Intuition Denali liners

[hikerbrian]

I've had my Koflach Verticals for ~11 yrs now. They're the yellow ones, not made anymore, but they were an intermediate option between the Degres and Arctic Expes, designed to excel more on vertical ice. Same shell as the Arctic Expes but a unique liner - somewhat thinner than the other two options, but supposedly stiffer (to offer support on vertical ice) and less likely to compress over time, and rated warmer than the Degres (to -40 for Verticals, while I believe Degres were rated at -30 at the time). I've rarely had a cold foot in them in the last 11 yrs. But now the shoelace tabs in the inner booties are beginning to pull out, and I have to think they're packed out a little (though I have no real evidence to suggest that is true). The outer plactic boots, while scuffed and dinged to hell and back, are like-new structurally and functionally. So I'm considering just replacing the liners with a pair of Intuition Denali liners as a way of getting what should feel like a brand new double plastic mountaineering boot for ~$180. I'm hesitant though because, you know, if it ain't broken, don't try and fix it. I could get an eyelet sewn into my liner to fix the shoelace issue. I'm concerned I won't like the Intuition liners as much as I like my current liners. My current liners are fine, I guess. But I can't help but wonder if liners have gotten better in 11 yrs. Maybe the Intuition liners will be even warmer and more comfortable than my current Vertical liners. Who has experience with Intuition liners they want to share?

Thanks!

 

[Chip]

I bought and sold a pair of the Intuition liners when I was trying to upgrade/size my Koflachs better. They just didn't fit/feel right. YRMV.
I know they are very popular in some corners. I ended up finding an old pair of Koflach randonee boots on ebay whose liner felt/fit great, that I still use.

 

[MadRiver]

I lost count how many times I had to sew the eyelets on my Degre liners. When the padding finally failed I bought a pair of Intuition liners and never looked back. My Degre’s are still in good condition and I will use them when the conditions warrant it, however, I am switching to a lighter winter boot.

 

[alexmtn]

Every bit as much as the shell, the liner affects the boot's fit to your specific foot, so it's not at all surprising to hear that a liner change was great for some folks and didn't work out for others. In the case of my Scarpa Omega's, the Intuition liners (Mountain Tech, I think) fit me well, and are drastically more durable than the originals.

In your situation, Brian, you're not *irretrievably* fixing what ain't broke -- so the only thing truly at risk is the purchase price. Of all the things you need to have in order to hike, IMO nothing is more crucial to having a good time than making your feet happy. Therefore if you're of the same mind, it would make sense to have more relaxed investment criteria in the foot department than for any other aspect of hiking gear.

I agree with MadRiver as well: whenever I can get away with wearing a close-fitting soft boot (think Garmont Momentum or Salomon Toundra), I will. The plastics are totally comfortable when I'm hiking or standing, but on hard/flat surfaces when I want to move faster than about 2.5mph -- on a long, icy exit road walk, for example -- they can be brutal.

 

[hikerbrian]

Was thinking the same thing Alex - I can always just put the old liners back in. In the scheme of things, $200 isn't a terribly huge investment, and the potential payoff is pretty big: a lighter, warmer boot without compromising stability. Also completely agree with your statement regarding hard, flat surfaces: road walk finishes, snowmobile trails, Lincoln Woods trail... The hard boots really showcase their limitations in these settings. I wish I could un-remember the cu-dunk, cu-dunk, cu-dunk of my boots on the 302 pavement heading back to the Highland Center from Mt. Jackson. Not sure how many times I've cursed my own existence after finishing something in the Southern Presis with that particular road walk...

 

[Bombadil]

I got a pair of Denali Intuition Liners a couple of years back and had them fitted by the folks at Feathered Friends for my Scarpa Invernos. I found they gave me a mild shin bang when climbing moderate snow slopes, which could be mitigated somewhat by adjusting my footwork. However on descents I found the shin suffering to just not be worth it for the weight savings/ dry inner boot. I tried remolding them at home with duck tape and a heat gun which helped a bit but I couldn't find a way for my leg to move forward when taking a step without the inner boot putting a very small amount of pressure on my shin--that tiny force where your leg pushes open the denali liner as you step forward can cause some nasty bruising over many hours. I recently unloaded the Denali liners and the Scarpas to get a much-needed upgrade.

Pat