Any ski boots experts??
Discussion
I'm in the market for some new boots.
Been skiing for over 20 years so consider myself advanced, but never really bothered looking at and staying up to date with the best kit so know very little.
I have been told I have quite wide feet so the Salomons may be out the question, although the Impact 8 CS does say it can do wide with the new custom shell.
I have short listed these, but, any I’ve missed would be appreciated.
I have looked at the Salomon Falcon CS, my brother has just bought these, and as I’m away with him this year, I don't really fancy the same. Possibly look at the Impact 8 cs if they are worth it or the CS pro. Or, the Head Vector 100 (good for wide feet I've been told) or the Nordica Speedmachine 10's - last years boot so quite cheep and they look good.
Any advice appreciated.
Been skiing for over 20 years so consider myself advanced, but never really bothered looking at and staying up to date with the best kit so know very little.
I have been told I have quite wide feet so the Salomons may be out the question, although the Impact 8 CS does say it can do wide with the new custom shell.
I have short listed these, but, any I’ve missed would be appreciated.
I have looked at the Salomon Falcon CS, my brother has just bought these, and as I’m away with him this year, I don't really fancy the same. Possibly look at the Impact 8 cs if they are worth it or the CS pro. Or, the Head Vector 100 (good for wide feet I've been told) or the Nordica Speedmachine 10's - last years boot so quite cheep and they look good.
Any advice appreciated.
The three most important considerations when buying boots are
1/ Comfort
2/ Comfort
3/ Comfort
So many people get conned into buying boots to small or ill fitting with the promise of swelling the boots to fit. Keep trying boots on untill you find a pair that you could dance in all night. Doesnt matter what make or model (with in reason) go for the comfortable ones. If they turn out to be a cheap pair then great, if expensive then its money well spent.
I have Nordica boots,. A fairly stiff boot and wouldnt have been my first choice but i put em on in the morning and dont touch them untill back at night, even if thats via the bar.
Skiing isnt fun if your in pain!
Sorry, probably saying what you already know, but by asking for a boot recomendation youre side stepping the biggest issue. imho.
D.
1/ Comfort
2/ Comfort
3/ Comfort
So many people get conned into buying boots to small or ill fitting with the promise of swelling the boots to fit. Keep trying boots on untill you find a pair that you could dance in all night. Doesnt matter what make or model (with in reason) go for the comfortable ones. If they turn out to be a cheap pair then great, if expensive then its money well spent.
I have Nordica boots,. A fairly stiff boot and wouldnt have been my first choice but i put em on in the morning and dont touch them untill back at night, even if thats via the bar.
Skiing isnt fun if your in pain!
Sorry, probably saying what you already know, but by asking for a boot recomendation youre side stepping the biggest issue. imho.
D.R TOY said:
The three most important considerations when buying boots are
1/ Comfort
2/ Comfort
3/ Comfort
So many people get conned into buying boots to small or ill fitting with the promise of swelling the boots to fit. Keep trying boots on untill you find a pair that you could dance in all night. Doesnt matter what make or model (with in reason) go for the comfortable ones. If they turn out to be a cheap pair then great, if expensive then its money well spent.
I have Nordica boots,. A fairly stiff boot and wouldnt have been my first choice but i put em on in the morning and dont touch them untill back at night, even if thats via the bar.
Skiing isnt fun if your in pain!
Sorry, probably saying what you already know, but by asking for a boot recomendation youre side stepping the biggest issue. imho. D.
+1 1/ Comfort
2/ Comfort
3/ Comfort
So many people get conned into buying boots to small or ill fitting with the promise of swelling the boots to fit. Keep trying boots on untill you find a pair that you could dance in all night. Doesnt matter what make or model (with in reason) go for the comfortable ones. If they turn out to be a cheap pair then great, if expensive then its money well spent.
I have Nordica boots,. A fairly stiff boot and wouldnt have been my first choice but i put em on in the morning and dont touch them untill back at night, even if thats via the bar.
Skiing isnt fun if your in pain!
Sorry, probably saying what you already know, but by asking for a boot recomendation youre side stepping the biggest issue. imho.
