Skimo Co
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2/23/2022 Replacing Ski Touring Liners

Whether you realize it or not, ski boot liners play a huge role in the success of your day of backcountry touring. If your initial reaction is “No way, I’ve never once thought about my liners!” then congrats, you’re currently in the right liners! However, if your boots never quite seem to make your feet happy, there’s a chance your liners are partially to blame. Or if they once felt great but now you’re getting hot spots and pain, your liners may be defunct.

Bad liners have the potential to ruin any powder day - no matter how deep or bluebird.

Liners have the noble jobs of comfortably situating your feet in ski boot shells and being the first piece of gear that translates your energy to your ski (socks don’t count!) They need to do these tasks without getting in the way of other touring boot functions, such as walking. It's a tall order but thankfully not all that hard to achieve.

Liner Construction

Alpine touring liners, like downhill liners, are typically made of thermo-moldable closed-cell foam. The primary difference is that, unless the liners are very thin, they will have flex zones to accommodate ankle articulation that happens with every step while skinning. How touring liners differ from one another is primarily based on their thickness/volume, stiffness, cuff construction, and walkability.

The appropriate thickness of a liner varies based on both a boot shell’s volume and the skier’s foot. Too thin of a liner will be loose and your feet could be swimming in the boot while skiing. Too thick and you might not be able to get in the boot, it could be hard to close the cuff, or possibly be very uncomfortable for the foot and lower leg. Keep in mind, when a brand says it’s a “low volume” liner, that means it’s not as thick/voluminous and takes up less room in the boot than a medium or high volume liner. In other words, a low-volume liner is actually not suited for a skier with a skinny, low-volume foot.

It is important to get an appropriately sized cuff in order to accommodate your calves and the boot itself. Cuff construction and stiffness often work hand in hand. It makes sense that a bulky, dense cuff will also generally make for a stiffer liner. Intuition's Pro Tour liner is known for having thick cuffs, which may not be appropriate for boots on the svelte side. Other liners will add a dense piece of plastic or denser foam to the tongue to add stiffness.

All of these factors work together to create liners for different applications. For instance, a liner designed for skimo racing is going to be thin for low-volume race boots and allow for maximum range of motion. The inverse is true for freeride beef boots. It’s important to match the liner’s intention to that of the boot.

The flex zone on the back of a touring liner allows for ankle articulation without bunching up.

When to Replace

There are a few instances in which you’ll want to replace your liner - when your current liners are no longer cutting it or when you’re looking for increased performance or fit.

Worn Out - It’s pretty obvious when your old liners are past their prime. They’ll either be falling apart, packed out, causing hot spots, an unacceptable level of stank, or all of the above. If they started off fitting well but over time have begun to give you hot spots or blisters, that likely means they’re packed out. If they’ve always been painful, then they (or the ski boot) weren't the right fit in the first place which brings us to reason #2:

Poor Fit - A liner's fit is critical to boot performance. A sloppy or overly-snug fit in the liner will cause all sorts of issues that can make for a painful ski tour. If you suspect this is the case, reference our article on finding a proper bootfit. Even if the boot shell is a perfect fit, the stock liner may not be a good match for the comfort or performance you desire.

Performance - Perhaps you’re looking to adjust the performance of your boot in one way or another. A stiffer, denser liner will transfer power better to your skis while a thinner liner will allow for better mobility when skinning. It's possible to tweak the performance in this way, noting you will still be limited by the plastic or carbon shell.

With lightweight ski touring boots, we often hear of warmth concerns. However, this isn't typically a variable you can effectively change with a liner. Having a thicker liner for very cold days or expeditions doesn't really work. In fact, a thinner or less-dense liner that allows for increased blood circulation could actually better promote warmth. If cold feet are a concern, check out the neoprene Boot Gloves, overboots, or heated socks that offer temporary add-on insulation, without messing with your fit.

Which Ones to Get?

If you’ve been happy with your liners but just need to replace them because they’re kicked, the easiest option is to just buy the replacement stock liner. Beware though, despite the demand, very few boot companies prioritize making their stock liners widely available. Dynafit and SCARPA are your best bets.

In any other case, you’ll need to select from aftermarket options. At Skimo Co, we carry several different liners that suit the needs of ski tourers. Remember, it’s important to match the liner’s intention with that of the boot’s intended use. When trying on a new liner, keep in mind that the first few uses are the tightest it will ever feel. You want even pressure but no pain. It's important to heat mold your liner and once you do, everything should be comfortable and locked in. After skiing a handful of days, it will slowly start to break in and become even more comfy.

Here's an overview of our liners and where they might work for you.

Palau Ultralight Race - This liner is thin, soft density, and enables a high level of mobility. As the name implies, it is ideal for skimo race boots.

Palau Tour Lite Pro - Compared to the Ultralight Race, the Tour Lite Pro is a bit stiffer and thicker (but still only thin to medium thickness). Like the Ultralight Race, it allows for good mobility making it another option for race or race plus boots such as Dynafit TLT8 Carbonio or Fischer Travers CS.

Palau Tour Lite Pro Evo - Getting to the middle of the road, the Tour Lite Pro Evo is medium stiffness and thickness. It makes a great replacement for touring boots such as the Dynafit TLT8 Expedition and La Sportiva Skorpius.

Palau Power LT - On the more freeride side of things, the Power LT is fairly stiff and somewhat thick. Beef boots such as the Tecnica Zero G and Dynafit Radical Pro will work well with the Power LT. You can also use this liner to stiffen up and get more performance out of touring boots like the SCARPA F1 or Dynafit TLT8 Expedition.

Intuition Pro Tour - This is the go-to for beefy, freeride touring boots. It is thicker than the others and the stiffest. It also offers the most support but the thick cuff that may inhibit the cuff closure of touring boots. As such, we recommend the Intuition Pro Tour for boots like the SCARPA Maestrale and Tecnica Zero G.

Palau All Track Power Liner - The All Track Power Liner is very similar to the Intuition Pro Tour in that it's a hard-charging, dedicated beef boot liner. You guessed it - thick and stiff. Great for the boots mentioned with the Intuition Pro Tour Liner as well as other freeride beef boot favorites like the Dynafit Hoji Free 130 and Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130.

Comments

3/1/2022
Comment from Max Krueger
 
My boot is too big. Can you size down for the liner? Or is that not advisable?
3/1/2022
Reply from jbo
 
Hi Max, in general you can't fix a poor shell fit with a liner. It might feel OK at first if you get a nice thick liner in there, but it will pack out and soon you'll be back to slopping around.
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