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Rossignol AllTrack Pro 120LT one pair wardrobe boots

snow action team 30.11.2019

Rossignol’s AllTrack Pro 120LT boots are great all rounders. If “one pair wardrobe” applies to boots like “one ski quiver” does to skis, these are serious contenders for that job. They will take you from charging piste harder than old school carve meisters to the back country and even for a hike to a wild almost boiling hot onsen river if you are crazy enough to try that says Editor Owain Price.

The Rossi AllTracks made easy work of the hike to the hot (very!) springs river at Numajiri on Aizu’s Mt Adatara © Shinji-san

Rossi AllTracks and me share some history. I loved my 2013 pair of AllTrack Pro 120s to death, literally, after getting an amazing 300 days plus out of them before the liner fell apart. Most of those days in truth were either in bounds, or short-hike back and side country days, with not many long skin sessions in the mix. Those old model boots were rock solid charging on groomers or in powder, and always comfortably easy to hike in with or without the walk mode engaged. Essentially they were just a great all round piste boot, with the comfort and flexibility to do other stuff.

That was then, this is now. The current new Rossignol AllTrack Pro120LT model is a lot lighter, just 1.63 kg per boot @ 26.5, and the walk mode has got way more serious. Now it allows a 50 degree range of movement, which combined with the weight saving makes them far more genuine back country contenders. Grilamid® plastic is incredibly light, and the weight saving grid design helps even further with no compromise on performance.

Rossignol AllTrack Pro 120LT boots getting tested in the Australian back country
You can go a long way in a pair or AllTrack Pro 120LTs; I did! © Steve Leeder

Rossignol claims “The new OPTIMIZED HIKE MODE includes a wider opening in the back of the lower shell, and a lower axis-of-rotation for optimized range-of-motion and uphill mobility (50⁰ ROM). The articulating lower shell insert and metal-on-metal locking mechanism increase rearward support while supplying maximum power transmission on descents.”

We can ditto that – it’s all true!

The four buckle overlap construction solidity, plus a 40mm power strap, sure pays off when you are charging hard in bounds, or dropping something steep out the back of wherever.

The buckles are micro adjustable with 3 positions, and have a handy clip extension for getting in/out of the boots and/or leaving them loose for hiking/skinning.

Those into long distance overnight missions might quibble, and prefer something even lighter. But for a lot of on/off piste, in/out of bounds keen skiers, the Rossignol AllTrack Pro 120LT model is more than adecuate.

Most of our readers/followers with real world jobs, businesses and/or family commitments struggle to get beyond 20 – 30 days on snow a year, and if that is you then expect them to last you many years. And take you many new places!

The haul home is always harder, never mind longer, than getting out there, but I was fine; my buddy Steve had wet skins (common Aussie back country problem) so ended up hiking the whole way .. © Owain Price

They already have for me. I headed out from Thredbo in late September on a solid mission to the chutes known as Twin Humps, at the far end of the far side of Leather Barrel Creek, with our resident telemark hero Steve Leeder and Snowboard Editor Peter Wunder. Twin Humps feels like it’s almost in Victoria, with views down to the Murray Valley and beyond. It’s one of those zones that just lures you further and further, so you forget how far the haul back is.

The chutes were well worth it, it is one spectacular piece of terrain that even few back country fanatics ever get too. Warm temperatures and dust storms had caused some rapid melting on the northerly aspects, so we had a lot of hiking over bare tussock and rocks in the terrain test mix, and the long skin across and up the bench in the photo below.

Memo to self: get the Grip Walk soles! You really do need them scrambling over crap, and they will improve the interface with pin bindings – I was struggling to clip in for skinning on my Marker King Pin set up. Once locked in the AllTracks are super comfortable to skin in.

Rossignol AllTrack Pro 120LT boot packing test
Boot packing out of Stanley’s beside Thredbo © Steve Leeder

Apart from our big day out to Twin Humps I did another ski testing day at Thredbo with Steve, including a short side mission out to Stanley’s Gorge. We had planned to hit Twin Valleys, but a thick cloud band rolled in and the wind got up so we we hit Stanley’s instead. It’s steepish close side country, with no hiking required to get in there. If you can’t ski all the way out though (rarely an option) you will need to bootpack or skin out instead. Being late spring we didnt go far in, so a short sharp boot pack got us out.

