Hi all
I ski Head raptor boots with alignment modifications from Harb Ski Systems: changed sole angle, raised heel, and more extreme cuff-canting than the boots allows out of the box.
Now recently I went on a ski-touring trip and noticed I was the only one on regular skiboots. All others had some tour/alpine hybrid boot with rubber soles and holes for a pin-binding. Now for this trip the extra weight wasn’t really a problem (most didn’t actually ski a pin-binding), but for future trips I might want to use a pin-binding. What was a significant problem on this trip however were the soles, some bootpacks were very rocky and exposed, and with the plastic soles I was struggling. Our mountain guide urged me multiple times to get ‘proper boots’ next year.
Now, I am wondering in what is possible with touring boots.
1. Is it possible to make alignment changes to the soles of touring boots?
I can imagine that with pin-bindings this is near impossible; but also with hybrid alpine bindings (e.g. marker baron alpine touring bindings) I can imagine that making changes to a partial rubber sole might be a lot trickier than to a fully plastic sole?
2. Cuff canting on touring boots. This should work similar to regular alpine boots, correct?
3. How important is perfect alignment while touring? On the one hand I can’t imagine this mattering that much in perfect powder, or does it? But then often there is also lesser quality snow to navigate, and of course one has to tour uphill, non-perfecting alignment might be a annoying for this too?
Obviously what is best for my feet is something that's best answered by HSS or a certified bootfitter. But for now I am mainly wondering what's possible in general.
Looking forward to any answers. Thanks in advance!
Thijs