Merrell Ultra boots

[Riff]

Thanks for the heads up Chisana. I had a thin, slip on ankle compression race that I tested out and they definitely help. Still had a little bit of heel lift with it so I ordered a 2mm pair of Ezeefits, hopefully they lock me in better.

My challenge will then be how to adjust the fit in my right foot which is 1/2 size smaller than my left!!

I love the Ultra’s double tongue. the inner tongue seems continue over the top of the foot and down the front of the toe box. I find if I pull up on the tongue and lock the position with the outer tongue velcro, it gives me a little adjustment of the interior length of the boot. Hope that’s what it’s made for and that I’m not going to rip off the tongue on my first tour!!

[Krummholz]

Whole bunch of suggestions for heel slip / blisters.

[Riff]

Whole bunch of suggestions for heel slip / blisters.

Thanks for that video, very helpful. I wondered why use of ankle sleeves was not mentioned. Double socks performs a similar role but may cause soggy boots if temps do not call for that much insulation.

I tried the Ezee fit 2mm and they really help lock in my heels. However I am now concerned that the sleeve uses neoprene which is non-breathable/non-wicking. Does anyone have experience with Ezeefit or neoprene socks with leather boots in cold temps? Seems they would keep feet cozy warm, but on the flip side a risk of freezing feet due to feet always in contact with moisture

We ski Ontario & Quebec in cold conditions. Our last tour had 3 days of daytime temps below -20C/-4F.

[JB TELE]

Whole bunch of suggestions for heel slip / blisters.

Thanks for that video, very helpful. I wondered why use of ankle sleeves was not mentioned. Double socks performs a similar role but may cause soggy boots if temps do not call for that much insulation.

I tried the Ezee fit 2mm and they really help lock in my heels. However I am now concerned that the sleeve uses neoprene which is non-breathable/non-wicking. Does anyone have experience with Ezeefit or neoprene socks with leather boots in cold temps? Seems they would keep feet cozy warm, but on the flip side a risk of freezing feet due to feet always in contact with moisture

We ski Ontario & Quebec in cold conditions. Our last tour had 3 days of daytime temps below -20C/-4F.

A pretty common thing in multi-day winter trips is to use vapor barrier liners. You put on a thin liner sock, a plastic bread bag (or specially made non breathable/non permeable sock), and then wool socks. This prevents your sweat from compromising the insulation of your wool socks and boots. I've used 3mm seam sealed neoprene socks (nothing underneath and nothing on top) for this purpose.

So to answer your question, trapping moisture next to your skin doesn't really make you colder but trapping moisture in your socks and boot insulation does and it can be difficult to dry out your boots on a cold weather trip.

[JB TELE]

Are the merrel ultra boots comparable to the asolo extremes but with a wider fit? I scored a pair on ebay and they don't crush my toes (wide forefoot). The asolo snowfields I tried felt like climbing shoes in comparison.

[rongon]

I just destroyed my dearly beloved pair of Asolo Extreme boots, so I snagged a pair of fairly well used Merrell Ultras off of eBay. My first impressions are that the Ultra is similar to the Extreme, but the Ultra is softer all around. The cuff is less stiff, but it's definitely still there. I haven't skied the Ultras yet, but I'm looking forward to it. In a nutshell, I think the Ultra is a bit more purely cross country oriented than the Extreme, but they're very similar.

Now if I can only find a new pair of Asolo Extreme in size 10...

[JB TELE]

I have been skiing on my Merrell Ultras for a couple of seasons. Had them resoled to be safe. I wouldn't call them XC oriented, their cuff makes them less efficient for touring and you can't really K+G on them. In comparison my Crispi Antarctics are much softer and tour much better, but it's harder to hold a stable tele turn in them especially in variable crappy snow.

[lowangle al]

The Ultras and Extremes were made for people that wanted to telemark ski, not xc ski. Nobody complained about weight or stiffness if their goal was to make turns. Although I put a lot of miles on mine, my first impression was that I couldn't tour in them, but I adjusted. Anything labeled xcd is a compromise of touring and turning, this limits how much you can drive a ski with tip pressure because of the softer cuffs.

[rongon]

I should clarify.

My idea of 'cross country' skiing is actually skiing hiking trails and old skid roads in Northeastern forests (Catskills and Adirondacks mostly, but also in state parks in the Hudson Highlands when we get enough snow). I call it Nordic backcountry because the idea is to go from here to there on rough and narrow trails with many somewhat steep sections, sometimes bushwhacking through (hopefully) open trees, but avoiding truly steep terrain. I loved the combination of Asolo Extreme boots and Fischer Rebound Crown skis for this kind of thing. I find the ankle support of the Asolo Extreme type of boot helps keep me upright going over all the dips and bumps, and also helps keep me stable during tough stream crossings, etc.

I don't call this 'XCD' skiing because it's not really about making turns, although it's certainly nice to be able to pull off some turns where the opportunity presents itself. I guess it's 'XCd' type skiing, but of the rough kind.

I broke a Rebound ski last weekend so I think my next setup will be this used pair of Merrell Ultra boots and a pair of Fischer OTX 88 Crown skis, if I can find any. I'm told the factory in Ukraine that made that ski was bombed.

I'm also thinking Asnes Ingstad, but that's a bump up in $$$.

I also broke a 15 year old pair of Karhu Pegasus skis back in January, so I got a brand new pair of Fischer Transnordic 66 skis in 200cm length. That's going to be my truly 'cross country' ski for logging roads, snowmobile trails, unpaved roads, etc. The kind of skiing where you go as fast as you can in a straight line on mostly flat to gently rolling terrain. But that's a different topic...

JB TELE - Where did you get your Ultras resoled?

[Chisana]

Dave Page is a long time cobbler in Seattle. Did a good job resoling some leathers for me a while back. I think he is still in business.