Targeted best for 40% uphill / 60% downhill.ħ0-60 flex rating is the quintessential lightweight multi-day hut-to-hut touring boot. In this date and age, the category's ambassador in this stiffness range is the Dynafit TLT 5 Series, an important change of paradigm in the AT boot universe induced by advances in both design and technology. The definitive boot that epitomized the category at the time was the Scarpa Denali (in its various evolutions), well-liked among guides and patrollers in both North America and Europe. They are softer boots than the "Free Touring" variety, light enough for extended touring but with enough stiffness for decent downhill performance. Almost all come with 4 buckles, the stiffest tongues, both ISO and DIN-compatible soles and are best for 30% uphill / 70% downhill.Ĩ0-75 flex rating used to be the stiffest boots you could get at the dawn of the 21st century. In the last few years, Dynafit's "Green Machine" has taken this category by storm. Given the improvements in stiffness, many users buy these boots as their "quiver of one" for both piste and off piste skiing. He probably ski them with Marker Dukes too, so best for 10% uphill / 90% downhill.ĩ5-85 flex rating is the new breed of "Free Touring" boots good for single-day BC forays and mixed on-piste/sidecountry use. These features make them most appropriate for the sidecountry skier that wants the stiffest boot with Vibram soles for the ocassional bootpack through rocky terrain. Only stiff Lange race plugs are above them in terms of stiffness. They have absolutely nothing to envy proper alpine skiing boots in terms of downhill performance and in most cases they will feel at home in alpine bindings too. A single alpine boot brand's flex range (in this case, Salomon) makes for better comparability in contrast to mixing flex ranges from Lange, Tecnica or Nordica.ī) Once the stiffest AT/Freeride boots flex ratings have been established, the ratings of the softer AT boots were established down the flex range fine-tuning up or down according to, again, maggots' input.ġ00 - Salomon X-Wave 9 ("a notch or two above Denali TT")ĩ5 - Salomon Gun ("Endorphin not as stiff")ĩ0 - Salomon X-Wave 8 ("the Endorphins are comparable", "if my x-wave 8 is really a flex index of 90, instead of 80 like I thought, I could agree with the fact that the FR Aero is an 80")ġ10 - Dynafit Vulcan, Black Diamond Factor 130ġ00 - Dynafit Titan/UL, Scarpa Maestrale RS, Scarpa Hurricane*, Black Diamond Factor 110, Garmont Cosmosĩ5 - Dynafit ONE, Scarpa Typhoon/Skookum (stiff tongue), BD Quadrant, Garmont Endorphin, Garmont Axonĩ0 - Dynafit ZZeus, Dynafit Aero Freeride (4-buckle), Garmont Orbit, Garmont RadiumĨ5 - Dynafit Zzero CF 4-buckle (the "old" Green Machine), Scarpa Tornado/Pro (black tongue), Scarpa Spirit 4 (black tongue), Garmont Adrenaline, Black Diamond Method, Salomon Ellipse e2Ĩ0 - Dynafit TLT 5 Perfomance, Dynafit Zzero PX 4-buckle, Scarpa Denali XT/TT, Scarpa Maestrale, Scarpa Spirit 4 (green tongue), Lowa Struktura Rodeo/Proħ5 - Dynafit TLT 5 Mountain, Dynafit Aero Speed (3-buckle), Dyanfit Zzero CF 3-buckle, Scarpa Spirit 3, Garmont Megaride/G-Ride, Lowa Struktura Evoħ0 - Dynafit Dy.N.A EVO, Dynafit TLT 700, Scarpa Matrix, Old Scarpa Denali (4-buckle red shell)Ħ0 - Dynafit Dy.N.A PDG, Dynafit TLT 500 (2-buckle + strap), Scarpa F1 Carbon, Scarpa Laser, Scarpa F3, Garmont Dynamiteĥ0 - Scarpa F1, Garmont Megalite, Dynafit TLT 4 Evo (3-buckle), Dynafit TLT 4 Lite (2-buckle + strap), Dynafit Zzero 2C (?)Ĥ0 - Scarpa F1 Race (2-buckle, no strap), Dynafit TLT Race Pro (1-buckle + strap)ġ10-100 flex rating boots currently in the market are the stiffest AT boots you can buy. The list has been (un-scientifically) compiled by:Ī) Maggots' input comparing their stiffest AT/Freeride boots' flex (Endorphins, Tornado, Aero Freeride) against their alpine Sollies.
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