The Garmont Radium is a relatively light weight AT boot that’s smooth on the up, and great on the down. Thus far I’ve skied these boots on a few medium sized 6,000+ foot tour days, a few hard inbounds days at Squaw, and through lots of deep powder. For a boot with a 130 flex they tour well, but don’t compromise on downhill performance. The Rabid sole is also a plus for exposed rock scrambles.
After skiing the Axons for the past two seasons this is a step forward on the up. They’re burly enough to drive my super heavy inbounds/deep touring pow set up that’s focused on a Marker Duke binder and a 136 underfoot Praxis powderboard. But the real difference is on my lighter dynafit setup where the weight difference really shines while still giving great performance. .
Other highlights include the shell’s overlap design that allows more comfort in walk mode without sacrificing responsiveness and a tight fit when you clamp down for a descent. Perhaps my favorite thing about skiing Garmont boots is how comfortable they’ve been when compared to other top of the line boots I’ve skied. As a recovering 6th toe skier, the Radiums have more room in the toe box and side shell to combat foot alterations for 100+ days a year skiers. No compromise on perfermance+comfort =’s the perfect boot for me, and any other backcountry skier/ski mountaineer that’s battled with boot issues and demands ultimate execution from their gear. If you’re really questioning performance look at what Chris Davenport has skied in these boots the past few seasons.
I’ve found no issues thus far with my Radiums. Sure, at times skiing inbounds, a traditional alpine boot would give a stiffer feel. But overall, these boots can hang with the best of them on any line in any condition.
There’s a lot of good AT/Touring boots being made today. Different companies have focused on different features. Garmont makes the most comfortable boots I’ve ever skied and because the performance is so close to a stiff alpine boot, while maintaining excellent mobility skinning up, I’m fully stoked on skiing these boots in every condition the season gives. I ski a few days inbounds every month, but usually backcountry ski, and lots of times am booting up couloirs and on ski mountaineering missions. These are reliable boots in a diversity of terrain features whether you’re skinning, walking, booting, or using crampons. They will give you a one boot quiver that does it all.
The Garmont Radium AT Boot retails for about $690.00, has an amazing Thermo liner, fits all AT binding setups including dynafit, and weighs 6 lbs. 14 oz. for a pair sized 27.5.
