Buying AT Gear in the NE?

[Bluebird Day]

I go out to Jackson Wy fairly regularly to visit my wife's family and we only ski Teton Pass with them. (They are proud that they have never purchased a lift ticket and ski 100+ days a year.) I have always brought my own tele boots out and rent fat tele-ski at a backcountry shop in Wilson WY. Now my wife's family have gradually moved from tele gear to AT and I'd like to get a pair of AT boots that I can bring out instead of tele boots. Let's face it... I am not in any shape to skin @9K' and make tele turns back down. I have always been a Garmont fan! Does anyone (icelantic skier) have any preference or recommendation for an advanced AT boot for a standard step-in system? :-k

 

[Patrick]

Does anyone (icelantic skier) have any preference or recommendation for an advanced AT boot for a standard step-in system? :-k

I'm sure Ice will be able to give you some advise on boots.

Pete The Pete that was part of my Freaking Trip had AT boots and loved them. Not sure what they were and I thought that there was a pic where you could actually see them well. The only pic I found was when he getting his pack ready. I'll email him to see what he has if you want.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8002#p45547

 

[Admin]

I'm on AT now full-time and have been since ~ 2005. The current love of my life is a pair of Garmont Endorphins.

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[icelanticskier]

if yer a garmont fan already, and garmont's last fits you well, then i'd say the garmont endorphin is an excellent choice. the endorphin is the a.t. boot that i sell the most of for sure, way more than the bd factor. i ski the scarpa typhoon cuz scarpa fits me better.

if yer lookin for a pair of endorphins, i may be able to give you a good price on em.

rog

 

[Bluebird Day]

Great response guys!! i ski in a pair of Technica now, but man I wish that were lighter and had a Vibram sole. Can I just order the same shell size and see if it fits, since the lasts are pretty uniform? I have the Garmont Energy [sic] and love the fit. In the Endorphins a pretty aggressive inbounds (resort) boot too? I'd like to stick to one boot.

 

[Admin]

The Endorphin is Garmont's stiffest AT boot (equivalent to ~130 flex rating in Alpine) and you can ski them Alpine, too - you just swap out the Vibram soles for the included DIN-compatible Alpine soles.

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[riverc0il]

I buy all my BC gear online. There are shops in NE that sell BC gear but they are few and far between and don't often have big selections. Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) has stepped up recently by expanding their tele line to include AT which gets major props. North Conway has a BC store or two (Ragged Mountain Sports and some consignment alpinist shop) and I think REI has a BC assortment as well. Burlington, VT has a few shops and Stowe, Jay, and the Mad River Valley all have shops with some BC equipment. Sport Thoma in Lincoln recently stepped up to the plate with AT gear.

If Garmont fits then stay with Garmont. I ski Garmont and tried Scarpa and the fit was not even close. Very different feels. But different Garmont boots may or may not fit the same (e.g. the Radium does not fit the same as the MegaRide from what I understand).

WildSnow.com is a great resource for AT boots. Sounds like you want a boot that will work with standard DIN soles so you'll need to focus on either boots that fit Apline bindings or swapable soles which can often cost more. Sounds like the Endorphins would be your best choice. See if you can find last year's model on discount online (with a full refund policy of course).

 

[Admin]

I agree with the wildsnow.com recommendation. Lou Dawson's an authority and all-round great guy to boot - I spent a half hour drinking with him last week and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

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[Patrick]

I agree with the wildsnow.com recommendation. Lou Dawson's an authority and all-round great guy to boot - I spent a half hour drinking with him last week and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Wow, that's up there with meeting John Doe. :-o

 

[Admin]

I agree with the wildsnow.com recommendation. Lou Dawson's an authority and all-round great guy to boot - I spent a half hour drinking with him last week and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Wow, that's up there with meeting John Doe. :-o

More like Lou Reed meeting John Doe, stroking each other's egos about how good the other one is at what they do.

 

[Patrick]

More like Lou Reed meeting John Doe, stroking each other's egos about how good the other one is at what they do.

I'm going to get out a Wayne Wong and Glen Plake to top that hand. :lol: pocorn:

 

[Marc_C]

More like Lou Reed meeting John Doe, stroking each other's egos about how good the other one is at what they do.

I just barfed all over my keyboard.

 

[icelanticskier]

i may have some leftover endorphins. what size do ya need? i can ship em right to ya. if i don't have em in yer size, i can look to see what other stores (EMS) has for stock. bring em in to any EMS (with receipt) for a free heat mold/fitting at your convenience. buy local or from a real store. mail order kills the passionate, knowledgeable little guy.

roger wharton

eastern mountain sports
portsmouth, nh 03801
603-334-6141

 

[Bluebird Day]

rog,

Thanks for the offer. I may be traveling out to Denver for a conference in September and may try to pick up a pair out there. My concern is that I will not get any good boot fitting support locally in NJ. It is not known for it ski culture. Now, cement shoes... that's a story! I got my last pair of Garmonts at Wilson Backcountry in Wilson Wyoming, and they fitted the G-Fit and it is great! Maybe I can find a conference in Portland, ME.

BBD