A quiver of skis has long been a reality (and the dream) for any aspiring backcountry skier. With the rise of super light boots, and the replacement of alpine boots with great skiing touring boots, the quiver of boots has now become the norm. Boots have become so incredible and specialized that it has become all but impossible to have one boot that does everything at the highest level. Like we do for all of our gear, we have broken touring boots into four main categories- race and fitness, ski mountaineering, all mountain touring, and freeride touring. There are many great boots for each category so check out our comparison charts and our boot fitters advice at the bottom of each column to find the perfect boot for you.

Because of the huge amount of information in these charts we recommend viewing this on a desktop or horizontally if you are reading on your phone.

Race boots are at the top of the pyramid for lightness in the ski touring world. These boots are made purely for traveling efficiently on snow. They are as light as a hiking boot but engineered to ski surprisingly well. They have clever tightening systems that replace standard buckles and a walk mode that has a range of motion which generally exceeds the human ankle. Although these boots are designed to put you at the top of the podium, they are incredibly fun for the fitness skinner or a skier looking to do big traverses in the backcountry. You can spend anywhere to well under $1000 to as much as $3000.

From the competitive side of skimo racing, these boots take a big step up in performance and a slight step up in weight. These ski mountaineering boots are Cripple Creek Backcountry's favorite niche. They are great boots for long ski touring, resort fitness, big peaks and even the occasional race. We try not measure the buckles anymore, but they will usually have a cuff buckle and lower minimalistic tightening system and more range of motion than you will know what to with. Most commonly they are under 1200 grams per boot and there is a battle to build that great skiing boot under 1 kilo. Most importantly these boots can be the daily driver for a ski tourer in all but the worst conditions and for all but the most aggressive skiers.

Boots like the Dynafit TLT7, Salomon X Alp, and Atomic Backland will all have different models in the same design. Unlike in the freeride touring boots where you are paying more for downhill performance, for these boots you are paying more for less. The boots get lighter, stiffer and of course more expensive as they use more carbon fibre. We chose a random sampling of boots within a product line to ensure that we cover one from each manufacturer.

These boots are your daily driver for almost any condition. They will be heavier than the ski mountaineering boots, but will push much bigger skis and give you a bigger sweet spot while flexing the boot in variable conditions. They lack the extreme stiffness of a freeride touring boot, but ski great even at the resort. Although they are not the lightest boots, they do offer a boost in the skin track with wider ranges of motion and designs with the ski tour in mind. If having multiple boots for the sport is a bit daunting pick one of these. Great for a skier that wants to use their touring setup in bounds as well as in the backcountry.

Freeride touring boots are built for skiers that mean business. High speeds and big landings are within the capabilities of this group. They have the highest cuffs, use the stiffest materials, and the burliest designs. Often times they gain the performance with sacrifice of a heavier weight to haul up hill, but these boots are dropping grams every year and keeping their toughness. If you are in the market for a new alpine boot for resort skiing one of these boots will do the trick and still skin great for the occasional tour.