Splitboard Mountaineering Boot-Binding Setups

axcxnj wrote:id be very wary to actually climb ice in another boot made for snowboarding.

I've TR'ed some ice/mixed stuff around here in my Deeluxe boots. They felt pretty damn solid and the crampons stayed on. Honestly, for most anything you'll actually want to ski down you won't ever need to climb vertical ice anyways.

Xavier seems to make it work. Skip to 4:45 for the ice section: vimeo.com/35569251

Scott McMahon wrote: You can always swap out for an intuition liner, but then you would lose the welt.

I'm confused. How do you lose the welt with an intuition liner?

They definitely do make it work! They look kinda awkward on that ice.. but I don't think it's the boots' fault. Were they using the Deeluxe's? What's so great about the intuition liners? I hear about them a lot.

I too really like all the replies and seeing what other people are using and what they prefer. I guess it all comes down to what you plan on doing. I've gone down stuff with rappels involved in regular snowboard boots with Spark bindings no problem because the ascent just involved skinning up. I've also strapped crampons onto the same boots and felt uncomfortable because the crampons were on the verge of popping off the whole time. In that video they weren't even using splitboards- but they also got off a tram at some point. The Grand isn't Chamonix, and you're definitely gonna earn your turns going up and down. But it's kinda cool seeing snowboard mountaineering evolve because it hasn't been around that long and there's not a ton of people to tell you how it should be done. I guess whether you go with hardboots, Fitwell's, Deeluxe XV's, mountaineering boots or anything else you should be confident and comfortable with them.

If you're serious about "splitboard mountaineering" then hardboots are by far the way to go. Way less weight on your feet, way better at side-hilling/skinning firm snow, way more of range of motion/longer strides, takes an automatic crampon, climbs ice and neve like a boss. TLT's with the tounge removed and a little modding seem like the ticket (check the thread on splitboard.com), also heard the scarpa alien's are pretty soft and good for snowboarding as well. Don't really see any reason to use softboots unless you're more into hunting surfy pow and mellow tours (like me)...

The best way to go is dynafit tlt6 (or 5 is even better) and phantom bindings.

Fitwell boots are a second best option, many pounds heavier on each foot though.

Deeluxe boots are terrible for climbing in, would not recommend them.

The new 32 jones boot looks cheesy as hell, I wouldn't recommend them.

I've seen old school legends kill it in mountaineering boots with snowboard boot liners. Only recommended for the toughest dirtbags though.

All the leading snowboard mountaineers are using either hardboots or the fitwell boots.

There is a whole world of snowboard mountaineering out there that most people don't know about. Don't be fooled by the Jeremy Jones TGR movies.

Justin put a new review out there for the fitwells.

seizethecarp.weebly.com/blo…

And

splitboardreviews.com/Split…

Looks like it's time to start selling blood and semen to upgrade from my driver x's

Because of my large feet (31 mondo), it's been a challenge to find boots and plate bindings. It sounds like I can get a XL binding from Phantom this spring so I'm looking at boots. From what I've read the Dynafit TLT5/6 is more or less the standard splitboard AT boot because it can be modded pretty easily. I can't seem to find that boot in my size but may have found the Neo PX-CP in my size.

Anyone here riding the Dynafit Neo PX-CP or have any experience with it? If so, are you modding it similar to the TLT6 mods or just riding it stock?

cant help on the dynafit boots, but my boots are 29.5 and i had quite a bit of room left to adjust larger on the voile plate binding

It looks like we're about to see a few boots made commercially for this! I'm stoked, I've used the Voile hardware adapter kit for Tele boots on their plate bindings and its... ok. Definitely not nearly as comfy as regular boots, but doable. Fine but not great for climbing. Here's the boot I just found: https://www.blue-tomato.com/en-GB/product/Northwave-Domain+Cr+2019-488535/
It's crazy expensive but this is the first season they're being released so  hopefully they trigger some interest, and the prices come down. We'll see. It does seem to be possible though!

Anthony O. wrote: Go with some Deeluxe Spark XV boots and a set of Spark R&D Bindings. The Deeluxes have a heel welt so you can use some semi-auto crampons. I'm pretty sure its the stiffest soft boot you can buy before going full hardboot. + some intuition liners and you're all set!

