skitouring boots are best bought in a store from a specialist. As an expert, they will analyze the length and width of your feet to find the right model. Take your time, get advice and, above all, try out several pairs. skitouring boots must fit. If you can already feel pressure points in the store, they are not the right ones.
All-rounder or downhill-oriented: What will it be?
In touring ski boots, you can generally distinguish four areas of use:
- All-mountain or all-roundskitouring boots: They offer good performance on the ascent, descent and when walking off-piste without skis, for example on the last few meters to the summit. If you don't want a separate boot for every purpose, you're in good hands here.
- Ascent-oriented skitouring boots: They score points with the lowest possible weight, are usually not quite as stiff, which is due to the thinner material and often have a higher shaft rotation.
- Freeride or downhill-oriented skitouring boots: these are stiffer and more stable, as wider and heavier skis are used for freeriding. Thanks to the generally higher flex, downhill-oriented skiers enjoy better control. The stability comes at the price of greater material thickness and therefore higher weight.
- Race-skitouring boots: Extremely light models, mostly made of carbon. A show on the way up, on the descent you need quite a bit of "lard" in your legs to be able to control the ski well.
Here's what you should know:
- The shaft rotation: This refers to the mobility between the shoe and the shaft in the ascent mode. It is expressed in degrees. The higher the shaft rotation, the more flexible the shoe. The more flexible the boot, the more comfortable the ascent and flat or snow-free passages. Angles + / - 60 degrees are common.
- The forward angle: This refers to the forward tilt of the shaft in downhill mode. The greater the forward angle, the more aggressive the ski is on the descent. In touring ski boots, it is usually in the range of 15 to 18 degrees.
- Flex: This refers to the forward resistance (stiffness) of the ski boot shaft. The higher the flex value, the more immobile the ski boot shaft. This means that it offers a little more support. On the other hand, however, the important mobility in the ankle joint is also restricted. For our HAGAN touring ski boots, we opted for a medium flex of 90 - 100. This is a good compromise for comfort on the ascent and support on the descent.
HAGAN has decided to develop skitouring boots for all-mountain use. The flex is therefore between 90 and 100, the shaft rotation between 60 and 65 degrees and you can choose between 16 and 18 degrees for the camber angle. This means you are equipped for all situations on your ski tour.
Customize inner shoe and shell
Every foot is different. And not just from person to person. There are also differences between the left and right foot. Typical problem areas of the foot are The shin, ankle, instep and toe area. HAGAN-skitouring boots can be individually adapted to your feet to ensure that your feet feel comfortable in your shoes.
Inner shoe: adjustment by heat forming
Our inner shoes are either completely thermoformable (TF) or deformable in certain areas (ST). This allows the inner shoe to be perfectly adapted to your foot. Thermoformable means that the material is heated, then adapts to your foot and retains this fit after cooling. Now the inner shoe is adjusted exactly to your foot. It is completely normal that inner shoes lose their shape somewhat after a long time. Therefore, our inner shoes can be individually adjusted again several times.
Shell: Widening makes it possible
In our models, the shell can be adjusted at specific points by a specialist. A welcome feature, especially for the women's model PURE W: the shell can be widened in the forefoot area. Ideal, so that the shoe can be adapted even better to your personal needs.
How to find the right size
We've already said it above: skitouring boots are best bought from an expert. They will measure your foot (possibly with a foot scanner) and can make a pre-selection.
Here are three tips for the right size:
- Not too big: unlike hiking boots, touring boots should only be a few millimeters longer than your foot (so a little space in front of your toes is okay).
- When standing, the big toe should bump slightly in front (bump only when leaning back in the shoes in the binding).
- It should still be possible to move the toes.
Our seven expert tips for buying shoes:
- skitouring boots are best bought in the afternoon or early evening, as the feet swell a little during the day.
- Fit: You decide. Therefore: Test, test, test.
- Shoes for women: A woman's foot is different. Therefore, it makes sense to inquire in the trade about special touring ski boots for women. They are adapted to the anatomy of the female foot.
- Socks: Proper socks are rather thin than thick. Heavy wool socks have no place in touring boots. Depending on preference, compression socks or ski socks are used here, for example. Some manufacturers also offer special ski touring socks.
- Inner shoe: The volume of the inner shoe may decrease due to compression during the first tours. Make sure that your foot is not too much space in the store.
- Buckles: There are 2, 3 and 4 buckles. In HAGAN we have chosen 2 buckles for weight reasons. More important than their number is their perfect position to properly transfer the rider's power to the ski. Nevertheless, you can use them to adjust the boots optimally and set them for downhill or uphill.
- Ski binding: Depending on the binding, you need different boot systems. If you have a pin binding, the boot must have the appropriate mount for it.
The tour begins with the right skitouring boot. If it fits, you can really enjoy the ascent and descent!