I'm looking to get my first pair of AT boots in the next few days and I'm looking for anywhere in SoCal (I'm in San Diego but will drive) where I can try on a few pairs and have them fitted (at least liners molded).

I'll also need to get a pair of bindings mounted so if they do that too, that'd be cool. If not, no sweat.

Check out Norpine on Clairmont Dr in San Diego.

http://www.skinetsports.com/

Claude is a bit arrogant but very, very good. Not sure if they carry AT boots.

Norpine has a poor selection and not the best knowledge of the AT world. The closest real shop for AT boots is Mammoth Mountaineering, and they are great. If you've never had AT boots before, I think its worth your while to make the drive, demo the models that make sense for you, buy your boots there, and then go ski them for a few days while you're in the neighborhood. The socal backcountry won't be "in" anytime soon anyway, so go ski mammoth!

Are you looking for general purpose AT boots, a beef/slackcountry boot, or more of a super light skimo/race type boot? I'm in San Diego as well and I have had good results with learning as much as possible about boots online, then ordering a few models from Backcountry.com and/or REI.com and keeping the ones that fit best. Once you figure out which brands and models fit you, future purchases get easier. To my knowledge, the best general purpose boots out there right now are the Dynafit Mercury/Vulcan (maybe the One if you don't want the stiffness), Dynafit TLT6, Scarpa Maestrale RS, Scott Cosmos, and La Sportiva Spectre. I do a lot of ski shop work in my garage so if you need any help mounting and adjusting bindings, tuning/waxing, base repair, minor boot fitting, etc., shoot me a message. Always good to meet another skier in SD.

sdtrackrunner wrote:The only real shop for AT boots in all of CA south of Shasta is Mammoth Mountaineering, and they are great.

I strongly disagree with this generalization, the folks at The Backcountry in Truckee rock. But it doesn't help the OP, so the suggestion of MM is probably the best option.

Climberslacker, there's good info in the replies above.

I went through the same process a few years ago, here's My 0.02:
1. Mammoth Mountaineering may not be the only shop in California with thorough backcountry ski expertise but they're probably the closest to Southern California.
2. If you decide to go DIY on thermo-molding your liners and mounting your bindings there's really good step-by-step info available on Lou Dawson's Wild Snow website.

96avs01 wrote:I strongly disagree with this generalization, the folks at The Backcountry in Truckee rock.

I humbly stand corrected! Thanks, major brain failure there on my part.

There is no one in Southern California that will competently fit your AT boots.

I had a nightmare trying to find a fitter in Southern California couple of years ago. Unfortunately, after 30 years of AT skiing, I knew a bit about what a fitter should ask and do. They don't measure up.

I ended up in Mammoth where Mammoth Mountaineering people helped me quite adequately. It is a bit of a pain to have to drive up the 395 just to have a few adjustments, but, considering the cost of the boots and the fact it rarely takes more than once or twice to have the boots adjusted, it is worth it.

I'm sure the Tahoe area might have some competent people as well, but that's ever farther north.