Dropping in the 4 buckle solidity of the Rossignol AllTrack Pro 120LTs was welcome once more.

Carving the piste at Thredbo in a pair of Rossignol AllTraack Pro 120LT boots
Piste Boys will love them too – I did at Thredbo © Steve Leeder

For a third resort test day I went for a late season scoot around Australia’s biggest resort, Perisher, busting September slush till my legs had had enough.

People with normal feet will likely find them fine out of the box. The 100mm medium last and pre-shaped full custom liners are really comfortable, with anatomic ankle support.

The pull cord fastener for the inner is great for tightening and loosening in a hurry, but does leave you with a lot of loose chord end to wrap up somewhere, my only minor quibble with the boots – I just ended up closing it under the velcro power strap.

Unfortunately my Hunchback-of-Notre-Dame worthy bone spur on one foot meant a visit to “Boot Doctor Phil” Waddington at Straightline Sports in Canberra to blow the right boot out was in order. Having a regular boot fitter who knows your feet is like having a good GP who knows your medical history, very handy. One more reason to support your local snow shop too.

Thanks to Phil the All Tracks rocked our latest Japow mission 100% pain free. That included the craziest thing I have done for years – hiking up to the amazing hot springs river at Numajiri on Mt Adatara. You could cook a chook in the water, and I nearly cooked myself. To access them you leave your skis at the top of one of the lifts and head off for an hour or so of scrambling and wading along the track the local villagers made to pipe the onsen water down to the lodges at the base of the ski hill like Numajiri Kogen and the rest of Nokasawa Village below that.

The Japow mission was done on some Kastle FX 96 skis with regular bindings from Harro’s Snow Sports at Niseko – if you don’t want to lug your own skis to and from Japan talk to one of the great Aussie shop crew like Harro and get them to sort you a rental with Black Cat delivery to your first ski destination. Review of them follows shortly, the Kastle FX 106 was our favourite ski at the SIA ski tests in Perisher last Aussie winter and suffice to say the 96 loses nothing in comparison. The AllTracks work just fine with regular bindings.

With good boots often costing over $A 1,000 having an Imelda Marcos selection is not viable for most of us. Even if you can afford a cupboard full of boots, you still have to choose what to take when hitting the road. Apart from their performance and versatility, at just over 3kg a pair you can take them as carry on luggage without overweight dramas/charges either.

So if pins and skins are part of your preferred options then take a long hard look at, or better yet go try on the Rossignol AllTrack Pro 120LT model. This will be the one boot that does it all for a lot of advanced to expert skiers. Note if you don’t have pin bindings it’s no drama, they work fine in regular bindings, and you can use them as a lift and hike only boot no problem.

You can go stiffer and narrower with the AllTrack Pro 130LT which has a 98mm last, or softer with the Pro 110 model, according to your ability level. But for mine the Pro 120 hits the sweet spot.

For all the Les Femme Fatale reading this there is one lady model, the ALLTRACK ELITE 100 LT W with women’s-specific skinny fit featuring a 98mm narrow last.

Check them at good ski shops; storefinder and more online at Rossi International here

Rossignol AllTrack Pro 120LT $AUD 999; 110 LT & Elite 100 LT W $899; 130LT $1,199; All Track LT Grip Walk soles $149

Rossignol LT series stores include:

Inski

Ajays.

Alpine Sports Jindabyne

Auski

Aussieskier.com

Gravity Sports Jindabyne & Thredbo

Rhythm Snowsports

Rossignol Pro Shop Thredbo

Wilderness Sea & Ski

Rossignol AllTrack Pro 120 LT on display
Anyone with normal feet will likely find them comfortable straight out of the box © Owain Price
Rossignol AllTrack Pro110 boot on display
AllTrack Pro110 model © Owain Price