introduction

[Johnny]

Hey Cristi!

Cool move about throwing away your AT gear! Welcome to the telly club!! (Next stop: get your hands on a pair of leather shoes... ; )

Nice backyard! Show us more!
What are those Fischer skis? What model?

[merak]

I come from leather (Salomon Pro Ice - with Diamir binding). I never liked heavy gear.
Actually I'm considering buying leathers but maybe in Autumn. I only saw pictures on the internet and Alpina Alaska 75 caught my attention. What would you recommend? Can you walk with them on the approach routes? I like being very light.

Those are AT - Fischer X-tralight but they are badly damaged. Now I bought some second hand blizzard tour cross model that's a bit wider.

Do you use the cables on the bindings. I don't really feel the need for them but I would use them to protect the pins.
How long does the pins last?

[Johnny]

Cables are useless, especially with plastic boots like your T4s... And they will only crunch your feet with leathers...

Pins are pretty much indestructible... But if you worry about pinholes, you can always add smiley plates under your boots...

I have two pairs of Alaska 75, so I can only recommend them... I walk, hike and drive with them without any problem... Check the review section of the forum... I think MikeK might have a pair of Alaska and Svartisen still for sale...?

Hey, how do the Pro Ices feel with the Diamirs? I'm curious... I've never been into mountaineering boots, (opted for tele and leathers from the beginning...) but that looks like fun...!

[MikeK]

Yes, still for sale. Alaska I have 44 and 39. Crispi I have 38, but I'm trying to get a friend of mine to take those. It's her size and she'll have no excuse not to ski

[merak]

I would like to buy those Alaska 44 though it's a bit overhead. I have no ideea how much extra money would take to ship to Europe.

Pro ice + diamir... it wasn't an intentional choice. I wouldn't recomend them for ski. They don't give too much ankle support but I skied a lot with them until they wore out. I think I improved my skiing technique using them. Now I'm reversing the process using T4 )).

I did a lot of rock climbing and mountaineering but I gave up for some years... that's the explanation for using Pro Ice.

I like leathers for this reason: now in April I have to do a lot of walking up to the snow so I need a boot to suit both skiing and walking.

[MikeK]

Would be nearly $70 USD or about 63 Euro to ship.

Probably cheaper to find them in Europe for what I'm asking. Would cost you nearly 200 Euro with shipping.

Would probably be better for you to buy a pair of Crispi Svartisen or the like from Adventure Nordique or Telemark Pyrenees next season once they have more sizes in stock. Right now 43 and 44 are not available.

I don't know where you could find an Alpina Alaska in Europe? I see the Explorer 75mm is available. It's a similar boot but not the same. Might be better... who knows? Based on price I don't think so. I think it's a cheaper version.

http://en.aventurenordique.com/explorer-75-alpina.html

Do you have to pay a VAT in Romania Cristi?

[dschane]

Skiing in leather (or plastic) mountaineering boots is fucking hard. They offer next to zero support, so yeah, your balance is going to get dialed in if you do that. And skiing in leather mountaineering in Diamir Fritschi bindings is insane -- one good bump and flex, and I'd think you pop out of the bindings. Silvrettas are shitty bindings, except for approaching climbs in mountaineering boots. But, now that AT boots are so light and comfortable, I imagine most use them with Dynafit bindings. Regardless, looking at the terrain you play in, I personally would go for a comfortable and sturdy plastic boot -- my favorite is the T2 Eco. That's against the grain of this place, but it's comfortable and offers great support. Hiked in them on mellow ground for an hour before we could skin up yesterday, and they were great. I don't find T4s comfortable, the low cuff is irritating hiking up steep rocky terrain and doesn't offer much support when skiing down. In my view, leather tele boots are great for rolling terrain, mellow tours, etc.

[MikeK]

There's no grain - just a lot of people who ski rolling terrain, mellow tours, etc... here.

Don't get the stigma that everything has to be a certain way because a particular person favors said thing. It just so happens that certain individuals congregated at certain forums which were more or less accepting of certain ways of skiing. That's it. Carry on.

[merak]

I have time to buy until next winter. Thanks.

I agree with dschane up to a point. I'm not an athlete or professional skier and I'm not willing to spend an insane amount of money on gear. In my opinion the ski industry has evolved into a commercial direction. The ski gear is very expensive.

About T4: uphills remove those ?toungues?? in front. I put them on the outside of the buckles when uphill.

I skied narrow and step(40% maybe more) with this T4 + 3-pin. On normal slopes really offers more then enough support ... at least for me. I'm sure it's better with a descent AT boot like Dynaffit but it is not cheap.

I want an alternative for Spring skiing when a lot of walking is involved. Alaska 75 would be ideal for me. I first saw them on Amazon and instantly liked them. They sure look like a true mountaineering boot with duckbill. Maybe the time will come for mountaineering boots with TLT inserts.

[CIMA]

I want an alternative for Spring skiing when a lot of walking is involved. Alaska 75 would be ideal for me.

What type of ski tour are you considering? And, what snow conditions are you expecting in that tour?
I sometimes take a day trip on skinny skis with NNN/SNS BC setup in spring at the mountains over 2,000m.