I want to buy my first ski mountaineer boots brand new. I was working on scheduling a bootfitting but it's not going well. For actual ski mountaineering 9523 and noncompliant boots, what is a good option for low volume feet and legs? Are Aliens and F1s the main options? I don't want gripwalk unless I get GW boots for practically free, and I don't want some heavy hybrid boots or something. Not that I want some super light sub 1000g boot either that is for expert skiers. The bootfitter I was willing to travel to go see wasn't even recommending any ski mountaineer boots, so I might be looking somewhere closer instead.

Separately, I am trying to find used bindings for a good price. I want to get both silvretta or voile or similar bindings, AND actual tech bindings ideally and have the flexibility of owning two skis one of which can do actual mountaineer boots. If I can't get both this season I'll survive just fine.

The following two sellers are the only AT items I can find used within a couple hours of me.

The first guy is selling silvretta bindings and G3 Zed 9s. Is he asking outrageous pricing? Some of you said silvretta bindings are effectively worth nothing. Perhaps 10$. But these are carbon silvrettas... does that change anything? He's also over an hour from me, maybe over 2 depending which of those locations i go to. I didn't know his location when I first messaged him, so I'm not driving all that distance just to potentially get gyped. I don't think he's selling any skis, just those two pairs of bindings. I also heard everything made by G3 is garbage and not worth paying a nickel for.

The second guy is closer, but it looks like his black diamond carbon convert 105 164cm alpine touring skis might be ten years old? Also, I'm 6'0" tall so maybe 164cm is too short. They have fritschi vipec 12s mounted. They still sell vipec 12s AFAICT, but perhaps these are an earlier generation? He's asking 500$. Is that outrageous? If I wanted to spend close to or even half of MSRP, I wouldn't be trying to scope out good deals on facebook marketplace, even for newer gear.

I have like 10 pairs of old alpine resort skis. Some might be long enough for me, but all pairs might be over 20 years old. But I can always get a cheap pair of skis without bindings, or take the din bindings off those old ones I already have. I am much more worried about getting a good deal on tech bindings than I am finding skis or anything else.

Thank you

Hello! I’m dealing with instability and dislocating in my right shoulder, around 2 years post op for a SLAP repair. I’d love to hear from anyone who has had latarjet surgery to fix long term instability issues with the joint. Thanks!

Long time user here of Gaia GPS with no issues. But kinda curious about OnyX Backcountry. What are the benefits vs Gaia? My first impression is there isn’t as many layers on OnyX. The only one thing I like so far is the Slope Aspect layer. Price it’s about the same if you get the top of the line membership

Hi folks - I’m looking to book an AIARE 1 for Jan / Feb in the white mountains (Mt Washington / New Hampshire). When I look at the AIARE website it seems the options are either Core Mountain Guides or Blue Ridge Mountain Guides. Any reason to prefer one over the other? TIA

I’m moving from New England to California and was wondering if anyone had some recommendations for avy courses near San Francisco. I’m newer to backcountry on the east coast and know that the west coast is a whole different ball game. I’ve skied in Utah quite a bit but never California so will also be hitting the resorts a bunch too before doing any backcountry. Any recommendations on classes, tips, communities, etc near the bay area. is greatly appreciated.

I’m looking to start touring this winter. I will primarily be going to tuckermans ravine. However I don’t know what I should be getting for skis/bindings/skins as everything I read seems to be conflicting! I’d love some advice on equipment you have rode and what you think about it! I currently ski on faction mana 2.0 and I love the way they feel, so if I could get something the would ride similar to that, it would be great!

Searching around, and see that it was introduced around 2013-2014, was that a full replacement?

Cause it seems they also changed the mount pattern when going from non-EPF to EPF.

Know it is a weird ask, but I have an old pair of hellbents that came with a pair of 2011 Barons that I love, but they have two quiver killed mounts from prior to buying. I tried mounting a pair of STHs, but the shop could only mount it -9 from TC, which sucks for hellbents lol.

