Is Tecnica’s Upcoming “Decoy” Boot the Best Touring Boot Yet? Spy Shots Say Maybe

Backcountry touring boots have come a long way since the days of wearing leather boots and skiing on cable "Kandahar" bindings. Today, most manufacturers make some sort walkable/tourable boot that allows for more efficient and comfortable uphill travel–but there's a few boots that have really stood out in the crowd. Perhaps the most ubiquitous of modern touring boots, Tecnica's Zero G Tour Pro, has long been rumored to be getting a bigger, badder cousin, and we think that moment is finally here.

Snooping around on the internet leads to many discoveries, but this morning, Chamonix-based bootfitting outfit Sole Boot Lab CHX (give them a visit next time you're in France) posted a few revealing photos of a brand-new boot from Tecnica called the Decoy.

It's a four-buckle affair, with a walk mode taken from the current Zero G Peak and Tour Pros, but with beefier-looking hardware, and more substantial looking shell. There look to be three versions coming out, including a men's (130 flex), women's (115 flex), and a "Pro" version with an unknown flex rating. Oh yeah, and the women's version is pink.

Comparing these photos to a pair of current-gen Zero G Tour Pros, it looks that the shell itself is very similar, but likely made from heavier/thicker plastic like PU instead of a Grilamid/carbon mix. The internal hardware on the spine for the external walk mode does look a little different, with added lateral reinforcement, which should help with the dreaded lateral play all generations of the Zero G boots eventually develop.

The buckles look to be taken from the current-gen Cochise, which should add durability (and a bit of weight), plus–and this is a big one–the boots are sporting GripWalk soles, meaning they can be used in an alpine binding.

Weight seems to fall in the Goldilocks zone of not too heavy to compromise touring efficiency, but not so light that they can't support the forces of aggressive skiing. My guess is the boots in the photos are sample sizes (usually a 26.5), so the measured shell weight of 1312g and 1328g falls squarely into that range. No word on what the stock liners of these will look like, but we imagine these would be a great candidate for a liner like the new ZipFit Espresso, or an Intuition Wrap.

We've reached out to Tecnica to get the lowdown, and will report back once we know more.