. There are things like cuff and other factors that can make touring uncomfortable outside of pure foot fit, but the only thing that actually changes feet (beyond extensive weight change or weird injuries) is pregnancy. 

Big fan of the Salomon Mtn S Lab Summit boots. Over 60 days this season on them, and some mountaineering (Rainier, Baker) on them. Most of those days were touring, used them inbound maybe 8 days and still held up well.

Several of my friends love their Dynafit TLT’s. I just bought a pair of the new TLT 10’s i’m excited to try this season. Super light, but still a hard charging boot. 

Don't just go to one shop. They find the best thing they have for you and that's it. Go to multiple shops and try every brand and model you can. It usually takes me going to about 3 shops to find the right boot. I always find one that fits great off the shelf, offers great performance, and all day comfort.

Max R wrote:

Several of my friends love their Dynafit TLT’s. I just bought a pair of the new TLT 10’s i’m excited to try this season. Super light, but still a hard charging boot. 

Dynafit makes wonderful touring boots, but unless it's a 4 buckle boot, it's probably not "hard charging" in ski terms (notable exception to the old Salomon Ghost boots with gigantic buckles and those people that really vibe with Dalbello krypton/flexon styles).

A hard charging touring boot is going to be heavy and stiff, like a Lange XT3 140 or a Nordica Unlimited 130. That said, unless you have a ski racing background or are concerned with stomping landings on jumps in the double digits - you don't need a hard charging boot to enjoy yourself. 

This is a good basic guide to fitting, but you really should ask around with the racer or other crowds to understand who the best fitters in an area are until you're comfortable self-serving. Pay close attention to the shell fit section and research how much liners of different brands pack out. You can correct slightly with things like Zipfits or Intuitions (custom style liners), but ideally you should avoid that unless you have many hundreds lying around you don't need (these are better spent on additional climbing gear and/or additional sets of skis)

https://www.evo.com/guides/how-to-try-on-ski-boots

Samuel Ridgley wrote:

I will be riding on marker kingpin 13s, on 106x165 skis.

I know Jack shit about skiing except it’s pretty fun, I’m not very good at it (yet), and it will make getting to and from ice climbs more fun.

I’m a heavier climber/skier, and will likely use the skis a lot carrying heavy multi day bags.

My planned usage is about 50/50 resort-backcountry with the majority of the resort skiing being chill laps after work. I’m kind of jumping into the skiing thing headfirst, and am asking the internet to give me all of your YGD advice. (But also some boot recs) 

Cheers! 

From your signature, you appear to be in Cleveland.

My guess is that there are not any good ski mountaineering shops in the Cleveland area, and therefore you will be required to buy your gear over the internet.

If this is the case, I suggest that you do this through a specialty shop such as Ski Mo Co, or Cripple Creek.    

https://skimo.co/

https://cripplecreekbc.com/

Both of those shops have staff that actually know things about the gear they sell and can help you find something to suit your foot and your goals.  

Fit is paramount, and your foot shape will largely determine what boot you will be happy with.  

Kai Larson wrote:

From your signature, you appear to be in Cleveland.

My guess is that there are not any good ski mountaineering shops in the Cleveland area, and therefore you will be required to buy your gear over the internet.

If this is the case, I suggest that you do this through a specialty shop such as Ski Mo Co, or Cripple Creek.    

https://skimo.co/

https://cripplecreekbc.com/

Both of those shops have staff that actually know things about the gear they sell and can help you find something to suit your foot and your goals.  

Fit is paramount, and your foot shape will largely determine what boot you will be happy with.  

But only one of them didn't sell Wildsnow.com to some shitbirds. Always go with Skimo.co 

Thank you all for the excellent advice! I certainly picture myself eventually having a 3 ski quiver, 1 resort, 1 touring/climbing, and 1 crossover.
Im hoping that my current setup (kingpins) will get me through a couple of years and allow me to get out there and learn what I need to. I think it will work fine because I do not plan to ski very “hard charging”, really just want control.
Just like with other outdoors activities, I’m guessing there is no replacement for lived experience as a resource.

If anyone has a reason why the kingpins would not work for this reason, I would appreciate the info! 

The question: “will I ice climb in my ski boots or carry my ice boots” - I have no clue. I’ve never done anything like this on skis. My Gut reaction is that it depends on what I’m climbing. If I’m trying to do some steeper more technical climbing, I’d probably carry boots. If I’m just doing snow/ice like WI2 or so, I imagine I’d just go at it with the ski boots

Additionally, I appreciate the sentiment that I need to get my foot measured, and will try to figure out a way to do that. There are no local ski shops that carry touring gear in any volume, but there are a handful of regular ski shops.

Question is: If I go and get measured for an alpine ski boot, do I just size up .5 mondo and pick the same brand touring boot?

followup question: with the additional info about my hopes and dreams for these skis, should I go ahead and get a dedicated resort setup (possibly everything used) just to get those downhill miles in? It would kinda suck to drop that cash, but if these hybrid bindings are really that dangerous, I don’t want to be learning on them.

