Madshus Glittertind BOOTS! Initial review - NNN-BC

[HBS]

You probably know the Glittertind ski's but did you know there are Glittertind boots?

I recently purchased a pair and got to compare them with my Fischer RC6's and the Alpina Alaska's they had in stock. Stiffness wise they are close to the Alaska's and much stiffer than my RC6's. I also tried on some Rossignol BC X10's that were much softer than the Glittertinds. The Glittertind ankle cuff has a more solid construction with a ratchet type strap instead of velcro. There's an additional strap on the Glittertind at the top of the foot where the ankle starts to help combat heel lift.

My first and so far only day skiing with them was on Sunday for 8 miles at Wild Basin in the southern part of Rocky Mountain National Park with my Asnes Nansens. Temperatures were -7F at the trailhead with the usual front range wind blast. My feet stayed surprisingly warm with just thin wool socks and knee high goretex gaiters over softshell pants and Patagucci Cap 4 long underwear.

I was worried that the boot stiffness would hurt kick and glide but it they seem to kick great, glide was poor due to the cold snow however. The stiffness does seem to help with the downhill a bit but my technique needs work. Also the trails were overall rather mellow so it wasn't a great test.

I'll update this with pictures later since it was too cold for my phone to function.

[MikeK]

Very nice - haven't seen or heard much about these guys.

Where did you purchase them from?

[lilcliffy]

I have never handled these- let alone tested them...VERY cool review- thanks man.

Your observations remind me of Mike's regarding the Svartisen BC...

Stiffer than the Rossi BCX10 eh- cool to know- that eliminates the BCX10 from my list!

This means that the Alaska BC has a stiffer sole flex than the Rossi BCX10- good info.

Thanks again.

[lilcliffy]

My first and so far only day skiing with them was on Sunday for 8 miles at Wild Basin in the southern part of Rocky Mountain National Park with my Asnes Nansens.

DO I FEEL A NANSEN REVIEW IN OUR FUTURE?

[MikeK]

I think performance-wise the Glittertind and the Svartisen would be comparable. I think perhaps the Svartisen is a little bit nicer in that it's a full grain leather boot all the way around with plastic/synthetic reinforcement. The Glittertind looks like it is fully synthetic (please correct me if I'm wrong).

[HBS]

Very nice - haven't seen or heard much about these guys.

Where did you purchase them from?

Boulder Nordic Sport - sadly Neptune Mountaineering appears to be going under or at least their parent company is going through bankrupcy. They haven't bought any new stock since the summer, the store is mostly empty. On a whim I decided to check Boulder Nordic and to my surprise their backcountry selection isn't bad although no three pin stuff.

I have never handled these- let alone tested them...VERY cool review- thanks man.

Your observations remind me of Mike's regarding the Svartisen BC...

Stiffer than the Rossi BCX10 eh- cool to know- that eliminates the BCX10 from my list!

This means that the Alaska BC has a stiffer sole flex than the Rossi BCX10- good info.

Thanks again.

No problem! Yeah I'd say the Glittertinds were about 80-90% the stiffness of the Alaska and BCX10 maybe 30-50%. Huge difference BCX10->Alaska, minor difference Glittertind->Alaska. Otherwise I was impressed with the quality on the BCX10.

My first and so far only day skiing with them was on Sunday for 8 miles at Wild Basin in the southern part of Rocky Mountain National Park with my Asnes Nansens.

DO I FEEL A NANSEN REVIEW IN OUR FUTURE?

Haha, I don't think I'm that qualified. I'm really a front country XC skier trying to get better at backcountry. I also started downhill skiing this year and am going to work on learning to tele-turn. It does seem like a great ski though! Also like I said above, Neptune will not be stocking any Asnes stuff this year and may wind up out of business. That's the sole US Asnes distributor so there isn't much of a chance for you to get them.

I think performance-wise the Glittertind and the Svartisen would be comparable. I think perhaps the Svartisen is a little bit nicer in that it's a full grain leather boot all the way around with plastic/synthetic reinforcement. The Glittertind looks like it is fully synthetic (please correct me if I'm wrong).

Yeah the Glittertind is either full synthetic or there's a little leather along the sole.

[lilcliffy]

DO I FEEL A NANSEN REVIEW IN OUR FUTURE?

Haha, I don't think I'm that qualified.

Please don't underestimate yourself- nor be intimidated by the "New Nordic Nerds" (YES- LJ- I already opened my New Brunswick chapter!) here on this site.

No matter what- we are really just feeling our way through this stuff- based on trial and error. And without spending a fortune on gear (I already spend too much)- it is difficult to draw any conclusions because of the inability to compare/contrast.

So- PLEASE- don't hesitate- I/we would love to hear what you think of the Nansen.

UTE magazine seems to be the only source I know doing open comparison tests of Nordic BC ski tech. (Though they seem to be restricting access to paying subscribers- need a subscription!)

It is still killing me that I can't understand a blessed thing ole' Gamme is saying in his damn videos!

Very sorry to hear about Neptune.

Sport Albert. I can get Asnes products from Sport Albert cheaper than I can order from the two Canadian Asnes dealers.

[MikeK]

HBS - perhaps this should be a sticky but this is a forum run by amateurs for amateurs. Amateur has nothing to do with skill level, we have a vast array of skills from beginners to experts who post here - it has to do with your objective opinion and not being corporate shill.

We buy our skis with our own money, and once in a while a company will send someone something to test, but our opinions remain objective and unspoiled. There are no sponsors or vested interest. Just people who love to ski, and that's what being amateur is: engaging or engaged in without payment.

So in that sense, anyone is free to write whatever they feel in this section. If you ABSOLUTELY despise something, and want to thrash it, go for it... but be honest and explain why. If you love it, tell us why. What about it works for you?

There really aren't any bad skis, only bad skiers - but like skiers, they all have different characteristics that we may love or hate. So there's no right or wrong answer.

[HBS]

Ok ok, just let me get my technique down a bit better so I can do these skis justice!

[HBS]

Update to the boot review:



Picture here if it isn't working above:

On the second day out, I noticed that when my feet got too close together, the ends of the very end of the ankle cuff strap would slap against each other. The glittertind boots use a hard plastic click type strap, not the usual velcro. The outsides of the boots have release mechanisms that work really well and have yet to ice up on me. After the second day skiing the tip of one of the cuff straps broke. It has next to no impact on the boot and they don't seem to hit eachother anymore but it seems like a slight design flaw.

Other that that minor issue I absolutely love these boots - light, stiff, warm and they fit great.