Dynafit Freeride Aero TF boots UPDATE!

Previous review Freeride Aero TF boots

Update:

I've gotten a solid month on the boots so here's my updated thoughts.

As I mentioned in my earlier review, the forward lean on these things is slightly too much for my taste, given the fact that there is no adjustment for this the boot needed to be modified. Its a fairly simple fix, first remove the forward lean mechanism by removing the bolt above the heel. Then simply use a drill to elongate the existing hole(towards the bootsole) so that the hardware will sit lower in the boot, and then use epoxy or JB weld to fill in the void above. Then simply re-assemble the mechanism. Thanks to Lou Dawson over at wildsnow.com for coming up with that solution!!! My quads are truly in debt to you!

The second change I've made is to downgrade from a World Cup booster strap to the Expert/Racer model. The WC model just never sat right on the tongue and was a pain to get tight enough to be effective. In contrast the Race booster conforms better to the shape of the tongue and requires less tension to be effective at preventing shin bang. The slight downgrade in overall stiffness is also nice as I feel the boot has a bit more "give" in it which makes it ski better in variable conditions. As a bonus the WC booster can be moved back to my TLT 700's where it fits the boot tongue perfectly and adds exactly the right overall stiffness to the boot.

I still have a couple of gripes with the boot though. For some reason my toes are cold in this boot, once I'm walking or skinning they stay warm, but while skiing lift serve or standing around waiting, they're just cold boots. I may re-mold the liner to see if making the toe area smaller will address this issue.

The second issue I have is dealing with the buckles while touring or
leaving them unbuckled while on the lift, they're very easy to catch on things. Where the TLT 700 and other AT boots provide one long gate post which allows you to snap the buckle shut and still effectively use the walk mode. On the Aero you're left with either leaving the boots unbuckled and gated(where they snag everything), or completely unbuckling the top two buckles(which leads to some slop in the boot). I've gone with just unbuckling while touring, as it gives a slightly better stride. Both of these gripes are fairly minor and the toe issue could just be a re-mold away from being resolved.

With regards to the issue of binding interface, I have used them with Dynafits, Dukes, and yes Virginia I can use them with my Mojo 15 alpine bindings. It took some work, and the DIN setting in the toe indicator had to be significantly lowered to compensate for the friction, but with some trial and error I managed to get the release to be within tolerance for the DIN setting I wanted(basically the indicator says my toes are at a 5.5 and its actually releasing at a 8.5). I'm a bigger guy running a higher DIN, so a lightweight may not be able to get the indicator value low enough to compensate for the friction. I'm still anxiously awaiting an alpine binding with a adjustable/movable AFD. I think with the shear number of people who are using burlier AT boots as their only boot its only a matter of time before we see this. I'm gonna wait until I see next years bindings, and probably will wind up picking up a pair of Freeride's or Naxo's if nobody brings an alpine binding such as I've described to market.

Housecleaning issues out of the way its time for a performance update.

Now that I've got them almost dialed in, I can report with great confidence that: THEY ROCK. I'd been looking for a boot that was basically an Alpine boot with dynafit fittings, and this is it. I've skied inbounds all day with this boot, everything from bumps, to trees, to groomers and it handles everything I can throw at it. I've used it with Marker Dukes on sidecountry runs where skinning back to the lifts was a much more comfortable and less tiresome experience then it would have been if I was using a full on alpine boot. But the real kicker is how much I like this boot when paired up with dynafit fittings. I've done 7 short to medium sized tours(1,500-3,000 feet of vertical gain) with the boots and the 2 pounds I gain vs using TLT 700's is insignificant next to the performance gain I get on the downhill. The 700's will still see a lot of use for all day excursions, and shorter tours where the terrain doesn't warrant the use of a big boot. The Aero's touring performance does give me the option of deciding to use it if the downhill terrain calls for it. I'm fairly confident that I could use the Aero's + dynafits for a 4-5k day and not be miserable.

Can I tell the difference between the Aero and an alpine boot? Yep, its not as burly, and not quite as laterally stiff as my alpines, the Aero can hang, but its more like a mid range alpine boot then a step under a race boot like I expect the Garmont Shaman or Scarpa Hurricane are. On the other hand my alpine boots don't tour anywhere NEAR as well as the Aero's and the
downhill performance is close enough that people aren't waiting for me at the bottom.

All in all this is a fantastic boot for those of us that like to do a bit of everything, and sometimes aren't sure where they're going to be on any given day. I like the fact that I can throw 3 pairs of skis in the rooftop box and be set for a weekend with one pair of boots no matter what cards I get dealt.