Newbie to Alpine Touring/Randonee looking for boots

Until a few days ago I had not heard of Alpine Touring so I am not up on things. As a kid I made my own setup by mounting cross-country bindings onto downhill skis and loved hiking the back country after I had the ability to clip my heels down to take on the occasional hill that was too steep for most of my fellow treckers. Flash forward 35 years and I find myself walking out of a second hand shop with an old AT setup. What sold me was the salesman thought I would be able to use Mountaineering boots in those bindings. When I got home to google it I found out that the 555 model of the Silvretta needs AT boots which really do not fit in my budget. I have been trudging the hills around my house using downhill boots but it is torture.

Comfort is most important as I stay pretty mellow but I do not want something that will noodle out on me if I find myself on more challenging terrain. The least expensive new boots I can find in my size in the $300 range are a pair of Scarpa Spirit (apparently Scarpa Spirit 3 without the intuition liners?) and a pair of Dynafit TLT 700. I am inclined toward the Dynafit but it bothers me that these same boots have been featured lately in closeout sales for as little as $100 and other quality boots can still be found under $200 but not in my size anymore. I have only found a few used boots in my size but people are asking even more for them than the new ones.

So does anyone have any opinions to offer on the choices I have? Is there much chance I will find some more bargains in my size this season or should I just grab what's available? Does anyone know of any bargains I missed? Does someone have a pair of used boots they wish to part with? I think I am a size 29 mondo. I have not found any shops in this area that have much of a stock of AT boots to try stuff on.

Probably not many deals to be had on AT boots from the retail side of things. Ebay or other auction type sites might be your best bet for a used pair. In addition to Scarpa and Dynafit, be sure to check out any of Lowa's AT boots.

Lot's of killer deals can be found here at sierratradingpost.com. Looks like they only have Scarpa Spirit 3s in Mondo 29 but keep checking back as they update often with new gear. Scarpa Spirit 3's for $315 is a sensational deal for a quality AT boot. I actually bought a pair from this outfit but returned them due to not having a "Scarpa foot." Too good a deal not to give it a rip for a $5 return fee. They would have been nearly ideal boots for my uses.... but if the boot does not fit it is useless. AT boot fitting is pretty crappy from my experiences, finding a brand that offers a good fit is going to be a bigger problem than finding a cheap boot... which is a huge problem in and of itself. Good luck finding anything brand new cheaper than $300, especially as the dollar keeps dropping. Most AT boots are essentially made in Italy and the exchange rate is not favorable. Older Dynafit models maybe selling at lower than normal clearance prices since they revamped the line this year. If you can wait a few months, prices will of course drop after winter is over. Good luck!

Thanks guys, I have added Lowa to my search list, also a couple other names I stumbled across that no longer produce AT boots but might come up on a used listing. I stumbled across more great deals but still beating all around my size.

Today after work I found a shop that carries a limited supply of AT boots but they are targetting the Alpine crowd. After getting a feel for the new boots I kind of understand why the companies were dumping the old boots in such a hurry. The plastic has gotten lighter and stronger and technology is at a point that modern boots reportedly provide real Alpine performance with AT comfort. The only real reminder I was wearing a ski boot was the flat sole so they could be compatible with normal Alpine bindings. After I got home to look up some more top end boots I saw that Garmont is making boots with interchangeable soles so you can put on your Alpine sole for resort days then change into the rockered sole for BC skiing and hiking.

I really wanted to but I cannot afford to go new technology today, but I like where it is heading. It will hafta be in next years budget. Meanwhile I will keep my eyes open for a deal on used or closeout gear while I trudge around in my Alpine boots but I cannot justify spending 250-300 on a boot that is already old school and I will never recover a third of it when I upgrade. Who knows? If the major Alpine boot manufacturers discover people are willing to spend another 300-400 for that kind of comfort they might just figure out how to get the cost down, or perhaps they are working on it already. Perhaps even by this time next year I can get a new mainstream boot for 200-300 that is comfortable enough to go touring with. Ah well, it gives me something to dream about while I am out killing my shins.

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AT and Tele are highly functional and fun...but ion a whole mo doesn't have the wide spectrum of boot fit like the alpine world...yet. Tecnica entered the arena this season but did so with a (imo)too-soft-in-the-forward-flex boot with the smallest shell of #26 which kicked me out right off the bat...:roll:
*Try looking at Telemark-Pyrenes (in Europe)....their prices can sometimes be pretty good with some available sizes. Surprisingly, I've seen boots in more than a few sizes pop up after May at nice prices...fwiw
I think Tecnica will work on improving their Agent AT. More sizes...stiffer forward-flex???...it had a nice weight yet had a nice solid shell...as Tecnica would know how to make.....might wanna check TetonGravity.com and Wildsnow.com later in the season when next season's stuff appears for the pros to rate and order.

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