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Any randonee people in here?

NorthCascades
NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
First a joke:

Define randonee. Can't Telemark.
Define AT. Can't pronounce randonee.

How much stress does this type of skiing put on your ankles? My guess is the boots shield you from that and it's not much, but I'd love to hear from someone with experience. How comfortable are the boots? Does the kick and glide feel as natural as Nordic gear?

I bought a set of BC Nordic skis at REI, and the boots are really hard on me. I'm close to getting over tendinitis, and every time I use the BC setup, the tendon hurts. I'm thinking about availing myself of REI's generous return policy and using the funds towards a randonee setup.

Replies

  • Burnabychick2014
    Burnabychick2014 Posts: 84 Member
    edited January 2020
    I have backcountry skied for years & your questions are not easy to answer. Try to find a good boot fitter in your area - I’m sure your local touring peeps have suggestions. For example, I live in Vancouver BC & belong to South Coast Touring & someone always has a good boot suggestion. AT boots are difficult to fit, may need moulding & adjustments before having a good fit for a day of touring. No, skiing in AT boots are not like skiing x-country as the outer shell is hard moulded plastic and the glide in my set-up is shorter. Also, glide is limited by my skins 😕

    Different boots will affect your ankles differently = find a professional boot fitter
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Thanks @Burnabychick2014! 🙂
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,960 Member
    If you're using randonnee in a cycling sense, then yes.
  • patrickbjurquist
    patrickbjurquist Posts: 1 Member
    Randonee is nothing like BC skiing with a Nordic setup. I do cross-country, BC, alpine and Randonee on a regular basis - here's my take;
    - ankle problems you have to address offseason with targeted training and rehab.
    - a Randonee boot is basically a lighter version of an alpine boot but with flex (lock/unlock) in the shaft with a liner boot that you lace your foot in. You walk rather than glide going up on your skins and then button down the boot just like in the slopes when you are doing regular alpine skiing down (hopefully in powder) ;-)
    - No, you do not need a boot fitter to start with and it's quite easy to find a boot that fits as long as you don't have a 'weird' foot ;-) There are tons of models and brands if you stick with Tec bindings. If you go TR2 bindings the selection is slimmer.
    - When choosing the boot, look at one that has memory foam material in the liner and get that fitted in the store - most stores and brands have this today.
    - You do not have to spend a fortune on skis, bindings and boots (although a full setup is not cheap).
    - But these things you SHOULD NOT save money on buying;
    -- (avalanche backpack), avalanche shovel, helmet, avalanche probe, digital avalanche transceiver, first-aid kit.
    -- a good buddy to ski with, never go alone in areas where avalanches could occur.
    -- demand that your buddy have this equipment as a minimum - for your safety, not his/hers.

    Good luck and let us know how it goes :-)
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