120 (ish) boots I should try?

[Spiritchaser]

Soo...

I’m looking for a solid 120 flex alpine standard boot for my narrow heel and my wide fronted duck feet.

This is made less straightforward by two concerns

1. I really want a walk mode. This isn’t for touring. I don’t want touring boots, I want solid stiff alpine boots... If I’m going to tour it’ll likely be on my teles or I’ll get something light. This is for mucking about with my kids, or volunteering as a gatekeeper or helping with B-netting, or honestly, just dealing with two flights of stairs. I’ve had a walk mode in my tele boots for the last two decades and I want one on my alpine boots.

2. I live 2-3 hours from where I can try on options, so I really want a decent chance for success before a long drive. Unfortunately I don’t have a single place I can go with multiple candidates in my size.

I’ve identified the Lange xt free 120 and technica cochise 120 as possible. Are there other good options I should look at? Are either of these two better for what I want?

thanks in advance for any suggestions

 

[Wilhelmson]

I’ve identified the Lange xt free 120 and technica cochise 120 as possible. Are there other good options I should look at? Are either of these two better for what I want?

Langes fit my kid and me well due to the narrow heel. I wouldn't call the toe area spacious but imo a little tightness in toe width is ok. If you're diy need to know when to hold them and when to fold them.

 

[Tom K.]

Lange XT Free 130.

I've got the RX version. IMO, they flex a bit softer than 130.

 

[jmeb]

The vast majority of replies are going to be "go see a bootfitter". Unfortunately that isn't possible for everyone.

Most every manufacturer of boots has a 120 with a walk mode. One way to limit your choices is to decide what kind of bindings you want them to work in -- Gripwalk or regular alpine. That'll narrow your choices.

I'd recommend looking for something that fits your heel, and have work done to expand the toe box. Easier to make a toe box bigger than a heel smaller.

Dabello Lupo Pro HD (as a skinny ankle person I like ankle straps on 3 piece boots, but the toe box on this series is too big for me. The Pro version is PU so easy for a bootfitter to work with and durable).
Salomon QST series
K2 Mindbender
Atomic Hawx Ult XTD (you'll need to make room in toe box).
Head Kore 2
Fischer Ranger Free


For better or worse, most boots in this category are going to be lighter than typical alpine boots as they are built with the idea of touring in mind. This means they will be less damp and often less dialed flex patterns than alpine boots -- though plenty stiff. Some I didn't include (like the Full Tilt Ascendant) because their cuff height is so low I doubt someone working around race courses will like it.

Lange XT Free 130.

I've got the RX version. IMO, they flex a bit softer than 130.

Keep in mind that the current XT is a very different boot than the RX. The older XT and RX were basically the same boot with XT having a walk mode and RX having a bolted cuff. Current generations don't share the same mold, same plastic, or same anything except intended "Lange" feel.

 

[Spiritchaser]

Thanks for the comments. I’m definitely looking for alpine compatibility, not gripwalk, though I know that at least on some boots, inserts may be available for either.

I’m not especially concerned with weight as long as it isn’t ridiculous.

as for 120 vs 130, I tried on a salomon s pro 120. It could have maybe been just a shade stiffer, but I think it would have been fine for anything I’d do. For fit it was ok at the heel (maybe a hair wide, but manageable, and maybe a hair narrow at the front, but almost certainly within the ability of a boot fitter to sort out.

Obviously no walk mode, and for such an important and expensive item, I’d pay a bit more and drive a bit to find what I’m looking for.

now: if the s pro fits, the QST might work... but that looks like a much lighter and more touring oriented three buckle design

 

[sparty]

The Lange is probably a good bet unless you want to wait for the xt3. The Cochise also has DIN soles but, at least when I tried it on (not the current model), the fit was more roomy in the heel. If you happen to go up to the 130, the medium-volume version of the Lange has a substantially wider forefoot than the pro/LV version, so make sure that's the one you're trying on (or ordering).