+1000 for the Deluxe Sparks XV.  I was using my soft resort boots for splitting for a few years and when I made the jump to these boots I was shocked at how much they made a difference.  AS far as crampons, yes the semi-autos snap right in and feel pretty solid. however I want to point out I wouldn't call myself a "mountaineer" and I'm certain there are limits to their performance in crampons.  If you're looking to front point up some steep ice and mixed sections you may want to consider something higher level.  However, if your just heading up wind scoured steeps and need to make across a ridge to the powder chute, these things work awesome.

Going with anything other than a hardboot set up is a mistake if you want to be climbing in them. I switched last year and there is nothing a snowboard boot does better than hardboots. Skinning, bootpacking, scrambling, I even prefer them on the ride down. Unless you're riding park or something, hardboots are better. Just make sure they fit.

On my solid board I like stiff boots and moderately stiff bindings, usually Driver Xs and X-base bindings, on my split I've been very happy with Atomic Backland boots and Phantom bindings.  The hard boots take crampons much better, are capable of climbing moderate ice that's your thing, walk better than my Nepals and way better than my snowboard boots, and have a huge range of motion for skinning.  As for the quality of the ride, if you're considering snowboarding in regular mountaineering boots then you're already giving up on ride quality.  It's true that the ankle doesn't flex the same way medially as a soft boot but I get a lot more roll from the sole of the boot.  I can still do proper methods in my hard boots, even to the point that people that don't know I'm in hard boots can't tell from the way I ride.  As for a size issue, if you look for some of the newer boots like the Backlands, the Arcteryx Proclines, and the TLT5/6 you'll see that the boot sole length is short.  I was able to downsize from my normal 28.5 shell to a 27.5 shell in the Backlands because the entire shell can be stretched for length and width to get a very short BSL but still enough room for my large foot.

There is a high cost barrier to entry for hard boots on a splitboard, it's more expensive than fancy AT ski gear.  I get that.  But it works well for both ski mountaineering and snowboarding.

Tom Chingas wrote: Also worth noting. With hardboots I think most people tend to have both feet facing forward. Just off the top of my head I think my front foot is 33 degrees and back foot is 30, both pointing toward the front of the board. I would actually increase those angles but the older phantom bindings aren't designed for that. I think the new ones accept higher angles. With both feet facing forward like that you can really get the wiggle going when making pow turns on moderate slopes. It also helps in steep icy terrain.

I think that was the case for some of the old downhill hard boot setups.   I ride the same stance as my solid board in a pair of modded TLT6s.   They are amazing, and feel way more solid in the mountains than soft boots.   

Jason4Too wrote: On my solid board I like stiff boots and moderately stiff bindings, usually Driver Xs and X-base bindings, on my split I've been very happy with Atomic Backland boots and Phantom bindings.  The hard boots take crampons much better, are capable of climbing moderate ice that's your thing, walk better than my Nepals and way better than my snowboard boots, and have a huge range of motion for skinning.  As for the quality of the ride, if you're considering snowboarding in regular mountaineering boots then you're already giving up on ride quality.  It's true that the ankle doesn't flex the same way medially as a soft boot but I get a lot more roll from the sole of the boot.  I can still do proper methods in my hard boots, even to the point that people that don't know I'm in hard boots can't tell from the way I ride.  As for a size issue, if you look for some of the newer boots like the Backlands, the Arcteryx Proclines, and the TLT5/6 you'll see that the boot sole length is short.  I was able to downsize from my normal 28.5 shell to a 27.5 shell in the Backlands because the entire shell can be stretched for length and width to get a very short BSL but still enough room for my large foot.

There is a high cost barrier to entry for hard boots on a splitboard, it's more expensive than fancy AT ski gear.  I get that.  But it works well for both ski mountaineering and snowboarding.

Have you come up with anything for forward lean adjustment on the Backlands?    If I'm thinking of the right boots, they have a flip lever that lock them into ski mode that would be tough to modify.   