Touring boots will often be completely different lasts, though sometimes they are not. It depends on which two boots you're comparing. You also should not assume that a sloppier fit for touring is required, as that kind of sizing rule only applies if you're coming off very low volume race/performance boots, not normal ski boots, and many manufacturers just take care of that by using a bigger last for touring boots.

For example, the most performant boots for Nordica are 96 or 98mm lasts, but the touring comes in 99, closer to the 100 of the high performance boot than the 96 of the race oriented dobermann's. 

I learned on dynafit bindings and was fine. As one data point of anecdotal data. I also know of one mountain guide who only skis on AT bindings because he wants to ski the same way at resorts as he would in the field to better become one with his equipment. For sure newer downhill bindings do help you eject at the right times and not at the wrong times on a more regular basis.

That being said after a year of only AT setup I went out and got some used downhill skis because I could see I was missing out on a greater experience at the resorts. I do think they helped me learn how to ski better as well. 

Thank you all! This (as always) has been a productive MP post for me.
I’ll go get measured, shop around and try to try on some boots.
I’ll hold off on buying a set of downhill skis for the time being until I get some more miles under my touring set-up. this will also help because I’d like to get a set of beater downhill that I can use here in Ohio, and I want to wait until I learn more about what kind of skis I’d want for midwestern conditions. 
Getting the same size ski boots in both touring and downhill makes sense.
 

Samuel Ridgley wrote:

followup question: with the additional info about my hopes and dreams for these skis, should I go ahead and get a dedicated resort setup (possibly everything used) just to get those downhill miles in? It would kinda suck to drop that cash, but if these hybrid bindings are really that dangerous, I don’t want to be learning on them.

If you aren't already a skier then I highly recommend that you buy some used skis and bindings cheap and buy some new alpine boots that are on the soft side that fit your foot well and spend a season or two learning how to ski well.  Use snowshoes to access ice climbs until you are proficient on skis.  Backcountry skiing can be very challenging as a result of varying snow surfaces/conditions, tight maneuvering conditions (especially if you're trying to follow an approach trail downhill through the trees), and some level of remoteness.  All of this is addressed in a ski area.  Used alpine equipment is better to learn on and will be much cheaper than used touring equipment.  On top of that you'll learn a lot about skiing and develop specific preferences as you gain experience.

Heartily agree with Jason - Getting a dedicated downhill setup (though note, many have replaceable boot blocks now, so you can swap between downhill and tech bindings) and just putting in laps will do a ton for you. Skiing is very dependent on quality time in, which is nearly impossible to get only touring unless you have endless free time and aerobic capacity. I'd also highly recommend getting some quality instruction, as there's a lot of counterintuitive things about skiing in general. An example would be our natural reaction to being scared on skis - we lean back, which generally makes us go faster and in less control as we release the tip engagement so we can't turn and only use the flattest surface of the ski (flat=fast). Training good body position and muscles takes time and observation. 

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely be thinking about getting a dedicated downhill setup, mostly for the sake of learning. I do have a resort pass this year, and drive past a resort on my way home from work (an Ohio resort, so not too exciting). I plan on trying to get as many after work laps as I can this year.

That being said, I’ll almost certainly start the season with just my touring set, and go from there.

I’ll make learning a priority, and may be alternating sessions with alpine/touring Kits.
There is a lot for me to learn, but I am more than willing to do so. I’ll also look into taking some sort of intro/intermediate skiing lesson, just to make sure I am starting off with correct mechanics.  

FWIW the skimo guys/gals do a great job online and over the phone. I got boots from them online and their fitment details over the phone worked well, just had to get the liner molded locally. YMMV

Look into a season rental for alpine gear. They often let you trade in for different gear. So you can start on a shorter ski and move up as you progress. You can also try different things and see what you like. Or as mentioned look for used skis (a drawback is if you don't know how to work on your own bindings you have to wait/pay to get them adjusted to your boot). Spend time finding a good new boot, but don't feel like you need to spend a lot. IMO most people buy boots that are too stiff. For years I skied on race boots which are really only good for hard snow. I try to ski mostly powder days or in the park and it's way better for me to have plenty of flex at my ankle so I can drive my knees forward and maintain a balanced position on my skis (not in the backseat.)

Lessons are great. You'll progress probably 10 times faster taking lessons. Even the best skiers in the world have coaches who are basically giving them lessons no matter how good they get. 

I grew up alpine and cross country skiing and poo pooed snowshoes in the past (since XC/AT/telemark is typically way more efficient). But I got some a couple years ago and they're great for certain situations. In tight trees. For short distances where you don't want too skin up. For crappy snow conditions. Likewise telemarks with fishscales are good for some situations like places with low snow and small hills (midwest?). You don't have to skin up and can transition from slight uphills to downhills easily, great for rolling hills type topography.