How long do boots last?

A snowHead

I use a pair of Salomon boots bought best part of 20 yrs ago.

They fit great - no need to loosen them at lunch etc.

However, I'm not sure what the lifespan of boots is - the shell suffers from UV and I guess the inner doesn't last for ever.

So - how do I know if they need replacing?

A snowHead

Rent a new pair for a day and see which you prefer. I've recently replaced a pair that were about 15 years old and the difference is night and day.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I skied on Salomon SX 90 Equipes from 1982 to 2010 when the shell cracked.

After spending a small fortune with boot fitters trying to find a 4 clip boot that gave a modicum of comfort and control I lucked out finding a pair SX 92 Equipes and comfort and control returned.

2017 and so far so good.

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Liners 50-120 days depending on your tolerance for pain
Shells maybe 3 liners if you are really pushing it and keep the consumables replaced

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@TQA, that was a mistake from the start. Don't think I'm rude. I did a season in SX92s. Embarassed

Oh. Now I read the rest of your post. Unless you are anatomically challenged, your ski control is challenged. There's a reason why almost no-one sells rear entry these days.

My take? Liners 120-180 days, shells pretty much forever (some plastics do degrade however). And economically ....

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physically; and how long technologically? Ie, at what point do tech improvements push for change? 10 years?

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Not too worried about the tech, just don't want them to fall apart at speed Very Happy

After all it is free

Two elements here. Technology and wear.
120 days and my liners were useless.
10 years and lots of new technology available.
20 years and little use, still worth looking at a change.

SX92s..... control!? Puzzled

I've now seen two people this year that had 20 year old boots suddenly shatter mid run.

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Bought mine in 1993- Tecnicas . Went to Obergurgl last year. Ski hire said they would need changing next year. Day 1 standing about near lifts and entire sole of left boot detached leaving me standing in liner . Walked to hire shop and right boot did the same . Fortunately I wasn't on the mountain. So mine lasted 24 years.

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No shells suffer from plastic rot or whatever you want to call it. I'd be highly suspicious of anything over 15 years old unless you've carefully kept them untouched in a climate controlled environment like an obsessive sneaker pimp.

@martinm, Like you I got almost 20 years from a pair of boots then had a lot of problems finding a replacement pair that fitted as well. It appears that ski boots have got a lot wider over the years. It was only the fact that the toes and heals had worn so much that I had to clip them in by hand hat made me change.

However, my friends more recent books jsut fell apart due to the plastic degrading. If they work why change them?

You know it makes sense.

I had some Salomon Integral Equipe 8.2s (1995?), whose rubber heel split and fell off in 2016 (damaging the binding as well). I had clung on to them like a drowning man clings onto a life raft, as they were so comfortable and thought that new boots simply would not be.

I was wrong. Boots have come a long way and I'm now just as comfy in a well fitted, better performing pair of Atomic Hawx.

I agree that boots may last 20 years (if skiing 1 wk/year), but you are taking a risk after 15.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Change every 1-2 years.

A snowHead

I have had a pair of Dynafit ZZeus for about 5 yrs now and with zipfit liners (supplied by CEM) they feel just as good as new...but some druggy scrote stole by ski tool box which had the interchaneable din alpine soles in. Great for the tech and diamir bindings but i can no longer use my old piste skis. Puzzled

Might have to buy some piste boots unless someone out there has flat soles for zzeus in 26 or 26.5 mondo.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

As far as boots falling apart is concerned, UV exposure is usually to blame (I was in plastics research for 15 years)
Never buy ex display boots that have been sat in the shop window.
Always store boots, helmets, skis etc in a dark place.

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I had a pair of late model Dynafit 3F's (the one with the internal spring) crack/split after about 6/7 years, fortunately while walking rather than skiing.

Apart from liners packing out and degrading (especially if you have sweaty feet), I would have thought that heel/toe sole wear would be a significant retirement factor.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I'm a one week per year skier. I replaced my boots last year, after 15 years. The issue was wear of the toes and heels (I had a fall because of poor retention). The boot was out of production and I couldn't source replacement parts. The new boots are a bit better (more progressive flex, warmer liner, better buckles) and shiny new gear is always nice. Also easier to get a fit (also shops seem more clued up, at least this time around no one looked at me like I was crazy for doing a shell fit)

After all it is free

I had to replace the heels on mine after just three weeks. Too much walking between ski buses in Chamonix.

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Kooky just bought new boots after 8 years and approx 700 - 800 days skiing in her old ones. The liners were so shot she needed 2 pairs of socks to fill them out Laughing

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Another thing, climate seems to have a lot to do with it. A friend had his boot completely lose it's sole leaving him halfway up a mountain standing in the snow in his socks. He figured it must have something to do with the fact that he lived in Singapore for a few years and had the boots over there as well. He flew directly from Singapore to the snow... pretty unpleasant experience!

Plastics do age.

UV breaks the bonds.
Plasticisers evaporate with heat.
As a result the plastic becomes brittle.

The flex in a boot is partly the cuff-boot connection and partly the plastic flexing - the flex changes with temp.