D.There is nothing more annoying that boots that aren't perfectly comfortable the whole day. If you're having to loosen them when waiting for lifts, etc then they are not right (although most people over tighten their boots). A good pair of boots you should be able to wear all day with no probs.
Can't remember exactly what model mine are but they are the ones that are moulded to your feet (by Salomon) - had them for 3 years and likely will never cahange them - like wearing a pair of comfy slippers...
cramman said:
I'm in the market for some new boots.
Been skiing for over 20 years so consider myself advanced, but never really bothered looking at and staying up to date with the best kit so know very little.
I have been told I have quite wide feet so the Salomons may be out the question, although the Impact 8 CS does say it can do wide with the new custom shell.
I have short listed these, but, any I’ve missed would be appreciated.
I have looked at the Salomon Falcon CS, my brother has just bought these, and as I’m away with him this year, I don't really fancy the same. Possibly look at the Impact 8 cs if they are worth it or the CS pro. Or, the Head Vector 100 (good for wide feet I've been told) or the Nordica Speedmachine 10's - last years boot so quite cheep and they look good.
Any advice appreciated.
Tiny hijackBeen skiing for over 20 years so consider myself advanced, but never really bothered looking at and staying up to date with the best kit so know very little.
I have been told I have quite wide feet so the Salomons may be out the question, although the Impact 8 CS does say it can do wide with the new custom shell.
I have short listed these, but, any I’ve missed would be appreciated.
I have looked at the Salomon Falcon CS, my brother has just bought these, and as I’m away with him this year, I don't really fancy the same. Possibly look at the Impact 8 cs if they are worth it or the CS pro. Or, the Head Vector 100 (good for wide feet I've been told) or the Nordica Speedmachine 10's - last years boot so quite cheep and they look good.
Any advice appreciated.
- I have ski boots that are 15 years old (have not been ski-ing for 12 years) - has the locking technology changed, or is it still possible to use my perfect fitting boots.It all depends on what you want to get from skiing?
Old comfortable boots will work BUT linings degade (usually after about 6 weeks skiing), plastic softens, heel and toe pieces wear out (reduces the binding functionality) and of course technology advances.
A well fitting pair of ski boots is arguebly more important than the skis you are skiing on. at one end of the scale you have the rental boots, soft, comfortable, loose fitting, warm and you can get away with an incorrect size. This is for a number of reasons but the main ones are that people renting are usually at the earlier stages of learning and also because it cuts down on the ammount of people coming back saying their feet hurt and wanting to swap their boots!
The other end of the spectrum are race boots, they have super stiff shells and seriously thin linings - they are uncomprimising and you would not want them on your feet for an hour let alone a day.
As a rule the stiffer the shell and the tighter the fit the more direct control you can apply to the ski and also pressure to the edge. If you imagine it in degrees with your leg perpendicular to the floor. If your boots are well fitting you might have to counter .5 or 1 degree of play before the ski starts to edge. However if you have loose soft boots then you could have to apply 3 or 4 degrees before the ski starts to edge leading to slower edge to edge transition and relatively more exaggerated movements needed, however the trade off is generally a level of comfort (though my boots have a flex of 110 which is reasonably stiff and I can wear them all day - they are also 2 sizes smaller than my normal shoe size!).
So you have to decide where you fit in the spectrum. Boot fitting is a bit of an art and you need to find someone who knows what they are talking about. As well as measuring your feet length they should also look at your heel, arch hight, instep length and foot width and be able to recommend shells that are the best match. Shells don't give (unless heated) so you need to get your foot in a boot without the lining for a shell check. Then if that looks promising you then need to decide on linings and footbeds. You can usually get away with standard linings but if you have non average feet/calf shape or you want even closer fitting boots then you can go for a custom lining or a cork and oil based lining like a Zip Fit.
A custom foot bed is highly recommended for a number of reasons. Firstly you need to be in a neutral position to allow your skis to run true and stop edges dragging and secondly this can reduce or increase the volume of the boot shell depending on what is needed.