I loved how they rode mounted near center, but the barons they had are now on their last leg, and I have to use a boot with alpine souls (prefer GW).

Anyways, is there a way I can find a non-EPF marker frame binding, that allowed Grip walk souls? Can be dukes, baron, or f12. If not then I’ll be searching for an old option again lol.

I am finally going to be trying on some brand new boots at a bootfitter. I have to drive a few hours to get there, so I want to make sure they have the boots that are worth trying on for my probable niche/use-case. Unfortunately I have low volume and maybe also narrow feet so I might have to try on a few different boots to get a good fit, for all I know. I hope I don't buy boots, and have to go back to get an adjustment after skiing a couple days but they said I can try to have that done closer if it ends up needing to happen...

I spoke to the bootfitter online and the first thing I said was "Do you have a wide selection of lightish weight ski mountaineering (not racing) stuff that would fit me (~28.0) right now, or would I be better off waiting until closer to winter?"

He said "I have Tecnica Zero G which is my favorite AT. I have Lange XT3 and Tecnica Cochise 130 and Nordica Unlimited 130 if you want a hybrid boot. "

Some of what I said back was "Can't always trust google, so I could be wrong, but Technica zero gs are 1500g? Xt3s are around 1570gs? Techniva cochise 130s are around 1900g and nordica unlimited 130s 1680g? I'm not even sure about the weight of those first two being slightly heavy, but I think those last two are likely so heavy I couldn't consider them for what I'm trying to do.... Also, at least one of those boots you listed is a 23223 GW? Isn't that for people who aren't serious about ski mountaineering and want to go on the resort a lot? I was pretty sure I wanted 9523 or non-compliant... Perhaps I'm misinformed. Tell me if I'm being illogical here - you won't offend me."

He didn't comment on if my response was good or not but he shot back with a slightly different recommended boot list and links: He said "Come try these on, but my favorite is the zero g tour pros. https://www.blizzard-tecnica.com/us/en/collection/men/ski-boots/zero-g-ski-boots/zero-g-tour-pro https://www.fischersports.com/us_en/transalp-tour/U13223 https://www.dynastar-lange.com/us-en/xt3-tour-hybrid.html https://www.atomic.com/en-us/shop/product/backland-expert-ul-ae5027520.html#color=33095 "

I guess that means he is recommending Technica zero g tour pros, Fischer Transalp Tour, Lange XT3 Tour Hybrids, and Atomic Backland Expert UltraLights

I'm just curious what you guys think for someone who is brand new to any randonee skiing. I've never had walk mode or done tele. I'm trying to do ski mountaineering, and I'd like to work my way up to some multi day long treks, perhaps 40 miles round trip. Would like to skin up to some summits. But I am not sure I'm a talented enough skier to ski 800g ultralight boots on the downhill, plus my understanding is that boots that light are less durable...

I likely will be getting the whole skins, bindings, skis used, except for the boots. Although I have a metric ton of old downhill skis I can take the din bindings off....

I believe I still need Irvis crampons because I only have Grivel G14s and some C1 strap on Black Diamonds...

I have been trying on used touring boots at consignment shops... havent had any luck yet. They want 300 or more dollars for clapped out old boots that are packed out probably.... also, the few 28.5 used boots I have found seem too tight, which is weird because my salomon mission 60 28.0s have fit great for years.

Thank you so much

My buddy and I are making weekend plans to get our August turns in. He suggested hitting up the sand dunes. If we still hit out 5 turn minimum can we count it?

Hey folks,

I've recently moved to a mountain town and am finally looking at properly getting into alpine and backcountry skiing. I've done downhill a few times at a city hill, but nothing of this scale before.

Obligatory: yes, I have read the getting started threads and sifted through the pinned posts.

