When does the alpine skiing start?

Are alpine touring boots a requirement in alpine touring skiing, or will regular alpine boots work?

• Basically, I want to start skiing backside country, away from the main lifts. I know that I will need skis with touring bindings and skins to go with the skis, but what kind of boots ...show more

• Answer:

  Dynafit bindings will not work with regular Alpine boots. (These are the bindings with the little pins in them.) Most AT boots made in the last two years will work with the Dynafit bindings or the DIN compatible bindings made by Marker, Diamir-Fritschi, or Black Diamond. Most regular alpine boots work with the Marker, Diamir, or BD bindings. If in doubt, take your boots to a shop and try them out in the sample mounts. These bindings are generally heavier than the Dynafit bindings and your Alpine boots will be heavier than most AT boots, so until you can come up with the money to buy the AT boots, you may be toting around some extra weight.