Black Diamond Factor AT Ski Boot

The Black Diamond Factor AT Ski boot is the flagship boot of their new ski boot line. All of Black Diamonds ski boots were new in 2008 and are virtually the same in 2009. I am writing this review after one full season of use. I skied the Factors through the entire season from long backcountry tours, to single steep area runs. The skis used were the K2 Coombas (181) mounted with Dynafit F12 bindings, and a pair of K2 Apache Chiefs (181) with Fritschi Freeride Bindings. The boots come with the BD Alpine DIN Blocks, but I switched out to the AT Blocks (Dynafit compatible) before the first use and never switched back.

My first impression of the boot was it was a well designed, four buckle, overlap design, with a 130 flex (from BD), weighed in at 7lbs 8 oz per pair without liners, and a new design of a liner (Power Fit with Boa closure system). I quickly went to Chuck Bird, the resident podiatrist at Neptune Mountaineering, to have my new liners heat molded to the boot and also mold a pair of intuition liners to the same shell. I have skied in Intuition liners for over 10 years and know what to expect out of them. With both liners molded I was excited about getting out to ski.

Where did I get to ski you ask? I had the pleasure of skiing throughout Colorado, and in a few places in Utah and Alaska. The days were a mixture of area skiing and backcountry tours with an emphasis on the ski decent. My favorite tours of the season were in no particular order: North Couloir of Buffalo, Eldorado Peak AK, Mt Otis Hidden Couloir, and the Elevator Shaft on Hallets.

What did I think of my Factors on these outings? The boots toured well while going uphill, but along the flats did not have enough rear flex for an easy stride. Luckily most of my tours had very little flat terrain to skin across. The downhill performance of the Factors lived up to my expectations at about 90%. I could drive a K2 Coomba with authority in powder and some crud, but the boot would flex out if I were in big bumps or really thick crud. The 130 flex seemed to be a bit soft and from a pure feel felt the same as an Alpine boot 110. I ski in the 26.5 size and in compression I can touch the middle two buckles together.

As I stated above ski boot liners are important to me. They are the key for a comfortable day of touring, giving a precise feel from boot to ski, and hopefully have no gaps in the padding to boot. The new BD Power Fit liner with BOA construction (it is a wire lace system that tightens and loosens with a circular ratchet) has a clean look along the lines of most Alpine ski boots. They are made of thermo formable foam (the outside of the liner does not stretch so the liner only molds inward), have a classic Alpine tongue, close via the BOA system, and weigh 1 lb 11.6 ounces per pair. I found the padding packed out after about 5 outings. They toured well and were comfortable on my feet. I switched out to the intuition liner after 10 days and here are the comparisons. The liners weigh in at 1 lb and .8 oz (That is just over 1 pound), have an overlap design (new Intuitions have the standard tongue), and are made from a stiffer heat moldable foam. It comes down to personal preference for the liners.

Over the season I read a few blogs about the Factors (the best being Lou Dawsons Wildsnow), skied with a few friends who owned them, and had good discussions with people I ran into while skiing. The general impression was that everyone loved the way they skied downhill, but that the boots could go through an update to improve a few things. The issues people had were: Forward lean mechanism could come out if the screws became loose, buckle could break, heal and toe plates difficult to trade out, wire on the liners can get stuck and not open, and boot not as warm as others. I am told Black Diamond addressed these issues in the following ways: Completely redesigned forward lean/walk mode mechanism to ensure it wont break, new metal for the buckles, made the boot board seal tighter for no air gaps (makes the boot warmer), and left the heal and toe plates the same.

I am looking forward to getting my hands on the new version of the boot to verify the changes and believe these changes will make the Black Diamond Factor the best AT boot on the market for aggressive downhill skiers.

Mike Alkaitis

CMS Senior Guide

malkaitis@totalclimbing.com

La Sportiva Trango S Evo GTX

The Trangos in action on Sharkstooth

"So are you guys here for a guides exam?" my partners and I look at each other, feeling somewhat accused of something. "Why do you ask that?" we said. He replied, well the Colorado Mountain School jackets for one, and you all have those red boots on. Apparently the locals seem to recognize the red Tango S Evo GTX as a indicator that you are a visiting climber. This makes total sense, this boot is overwhelmingly the boot of choice for guides and recreationalists as well.