Not a fan of the Fitwell boots. I ride a 167 split board extra wide and am a size 11 boot and I get a ton of toe drag with the Fitwell "Moonboots". I currently own the Deeluxes and they are okay, those as mentioned, I wouldn't want to really climb ice in them. They are a bit clunky but they hike and bootpack well. I haven't seen the Jones boots in person but I've heard they just have a massive volume as well. I saw these in person and am pretty sure they will be my next boot. They are low volume, stiff, and look bomber:

https://www.evo.com/outlet/snowboard-boots/k2-aspect-2017?image=102809/443079/k2-aspect-snowboard-boots-2017-black.jpg&pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=GSC_Snowboarding&pt_adgroup=PLA_Snowboarding&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiJncBRC1ARIsAOvG-a5xM4fAjeyMUiIzHujeHZxEft8Ey8mrRJ2wciCoR1P5-qBdX3_V5HYaAmuwEALw_wcB

Also, I've used my Batura's before. While Batura's are the best for hiking and climbing, snowboarding in them is manageable but not great. If I was doing an objective where the climbing was intense and the ride was mellow, I'd consider it. I'm not dropping any steep couloirs in my Batura's though. Not to mention, the ankles on the Batura's don't go as high as my highbacks, which end up digging into my calves.

ze dirtbag wrote:

Have you come up with anything for forward lean adjustment on the Backlands?    If I'm thinking of the right boots, they have a flip lever that lock them into ski mode that would be tough to modify.   

I haven't had to mod them at all!  I'm actually running them exactly as they came out of the box with just the memory fit heat molding.  I wish I could get more forward lean out of them and if anything they feel too soft on the lateral side of my front calf when I'm cranking a hard heelside turn.  I can't believe anyone actually skis these boots, they are so soft.

FWIW, I run +27*F/+6*R at 23 3/4" on my split, same stance on my regular board and I'm happy to ride switch or forward but I don't do rodeo flips on my split.

TheBirdman Friedman wrote: Not a fan of the Fitwell boots. I ride a 167 split board extra wide and am a size 11 boot and I get a ton of toe drag with the Fitwell "Moonboots". I currently own the Deeluxes and they are okay, those as mentioned, I wouldn't want to really climb ice in them. They are a bit clunky but they hike and bootpack well. I haven't seen the Jones boots in person but I've heard they just have a massive volume as well. I saw these in person and am pretty sure they will be my next boot. They are low volume, stiff, and look bomber:

I tried the first year Jones boots.   They were absolute shit.    The boa that controls the walk mode flap broke every few weeks, most of the season I had one of my boots ski strapped together.   The outer sole delaminated, and they didn't fit crampons well at all.   Iv'e heard talk that some of the issues have been fixed, but I'm not really sold  

Jason4Too wrote:

I haven't had to mod them at all!  I'm actually running them exactly as they came out of the box with just the memory fit heat molding.  I wish I could get more forward lean out of them and if anything they feel too soft on the lateral side of my front calf when I'm cranking a hard heelside turn.  I can't believe anyone actually skis these boots, they are so soft.

FWIW, I run +27*F/+6*R at 23 3/4" on my split, same stance on my regular board and I'm happy to ride switch or forward but I don't do rodeo flips on my split.

The forward lean mod that I did was actually to knock a degree of two off the amount of forward lean.   I'm also playing around with the booster straps and different length cable on the upper cuff to essentially have two different modes.   One for loose cuff tensioned my the booster strap for playful stuff.  The other mode cranks down the upper cuff for steep variable snow.   

I'm sitting at 15/-12 @ 22.5.  

ze dirtbag wrote:

The forward lean mod that I did was actually to knock a degree of two off the amount of forward lean.   I'm also playing around with the booster straps and different length cable on the upper cuff to essentially have two different modes.   One for loose cuff tensioned my the booster strap for playful stuff.  The other mode cranks down the upper cuff for steep variable snow.   

I'm sitting at 15/-12 @ 22.5.  

If you wanted more range of free motion I could see taking a file or grinder to the forward lean lock, I had considered modding it to be unlimited range forward but they're too soft for that.  If you only wanted it to be a bit more upright you could have flipped the chip under the forward lean lever to move the mounting point further up the spine of the boot.

I've played a bit with the upper straps too.  I've also played a bit with the tongues.  If I'm in an avalanche class or digging observation pits then I keep the tongues in to keep my feet a bit warmer, if I'm not standing around or digging holes then usually I ride tongues out.