For all those people who have yet to realize that race boots like the Dynafit Dy.N.A, are fully capable of handling steep crazy terrain, the new Dynafit TLT 5 boot may be the answer. Boots such as these, are unbelievably light, stiff, and are better to climb in than conventianal touring boots. They provide the same amount of stiffness as boots such as the Garmont Radium, are half the weight, only weighing in at 1115g with a tongue! The walk mode is easily the most beautiful part of the boot, which extend your stride a massive distant building speed and allowing you to move long distances in a short amount of time.

The TLT 5 is built off the same mold as the Dy.N.A race boot, but with a few changes. To start, the TLT 5 has a "Ski" tongue which is easily field removable, and only requires you to unlock the bottom buckle to slide it out. It even has a post on the shell, with a hole on the tongue, to make sure the tongue does not shift while sitting in the forward tongue triangle. (Photo Right, note the yellow triangle is where the tongue slides into the shell) The idea is to utilize the fantastic range of motion the boot has, without the tongue in, on the way up. Then just simply slide the tongue into place for the way down, which gives the boot a large boost in stiffness. Th shell even has a slightly more built up lower that wraps around your foot slightly differently than the Dy.N.A, which would allow you to easily ski without the "Ski" tongue in place.

The Dy.N.A sole is molded onto the the lower shell in two separate pieces with no rubber in the middle of the boot. The TLT 5 has a slightly thicker rubber sole, than spans the entire length of the boot, and a harder rubber on the toe and heel. The change will be advantageous when climbing rock, ladders in the alps and Himalayas, and awkward ridge tops.

The upper cuff is still made of Carbon Fiber. It still has the genius buckle which doubles as a ski/walk mode latch. And it still has the same fantastic lightweight liner, with neoprene walking cutout, as the Dy.N.A. So what doesn't it have? The lower cutout on the boot which allows the boot to flex 5mm on the sole, giving the boot a more natural stride, is not made of carbon. It is made out of Pebax plastic. Big deal? I think not.

The lightweight tech cord buckle connectors have been replaced with super strong woven metal straps. The slight increase in weight, does make for an incredibly reliable boot, and ensures you don't have to monitor the buckles for wear on a regular basis.

The TLT 5 will retail for less than the $1600 Dy.N.A, but will pack a serious punch for those looking for a hardcore ski mountaineering boot. So next year when you're in the market to buy a new pair of boots, why bother even wasting an ounce of energy on trying on a big heavy clunker that "looks" stiff, when you could get the full package with this boot. The future is here for touring boots, it's up to everyone out there to realize the potential with boots such as these, and get with the program.