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Comparison BTK and Soft Touring Set up for Condor

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  • Comparison BTK and Soft Touring Set up for Condor

    ** NOTE **
    THE BTK IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE


    For other back country skiboard touring options please refer to:
    http://www.skiboardsonline.com/forum...t=back+country

    http://www.skiboardsonline.com/forum...t+boot+touring

    http://www.skiboardsonline.com/forum...ad.php?t=13045


    This thread is being kept as an archive only:


    Today I had a great chance to do a full tour using the "Soft touring Set up" that Graeme suggested. I thought I would post some observations and comparisons with the BTK hard boot set up .

    Here is a picture of the two set ups ....


    On the soft boot set up , climbing is done with snowboard boots using a snowshoe , carrying the Condor mounted with an EDGE brand light weight snowboard riser, and a lightweight middle of the road snowboard binding , with a custom ski boot exoskeleton cuff . On the BTK , there is no need to carry the skiboard on the pack . you are touring with the Condor doing double duty as a climbing device as well as descent device... you use a hardboot .. Full tilt booter in my case and use skins and crampons as needed .
    (ps in another thread , I have explained that the Receptor Soft boot riser has signficant advantages in carving over the ligher weight plastic Edge riser .. but since the Edge riser has a signficant weight saving over the Receptor soft boot riser and I am usually not on hard snow in the backcountry , the Edge riser wins out )
    The snowshoe and snowboard boot feels way lighter then the BTK mounted Condor / Full tilt set up .. Walking on firm snow feels easier and faster , also climbing up steep firm snow also seems simpler and easier ... but the trade off , is that with the snowshoe set up , there is the extra weight of the board and binding on the pack ...

    I have tried snowshoeing with ski boots and the snowboard boot is a million times more fun and easier .. the pliable soft boot makes a snowshoe feel natural where as with a skiboot it feels a bit awkward. .. I think a hard boot is better mated to the BTK telemark cable /skin set up then it is to snowshoes.

    Transitions are slower with the snowshoe /soft boot set up ... one thing that makes the whole operation slower ,is that the modified snowboard binding requires tightening the two snowboard straps , the ski boot cuff buckle and a booster strap . which is more complex and time consuming then flicking the front lever of the BTK set up ,

    Breaking trail in soft snow and following skiers is much easier with the BTK set up .. the snowshoe even with flotation tails does not seem to have as much float ,or have the float distributed as well as a BTK equipped Condor with skins .

    It is easier following snowshoe trails then skier trails with a snowshoe because the snowshoe trails are firmer and deeper and more compacted then skier trails .

    Downhill performance and control is equal in both set up .. although I need to be a little careful with balance on the soft boot setup primarly because I am center mount rather than 4cm back on the BTK set up which is a little more error proof in variable snow .. but the Condor performs , of course, great center mount in deep pow without need to really weight the tails much at all .. and the soft boot set up really has a cool feel in pow which is an advantage.

    Bottom line there are pros and cons of both set ups ... what is really cool is that we now have two fully functional options for taking the Condor into the backcountry . or maybe I should say three as you can use a ski boot and carry the Condor with a regular skiboard binding as well .
    I really think the "soft touring set up " and the BTK are winners .. ps. it should be understood that both solutions need the user to buy a number of separate parts and cobble together a unique touring solution and neither is sold as a complete kit. Just as SBOL forum members have made the BTK kit to help touring .. my hope is that one of our bright engineering SBOL members can come up with a snowboard binding cuff to attach to snowboard bindings to make the soft boot set up viable .. otherwise .. i recommend dumpster diving or checking out used sporting good shops and amputating ski boot cuffs to make your own soft boot binding as I have done ....

    ps. happy new years everyone ! and best wishes for your skiboard season to come !
    Boards :
    Blunt Xl, DLP, Spliff, Condor, Rockered Condor , Slingshot, Sherpa, Icelantic Shaman
    Boots
    K2 BFC 100 Grip walk sole , Dynafit CR Radical AT boot, Ride Insano Snowboard boots
    Bindings:
    Zero Pro Non release Binding
    Modified Receptor Backcountry Bindings (Bill Version and Slow Version)
    Spruce Riser with Attack 14 GW /AT binding
    Custom Risers with Fritschi Backcountry Bindings (Jeff Singer version 1, Bill version)
    Rocker and Sbol Soft Boot Bindings.
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