 Poster: A snowHead
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I've just booked for my third year on the mountainsun ski and board camp, where they supply skis and boots for free (the camp is great, but that's another thread). In my experience, the skis have been good, and the boots OK. I have a pair of Scarpa Spirit 4 which I've used in all sorts of conditions with my dynafit bindings, and I could take them with me to Tignes. I know, in theory, they shouldn't be used, mainly because of the problem of pre-release. but I'd like to hear from people who've used them in downhill bindings. Is pre-release a significant problem? Will an average ski tech know how to adjust the binding height to take a touring boot sole?
Look forward to the comments 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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?
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Chamcham, The friction of the rubber sole on your boots may interfere with he twist release of the binding and break your leg. It's not just the issue of pre release.
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Chamcham, what the guys above have said. I'd contact Mountain Sun & see if any of their rental/demo skis had Duke/Baron/F12/F10/Fritschi bindings, all of which would be fine when adjusted correctly.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Chamcham, it don't make you a bad person - I did it (tour boots in downhill binders) for a couple of seasons, sans catastrophic leg implosion or screw-off. That said, that was in my own setup that i was comfortable with and had adjusted (again to a point i was comfortable), so for sure go steady with them and better yet as suggested above, see if they'll have something with improved compatibility.
As far as release goes, remember too plenty of bindings aint even designed to release - e.g. most 75mm telemark bindings - fair enough you could argue that as your heel aint clamped that the potential effect of non release is lessened there but still.......
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks for the comments. I know in theory it shouldn't be done, but I'm not sure how much of the risk is theoretical, and how much is real. Does anyone else other than barry have experience of actually using them?
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Just because someone's done it doesn't make it a good idea.
Re your question re a tech being able to do the adjustment. It's an easy enough adjustment if the bindings they have have a manual toe height adjustment. These days most don't. I think the only alpine only bindings (without a pucka touring function) on the market at the moment that have a manual height adjustment are the Salomon STH Driver & the Marker Squire, so if the skis don't have those you can't do it anyway.
Then there's the liability issue. I'd be very surprised if Mountain Sun would let you use touring boots with their alpine gear. I'd be happy to set up your bindings on your skis in this way providing you signed a liability waiver but I wouldn't do it for you with my skis/bindings.
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Touring boots will fit into most alpine bindings. In Chamonix this is what most local people do when they are not touring.
Some touring boots fit into all alpine bindings because they obey the Alpine DIN norm, the Touring boot DIN norm is only loosely followed anyway.
So far I've only failed to get some boots into Rossignol/Look toe pieces.
It is not the fit that is important but the release value. I've played with many different combinations and found all the boots and bindings I had to play with could be made to work within the bindings release value requirements. This was done using binding calibration machines.
Most of the time you don't have the luxury of a binding calibration machine, so the rule of thumb is if you can kick out of your toe piece the same as with your alpine boots on then you can ski in them.
I do know a good many people who ski with their DIN too high to kick out with alpine boots on, but they don't have much respect for their knees.
I have worked many seasons as a ski tech both Alps and Canada, and have skied 95% of the last 1200 days in touring boots but my advice should be taken with a pinch of salt.
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