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Brian Finch

Brian Finch

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The nutty part is that it's on a Rossi Cut.
85E39066-3CF7-439B-A017-455003057A3E.jpeg

Brand new boots on a K2 with Tyrolia Diagonals :)
 

Unpiste

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Nicer ski than the Rossi Cut :roflmao:

Back to topic,
GripWalk is to skiing like CVTs are to driving.
Disagree. A CVT that isn’t trying to pretend it has gears is actually really nice to drive. Completely smooth acceleration with no loss of power for gear changes.

Can’t speak for the Rossi Cut, though.
 

markojp

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View attachment 94362
I’d say that the rubber on the GripWalk degrades the ‘feel’ by 5% but the larger issue is that they offer largely midrange bindings in GripWalk- the skis on the right have a GW Attack 14AT, it’s largely plastic. Move to the center & we have a consumer race binding for DIN, it’s mostly metal. Far Left- a full metal race service clamp (shout out to the wife- these are the SL skis she just won Canadian Masters FIS Nationals on :) ). The feeling is night & day- I feel like I’m going to snap the GW bindings off & look closely- the overhang toe & heal. I’ve also had issues with multiple GW boots all having different contact points- a first world problem but if you have multiple boots and a quiver, it’s a problem.

Additionally, all the GW boots are now (mostly) focused on being lighter, & lack a solid sole under the foot.

Now I am a firm believer that you only have so many turns in your legs and that if you’re wasting energy walking to the bathroom or the parking lot, you’re putting yourself at a greater injury and fatigue risk.

I have no big dog other than my opinion in this fight, but the idea that the AT 14 is going to come apart seems far fetched. Are you really that big, strong, and good a skier generating WC level forces even while coaching? Does it offer the connection to the ski that a FF RD 16x does? No. Not even the regular FF 16 does. And if one is optimising the connection, the boot is an essential part of the equation. Even a Head vibram sole degrades the accuracy of the connection compared to a straight, flat, simple, solid lifter, but you know this. Maybe I'm a caveman, but this all seems very first world problemy until one actually needs the additional range of walking motion of a walk mode cuff more than they need lateral accuracy in their boots. Sure! Add GW to that, no issue.

I guess I don't get the race ski/GW interface.It seems you're really asking for a soft suspension and a bench seat for a 911 Turbo. It's also highly likely I'm seeing this from the vantage point of my own use narrative. FWIW, I ski Attack 13's, 16's, FF 16's, and FF RD 16x's. The binding i least need because of vibram soles are the FF RD 16x's. I did wear out a set of Attack 13 heels, but I've never thought I was about to 'snap off' any of the four bindings mention above. I certainly and greatly prefer the FF's for anything 85 and under because I expect narrower skis to have a connection that optimizes performance and accuracy that narrower skis offer on hard snow. The chosen compromise (for me, your mileage varies obviously) is a vibram sole on a Raptor 140. The B3's get a solid lifter. All that said, both Raptors suck for walking. if I were hanging out on a race hill coaching and standing in one or three places all day, I'd get a comfy, warm walk mode boot or just wear my telemark boots... with crampons if needed. But anyhow...
 
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markojp

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Yup. Didn't catch fire on the manufacturers end.

I've yet to have a customer say, "I really need GW boots." I have had customers say, " I need a walk mode boot." For the latter, GW makes sense.
 

Scruffy

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I've yet to have a customer say, "I really need GW boots." I have had customers say, " I need a walk mode boot." For the latter, GW makes sense.

Probably most customers don't know about about GW.
 

markojp

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Probably most customers don't know about about GW.

Some do, some don't. I haven't heard one who tries on a grip walk boot and walks for a bit say, "wow! This is cool! Why didn't I know about this?" Most conversations are about which bindings they need to replace or installing a din sole so they dont have to replace bindings.
 
Thread Starter
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Brian Finch

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for parallel slalom??

It's my favorite ski ever. I have a fleet in the wrappers. All around ripper, I can squeeze in the SL poles need be & can arc it out for some mini GS when I'm out with clients & athletes.
 
Thread Starter
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Brian Finch

Brian Finch

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I have no big dog other than my opinion in this fight, but the idea that the AT 14 is going to come apart seems far fetched. Are you really that big, strong, and good a skier generating WC level forces even while coaching? Does it offer the connection to the ski that a FF RD 16x does? No. Not even the regular FF 16 does. And if one is optimising the connection, the boot is an essential part of the equation. Even a Head vibram sole degrades the accuracy of the connection compared to a straight, flat, simple, solid lifter, but you know this. Maybe I'm a caveman, but this all seems very first world problemy until one actually needs the additional range of walking motion of a walk mode cuff more than they need lateral accuracy in their boots. Sure! Add GW to that, no issue.

I guess I don't get the race ski/GW interface.It seems you're really asking for a soft suspension and a bench seat for a 911 Turbo. It's also highly likely I'm seeing this from the vantage point of my own use narrative. FWIW, I ski Attack 13's, 16's, FF 16's, and FF RD 16x's. The binding i least need because of vibram soles are the FF RD 16x's. I did wear out a set of Attack 13 heels, but I've never thought I was about to 'snap off' any of the four bindings mention above. I certainly and greatly prefer the FF's for anything 85 and under because I expect narrower skis to have a connection that optimizes performance and accuracy that narrower skis offer on hard snow. The chosen compromise (for me, your mileage varies obviously) is a vibram sole on a Raptor 140. The B3's get a solid lifter. All that said, both Raptors suck for walking. if I were hanging out on a race hill coaching and standing in one or three places all day, I'd get a comfy, warm walk mode boot or just wear my telemark boots... with crampons if needed. But anyhow...