I have been using this boot for several seasons now and it is hands down the most comfortable mountain boot I have ever had on my feet. For a CMS guide, a normal week in the summer might consist of several Longs peak routes, a couple days at Lumpy ridge and maybe an alpine spire or two. All of this adds up to a ton of trail miles and always with a heavy pack. This means you need to do two things, lighten your pack when you can, and take care of your feet. This boot does both of those things beautifully.

The boot itself is very light (under 27 oz) so instantly you do not have the ankle-weight affect of the old heavy leather boots from days gone by. Not only is it light on your feet but it climbs so well that for most alpine rock routes up to about 5.8 I find that I can take my rock shoes out of my pack and feel 100% solid climbing in these boots (must be the sticky Supertech rubber). Now, when you throw in the ability to accept a semi-automatic crampon this becomes the ideal tool for all of the classic mountaineering routes I can think of. Kieners on Longs peak, Sharkstooth, Fisher Chimneys on Shuksan, Rainier, or any fourteener in the lower 48, the Trango S-Evo would be just the ticket.

These boots are durable, comfortable and very nimble, they climb better than some rock shoes I have owned and keep my feet dry and happy, I really cannot think of anything more I could want. This boot is without a doubt the best footwear purchase I have ever made.

The Details:
WEIGHT: 26.17 oz • 742 g LAST: Trango CONSTRUCTION: Board Lasted UPPER: Waterproof Cordura® with Idro-treatment/ Flex Tec 2/ Water-repellant Lorica® with Antiacqua™ / Vibram® rubber rand LINING: Gore-Tex® INSOLE: 7mm Trangoflex with integral nylon shank MIDSOLE: Micropore (forefoot)/ PU (heel)/ TPU crampon reinforcement in back SOLE: Vibram® Mulaz (Sticky Supertrek Rubber)

For more info check out Sportiva's website: http://www.sportiva.com/

Mark Kelly
CMS Guide
AMGA Certified Ski Mountaineering Guide
AIARE Level 1 &2 Instructor
mkelly@totalclimbing.com

La Sportiva TC Pro

Testing the TC Pros in Vedauwoo

So La Sportiva came out with a shoe that lets Tommy Caldwell climb hard routes on El Cap with only one pair of shoes. What is this shoe you ask? The TC Pro (TC stands for Tommy Caldwell). I was curious if this shoe would really live up to its billing as a one shoe for everything you might encounter on El Cap so I decided to get a pair and test them out.

The La Sportiva TC Pros are a three quarter high top leather shoe based off of the popular Katana last. There is padding in the tongue, ankle, around the forefoot, and double thickness rand for extra comfort on long routes. The shoe is has a 1.1mm midsole in the anterior of the shoe, and is based on the great P3 platform. The new vibram compound sole is 4mm thick, sticky and holds its edge incredibly well.

With all the great features of the shoe I wanted to know how it performed. So I went climbing. Not just in one area, but in many, and on many types of rock. The Diamond, Vedauwoo, Shelf Road, Eldorado Canyon, and the Red River Gorge were my playgrounds and testing areas. The rock types were granite, limestone, and sandstone. The rocks were from slabs, to vertical, to overhanging, to super steep. I will admit I never used them on plastic.

The TC Pros were amazing on all the terrain I tried them on except for the super steep. The shoe was comfortable for all day climbing, sensitive enough for precise climbing, stiff enough for edging, and protective enough for cracks and offwidths. Tonay Yao and I confided in each other they were one of our favorite Shelf Road Shoes, because you couls stand on anything. I even went and climbed a few slab routes in them and enjoyed the climbing instead of being terrified. They excelled on all types of granite and on the sandstone of Eldorado Canyon. At the Red River Gorge they were awesome in the cracks, but I preferred the Solutions or the Speedsters for steep sport climbs.

All in all the TC Pro is a great new addition to the La Sportiva line. I truly enjoyed climbing in the shoe and will continue to use it at traditional areas as well as vertical sport areas.

For more info check out www.sportiva.com

Mike Alkaitis
Total Climbing
2829 Mapleton Ave.
Boulder, CO 80301
303-447-2804 ext 107
malkaitis@totalclimbing.com