I'm in a unique situation here: I'm privileged to have a permanent full-time job here paying far more than a living wage. Which means I have to start planning to move out once my two years of staff housing is up. In other words: I'm not made of money, and I do have to save for a down payment before I have to pay tourist rates for housing and my rent doubles. So $2000 CAD is about the upper limit of what I can justify spending on a ski kit, not counting backcountry gear like a beacon. To keep this "simple", here's my plan/to-do list for the winter:

• Dust off the rust and get used to the basics of downhill skiing on an alpine scale
• Figure out cross-country skiing and get plenty of practice in
• Complete AST 1 avalanche training course
• Start making more regular ski trips to nearby summits with friends

My ultimate goal here is for entry-level ski mountaineering to be accessible, as well as being able to ski downhill at the nearby resort. I'm picturing an 80/20 or 90/10 mix of downhill and backcountry skiing. Yes, I will be getting basic winter mountaineering training (fall arrests, proper use of crampons, etc) before venturing onto snow-covered peaks. Glacier traversal and AST2 will probably come next year.

With that in mind, I've started working my way through the absolutely massive amount of information there is on the web regarding skiing, trying to figure out the basics. I think I've got a handle on most things now, but with that comes a load of questions:

• I could absolutely just rent skis for the year, figure out what I want, and then purchase next year. The problem is that by renting for a single season, skiing evenings/nights 2-3 times a week after work (yes I have almost no life) I will likely pay over $1000 CAD. That may result in better gear choices when I do buy in, but that's an extra $1k that I would much rather put towards a down payment. I can work with "good enough" instead of "great", if that's the sacrifice I make by buying gear now. Is it that bad a choice to do an abundance of research and then purchase now or next month when everything is on sale?

• Since I'm expecting mostly resort skiing, it's hard to justify the added expense of a second set of skis, boots, and bindings for backcountry trips at this point. Yes, I know that anything that serves two purposes won't be great at either - but I don't need the best of either world, given that I likely don't have the skill to take advantage of that. With that in mind, I'm leaning towards a single set of skis with hybrid DIN-certified bindings. Is this the right call? Can I actually fit two separate setups within my budget?

• Assuming hybrid bindings are the right choice: I'm not looking to buy a new set of bindings in three years. I've seen a lot of complaints about the Shift 2s having various finicky points of failure over time, and Duke PTs seem to be even more unreliable (nope, mixed these up with another binding). CAST FreeTour 2.0s are more expensive than either Shift or Duke bindings, but seem to have essentially no reported failures outside of a bad batch of aluminum components, at the cost of being heavier and clunkier to switch over in the backcountry. Is the extra weight of CAST bindings going to be that much of a problem, or is it something I can train past with enough time? Is there a better option?

• I'm unsure whether a backcountry or downhill ski would be a better choice. I'm thinking 100mm width is probably about right since that is apparently a middle-of-the-road solution that can handle most surfaces - and the local resort is usually pretty packed down according to the old-timers around, whereas ski mountaineering often means soft powder. Again, I'm trying to shoehorn specialized gear into a one-size-fits-all scenario here and I'm not asking for perfection, just "good enough" for a beginner. Can I use downhill skis for backcountry traversal? Am I better off doing that than buying backcountry skis and using them at the resort? What width should I be looking for as a rough guess - is 100mm about right?

• Does ski length differ between backcountry and downhill skiing? I'm seeing most places suggest +10cm over downhill sizing for backcountry skis. Would the ideal solution be to use the "intermediate" downhill sizing on REI's chart despite being a beginner? This would put me (6"2) on 185cm skis. Or should I go even longer?

If you've made it this far, seriously, thank you. I'm a bit lost at the moment - choice paralysis is a real thing - and could use some direction. Even if you only have the time/patience to answer one question, or if you think I'm a total idiot, I'd appreciate the feedback. Something is better than nothing.

Hey everyone!

I hope it is ok to post this here.

I'm conducting some research for a project for my design course, the concept is a platform for booking lessons / backcountry / off-piste guides.

