Vibramizing Guns/Falcons

[stuckathuntermtn]

I hate to start yet another thread on this, but I was wondering if it was even possible with this boot. The foot sits really low, and there isn't much plastic under the toe at all.
It would be nice if I start to do spring tours, and of course, Headwaters at MLB.

[s.p.c]

i think it should be possible... basically screw/glue in/on a new sole and the increase in toe height shouldn't be a problem as long as you grind down the plastic in front of the toe to maintain integrity of the overall height.

i.e. grind the top of the toe and boot overhang rather than the sole of the boot.

[bisnibble]

boot ski the headwaters hike, the hike is not that bad just do it more often

[bossass]

There's a bunch of boots coming out next year that have DIN standard vibram soles. BD Factor and the Rossi Freeride 130 boot come to mind.

[splat]

i think it should be possible... basically screw/glue in/on a new sole and the increase in toe height shouldn't be a problem as long as you grind down the plastic in front of the toe to maintain integrity of the overall height.

i.e. grind the top of the toe and boot overhang rather than the sole of the boot.

Grind the sole of the boot. It's a big lift up. For full info, check out Idris' DIY on the subject.
We did mine and the lift had me higher than most toe adjustments. I ground both the sole and the new vibram I put on to get it down to the max heights for most toes.

[stuckathuntermtn]

i think it should be possible... basically screw/glue in/on a new sole and the increase in toe height shouldn't be a problem as long as you grind down the plastic in front of the toe to maintain integrity of the overall height.

i.e. grind the top of the toe and boot overhang rather than the sole of the boot.

That's a fantastic Idea.
Splat: I've read that thread, but Falcons have a REALLY low toe height. Are you saying you were able to grind out your falcons?
Bossass: you gonna buy them for me? I probably won't have the money (not a good way to look at the future, i know) and I don't feel like getting a third boot in 2 years.

[turnfarmer]

IF you are worried about the boot sole thickness, just rough up the bases to get the glue to stick. then go to a shoemaker and look at the vibram catalogue. Vibram makes about 50 different soles and some are much thinner than others. Pick the thinnest you can find and then have a shop router down the toe and heel tops back to din. Any shop that does boot sole planing for alignment will have a router set up to do this.

[stuckathuntermtn]

I don't think anyone in Bozeman does this. Good idea though. I can't just dremmel the top of the toe and heel back to original height myself?

[splat]

I didn't have Falcons and don't know their height.
But if they're low, that certainly works in your favor.

[stuckathuntermtn]

final stupid question...anyone tell me which sole is a good one for this particular application. I'm not talking about tread pattern, I'm talking about thickness and uniformity. I was thinking of style number 2021 "unit sole"
Fairly flat.

[mntlion]

thinner = less material to grind away later...

[Ottime]

Stuck - If you go through with this, post up your results. I may want to to the same thing with mine.

And how did that boot work out for you this winter?

[AsheanMT]

I have a very hard time believing that a setup like that would still release out of the binding properly. If you don't get the height just right I would imagine lots o pre release. If you do get the toe height right I have a hard time believing the the virbram would slide across the AFD correctly (if at all). What kind of binding are you using?

[BakerBoy]

I have a very hard time believing that a setup like that would still release out of the binding properly. If you don't get the height just right I would imagine lots o pre release. If you do get the toe height right I have a hard time believing the the virbram would slide across the AFD correctly (if at all). What kind of binding are you using?

Fischer/Tyrolia bindings are the only ones off the top of my head that I would EVER consider attempting this with. The static AFD's on Salomon bindings are just begging for a knee injury. But ask Gunder, he's been running Vibram for awhile now.

[s.p.c]

stuckathunter:
you could dremel it yourself, but try to get the dremel at a fixed height and have the boot on some pivot to keep it smooth. and have some sort of a stop for the dremel so you don't go down too far.

no matter what. this is really risky especially w. regards to releasing etc. (i agree w/ ashean and bakerboy) and i would proceed with extreme caution.