Lastly no two feet are the same so don't discount getting boots blown to reduce pressure points.
Equally this may not be what you are after but please make sure you go to someone who knows what they are doing and explain that your highest priority is comfort. The worst thing you can do is go into a shop, choose a boot based on colour, brand or to some extent price, then try it on and decide because it feels comfortable they are the ones to go for.
Hope that helps!
Andy
Old comfortable boots will work BUT linings degade (usually after about 6 weeks skiing), plastic softens, heel and toe pieces wear out (reduces the binding functionality) and of course technology advances.
A well fitting pair of ski boots is arguebly more important than the skis you are skiing on. at one end of the scale you have the rental boots, soft, comfortable, loose fitting, warm and you can get away with an incorrect size. This is for a number of reasons but the main ones are that people renting are usually at the earlier stages of learning and also because it cuts down on the ammount of people coming back saying their feet hurt and wanting to swap their boots!
The other end of the spectrum are race boots, they have super stiff shells and seriously thin linings - they are uncomprimising and you would not want them on your feet for an hour let alone a day.
As a rule the stiffer the shell and the tighter the fit the more direct control you can apply to the ski and also pressure to the edge. If you imagine it in degrees with your leg perpendicular to the floor. If your boots are well fitting you might have to counter .5 or 1 degree of play before the ski starts to edge. However if you have loose soft boots then you could have to apply 3 or 4 degrees before the ski starts to edge leading to slower edge to edge transition and relatively more exaggerated movements needed, however the trade off is generally a level of comfort (though my boots have a flex of 110 which is reasonably stiff and I can wear them all day - they are also 2 sizes smaller than my normal shoe size!).
So you have to decide where you fit in the spectrum. Boot fitting is a bit of an art and you need to find someone who knows what they are talking about. As well as measuring your feet length they should also look at your heel, arch hight, instep length and foot width and be able to recommend shells that are the best match. Shells don't give (unless heated) so you need to get your foot in a boot without the lining for a shell check. Then if that looks promising you then need to decide on linings and footbeds. You can usually get away with standard linings but if you have non average feet/calf shape or you want even closer fitting boots then you can go for a custom lining or a cork and oil based lining like a Zip Fit.
A custom foot bed is highly recommended for a number of reasons. Firstly you need to be in a neutral position to allow your skis to run true and stop edges dragging and secondly this can reduce or increase the volume of the boot shell depending on what is needed.
Lastly no two feet are the same so don't discount getting boots blown to reduce pressure points.
Equally this may not be what you are after but please make sure you go to someone who knows what they are doing and explain that your highest priority is comfort. The worst thing you can do is go into a shop, choose a boot based on colour, brand or to some extent price, then try it on and decide because it feels comfortable they are the ones to go for.
Hope that helps!
Andy
R TOY said:
The three most important considerations when buying boots are
1/ Comfort
2/ Comfort
3/ Comfort
afraid i don't agree with this at all.1/ Comfort
2/ Comfort
3/ Comfort
Go to an expert boot fitter, rather than you making educated guesses they will tell you what foobed/liner/shell combo best suits your foot shape, size & skiing style.
andy ted said:
lots of sensible stuff
.. and just because you are a good skier doesn't necessarily mean you should graduate to stiff race boots.The stiffest alpine boots i own have a flex index of 100 and recently i've skied 90% of the time in some Garmont Endorphin touring boots which really are the holy grail!
Thanks for all the replies and agree with the comfort comments.
I'm currently sitting looking at a pair of speedmachines, but they are just too tight on the sides so they are going back.
Going to try the head over the weekend and see how they go.
The comment made about getting boots blown, is this possible with all boots. I know most have mouldable innners, but, is it not only a salomon thing with the shells?
Cheers.
I'm currently sitting looking at a pair of speedmachines, but they are just too tight on the sides so they are going back.
Going to try the head over the weekend and see how they go.
The comment made about getting boots blown, is this possible with all boots. I know most have mouldable innners, but, is it not only a salomon thing with the shells?
Cheers.
Don't listen to me I hated my boots.... but they work bloody well and by about half way through last season I started to think that they were ok ....... still a season old now so time for some new ones!!