7DE29F15-C06B-4531-B830-F1A8A64D7EB4.png


Big, no; generating forces, yes.

FWIW, I have been using the 14 because it has a smaller AFD and less chance of booting out. The 14 is quite tall and is all plastic. I have not had as much issue with the 16s that I also run on wider skis. On both the 14s/16s, I have been wiggling the AFD height adjustment loose when skiing on firm snow.

As I’ve noted here somewhere, I think being on the hill all day and having the efficiency of walking and a walk mode is advantageous for reducing fatigue- thus creating a safer situation.

That said, I’m currently looking to move back to a DIN, solid sole, standard lifters & FF RD for all the reasons that you have pointed out.
 

sparty

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FWIW, I perceive a difference in transmission from the AT soles to the DIN soles on my Langes (Freetour XT 140), when I'm on hard-snow skis (particularly an older pair of 21m-era Atomic GS boards with Race 1018 bindings). I've been meaning to put a race ski in a vice and see if I can measure max deflection with the ski fixed, but I've misplaced the GripWalk sole blocks. I realize that doesn't answer the question of sole flex, but I thought there was something different with turn initiation, too.

I have also skied non-DIN soles (particularly the previous-gen Freetour XT 130) in a number of DIN-only bindings, including Tyrolia race bindings and the aforementioned Atomics, and I've had zero boot-related non-release issues (I did have a boottop fracture while skiing in a pair of Solomon 916s, but that was a sudden stop and a heel-release setting substantially above book value, on a pair of nearly 20-year-old bindings...I don't think the sole type was the issue).

One thing about DIN soles not mentioned is that for a coach or someone on course crew, a grippy sole is a mixed blessing. Yes, walking around gets easier, but bootskiing becomes exponentially harder.
 

Jeffdag

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Been following this thread closely....I have an opportunity to pick up a pair Dalbello Lupo Factory boots cheap, was thinking of adding them to quiver, primarily for coaching. Quick background, finally got out of Dobermann WC 130 boots last year and switched to a Nordica GPX130 with Zipfit liners. Intent was to have that as my primary boot for skiing/coaching, and have been pretty happy with the set up.
However, having a walk mode lighter boot for long days on the hill, and maybe some touring in future, is appealing.
Sounds like I would have to switch soles on Lupo to work on my current bindings (mostly Marker Xcell Race).
Any thoughts/comments?
 

Philpug

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Been following this thread closely....I have an opportunity to pick up a pair Dalbello Lupo Factory boots cheap, was thinking of adding them to quiver, primarily for coaching. Quick background, finally got out of Dobermann WC 130 boots last year and switched to a Nordica GPX130 with Zipfit liners. Intent was to have that as my primary boot for skiing/coaching, and have been pretty happy with the set up.
However, having a walk mode lighter boot for long days on the hill, and maybe some touring in future, is appealing.
Sounds like I would have to switch soles on Lupo to work on my current bindings (mostly Marker Xcell Race).
Any thoughts/comments?
Soles are easy to swap in and out. I am doing it now. I have the K2 Recon Pro 140 and I am running Gripwalk on them but when I want to ski the Fischer RC4 CT, I will swap the lugs to the 5355 DIN soles.
 

Sbum02030

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Been following this thread closely....I have an opportunity to pick up a pair Dalbello Lupo Factory boots cheap, was thinking of adding them to quiver, primarily for coaching. Quick background, finally got out of Dobermann WC 130 boots last year and switched to a Nordica GPX130 with Zipfit liners. Intent was to have that as my primary boot for skiing/coaching, and have been pretty happy with the set up.
However, having a walk mode lighter boot for long days on the hill, and maybe some touring in future, is appealing.
Sounds like I would have to switch soles on Lupo to work on my current bindings (mostly Marker Xcell Race).
Any thoughts/comments?
Be aware, you only get so many sole swaps before Dalbello says they're no longer liable for any failures.

I forget which, but one of the lugs is a metal on plastic connection, meaning you may ruin the threads with enough swaps.
 

Jeffdag

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Thanks for the info, both of you. Had not heard about the hole failure, something to consider.
The more I read into this, the more I am debating the purchase of boots (Dalbello Lupo Factory Carbon).. perhaps a question for a different thread. I like/need the solid connection, which I stayed in plug boots so long, and reluctantly switched to GPX 130 last season. I did notice a reduction in responsiveness and snow feel, but it was outweighed by the added comfort of the softer boot board and rubber toe heel lugs while walking.
My thought on the Dalbello's was an even more comfortable/lighter coaching boot for use on days when I will be more stationary, and hopefully as a touring boot someday.
Sounds like I will need to switch the soles for most of my skis, not sure if the boot will be worth the compromise at that point.
Brian, do I remember correctly that you have (had?) a pair of Lupo's
 

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