Many of the other options in this category don't offer DIN ISO 5355-compatible soles (Gripwalk isn't ISO 5355-compatible). The Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD is a good boot—one of the other coaches I work with recently switched from the Lange and loves how they ski—but it's ISO 5355-certified and won't fit in some alpine bindings (and may not release reliably in others). I've run non-DIN boots in plenty of alpine bindings, but release may be compromised and there are some where the sole profile physically won't fit if the toe and heel piece are connected.

 

[ted]

Some of the Rossi walk mode boots are polyurethane and or polyether, will ski more like a traditional Alpine boot than the Grilamid based boots. The K2 Mindbender also has a PU clog.
Will it matter to you? Probably not if you are used to Pebax Tele boots.

 

[pais alto]

Put the Scarpa Freedom on your list. Available in different stiffnesses, all have walk mode, and alpine sole blocks available. They fit my wide forefoot and narrow heel well.

Edit: I just googled them, and there seems to be a supply in retailers, but they aren’t mentioned on Scarpa’s website. Does anyone know if they’re discontinued?

Edit 2.0: Further googling shows they are discontinued. Oh well.

 

[Spiritchaser]

Lange XT Free 130.

I've got the RX version. IMO, they flex a bit softer than 130.

Just to double check, are the Lange xt boots alpine binding compatible? They list gripwalk, though I know some boots can switch between the standards with different inserts

 

[markojp]

Put the Scarpa Freedom on your list. Available in different stiffnesses, all have walk mode, and alpine sole blocks available. They fit my wide forefoot and narrow heel well.

Edit: I just googled them, and there seems to be a supply in retailers, but they aren’t mentioned on Scarpa’s website. Does anyone know if they’re discontinued?

Edit 2.0: Further googling shows they are discontinued. Oh well.

They have some very odd alignment issues. Great if you're chronically under edged and A framed, awful, nearly unskiable, if you're the opposite.

 

[pais alto]

They have some very odd alignment issues. Great if you're chronically under edged and A framed, awful, nearly unskiable, if you're the opposite.

I never noticed (or heard that), and I’m pretty straight-legged. I hope I don’t notice now.

 

[jmeb]

Just to double check, are the Lange xt boots alpine binding compatible? They list gripwalk, though I know some boots can switch between the standards with different inserts

It varies depending on which model year you're looking at. But there are recent options (i think 2020) with Alpine ISO soles attached.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Just to double check, are the Lange xt boots alpine binding compatible? They list gripwalk, though I know some boots can switch between the standards with different inserts

They are for the most part. They come with the alpine ISO lugs. They don't tell you this on most websites.. It gets confusing. People can help you if you provide binding and boot info.

 

[vindibona1]

I don't want to tell you which boots you should be looking at specifically, but perhaps you should be looking at custom options; a wide last boot with a custom liner- or a total custom boot like Daleboot or Strolz?

 

[Spiritchaser]

Lange XT Free 130.

I've got the RX version. IMO, they flex a bit softer than 130.

I did end up getting the xt 130s. The ankle fits better than any other ankle. I had the front of the boot widened a bit and I might have it widened a hair more on the right foot.

as stiff as I’d ever need and the walk mode is enough.

just barely enough but enough

 

[jeff foreman]

I did end up getting the xt 130s. The ankle fits better than any other ankle. I had the front of the boot widened a bit and I might have it widened a hair more on the right foot.

as stiff as I’d ever need and the walk mode is enough.

just barely enough but enough

Tighter than any other ankle pocket? Did you try on Salomon's or Hawx Ultra 130's? I too have a really small right ankle with spreading forefoot and long toes so am curious about which ankle pocket is tightest.

 

[Spiritchaser]

Tighter than any other ankle pocket? Did you try on Salomon's or Hawx Ultra 130's? I too have a really small right ankle with spreading forefoot and long toes so am curious about which ankle pocket is tightest.

I didn’t try the hawks but the Salomons definitely felt looser around the ankle