Three New Telemark Boots
from Black Diamond
This fall BD's first-ever
line of telemark and AT boots will make their debut on store
shelves, and last month Telemarktips traveled to Mt. Hood, Oregon
for an exclusive, final production model, on-snow boot test,
here is our report...
by Mitch Weber
August, 2008-- With millions of dollars invested long before
selling their first pair, Black Diamond's boot program is easily
the most ambitious undertaking in the company's history. As a
leading manufacturer of climbing and backcountry skiing gear,
BD plays an important role in the outdoor industry; hardcore
and not-so-hardcore enthusiasts worldwide have come to depend
upon Black Diamond's many innovative and unique products. So
when insiders speak somberly and in hushed tones about the success
of BD's boot program being absolutely critical to the Salt Lake
City-based firm's long term health, and perhaps even ultimate
survival, the seriousness of their latest endeavor and the absolute
necessity of getting it right the first time becomes crystal
clear.
2008 was just a couple of days old
when I traveled to Utah last January to participate in BD's "media
boot camp," a gathering designed to give a group of gear
writers a first look at the 6 telemark and 3 AT models in the
Black Diamond boot program's, fall '08 debut-year lineup.
It was a fun and exciting time.
Black Diamond's R&D department reportedly now employs some
15 engineers and designers, and it appeared that many of them
had very been busy; The new boots were impressive looking. Moreover,
with their tongue-less alpine style overlap design, triple-injected
construction, more anatomically shaped shells, and BOA
Lacing System equipped liners, it was obvious to my eye that
rather than simply recreating what was already out there, a lot
of effort had gone into ramping up BD's initial offerings, and
in getting the boot program off to a solid start.
I filed a First
Look report that night, with lots of details and photos of
each model.
We spent the next couple of days
on the snow, testing various models in the 9 boot lineup according
to our individual interest and intended audience. My colleagues
generally raved about the AT boots two print writers-- one from
a backcountry oriented publication and another from the alpine
side-- went so far as to say that BD had indeed succeeded in
creating AT boots that were a cut above those currently available.
Reactions to the tele boots were less enthusiastic.
I came away from this first test
of BD's tele boots stoked on the look, and on the basic designs
and features, yet I had the distinct impression that the tele
boots I tried were still something of a work in progress. I felt
that there were some tweaks to the fit still to be worked out,
and while the BOA Lacing System seemed promising, it definitely
needed work to be made more user friendly. My biggest concern
though was bellows flex, or rather lack of bellows flex, particularly
in the big and burly Custom, BD's T-Race class boot. I'm not
sure I ever got the bellows of the Custom to break much at all,
even later when I tried a pair in a super-active HammerHead binding
with the pivots in position five. So I wasn't surprised at all
when a few weeks later reactions to BD's tele boots at the Outdoor
Retailer on-snow demo were, at best, decidedly mixed. I even
chimed in with my "work in progress" thoughts in a
post-OR show discussion of the topic on our Telemark Talk Forum.
I was also not surprised at all
by the fact that by all accounts BD's AT boots seemed to be totally
dialed, while the tele models needed additional attention. There
is some truth in that old tele diss "half the binding, twice
the work," and with the ultra-dynamic nature of the turn
and all that we need our boots and bindings to do, many product
developers probably feel like the second half of that equation
significantly understates the actual challenges they face. In
any case, feeling confident that BD's team would work out the
kinks, I decided to back off and wait for the final production
models before making judgments and sharing any further thoughts
on Telemarktips.
And so last month I was very pleased
to have the opportunity join Dave Mellon, BD's Vice President
for R&D and Product Category Management, and Ski Line Category
Manager Thomas Laakso at Mt. Hood for a mid-summer test of the
final production versions of the top three tele boots in the
new line, the Custom, Push and Seeker.
Before we had even left the parking
lot there in front of historic Timberline Lodge, two of my concerns
had already been laid to rest. The BOA Lacing System was much
improved, with a smoother action and an apparently redesigned
"reel." In the earlier version a foot or more of lace
material was left to dangle annoyingly after snugging up the
liner. Now when the knob on the reel is rotated and the liner
tightens, the replaceable steel-fiber lace winds onto the spool
and disappears, making it clean and a pleasure to use.
