For all those people who have yet to realize that race boots like the
Dynafit Dy.N.A, are fully capable of handling steep crazy terrain, the new Dynafit TLT 5 boot may be the answer. Boots such as these, are unbelievably light, stiff, and are better to climb in than conventianal touring boots. They provide the same amount of stiffness as boots such as the Garmont Radium, are half the weight, only weighing in at 1115g with a tongue! The walk mode is easily the most beautiful part of the boot, which extend your stride a massive distant building speed and allowing you to move long distances in a short amount of time.
The TLT 5 is built off the same mold as the Dy.N.A race boot, but with a few changes. To start, the TLT 5 has a "Ski" tongue which is easily field removable, and only requires you to unlock the bottom buckle to slide it out. It even has a post on the shell, with a hole on the tongue, to make sure the tongue does not shift while sitting in the forward tongue triangle.
(Photo Right, note the yellow triangle is where the tongue slides into the shell) The idea is to utilize the fantastic range of motion the boot has, without the tongue in, on the way up. Then just simply slide the tongue into place for the way down, which gives the boot a large boost in stiffness. Th shell even has a slightly more built up lower that wraps around your foot slightly differently than the Dy.N.A, which would allow you to easily ski without the "Ski" tongue in place.
The Dy.N.A sole is molded onto the the lower shell in two separate pieces with no rubber in the middle of the boot. The TLT 5 has a slightly thicker rubber sole, than spans the entire length of the boot, and a harder rubber on the toe and heel. The change will be advantageous when climbing rock, ladders in the alps and Himalayas, and awkward ridge tops.
The upper cuff is still made of Carbon Fiber. It still has the genius buckle which doubles as a ski/walk mode latch. And it still has the same fantastic lightweight liner, with neoprene walking cutout, as the Dy.N.A. So what doesn't it have? The lower cutout on the boot which allows the boot to flex 5mm on the sole, giving the boot a more natural stride, is not made of carbon. It is made out of Pebax plastic. Big deal? I think not.
The lightweight tech cord buckle connectors have been replaced with super strong woven metal straps. The slight increase in weight, does make for an incredibly reliable boot, and ensures you don't have to monitor the buckles for wear on a regular basis.
The TLT 5 will retail for less than the $1600 Dy.N.A, but will pack a serious punch for those looking for a hardcore ski mountaineering boot. So next year when you're in the market to buy a new pair of boots, why bother even wasting an ounce of energy on trying on a big heavy clunker that "looks" stiff, when you could get the full package with this boot. The future is here for touring boots, it's up to everyone out there to realize the potential with boots such as these, and get with the program.
Posts
Wow, nice review -- this looks like the absolutely perfect adaptation of the DyNA to all-purpose use.
ReplyDelete(And good luck in Europe!)
Thanks Jonathan! I think this boot will influence the way that companies build touring boots in the next few years. Stiff, big walk mode, and light, a few years ago that would be laughable! I guess not anymore.
ReplyDeleteJayson at Notes From the Neve just tested the boot, check it out http://notesfromtheneve.com/2010/03/02/a-new-era-in-touring-boots/
ReplyDeleteyeah but can you stomp and 40 footer and straight line out at 90 km per hour? I think not...
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely right. This is a fantastic ski mountaineering boot, not a race plug boot. Big mountain skiing demands a plug boot for sure. Especially if your skiing from a helicopter. The boot is well suited to large vertical gain with technical steep skiing, not that much in the cliff dropping side of skiing.
ReplyDeletehey, I've got another question....actually a couple. I bet I'd be able to get the weight down to dna 920g by removing the middle rubber. Think this is possible? Still int'l race legal?
ReplyDeletealso, the "neve" review stated they'd be going for 1k US. Correct?
Hey Steve,
ReplyDeleteYes it is possible to grind off the middle without any problems. However, it will not be race legal though. You can race and ski without the tongue (which you want to do anyways), it is crazy light, so not really a big weight savings. Should be around $1049 for CAD, this can fluctuate as the dollar jumps and falls.
