What boots to buy??

[fisheater]

@mca80 That rail on NNN-BC makes for a lot of lateral stability on a softer soled boot.
I will be interested in your perceptions, your Nansen had NNN-BC bindings, correct?

[mca80]

Correct. We'll see how they ski with the Bre. May end up needing to use ski march.

[mca80]

Wonder if these are worth getting if I can be the only bid...Asolo Sport Snowpine and Asolo Extreme. I did have two pairs of Asolo hiking boots in us 8 and they fit reasonably well (boots with proper width I am probably 7.5 but needed a bit more forefoot room with those).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166246994961?h ... R4rhwJu2Yg

[Manney]

Pass

[mca80]

Thanks, didn't look closely enough. Pin holes are shot. Is that common, and how quickly?

[Manney]

Pretty common. Depends on user. Can happen quickly following a few bouts of inattention. Biggest weakness of the boots for that binding system (if you ignore getting pebbles, sand, or dirt packed into those little holes and sole cracking along the pin hole line).

[connyro]

That is most likely superficial damage to the pin holes. There's a metal plate embedded in the duckbill where the pins actually slide into when the binding is engaged. Don't let a little scuffing/deformation scare you away. Based on the pin holes shown in the photo, those look like good boots IMO

[Manney]

This is what a NN boot with pin hole damage looks like when you cut away the sole:

When the holes are elongated, the pins wiggle around and cause all kinds of secondary damage that you might not be able to see.

Not all boots are build the same but pin hole elongation and cracking is a known point of failure for this style of boot. Smiley plates are a quick and temporary fix… you can maybe finish a season this way. As for buying a boot already showing signs of pin hole damage… be prepared for a hard lesson.

You should ask conny if he’s willing to refund your money if the boot fails. He can put his money where his mouth is, giving you 100% peace of mind in his level of confidence.

[connyro]

The Asolo Extremes, Snowfeilds, and the Snowpines all have metal in the center of the duckbill which holds the pins securely. The rubber of the sole of the boot can be chewed up quite a bit without comprising the interface with the binding. Superficial damage can be covered with smiley plates but don't really help a ton with securely clamping the boot to the binding. I've used several old used pairs of leathers over the years including some ebay purchases. Most of those boots arrived with pin holes that looked like the ones shown in the previous photo. I never had any of those boots fail at the pin holes, even after many many days in the snow. Perhaps manney can relay some of his own experiences with 3 pin boots failing at the pin holes.

[Manney]

“Many days in the snow”. Ha ha. Yep. That sounds like an expedition-level endorsement to me. It sounds like you’re ready to back up your advice with a $60 money back guarantee for @mca80. That’s appropriate given the strength of your convictions on this one @connyro.

If the clamps are misapplied, any thin metal between the Vibram sole and the welted sole will be bent. Could be a little, could be a lot. Only a man with X-ray vision could tell.

If the holes are elongated due to wear, it means that the pins are sliding around while skiing and the holes in any internal plates are elongated too.

Some of those holes look pretty gnarly. It’s not the result of a one off error. But if conny is guaranteeing them, go for it. What can you lose? Ha ha.