1st plastic boot tele setup advice please

[aclyon]

Hello tele turners,
Been a lurker here for a bit, please enjoy my first actual post--

I have a year's experience with soft boots and skinny nordic skis in the BC, on a huge variety of slopes. i'm not a magnificent tele skier but i can combat ski my way down almost anything, and I'm pretty comfortable with my heel free.
I'd like to put together a plastic boot tele setup to learn the turn better, and have some different fun. this setup should be good in the resort, and good in the BC-- doesnt have to be fantastic at either as I have good dedicated setups for both. I live in South Lake Tahoe-- there will be no shortage of good soft powder days.
I've already scored a pair of Armada Declivity 88C's for a very cheap price-- low camber, light, skinnyish waist for an all-mountain type of ski.
I would like to keep the setup in the affordable range. So I was thinking 3-pin/75mm binding... since most of the good tech boots are pretty darned expensive, and 3-pin really opens up the used market and other affordable options.

How does this sound to you? Would a Voile Switchback/Switchback X2 be a good binding? Or do you recommend a different binding, and why? Which boot would you recommend? Good ol' Scarpa T4 or something else? I have an unusually wide foot-- I mean like hobbit wide. So I'd like a pretty high volume boot. I like the simplicity and overall aesthetics of the T4, but I am open to all kinds of advice on this. You can also tell me the ski is wrong, if you'd like, but I got it for 50% off and it ticks a lot of boxes for me. Potentially I could sell it for what I paid for it and get something else, but I'd ideally like to keep it focused around the Armada skis.

Thanks for any advice! I'm excited for the season.

[phoenix]

First, I'm surprised there's been no replies till now! Guess because it's still off season, along with losing some of our valued contributors a few months back.
I'm still here. And to answer your questions:

I have no experience with those Armada's so I just looked 'em up. They sounded good in your description, but the manufacturer also points out that it has a stiff flex, and is geared towards "icy" conditions, steeps, and consolidated powder... NOT what you want to learn on, IMO. There are loads of better options out there, used and cheap.

Either model Switchback is a very good choice. Light, simple, bomber, and importantly, has a smooth flex with the regular cartridges. Highly recommended, I'm very pleased with mine.

Bootwise, it'll depend somewhat on the ski you end up with. The T4 is a nice light boot; it'll also have an upper limit in terms of ski width and, and snow conditions. It's not really a wide fitting boot, Garmont's are known for a wider fit, but this isn't true for every model; in the T4 category, the Excursions are loads wider. You might also consider something in the T2 category, which would handle wider skis and more difficult snow better than the T4's.

I'll leave it at that for now, to get things rolling. Do feel free to ask questions, oh and welcome to the posting world here.

[Weaver]

Hey I've gotta say I agree with most of what phoenix said about skis and boots. One thing on the boots is if you do end up wanting a 3 buckle boot like the T2 I think that something like a Garmont Synergy might be more comfortable for your wide feet. As for the bindings, if your trying to stay in the used market I think a pair of G3 Targas would be your best bet. They ski pretty much the same as the Voile Switchbacks, and while you do lose out on the free pivot they are definitely still usable for touring. If your buying new though you couldn't go wrong with the Switchbacks.

[CIMA]

If you're comfortable with cross-country skiing, you might want to consider Scarpa T4 or Scott Excursion as your top choices. However, Scott Excursion seems to have been discontinued in 2021, but you might be able to find it in an auction.

Since the built-in inner boots of T4 have a narrow ball width, it's recommended that you try them on before buying.

If I were in your shoes, I would go for light telemark gear like NNN-BC and 3-pin leather. When I started, I used plastic boots (T3, T4) and tour bindings (G3 Targa Ascent, Voile Switch Back), but I ditched them all and now only use NNN-BC gear. I often ski in powder (deep/thin) with it and have no problem.

[aclyon]

Oh wow, thanks for responses folks! I was worried I had asked questions that simply weren't worth answering or something when I got no answer for many days.

@CIMA-- I already have a great NNN-BC setup as well as an Xplore setup, both with Fischer XC skis. I'm trying to put together something a little different. I love those setups and plan to use them a ton this winter. I want something that will allow me to really focus on learning the turn and give me access to some slightly steeper terrain. End-goal is to be skilled enough to take floppy boot setups into the resort and other steep places.

A quick search for Garmont Syner-g boots reveals that they are cheap used, but hard to find. I will keep my eye out though. Being a size 30-ish doesn't help.
The T2 looks awesome! Maybe I can try a pair on at the local shop.

Does Garmont not make ski boots any longer? I don't see any new models on their website and searches only yield used boots.

Any other boot suggestions are welcome. And if someone wants to trade skis that they think would work better for me, hit me up with a DM please.

[Capercaillie]

How wide is "hobbit wide"? EE, EEEE, EEEEEE (recently found out this is a thing)? How high is your instep?

I have EEEE feet and a high-ish instep and recently had T4s fitted. Thumbs up - these boots can be made to work for big feet, can't wait to ski them.

Give Fey Bros https://aspinockwoods.com/ or Freeheel Life https://www.freeheellife.com/ a call and most importantly find a good boot fitter.

[aclyon]

How wide is "hobbit wide"? EE, EEEE, EEEEEE (recently found out this is a thing)? How high is your instep?

I have EEEE feet and a high-ish instep and recently had T4s fitted. Thumbs up - these boots can be made to work for big feet, can't wait to ski them.

Give Fey Bros https://aspinockwoods.com/ or Freeheel Life https://www.freeheellife.com/ a call and most importantly find a good boot fitter.

Honestly I've only ever had E or EE kicks-- generally speaking, the wider the better. My instep is pretty high. I was able to get some K2 alpine skiing boots to work but it took 3 sessions of knock outs with my boot guy, and most of the season lol. But, if the T4's are malleable to boot fitting, I would love to make them work, since I love the simplicity and availability of this boot.

I believe they stock them at the local sporting goods store-- perhaps I will go try them on if they have my size, and see if it feels anywhere close to fitting.

If you are EEEE and high instep and actually got them to fit-- that is very encouraging. Thanks for that experience report. Could you tell me, which mondo size did you choose, and what size is your normal shoe?

[Capercaillie]

If you are EEEE and high instep and actually got them to fit-- that is very encouraging. Thanks for that experience report. Could you tell me, which mondo size did you choose, and what size is your normal shoe?

I am a very consistent 43 Euro and went with a 28 T4. The Euro column in the Scarpa size table was very helpful (I would ignore US sizes altogether, too inconsistent). If my feet were EE (and didn't have other things going on...) a 27.5 would have been a better starting point (same 28 shell with a thicker liner). The downside is that a 28 shell is too long (the fit is good right now, but I have no idea how the liner will pack out), but I really doubt a 27 shell would have worked. If you are an integer Mondo size, the decision is easy, go with your size. If your size ends on a 0.5, I would call Fey Bros or Freeheel Life and see what shell size they recommend. I don't know how much these boots can be stretched for length.

[phoenix]

"Does Garmont not make ski boots any longer?" Not any tele boots. Scott took over the Excursions for a couple of seasons, but they don't make 'em any more either. You might know this already, but I've sometimes shopped for used ski gear by looking at Craigslist's in various ski towns... there's often quite a lot out there. Add expanded areas to your search.

And a heads up regarding punching out tele boots: can't safely stretch the bellows area, if that's where the problem is.