Well, whoever told you this didn't set the binders up correctly. These binders have an adjustable toe height which should be set by a qualified tech who is familiar with AT BINDERS, not alpine binders. If you do not set toe height correctly, then it is possible to have issues with releasing. 90% of the time, this is due to some jackass who claims he knows how to set these binders up then does it the wrong way. I have three pairs of Dukes and have not had an issue with them yet. If you have a rockered sole on your boots (like some AT models such as the Spirit 4) then you need to be even more careful setting them up.

All in all, they will work fine with ANY AT boot as long as you dont have a chimp setting them up.

It is made for a wide forefoot. It is slightly wider than a Garmont and quite a bit wider than the Black Diamond boots.

I would call Scarpa directly and ask them...they are always willing to answer questions!@

Nick have you tried switching the boot into walk mode , then lean all the way forward and staying forward click into ski mode. There are two forward lean positions you may be clicking into the more upright position which happens when you click into ski mode upright._______________________________________________________________________Also, there is a little screw on the side of the boot that adjusts the amount of forward lean that you can give the boot. You will see a sticker around the screw that indictes which direction to turn it in to increase the lean. Scarpa boots take a little while to get used to, but once you do...sick.

It depends on what you are looking for in a touring boot really.I have the Scarpa Spirit 4s and the Scarpa Tornado Pros. The Spirit 4 is now my touring boot though I had used it up till today for everything including the resort. They are a little flexy for my liking, but, they are a touring boot, what do you expect? :-)The Scarpa Tornado Pro is a straight alpine sole (as opposed to the rockered sole of the Spirit 4) and is more "geared" towards resorts where you will be hiking and slack and side country. Not to say you could not use them as a straight touring boot, but, there are better options if that is what you are soley looking for.The Black Diamond boots...meh. :-/ I tried them on...wasn't that impressed with them. Then again, I NEVER skied them, so that doesn't mean much if anything at all. I tried the Factors on as well and for my foot both left a lot to be desired. I have heard RUMORS (stressing rumors here...no first hand knowledge) that thy walk/ski mode pin has been breaking in a few of the Black Diamond boots. I would be surprised if it was true, as BD normally has awesome quality in their products. But....Also, it depends on your foot. The Spirit 4/Tornado Pro is geared more towards wider feet and collapsed arches. The Black Diamond line is a little narrower but still should heat mold out if you need them to. Also, the Scarpas come with Intuition liners (not sure about the BDs) and I feel this liner is flat out the best on the market right now! Get them heat molded at a boot fitting professional and you will have the most comfy boots you ever have had.Let me know if you have anymore questions. :-)

Hello Scarpa rep here. I think it depends on wether or not ou like a performance fit or a comfort fit. I am a size 11 and I take the 27.5-28 shell. I would say if your a solid 11.5 I would go with the 28.5-29 shell ( same size shell different liner). The liners are custom heat moldable and will fit even better once you mold them. Hope this helps. Also, it is worth nothing that if you get custom footbeds, which I would recommend, then the sizing can change quite dramatically. I have a 11 R and 11.5L foot and went with the 28.5 and a custom footbed. After I had the footbeds made, I then went through with the heat molding and the outcome was great. Even better was the fact that, if the footbeds took up too much volume above the arch, you could grind them down a little but, which I ended up doing to gain a little more volume around the arch. But, to each his own..your best bet, once you get these, is to go see a professional boot fitter.

I'd go large. Patagonia tends to fit a bit small, and you're right at the upper end of medium anyway. Also, be sure to measure properly for your arm. You should measure from the center of the back of your neck, along the shoulder, down to your elbow (which should be bent about 90 degrees) to the top of your wrist. You can visit the patagonia site for more details.