Anyway... get yourself to a good bootfitter... not a shop that sells boot... they will really measure your feet, discuss your ability and then present you with one or perhaps two boots that will fit... not sure of where your closest recognised good fitter is near South Shields but they will be worth tracking down......
Anyway... get yourself to a good bootfitter... not a shop that sells boot... they will really measure your feet, discuss your ability and then present you with one or perhaps two boots that will fit... not sure of where your closest recognised good fitter is near South Shields but they will be worth tracking down......
theboymoon said:
R TOY said:
The three most important considerations when buying boots are
1/ Comfort
2/ Comfort
3/ Comfort
afraid i don't agree with this at all.1/ Comfort
2/ Comfort
3/ Comfort
Go to an expert boot fitter, rather than you making educated guesses they will tell you what foobed/liner/shell combo best suits your foot shape, size & skiing style.
boot technology has essentially not changed in years/decades, mine are now 12 years old and just as good as the new stuff around
Nevin said:
My boots hurt me after about half an hour and I hate them but am finding it impossible to get new ones. Anyone know any manufacturers or shops who do boots in a size 14 (whatever mondopoint that is)?
Must be a nightmare trying to get boots.http://www.botteroski.com/Negozio/en/Scripts/convT...
that may help, suggests Nordica and Technica (sp) may do it.
Edit to add - think your after a 33. Been told nordica are quite wide. May be of help.
You may even be able to get them 'blown' although I don't really know what that means??
Edited by cramman on Wednesday 16th December 13:41
cramman said:
Nevin said:
My boots hurt me after about half an hour and I hate them but am finding it impossible to get new ones. Anyone know any manufacturers or shops who do boots in a size 14 (whatever mondopoint that is)?
Must be a nightmare trying to get boots.http://www.botteroski.com/Negozio/en/Scripts/convT...
that may help, suggests Nordica and Technica (sp) may do it.
Edit to add - think your after a 33. Been told nordica are quite wide. May be of help.
You may even be able to get them 'blown' although I don't really know what that means??
Edited by cramman on Wednesday 16th December 13:41
Nevin said:
cramman said:
Nevin said:
My boots hurt me after about half an hour and I hate them but am finding it impossible to get new ones. Anyone know any manufacturers or shops who do boots in a size 14 (whatever mondopoint that is)?
Must be a nightmare trying to get boots.http://www.botteroski.com/Negozio/en/Scripts/convT...
that may help, suggests Nordica and Technica (sp) may do it.
Edit to add - think your after a 33. Been told nordica are quite wide. May be of help.
You may even be able to get them 'blown' although I don't really know what that means??
Edited by cramman on Wednesday 16th December 13:41
If you decide you want to do any 29.5 size boots on the cheap let me know.
cramman said:
Nevin said:
cramman said:
Nevin said:
My boots hurt me after about half an hour and I hate them but am finding it impossible to get new ones. Anyone know any manufacturers or shops who do boots in a size 14 (whatever mondopoint that is)?
Must be a nightmare trying to get boots.http://www.botteroski.com/Negozio/en/Scripts/convT...
that may help, suggests Nordica and Technica (sp) may do it.
Edit to add - think your after a 33. Been told nordica are quite wide. May be of help.
You may even be able to get them 'blown' although I don't really know what that means??
Edited by cramman on Wednesday 16th December 13:41
If you decide you want to do any 29.5 size boots on the cheap let me know.
cramman said:
The comment made about getting boots blown, is this possible with all boots. I know most have mouldable innners, but, is it not only a salomon thing with the shells?
Cheers.
As far as I know all plastic shelled modern boots can be blown. I have yet to see a pair that can't however I am sure there are probably one or two pairs. It needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing though. Basically at the pinch point, the shell gets heated with a hot air gun and expanded using some specific tools. When it cools they remain in that position. Also if its not right you can usually reheat them again and they return to their original shape! Also you can grind out very small minor pinch points without causing any problems - just don't grind out too much!Cheers.
Edited by andy ted on Thursday 17th December 18:19
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