To pick it up and try it on you would never think that the TLT6 Performance would tip a fat ski on edge,
much less hammer it at speed through chunkified mung or slice off carving arcs on boiler plate. But that
is exactly what our testers discovered it would do. A lot of "surprised," and "shocked," verbage on their
test forms, again this year. Much of the TLT6's strength is owed to its combination of materials and cuff
design—the Pebax and Carbon fiber reinforced upper cuff is mated to the stiff Grilamid lower boot via a
hinged rear cuff spoiler that sits between the cuff and liner. This additional piece serves to bolster the
boot' s lateral and torsional rigidity and also adds a low-friction gliding component when the cuff is
released for skinning or hiking.
Testers agreed again this year that the cuff height was a little too low to match the fore-aft leverage of
some of the others in the category like the Dynafit Radical CR, but considering that this featherweight is
geared much more for uphill fanatics on long tours the styling makes sense and testers felt the boot
performed at a much higher level than expected for the target athlete. While testers noted that the low
cuff felt stiff and aggressive upon initial try-on, it was smooth and progressive once they were locked in
and skiing.
Yes, the sole length is very short (297mm for a size 27.5), made possible by a very thin shell wall and the
fact that the toe lug is minimal, requiring the use of tech-bindings only. Testers also felt the internal fit
dimension was short, relative alpine boots of the same size—many of the test team mentioned needing
to go up a size if they were to make the boot their own, so as with many of the AT models we tested,
this may be a good one to try-on, not buy online.
