 Poster: A snowHead
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@Awdbugga, I think it often comes across a bit harsh, but much of the advice I've seen given on here is valid. Many of us have had the same journey that you're on. For example, I bought a set of 92mm all mountain skis after 5 weeks on snow. I've been through several sets of goggles to find the right flat light pair (I found a set that helped but ultimately it's time on skis that made the real difference) and I got rid of my 90 flex boots because they were too soft (not a huge surprise given I'm 110kg). So my comments are generally based on my own experience, for example the skis I bought too soon (and yes, I ignored all the sage advice snowheads gave me).
The majority of people are genuinely just offering their opinion of what would benefit you most. It's okay that you choose to ignore it (we don't know your full situation or all the details), but try not to take it to heart. You're obviously very, very keen and I'd hate to think that people are beating that out of you by being frank 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@SnoodlesMcFlude, thanks for that. It's taken on board.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Awdbugga, Quite a timely article on Realskiers, https://www.realskiers.com/revelations/shell-games/
The conclusion is,
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Lest the gist of this Revelation be lost, here are three things to remember:
1. Finding the best boot for you on the Internet is all but impossible.
2. Take the time to find the best bootfitter you can access.
3. The flex and last volume numbers printed on each boot are there for your amusement only. Treat them as you would your horoscope: interesting, but not actionable. |
Just as an anecdote which may or may not have any bearing on your situation...
I had boots fitted by a reasonably well respected fitter but after my first week on proper snow with them I wasn't happy and started a thread on  about what was wrong. My real fear was that I'd been mis-sold the boots and the flex was too low so I wanted to be better informed before going back to the fitter. Amazingly, no-one on the internet could diagnose the problem so I went back to the fitter, who did. (I have surprising dainty ankles which allowed excessive twisting). So he put in some extra packing round the ankles and that solved that problem and by tightening up the third buckle as tight as I could, I felt secure. But I still wondered whether less flex and less tightening wouldn't have been preferable.
So having spent the pre-BB cranking up the buckles, I then went away with the family at half term and for some reason didn't do up the buckles beyond where the fitter had originally set them up and everything was fine. At Easter with a mixture of Ice and slush and really warm temps the boots were great.
A bit of context, I'm 6 2 ish and 90kg ish and the boots' flex is 100.
In conclusion, I think there were two issues: 1) the boots, and the fitter solved that and 2) the lump standing in them, and I've made some progress solving that one but it's ongoing.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Just realised I didn’t close this off by reporting how it went.
To be fair I couldn’t fault the service from Sail and Ski. I took my current boots and skis with me. The fitter confirmed my current boots were on the soft side and the gap around the cuff was excessive. They measured me up and did all the checks @cem had suggested they should (shell check, standing and seated last measurement, and various other measurements/checks). I tried boots from various manufacturers. Interestingly and confirming what others have said on here before, flex rating seems to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. I settled on a pair of Dalbello’s again. The liners and the shells can be heat moulded. The ramp angle and cant angle can also be adjusted, if needed; as can the cuff spoiler. The fitter was happy I could flex them ok.
They heat moulded both the liners and the shells. My existing custom footbeds fitted into the new boots fine. They also moved some of the buckles for me, and adjusted my ski bindings, as the new boots are a slightly different length to my current boots.
There was no charge for the measuring, fitting or adjustments they made. They also do a price match. They matched a web based price; which meant I got them for only £241. £70+ less than their shown price tag.
I’ve tried them out in a four hour session in the CFe, and to be fair, they were pretty comfortable straight off. Obviously not as comfortable as my old ones yet. But they certainly feel tighter around my feet, heals and calf and are of course stiffer.
So all in all I was very pleased with the service I got from them. The other plus is they are local to me, should the boots need any tweaks at a later date.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 9-05-19 20:52; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Awdbugga, When you can ski (blues for now) with your boots undone and eyes closed, you'll be a Zen Skier, young man 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@AL9000, I've skied a section of a black with my eyes closed (praying) and my flies undone; does that count master? 
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@Awdbugga, Close enough 
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Clearly you are sorted @Awdbugga but adding my own experience as I know people regularly use SH for research and recommendation in all matters snowy......just spent a couple of hours in Sail and Ski getting my son new boots and whilst i am no way an expert in such matters I found the staff extremely knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Asked lots of questions before even starting a shell check, tried a few before settling on the final choice then spent plenty of time making sure all elements of the fit were right. All in all very happy with the result and also pleased with myself for managing to walk out of there without a new Scott jacket and trousers!
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