Newbie Questions on a Light BC Setup

[Ullrsson]

I have some Garmont Cruiser leathers (basically a copy of the Asolo Extreme I think). They are two buckle with plastic reinforcement in the cuff. I've driven a 95mm waist ski with them. I think edge control is not as precise as a plastic boot, but it's do-able.

[fisheater]

You might broaden your boot search (I see you are looking for used on the turnaround) to include heavy duty leather -- see how that goes and get the plastic if still desired when available. Just a thought.

stilltryin, any suggestions on heavier leathers to take a look at? My experience ends with the NNBC Alaska and I'm definitely looking for something stiffer/more dh oriented that those...thanks!

These are stiff, definitely downhill oriented. I think they tour much better than T-4. However they are stiff, and if they don’t fit they will hurt your feet. I was the lucky guy they fit.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/233148426078?h ... SwFhZdh38f

[JVSki]

Thanks for the wisdom everyone! I pulled the trigger on an S-Bound 112/T4 combo, should arrive in time for our Yellowstone tour next month...looking forward to giving a report.

Happy New Year all!

[lilcliffy]

Happy New Year to you!

Curious- what is the terrain/topography like where you will be touring with this setup?

[JVSki]

@lilcliffy Mostly low angle stuff in the Boise/McCall/Ketchum areas...mainly looking to get off trail a bit on our longer xc adventures and hunt for some turns in meadows and mellow slopes. Nothing extreme, but I'm still a bit of a beginner at telemark so wanted some heftier gear than my old BC70s to play with. I think at most I'd probably take them to the skin track and green runs at our local hill for mid-week practice.

The setup worked a treat for some light bc exploring in Yellowstone last week, so I'm pretty stoked on it! I did have one more question for the brain trust though...has anyone encountered a boot/binding fit issue with the T4s and Voile 3pin Traverses?

I'm finding that the duckbill on the T4s seems to be wide enough that I'm having trouble sliding the boots far enough forward in the binding to engage the pins cleanly. The boot wants to fall short and the pins line up in front of the pin holes on the duckbills, and clipping back in mid-tour I missed and piloted some new pin holes. I borrowed a friend's pair of older 3-buckle T1s and they slide in just fine and align perfectly, so though I'm chalking it up to newbie user error, I wondered if other folks had encountered similar compatibility issues?

[Nick BC]

Sounds like your duckbill is not standard. I’ve had the same problem with a pair of LiteDogz and T3’s. Take a drill with a sanding disc(]carefully) or some sand paper and sand down the sides of the duckbill until it seats properly.

[JVSki]

Thanks, Nick! that's similar to what the TelemarkDown folks (where I got the boots) suggested...guess it's time to bust out the calipers and the sander.