In case you haven’t noticed, AT split boarding is all the rage right now. Binding manufactures have taken note and now offer innovative solutions to meet the AT splitboarders needs. For many riders the last and most elusive piece of the AT puzzle is which AT boots to use. There was quite a buzz last season when photos were leaked of the new Arcteryx Procline AT boots. With little information out there for splitboarders, we reached out to G3/ARC’TERYX rider and ACMG Guide Joey Vosburgh, to hear what he thinks about the Procline boots, and the mods which he made for them.
All modifications shown in attached photos were done and ridden by me at my own risk. Arc’teryx is not affiliated with my mods or recommending any boot modification. Any modifications to the boots will also void the warranty. Please remember that doing any of these mods and riding the Procline on Phantoms is done at your own risk. The following photos will help keep your boots in your bindings and your slashes surfy.
Walking and climbing
This boot walks and climbs considerably better than the TLT6. Which is saying a lot as the TLT6’s are amazing at walking. The cuff articulation is friction free on the procline so it feels very free to skin in. It fits snug even when the buckles are loosened off. The walk/ski lever isnt connected to the top buckle so you have more options for how tight upper buckles can be while skinning. I climbed a M6 drytool route in them and they were fine.
Binding to Boot
At first glance I noticed that the toe welt was shorter than other boots I’ve used for splitboarding. I was hesitant because having a foot blow out of a snowboard is terrible and can easily end in injury. With special attention paid towards the setup of the binding and boot I was able to come up with something that has seems to work great for me. The plastic set screw on the Phantom toe lever needs to be at its max and probably glued in so you don’t loose it. See pics. It puts the toe lever at a more positive position to stay locked on the small welt. Tension of the binding is important too. Tight so its secure but not so tight that you need two hands to release binding. Be meticulous with setting that up.
Boot Flex Modifications
These mods were done to increase the forward flex in the boot while in shred mode. There is probably other ways to accomplish the same or even better results. This is just what I did. It really made the boot shred better. I wont go too deep into it as I’ve noticed that everyone riding hardshell splitboard boots has a personal preference to modifications. Check out the pics and get some ideas if your the tinkerer type.
-Joey Vosburgh
