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Touring Ski Equipment for a newbie.. HELP!!
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

IS IT OK TO SKI AT BOOTS ON ALPINE BINDINGS ????!!!!!

A little background:
Im in my mid 30s, skied when I was younger, but switched to snowboarding and have snowboarded for about 20 years now and ride everywhere from backcountry to park.
Ive skied a couple of times since childhood in the last 2 years and really enjoyed it (also wondered why I stopped).
So Im a mix of beginner with old some roots.
I live in Lake Tahoe and a ton of bc access and lift access available.
I have season passes to Squaw, Alpine, Sierra, Heavenly, Northstar, & Kirkwood.

So Im looking to get into touring skiing.
I just purchased a pair of n.o.s. Dalbello Virus Touring boots via craigslist for $250..
I did this as they seem to get generally good reviews and they fit well and the price seemed really good.
This is the ONLY piece of ski specific equipment I own.
My initial plan is to borrow some skis from a friend.
I will have the chance to try many skis as I have many skier friends and I want to try as many different skis as possible before I buy my own. I plan on doing this on piste.

Most of the skis I will be able to try have alpine bindings...
I understand that AT boots on alpine bindings is not ideal...

It seems like there is a wide range of opinions as to wether touring boots in alpine bindings is a horrible idea or ok or totally acceptable!

Please Help! Im trying to learn as much as possible.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person

I'm no expert myself but if you value your feet / legs, get yourself some touring bindings. I've never skinned on alpine bindings and I don't plan to in the near future !

I'm sure there will be much more sage advice along soon but that's my take on it.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

WillyCA wrote:
IS IT OK TO SKI AT BOOTS ON ALPINE BINDINGS ????!!!!!


Short answer: No.

You can jam AT boots in, but there's no guarantee of safe release in the event of a crash. You will probably find that ski techs and rental places will not be happy to set up bindings for those boots, unless you're hiring/buying skis with AT bindings.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.

Surely it depends on whether the toepiece is height adjustable or not to accomodate the higher sole.
If it is and the AFD is the one that moves left and right instead of just a piece if teflon, it should be okay.
Spyderjon?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

WillyCA, as a beginner you want your kit to release smoothly at the right level of force so you aren't injured if you fall, so no you shouldn't use your AT boots in most Alpine bindings. A few will adjust to fit the rockered sole in but the vast majority won't. If you're borrowing skis then you don't really have much choice in the matter. I'd try to find some cheap Alpine boots.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.

I just had the same problem with using the Guardian / Tracker binding which takes Hike n Ride soles, as well as Alpine ones. My touring boots were rockered AT Dynafits, if I buy another pair I'd get them with swappable sole units. As my AFD is a fixed one even though the boots would just about fit they would not have released as the sole was pressing hard into the plate. Checking up on the TGR forums a few people have belt ground the front of the sole of their AT boots so that they would fit, but it still leaves a sticky rubber tread that may cause the release pressure to increase if the sole was pressured down in a crash.

Now this ain't pretty but it works. I bought some cheap front sole plates and glued them into position after cutting away the sole. I can get the boots resoled in future so it hasn't caused any permanent damage Laughing
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=104413
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks everybody for the opinions/advice.
I don't plan on getting off piste/skinning in alpine bindings. Mainly I just want to try a bunch of skis before I buy anything. I don't want to buy any beginner trash as I don't plan on being a beginner very long.
Right now I'm leaning toward buying a pair of used skis with AT bindings and putting them on whatever skis I end up going for in the end.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good setup that works well on piste and mild pow days?
Thanks again.
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