Aging will affect the flex.

Today I am in 2015 hawks.
Tuesday I was in 15 year old Salomon xwaves. They feel different but the x waves are fine - but they do live in a cool dark place.

Technica had amazing exploding boots when they put the wrong pigment in but they sorted that.

You know it makes sense.

Not skiing, but almost; wife bought a pair of ecco hiking boots. Over a year or two, the soles totally bricked and disintegrated, it was like they had dry rot. Google shows it to be a very common problem. Maybe it was more than two years, certainly we had no receipt and didn't bother claiming for them. Uppers were fantastic.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I had a shell crack after many years use, but fortunately in transit and not in use. Found it when I opened my bag in the hotel, put boots in bin in my room and went to hire a pair for the week. Then played a game with the cleaner whereby they took boots out of bin and put them neatly by the foot of my bed every day and I put them back in the bin. Very Happy

A snowHead

Had our Salomon's for 7 years. Had new treads fitted for them last year. I've been thinking about new boots but these are so comfy. I'm sure we'll get a few more years out of them yet! Very Happy

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

When I lived in Avoriaz, the liners died first - no walking and lots of skiing. Since moving down to Morzine it's the inverse. I now avoid buying boots without replaceable toes and heels.

The quickest way to kill your liners is to repeatedly pull them out for drying. Remove them as few times as possible, invest in boot dryers. snowHead

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My 4 clip boots are from 1999. I have to warm them on the car heater to get them on. They've had some pretty hard seasons in that time. I'm not expecting them to shatter mid-piste (they are not Technica's Happy

) but who knows. They'll keep on trucking a while longer.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Lots of different views here from-'replace after 1-2 years', idiotic unless you bought the worst boots imaginable, no sorry can't think of any THAT bad, to had them forever, well it seems that way. The bottom line is they will all wear differently. There are no hard and fast rules for how long they will last. There are far too many variables Only the wearer is likely to know when the time is right for change. If in doubt seek professional advice but don't be bamboozled by jargon or a hard sell. Make up your own mind and try somthing new just to compare.

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@shep, Depends on the boots. My piste boots have lace up foam liners that need to be taken out on the feet and inserted the same way. I usually get 25 weeks out of the liners before they have packed down enough to need new ones.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Also depends on how hard you ski. I've had shells last from 200 days up to a record of about 500 days. Liners are pretty stuffed by about 150 days but that does vary as well. Never owned boots ling enough for age to kill them off. Toofy Grin

After all it is free

Not many snowboard boots will last more than 100 days. I have a 120 day old pair of £300 rrp, (top brand top quality) boots which are now much more flexible than they should be, stitching coming apart, liner pull-cord nearly gone etc. I do walk a fair bit in them though.

My Salomons lasted 17 years of 6 - 8 days a year covering around 50km+ a day of fairly hard piste skiing, my wife's Nordicas gave up after 13 or 14 years, in both cases the plastic degraded, presumably due to UV, & split.

At 20 years, they are knackered, I would suggest changing them in the comfort of a ski shop over here you know or are recommended to for boot fitting. Both of us had dreadful problems finding modern 3 or 4 clip boots that fit, despite having the heat fit liners & having various bits of boot modified, blown out etc. You don't want to find yourself losing valuable slope time (which you've paid a fortune for remember) messing about in a foreign ski shop with ski techs that might or might not speak good English & might or might not actually give a monkey's whether your boots fit & are right for you - possibly more likely to see you as an opportunity for a good commission! Sad

Much better to get the boots properly chosen for the right reasons & fitted here, then wear around home for a few hours to make sure they actually do fit before testing them on the slopes

With regard to control, I would say unless you ski like Martin Bell (& if you did you wouldn't be asking the Q!), then you will find some difference with a modern boot, but don't expect it to transform your skiing to a new level

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I used to ski a min of about 3-4 days a week year round, on top of that work some weekends and either go for a 2 week and 1 week holiday or just one 3 week holiday skiing from first lift till getting last lift up at end of the day with no more than a half hour break. I did this in my Lange ZR boots and only changed them because skidding across the car park at Rossendale, Aviemore etc forced me to change them after about 3-4 years probably around a 1000 days skiing and liners where still fine and screams of pain getting them on ( especially when left out on coach ) did not change either. My Lange XR9 race I changed when I started back as the liner was perished as they had spent years in the loft.
Worst boots I ever had where some Nordica rear entry ( I think model was 720? ) the liners compacted that much I had to send a telegram prior to turning Confused

I also broke the springs on my Dynafit 3F Team boots popped rivets on both boots out in France one year. That was down to me though not the boots I was just way too aggressive. Managed to get a great deal on some 3F Comps and they where fine.

After starting back and reading others threads like this I bought some Rossi radicals and they are comfy but responsive ( well I can get them on and off without a hairdryer) Hope to get a good 5-10 years of relaxed skiing out of them and the same but not so relaxed with the new Fischer RC4 boots which feel like sprayed on steel boots, or until the body gives up which is most likely to happen first.

Help!!

How long do boots last?

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