2020 Nordica Strider 130 pro
and Atomic Shift binding.
I haven’t had an Alpine Touring set up in quite a few years, but I did have quite a few in the early 90’s..
The old silverettas and quite a few others.
I admit, I had a couple levels of avy certs @20yrs ago, and at the time even an ASI guide cert when I was guiding a bit with EricD's AllMountainSkiPros but it’s been years since I’ve spent any time in the backcountry. Kids, a non ski job and more recently, the extra traffic in the backcountry and snowmobiles turned me off to it, but with all resorts shut down and a huge storm it seemed a good time to resurrect that part of my life…
So,
I purchased a Shift binding from Blue Zone sports (thx Tricia), and a Nordica 130 Strider 130 boot and mounted them up on a Kastle I had a demo binder on.
I now have 6 days on the setup and thought I’d share my thoughts on the new gear…
First off, the boot:
I am used to skiing a hight performance boot, my everyday boot for the last decade + has been a Nordica Doberman world cup 130, 93mm plug, sculpted out to fit very well and softened dramatically for my 160 finesse skiing. Any boot with tech fittings was probably going to be a big adjustment, but the nordica strider 130 felt right in the shop, if quite a bit too wide. I ended up going a full size down (my dobie is a 305bsl, and I bought a 295bsl in the strider), and stretching the length to get a more performance fit. After a few tweaks, including going to my leather lace up liner, the fit is great and I can think about the performance instead of the pain and break in…
The position and flex and feel of this boot is great. Feels supportive and progressive, super easy to walk/climb in, but skis like a solid alpine boot should! The buckles work well, walk/ski lever is quick and intuitive, and I may even ski these in the resort a bit next year, we’ll see.
Definitely recommended if the fit works for you.
Contrast these to the AT boots from the old days, and I’m super impressed. I went through a handful and never had a boot I liked, to the point that I had installed a vibram sole on my tecnica 130 race shell back then. This new gen is great!
Shift Binding:
This was also a revelation, this binding climbs so much better than the bindings I’ve owned and skis like an Alpine binding (at my weight in pow anyway). Position and feel are super comfortable. I used to have issues with the delta and would have to work hard to get balanced, this shift is just direct and easy! Transitions aren't tough either, not a quick as some, but I'm not Rando racing..
Cons: lever to lock down into the climb mode slips down occasionally. Not as light as pure tech set up, but more versatile and “normal” feeling for those of us who don’t always ski tech fittings.
Great to be back on an AT setup, enjoying the setup, fresh snow and definitely keeping my social distance with this healthy choice...
Video link of yesterday skiing the new setup...!
Cheers, W
skiing my new AT setup
and Atomic Shift binding.
I haven’t had an Alpine Touring set up in quite a few years, but I did have quite a few in the early 90’s..
The old silverettas and quite a few others.
I admit, I had a couple levels of avy certs @20yrs ago, and at the time even an ASI guide cert when I was guiding a bit with EricD's AllMountainSkiPros but it’s been years since I’ve spent any time in the backcountry. Kids, a non ski job and more recently, the extra traffic in the backcountry and snowmobiles turned me off to it, but with all resorts shut down and a huge storm it seemed a good time to resurrect that part of my life…
So,
I purchased a Shift binding from Blue Zone sports (thx Tricia), and a Nordica 130 Strider 130 boot and mounted them up on a Kastle I had a demo binder on.
I now have 6 days on the setup and thought I’d share my thoughts on the new gear…
First off, the boot:
I am used to skiing a hight performance boot, my everyday boot for the last decade + has been a Nordica Doberman world cup 130, 93mm plug, sculpted out to fit very well and softened dramatically for my 160 finesse skiing. Any boot with tech fittings was probably going to be a big adjustment, but the nordica strider 130 felt right in the shop, if quite a bit too wide. I ended up going a full size down (my dobie is a 305bsl, and I bought a 295bsl in the strider), and stretching the length to get a more performance fit. After a few tweaks, including going to my leather lace up liner, the fit is great and I can think about the performance instead of the pain and break in…
The position and flex and feel of this boot is great. Feels supportive and progressive, super easy to walk/climb in, but skis like a solid alpine boot should! The buckles work well, walk/ski lever is quick and intuitive, and I may even ski these in the resort a bit next year, we’ll see.
Definitely recommended if the fit works for you.
Contrast these to the AT boots from the old days, and I’m super impressed. I went through a handful and never had a boot I liked, to the point that I had installed a vibram sole on my tecnica 130 race shell back then. This new gen is great!
Shift Binding:
This was also a revelation, this binding climbs so much better than the bindings I’ve owned and skis like an Alpine binding (at my weight in pow anyway). Position and feel are super comfortable. I used to have issues with the delta and would have to work hard to get balanced, this shift is just direct and easy! Transitions aren't tough either, not a quick as some, but I'm not Rando racing..
Cons: lever to lock down into the climb mode slips down occasionally. Not as light as pure tech set up, but more versatile and “normal” feeling for those of us who don’t always ski tech fittings.
Great to be back on an AT setup, enjoying the setup, fresh snow and definitely keeping my social distance with this healthy choice...
Video link of yesterday skiing the new setup...!
Cheers, W
skiing my new AT setup
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