So I have a question along the lines of JJBrunner's thread, but different enough that I figured I'd start a new one.
I'm looking to get some AT boots for my AT setup for this coming winter, but I'm still not too sure what I should be shopping around for, or if I have any good options at this point in the season to get some discounts on gear without being too cheap (you get what you pay for, and I'm not looking for entry level at this point, but I also don't want to pay for things I don't really need to get). I know that the better the boot is for cramponing and climbing rock, the harder it will be to ski downhill in them (especially in variable snow and with a pack), but I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for models to consider or could give me their 2 cents on what features to look for or what compromises seem to work for them. e.g. what is there to consider in the walk modes?
I had stopped skiing for about a decade after I popped my ACL, but now I am phasing it back in for approaches & descents for mountaineering, and it would be nice to use the same boots for climbing as I do for skiing. Lately I've been lugging up my Koflachs in my pack, which feels silly when I can snowshoe with them on, and when I first got my AT bindings I attempted to ski Mt Tallac with my Koflachs, but that wasn't pretty either (I learned the value of rigid ankles for skiing on that one!).
For skiing, I ski pretty aggressively, and double blacks are pretty moderate for me, though I do get more conservative these days on icy & bumpy slopes as my knee is not what it used to be before my two knee surgeries (goodbye ACL & cartilage!), so I try to avoid too much impact or hard torquing, or at least go weak on the left knee and then compensate on turns with the right knee. I have Silveretta 550 bindings, so I can use them on my leather boots & plastic ice climbing boots, but it would be nice to have a good 'middle of the road' boot to bring on more climbs. My skiis are reasonably nice & a middle range length, width, and shape for handling diverse backcountry conditions.
For climbing, some examples of what would be nice to do solely in one pair of boots this coming season:
1. Climb & ski descent of Mt Shasta
2. Climb & ski descent of Mt Tom's Elderberry Canyon
3. Climb of Humphrey's East Ridge with a ski descent on one of the couloirs below the main section of the route (40 degrees, about 30-40 ft wide and I'll probably be enjoying my jump turns on this one). I know I'd be fine climbing the East Ridge in my Koflachs, but it would be nicer to have an AT boot with an appropriate 'walk mode' for that.