Wow! Those are awesome! I bought a pair of Yaktrax ski boot covers online and I have had them for about 2 years! I really like them because you can swith them out to any ski boot, and they have a really nice grip to the bottom of them. Those treads on those boots look really nice though!
ReplyDeleteHI, I am really interested in this - I doubt whether I will see them in Australia to try on though. I have a question about fit, not sure whether you can answer it but worth a try. How close is the fit, and width in particular to a Dynafit Zzero boot? I am sking Zzero 4s in a 28. They are wide enough but only just. Can I be confident that a TLT5 in a 28 will have enough width for my foot?
ReplyDeleteP.S. I really like the idea of the harder rubber toe and heel. My Zzeros are really chewed out in those places, and seem to have degraded quicker than my old boots or other brands used by friends. Otherwise they have been a great boot for me.
Hey Graeme,
ReplyDeleteAs for sizing, you shouldn't have too much trouble at all staying in a size 28 if that's what you were in with the Zzero 4's. The boot is much more low profile, but have found after a year of skiing on the Dy.N.A, it's not something to be concerned about. You will also be happy to know they can be punch, the TLT 5, being the easiest to punch as it doesn't have carbon fiber on the toe.
The rubber sole, is pretty damn good. They are still holding out in great shape, after a year, and thats with conciderable amount of rock climbing and thrashing on them as well. Hope that info helps, you can always check out international ski shops if you want a pair.
Thanks Alex. I am not too worried about the vertical aspects of volume, just the width. My boot fitter is not too keen on punching Pebax (vs PU) if he can avoid it. I suppose I will have to put up my money and hope they fit if I want to move on this.
ReplyDeleteGraeme
Graeme,
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry too much, the liners will allow quite a fair bit of molding room, but if you still need a punch don't worry and just find a boot fitter who will punch Pebax. It does have a much smaller temperature range than PU, however, heated carefully it can be punched easily. I would recommend also adding foam around the ring of the punch so that the outer shell doesn't have any rippling or distortion to the plastic. Hope it all works out.
would they be able to drive the 182 stokes?
ReplyDeleteI think they will drive the Stokes without any problems. Recently I mounted a pair of Plum Race 145's on a pair to be used with a Dy.N.A boot, which is even a touch softer, my friend who is using them is pumped! Check out his comments on the Plum Race review.
ReplyDeleteI think that you might be able to stop 40' cliffs with them once or twice. I skied a really nice pillow line in mine the other day, and there was no problem. In good snow these boots will do more or less anything with out problems. This weekend well skiing in nice waist deep powder the boots were not a limiting factor in what i would ski or how aggressive. A few days before when i was skiing in some of the nastiest wind wrecked snow i have ever skied, the boots felt a little underpowered. Mind you i dont think any set up would have made for nice skiing under those conditions.
ReplyDeletewill tlt performance work with plum guides, I just had mine mounted and the boot does not fully sit on ski, meaning the heel does not sit on ski?
ReplyDeleteYes it will. If you check all tech bindings (Plum, Dynafit, Merrelli, ATK, etc) you'll find that all boots "float" rather than sit directly on the ski. It may seem different to all other bindings, but this actually allows the ski to freeflex and eliminate the dead spot on the ski where the boot rests. In short, no worries, what you're seeing is normal.
ReplyDeleteit floats when in tour mode, I have skied dynafits for years and it has never been like this before, the toe is locked in and the heel is free and it sits a few inches up, is this normal, my tlts did not do this on my dynafits?
ReplyDeleteSometimes the tolerances on the toe can be tighter, especially with different boots. It's probably the rubber touching the sides of the wings which is causing the lifting. Shouldn't be a problem at all, as different models (boots and bindings) can work together differently, but have seen this before and it's been fine.
ReplyDelete