One of the most interesting, fun and innovative aspects of speed touring is the gear. By gear, I'm referring to skis, bindings and boots. As I pointed out in a previous post, many of the technological innovations developed for the highly specialized rando race market have now trickled down to the everymans' ski touring market. This allows even less serious skiers to cleave pounds off their set-up and take tens of minutes off their touring times. For those lapping powder runs at the their favorite shot in the back country, this means more vertical and less effort.
Ski mountaineering racers have been pushing the limits of light weight gear for several years now. The gear needs to be light and simple to get racers uphill in the least amount of time. It works perfectly for this task. Descending on the same gear is something else altogether. No one is kidding themselves here. But skimo race courses are supposed to be challenging so racers descend regardless. The thing is, if you just stop thinking about it and point them down, you can ski anything in most conditions on this light weight equipment.
In preparation for the race a couple of weekends ago, I stopped skiing on any other set-up besides my race gear. I skied powder, crud, bumps, anything but death breakable and had fun doing it.
Nice skimo race powder shredding form!
Sure, I spent sometime in the back seat keeping my tips up but this merely aided in the leg conditioning I needed to get through Jackson's long descents without stopping. The result was feeling extremely comfortable on the equipment come race day.
Now, most ski touring fans aren't going to get a race set-up to ski on if they're not going to race. But you can still take advantage of the technology and lighten up with more user/skier-friendly gear that skis better than svelte racing equipment. Hybrid set-ups like fatter skis with race bindings and/or race boots can cleave serious weight off our feet. The market is literally exploding right now in this direction. Oddly enough, it seems to be doing so kind of quietly and I'm not sure why.
The big boots and big skis are all over the press. Certainly big air and TGR turns are visually attractive and make sexier marketing than some guy hauling ass up a skin track. There really is nothing sick-gnar about that. But for those of us wanting to eat up vertical in the least amount of time we can be sure that the industry is responding.
I'm not going to detail every available ski, boot or binding here but should be able to point readers in the right direction if they want to move part of their quiver this way.
Boots
Probably the easiest category to dispense with here are boots. For most of us embracing this style of skiing, the only real choice is the new Dynafit TLT 5 Performance and Mountain models.
Dynafit TLT 5 Performance
Dynafit TLT 5 Mountain
These boots have been described as "game changers" by some and, having just gotten mine last week, I would have to agree. The Performance model incorporates a carbon fiber cuff which significantly ups the downhill performance and stiffens the boot laterally. The Mountain version is all plastic and a bit warmer due to a heavier liner but skis softer. The up-side is that it's several hundred dollars cheaper. Interestingly, and I have not confirmed this with a scale, but the rumor is that the Mountain is actually a lighter boot than the Performance but a lighter liner brings the total weight of the Performance under the Mountain. For me, the better downhill characteristics make the Performance the boot of choice.
The skimo race scene was dominated for years by the Scarpa F1 and F1 Race. 
Scarpa F1There were more of these green boots at the starting line of World Cup events than every other boot combined. It seems their heyday has passed but they remain a good choice for our category here. The standard Race model lacks the downhill performance of the newer boots but probably tours uphill better. Downhill performance may be better with the standard F1 due to the presence of the plastic tongue and power strap. The Race model eliminates both in addition to stripped down hardware and lighter sole. My Race's served me well for almost 3 seasons.
Scarpa F1 RaceThey remain light, to be sure. In an attempt to keep up with advancing trends in the race boot market, Scarpa retrofitted the F1 Race with a carbon cuff, adding stiffness where it needed it while improving the weight slightly. 
Scarpa F1 Race CarbonHowever, because this move did not involve a full redesign, some problems arose with snow packing in gaps in the cuff while touring. For the price ($1,600) most racers feel their money is better spent on other brands.
As if to answer their critics and attempt to regain their market share, Scarpa will be releasing the Alien and Alien 1.0 next season. Many were seen on the start line at the World Championships in February and the early buzz is very positive. They have some interesting features along with the requisite serving of carbon and light weight. Although considered a full-on race boot, don't be surprised to see regular folks out free skiing in them in the backcountry next winter.
Why would you want a boot like this? Well, how does 680 grams sound for the Alien 1.0? Yeah, that's freaking light. It also comes with a $1799 price tag. If that breaks your bank, perhaps the Alien minus the carbon sounds better, with a svelte 890 grams for $799. Still damn light and pretty darn cheap in that market.
Scarpa Alien 1.0
The other boot that possesses some positive speed touring characteristics is Garmont's Masterlight. Although not as svelte as Dynafit's offerings, it is significantly lighter than most touring boots and would make a fine addition to anyone's quiver. Pricing is somewhere between the two Dynafit boots mentioned above. The Masterlight lacks the race pedigree of the Dynafit boots so the buckle mechanisms are different but not objectionable.
Garmont Masterlight
Dynafit continues its commitment to the race scene with the EVO race boot. Some subtle changes were made from the DyNA but the top-end performance remains and it should see it's way to the feet of many race enthusiasts due to it's competitive pricing. It's still going to set you back around $1600 but that's a far cry from the $2K+ of the higher end full carbon models available in Europe.
Dynafit EVO
As far as I know, Black Diamond has not entered the extreme end of this market but I wouldn't be surprised if plans are on the table to do so. When they decided to take the boot market head on a few years ago they had plans to do it in a season by season, step-wise fashion. They certainly addressed the beefier end of things and I would imagine that the light end is next but I have no way of knowing. For now, their lightest offering is a full 3 pounds per pair heavier than the boots mentioned above. They're not even in the game yet.
Italian boot manufacturer, La Sportiva, is entering the ski touring market in a big way next season. They started their assault this season with a full-carbon race boot, the Stratos, that weighs in at a ridiculous 534 grams for a size 26. A few of these were seen on starting lines in the States but most were distributed in Europe. There are some durability issues with the cuff pivot interface but most racers loved how they climbed and skied. Of course, the $3K price tag puts it out of reach for most of us.
Next season, La Sportiva will continue its entry into the market with three other boots, Spitfire (950 grams), Sideral (1065 grams) and a women's specific model, Starlet (980 grams). I don't have any prices on these yet but I assume they will be competitive.
La Sportiva Stratos
La Sportiva Sideral
La Sportiva Spitfire
La Sportiva StarletLastly, I will mention that there are several other superlight options in the race category but these are stupid expensive and, ultimately, too fragile for general touring use. Most of these boots eventually break during races so trusting them in the BC is probably not a good idea. Still, picking up full carbon offerings from La Sportiva and Pierre Gignoux will bring on a case of gear envy faster than you can get your credit card from your wallet. These boots are insanely light and stiff but are probably best left for pure racing.
Jared Inouye's blown up Pierre Gignoux carbon boots
Next up...bindings. - Brian