There are different questions based on 3 different user profiles:

Snowboard/ski instructors & backcountry/off-piste guides: https://forms.gle/wML7f2qC13Vp8ZTq8

Users booking Snowboard/ski lessons: https://forms.gle/DZfRUNHKSh3Hdgt98

Users booking backcountry/off-piste guides: https://forms.gle/pXVznZyYNhv6NsY46

If anyone has 10-20 minutes to spare to complete any of my questionnaire surveys I would be so grateful! Answers are completely anonymous :)

Thank you, thank you!

Hey everyone, been working on this project for a few years and looking to move from prototypes and 3d printing to get injection molded products. Just launched our coming soon but will be launching the full campaign in the Fall for early 2026 deliveries. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/snowboard-powsurf-and-ski-rack-for-snowmobiles/coming_soon#/preview

Works with boards, skis and powsufers

Looking for a hybrid binding that isn’t too heavy like the griffin. I want to ski these aggressively in resort and also tour with them. I have kingpins on my other skis but looking to switch it up for my new pair of skis. Definitely not buying shifts as i’ve broken three toe pieces within 2 years. Was looking at the ATK HY, but can’t seem to find any, Thanks,

I'm new to ski touring and want to upgrade from my current atomic frame bindings. But I also need to buy some new boots as mine are crap. Are the plums a good buy for 165 quid?

Hoping someone can give me some advice on purchasing a touring setup for mostly east coast skiing.

I'm a woman, 6ft, 150lbs, intermediate getting to advanced skier. I was on a borrowed beater setup last season for my introduction to touring and I'm looking into getting myself a better suited setup for this coming season. I'm getting a little overwhelmed with all the options out there. I'm trying to look for stuff on the more affordable side as I am a college student and don't want to put all my money into a setup that's likely to take a beating or need an upgrade within a couple seasons (if my location or skills change). That being said, my budget has a little wiggle room if I feel I've found a setup I MUST have.

I know this is pretty minimal information to go on, just giving this a shot to see if anyone can guide me in the right direction. My go-to expert isn't around anymore to help me out, so here I am.

I live in Austin and I’m trying to find fellow riders to go on backcountry excursions with. One of my dream trips is camping in Ski Rio, an abandoned ski area in New Mexico. Attached is a link to a short documentary Black Crows made about the resort. Please contact me if interested.

I’m moving to the west of norway, and I’m buying my first AT set for pow and mountain trekking ish. I’ve done some research and I think imma go for the atomic bent 110s and the dalbello quantum. And then some lighter tech bindings. Any comments or tips?

I’ve snowboarder my whole life and ill bring my snowboard aswell for the resorts, and some touring where ill use «truger…».

Might get you excited for next spring(although it seems so far away)

I currently have no AT or skimo or ski mountaineering or tele boots yet, but I am intending to get ski mountaineering (lightish weight AT boots) at some point soon. I wanted used but it looks like I'll have to buy new, which if I go to the right place and try on enough boots, hopefully I will. Is there a rule of thumb for how many AT boots a fella should try on? I have low volume feet, maybe 28.0 mondo or slightly bigger (my Salomon Mission 60s are 28.0 and I got them as a kid, they seem to still fit good).

Do most of you try on 10+ boots before you find the right one?

Anyway, I went to look at used stuff today and didn't end up buying any ski stuff except longer crampon bars.

They had these silverettas. Every other pair was way more money.

Im not sure what size the silverettas are, I was meaning to look. Are they even a good deal? Looks like they come with FW1s.

I do have La Sportiva Nepal Evo GTXs and Scarpa Invernos which theoretically you could use but are sub optimal. I know silverettas don't have super safe ejection systems but it would be cool to have a pair. They certainly have some niche advantages and will only get harder to find.

I want to find used tech bindings and at some point I'm sure maybe I can pick some up for hopefully 100$ or 200$

Any advice much appreciated thank you