Considering new setup

[Michael R.]

I currently have Lange lx130's with about 160 days on them and I think they are reaching the end of their life. They just don't seem to be as stiff as they used to be.

My current DD is the soul 7 with marker duke bindings. I love the bindings but they are really too heavy to do any serious touring.

I'm considering a tech binding.....but I've heard that they are not very good if you do jumps and stuff. I'm no park rat, but I will drop up to 10 feet if the conditions are right. With all that said, what are some good options for a boot binding combination, if any?

 

[Philpug]

Yes, time to move on, 160 days is a lot for any non plug boot. Were you happy with the boots up till now? If so, new Lange FreeTour 130 and Kingpins?

 

[SBrown]

Kingpins or Beasts.

 

[Michael R.]

Eh....I was happy with the performance. I was not happy with the fit. It took a custom liner and footbed just to make them tolerable

I have heard a lot of good things about the kingpins.

As far as boots, I know there are some tech boots which will still fit into a regular alpine binding. Would like to go that route if possible

 

[Monique]

Yes, time to move on, 160 days is a lot for any non plug boot

Really? For the shell?

 

[Philpug]

Eh....I was happy with the performance. I was not happy with the fit. It took a custom liner and footbed just to make them tolerable

I have heard a lot of good things about the kingpins.

As far as boots, I know there are some tech boots which will still fit into a regular alpine binding. Would like to go that route if possible

Without seeing you foot, hard to recommend a boot. But there are a lot more options for Tech compatible boots.

 

[SBrown]

Eh....I was happy with the performance. I was not happy with the fit. It took a custom liner and footbed just to make them tolerable

Next year's XT Freetour is a different fit, so don't rule it out. [deleted stuff that just echoed what Phil said]

 

[Jeff N]

On the boot front, I can say for me, Fischer vacuums were worth the hype and expense. I have a high instep and fairly wide foot- and I thought these two problems were why I could NEVER get a boot to fit worth a damn. I would always buy a boot that felt ok, then have it punched here and there and everywhere and usually just live with it at some point and accept some days my feet would hurt to the point where I would stop skiing.

My investment into Ranger 12's (and my wife's investment into a pair of Fischers as well) ranks as the best gear purchase ever for both of us.

Mine were as comfy as snow boots from the first mold. For the first time ever, I could buckle my boots in the morning, ski hard all day, and have no foot pain, day in and day out. This year I did some volunteer ski instruction doing a lot of standing around or low-speed skiing, which I used to equate with pain. Nothing. All day, every day, no pain.

We found out in the molding process that I am overcanted. I suspect this is why boots always hurt- I always had pressure on the outside of my foot to get a flat ski. For the first time in my life, I could drive the ski through my big toe. It was wonderful. The mold machine automatically corrected this.

Pretty sure the original concerns over cold feet were fixed with the updated molding machine that allows for 2 different pressures for the cuff/heel and the toebox. I skied a lot of deep snow this year and had no cold feet ever.

I will summon @janeskis to see if she wants to share her experience, but it would be hard for me to imagine ever going back.

 

[Jeff N]

And they appear to sell a vacuum model with dynafit inserts that appears to also have DIN lugs, but I am not 100% on that.