The snow on Hood is holding up remarkably well for late August. The skiing at the Timberline ski area last week was pretty darn fun. I spent the bulk of the day trying out Black Diamond's new Efficient Series boots: the Slant, Prime and Quadrant. All three boots performed well, and I'd say that BD's new AT boots set a high standard for lightweight, touring-minded construction and downhill performance. The Quadrant, a four buckle boot and the burliest of the series, weighs in at 1.64kg/boot/size 26.0. The Quadrant offers enough boot to drive a big ski, but is every bit light enought to keep most gram counters happy.
My pick of the day was the Prime - a three buckle boot weighing in at 1.55kg/boot/size 26.0. The Prime is a little softer than the Quadrant - similar to Scarpa Spirit 3 or 4 in flex. The Prime was there to drive the ski when called upon, but forgving enough to wear all day and its weight is very respectable.
The Efficient boot series as whole is pretty impressive. All are Dynafit tech-fitting compatible. All include heat moldable liners, and they all incorporate BD's propriatary Triax Pivot in the cuff that allows for 40 degrees of movement - 20 degrees forward and 20 degrees back - while in walk mode. For a company that has touted, "it's all about the down" the past couple of seasons, BD's new light-weight, touring-minded efficient series boots and skis are a welcome addition to their line-up. We will have full reviews of the new boots in the December issue of the mag along with boots from Garmont, Dynafit and Scarpa.
Check out our growing list of Alpine Touring boot weights to compare boots...
Black Diamond alpine touring boots and a full range of alpine touring boots are availale for purchase at evo.com