[stuckathuntermtn]

with a din of 7?
OTtime, they were great, thanks. Closest I've had to a boot fitting my weird, bony, two different width feet.
I have Sallies (spheric) and Tyrolias for bindings. It may not pass a din test, but Markers do, and no AT binding other than the Duke does, so how much could that test really be worth? I could always sand the bottom of the sole to make it a little more slick. Either way, it would still be less slippery than the bottoms I have now. And not wear down the boot, walking around.
Looking at the boots, it will have to be a combo of grinding from the top and bottom.
Of course I will post up when/if I go through with it.
Doesn't a Scarpa Tornado pass a DIN release test?

[AsheanMT]

with a din of 7?
OTtime, they were great, thanks. Closest I've had to a boot fitting my weird, bony, two different width feet.
I have Sallies (spheric) and Tyrolias for bindings. It may not pass a din test, but Markers do, and no AT binding other than the Duke does, so how much could that test really be worth? I could always sand the bottom of the sole to make it a little more slick. Either way, it would still be less slippery than the bottoms I have now. And not wear down the boot, walking around.
Looking at the boots, it will have to be a combo of grinding from the top and bottom.
Of course I will post up when/if I go through with it.
Doesn't a Scarpa Tornado pass a DIN release test?

Duke, Naxo, and Fritshi all pass the DIN test with either AT boots or Alpine boots provided that said boot/binding adjustment was done correctly. The above mentioned binders have an afd plate that slides side to side under the tension of a spring. Those bindings are engineered to have the toe height adjusted depending on what kind of boot is being used. You might be ok on the tyrolia's due to the rolling plastic afd plate but your "less slippery" argument is bunk. If you have a "less slippery" boot sole you will be "less likely" to release from the binding when you are supposed to. I say go buy yourself a used pair of AT boots and don't ruin your alpine boots.

[AsheanMT]

Just occurred to me that since you don't want to buy AT boots perhaps you should consider those cat track thingamajigs. Or perhaps you can make a virbram rubber sole that "slips" on and off so that you can put it on for the ascent and take it off when you get into your binder.

[stuckathuntermtn]

ok, who's got some gaper-cat-tracks for me?

[AsheanMT]

I think the shop I worked at this winter has a bunch. I'll check today.

[mntlion]

I vibramed a pair of xwaves a few years ago, They released just like they did before the new soles, and felt just fine.

I added vibram, and then ground the shells back down to DIN

[DictatorShooter]

these are definitely the best gaper-cat-tracks for hiking the ridge.

http://www.kahtoola.com/microspikes.html

[stuckathuntermtn]

Holy shit, that almost a crampon!

[stuckathuntermtn]

OK, I'm about to giver a go! I got soles from Carter's. All I had to tell him was what I was doing and the guy sold me the right soles and glue. The heel and toe are separate and cut to fit. It appears there IS enough plastic on the bottom of the boot. I have everything cut, measured and ready to go.
I'm really nervous about grinding my boots. will a belt sander do it? I see one in the garage. I'm assuming I need to do the heel and toe angled parts before I do the bottom, no?
No pics, my camera died a while a go. Nothing cut perfectly either, I can shave off a little extra. Patter on the bottom of boots is asymectrical so make sure to label sole parts left and right.
I used a sharpy on the outside of the boot, with a piece of the sole next to it so I know where to stop grinding.
Also, apparently you need clamps or a bag of sand to get the glue to hold on the turned up part.
The toe and heel soles are also different thicknesses and I couldn't get the heel ground down with said belt sander. Can I grind just a section with a tool like that? not the whole length of boot.
edit: ok, I made it so there's no extra rubber. It's sorta smooth and able to be fit in if I could just get the right shaped chunk of plastic out of the boot.
PS: I also have access to chisels, but no planer. And a band saw. And possibly some other cutting tools.

[stuckathuntermtn]

How can I just get the rubber pieces even? the belt sander doesn't seem to have much effect. It would be a lot easier if I could grind the whole bottom. It might even preserve the ramp angle!.