Walking over to the lift I also
noticed that the pressure point I had felt last January on the
top of my foot above the arch was gone and I was now enjoying
a uniformly snug fit with no hot spots. Oh, and my heel wasn't
lifting up with every stride either, what was up with that? My
heels have always lifted up a bit in every boot I've ever worn,
no matter how tight I buckle the shells down. It's something
I have just learned to live with, as has Big Tim I found out
later. I would have to ask Dave and Thomas about it at some point,
but for now it was time to get some turns.
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Starting out with the Push, BD's
flagship, T1 class tele boot, I put on my skis. Wanting to isolate
the boots for testing, I had brought a familiar pair of well
used G3 Rapid Transits mounted with HammerHeads, my preferred
75mm binding.
Shoving off and falling into the
familiar rhythm, I was immediately struck by the fact that I
felt like I was running pretty much at 100%, right off the top,
with nothing to get used to, no adjustments.
I was relieved to feel that the
bellows wasn't putting up too much of a fight and I was enjoying
forefoot flex comparable to my best experiences in traditional
75mm toe boots, pressuring the back ski through the ball-of-the
foot with relative ease. Sweet!
The Push should be BD's most popular
boot. With the solid and dependable feel one should expect from
this class of boot, the Push has what it takes to be a great
all-around performer, suitable for use with a very wide range
of bindings and skis, styles and approaches.
After a few quick and very pleasurable
runs it was time to swap out the Push for the Custom. |
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While sliding my foot into BD's
Custom, a taller, stiffer, T-Race class boot, I noticed that
I was having a little trouble working my heel past two very prominent
bumps extending out side by side from the rear portion of the
liner, down deep, above where my heel would eventually rest,
that is if I could get the darn thing on. Noticing my minor struggle,
Dave explained that those bumps are there to hold the heel down.
He went on to say that there had been some debate as to how aggressive
they should make this anatomical contour.As far as I'm concerned
the trade-off is a worthy one, a little more effort getting the
boot on and off in return for a more solidly locked down heel.
For me and my foot type and shape it worked beautifully, though
perhaps your mileage may vary? I don't know. It will be interesting
to hear how this works for others.
One thing I do know, once I got
the Customs buckled up and was able to again point my skis down
the hill everything was right with the world. Their snug fit,
tall cuff and overall stiffness, in combination with the ultra
active HammerHeads (on five) made for a great match. Earlier
in the morning Thomas had detailed the changes made to the completely
re-tooled bellows, including the use of a softer durometer plastic
and modifications to the mold, softening the radius of various
portions of this critical part of the boot. I believe he said
that similar changes had been made to the bellows on the Push
as well. In any case, these modifications appear to have made
a huge difference when compared to the boots we skied in early
January, and again later in the month at the OR on-snow demo.
All of the benefits of the anatomically contoured shells and
the design focus on torsional rigidity are now fully revealed.
With precision and power, the Customs delivered a confidence
inspiring, no limits sort of ride that had me shaking my head
and freely acknowledging that the Customs are the best performing
75mm boots I have ever skied.
To complete the test I took a few
runs on the 3 buckle, touring oriented Seeker. Frankly, these
boots with their lower cuff and softer feel are simply not my
cup of tea. At least not on that cool summer day on Mt. Hood's
Palmer Glacier... Maybe on a Wasatch 4% powder day... BD does
indeed categorize these boots as being great for "big skis
on big powder days," and for those who like to push hard
and cover a lot of ground the lower cuff will certainly be more
comfortable. Yet with an estimated weight savings of something
like 6 ounces per foot over the Push, I'm not sure that the difference
in weight would really be all that great of a tradeoff for somebody
riding 11 or 12 lbs (or more) worth of big skis and tour-mode
bindings on big days. But that's just me, and for what they are
they skied just fine, but I gotta be honest, it's simply not
my deal, I like more boot. This was actually one of the more
interesting take-aways from this test: I don't think I have ever
skied three different classes of boot, back to back to back in
a single day. Accordingly, I'm not sure that I ever fully appreciated
the extent to which boots make a difference.
I couldn't wait to get back in those
Customs, and that's exactly how I ended what was a pretty awesome
day of boot testing on Mt. Hood.
Switching skis
for the last ride down, Thomas is on the Rapid Transits (don't
tell anyone, okay?) and I'm waiting below on some mystery proto
skis with two different top sheets. It was a good day.
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More: BD's Boots in
their own words 30mb PDF |