Freeing the Heel, Part 2

Bargain Hunting for AT Gear

By Carson Bennett, 12-08-08

	Old School AT

I have begun my search for AT gear and immediately realized something. This stuff is expensive. If I bought a brand new setup – including skis, bindings, boots and poles – I would have to drop at least $1600. For me, that’s equivalent to four months rent, sixteen months of groceries, or one day heli-skiing in Alaska. In any case, it’s more than I can afford at the moment, so I did what any bargain hunter would do. I went to eBay.

At first the lack of AT-specific skiing equipment on eBay surprised me. My search terms “Randonnee,” “Alpine Touring,” and “AT Skiing” offered no results. When I got more specific, searching for “Alpine Touring Skis,” I finally found a handful of skis, boots, and bindings. By contrast, when I searched for “downhill skis” I got over 600 hits.

I did find a pair of K2 Ascent 8611 Alpine Touring skis on eBay and bought them for fifty bucks. Yes, they’re a few years old, a bit too long for me and a bit too narrow at the waist for the kind of snow I seek, but they had good reviews, they’ve never been used, and for fifty bucks I decided they could at least introduce me to the backcountry.

My search for bindings and boots continues. Even on eBay and Craigslist, a pair of Diamir Freeride or Marker Baron bindings run around $300. And don’t even get me started on boots. A new pair of Garmont Endorphins will cost me $700. The Endorphins are my dream boot – fully thermoformable liners, magnesium micro-adjustable buckles, 25-degree walk mode, reinforced carbon fiber shell, and compatibility with both downhill and AT bindings – but since they cost more than I paid for my car, they’re a bit beyond my range at the moment.

Any tips, Snowblog readers? Where can I find affordable boots and bindings? Is there alternative gear out there I don’t know about? Have a cousin in Houston with a closet-full of unused gear? Let me and the other Snowblog readers know!

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