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Skiboot Flex Question

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi all,

After having done a search here and in other places, I have actually still no decent answer to my question Puzzled

I have been skiing for a few years now, but after giving up smoking I have put on quite a bit of weight.
I am 5'10" (1.79m) and weigh now 18st7lbs (down from 21 stone)

I have now come to a point where I want to buy my own ski boots and so,the question is
as I am a bit heavier, do I need a higher flex?
I was thinking of going for a 80 or 90 flex, but it seems that because of being heavier I should go for a 100 or 110 flex.


Is this right?

All advice appreciated, and thanks in advance
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Well, it depends on your ability as well as leverage from weight and height but as a general rule yes, a heavier person will need a stiffer flex so as not to overpower the boot. A 100/110 would be a fairly standard advanced flex rating for a bloke so choose the one that corresponds most to your ability.
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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?
What Raceplate, says, 80/90 for your stats would be soft IMHO. 100/110 sounds right, plus you can always soften it a bit if it's not right.
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Thanks for your replies.
I have been skiing for the last 3 years, but would not say that I am an advanced skier,
more a good beginner / intermediate I would say.

We are going to chose our boots tomorrow and the boot fitter should be able to give me some advice as well, but
I always like some advice from someone who is not the sales person in the shop Happy
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
peter3006, does 3 years mean 3 weeks on snow? It's not a lot but it's not rank beginner either. You don't want something too stiff as it will hold you back but too soft and you will grow out of it very quickly. So like everything in skiing, it's a compromised judgement call. Wink

A lot of boots have a flex adjuster (Salomon, for one) which lowers the flex by 10 or so points - I would look for that feature in your circumstances so you can grow into them. Remember when you try them in the shop they will flex much more at 20 degrees than at -10 on a mountain. A 110 that you can use at a 100 for your next few weeks' skiing is probably a fair compromise.
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I'll back that up. But the fit has a massive input in how they flex, plus the numbers don't really correspond accurately between different manufacturers. My first boots were too soft at about 75, plus they had too much volume around the heel. I ended up hardly being able to flex them because the buckles were done up so tightly that the cuff was being blocked from moving forward. Torture. The next boots I visited quite an esteemed fitter, and ended up with a much stiffer boot (Nordicas at 130) . Despite being only 11.5 stone I found these much easier to flex and amazingly comfortable. I'd ask about flex when trying them on, and see how easy it is to apply forward pressure in the shop, you should be able both feel and see the boot flexing as you try them, but obviously it is more difficult to so this standing still rather than skiing.

Also your leg length has an effect. A longer lower leg can apply more force for a given weight so a tall skinny guy may prefer a stiffer boot than a short heavy guy. Also your style of skiing has a big effect. Do you like to really pressure the ski tips or have more of a neutral balance? Are you aggressive making turns etc.

A quick search on the web gives the following average sort of rough guide.

60-90 flex rating = soft = beginner boots, general recreational skiers

90-110 flex rating = mid-flex = freeride and freestyle boots, as well as intermediate all-mountain boots.

110-130 flex rating = stiff = majority of freeride boots, aggressive all-mountain boots, stiffer freestyle boots, and recreational racing boots

130+ flex rating = extremely stiff = pure race boots
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
3 years indeed means 3 weeks on snow, but also about another 30 hours on the indoor slope in Milton Keynes over the last 4 years.
I know indoor is by no means the same, but it comes as close as poss on that slope.

As for my skiing style, I cruise more than anything else on the blue runs with the occasional faster downhill ( I am a 50 year old granddad wink )
But we are going to a supposedly (I say this because I have never been there before) great shop tomorrow in West Sussex and they should be able to help me out there.
Personally I am very much drawn to the Atomic LiveFit 100, but lets wait and see tomorrow.

Thanks again guys for all your replies
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
peter3006, Just be very open to ideas. Both of my decent boots were models I'd never heard of, but they were the ones chosen for me after the fitter took a good look at my feet. The last time he had two boots from different manufacturers which were very similar. One pair just felt a little snugger and more comfortable.
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
peter3006, Let the fitter do his/her job, forget whatever boots you are drawn to, be honest about your present ability and future ambition (after all you certainly don't want to be needing new boots every season as you improve) and the buy whatever boots the fitter says are right for you!
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Well, in the end it have become Atomic Live Fit 90, because of my wide foot.
They have got Superfeet Insoles, and have been heath moulded while we were in the shop.
In the shop I had them on for about 30 minutes, and when we came home I had them on for another hour or so.

Very comfy fit, but also very snug, so lets hope for the best when I hit the slopes in 5 weeks Happy

Thanks again for all your advice and tips
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Have fun Smile
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
peter3006, +1 for having fun. This might also be of interest based on my own experience.

http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=105362#2412444
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
90 flex for a 5'10"/18st 7lbs rolling eyes
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
spyderjon, I know nothing about it and even I thought it was on the soft side - I ski in a 90 myself as a learner who is shorter and lighter!
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
spyderjon, It does sound very soft, but maybe he is just aiming at skiing around the slopes in a gentle manner and not aiming to be carving, going very fast etc. The blurb for that boot does describe it as "The medium-hard flex makes the Live Fit 90 the ideal boot for advanced skiers" so maybe it is stiffer than many other boots described as a 90.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Also they recommend it for taller or heavier skiers. http://www.skis.com/Atomic-Live-Fit-90-Ski-Boots-2013/276200P,default,pd.html
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi all

Rather than creating a new thread I hope you don't mind me jumping in on this one as I have a similar situation. I have been trying many boots (an expensive hobby). In short my first boots were way too large and my second boots were too small (tight) a little like Goldie locks I guess.

After wasting much money on the boots, from bad advice and deformations, I think I now know the better brands for me. Technica and Head. (After trying multiple brands and models. Finally the technica started to hurt me in the shop after 15mins (only slightly) and the guy assured me that a small deformation would result in the perfect boot for me. However after wasting money on my saloons I did not want to risk it.

Finally I tried the head adaptedge and they felt great. I was lucky enough to be able to test a pair skiing at the weekend and it seems very positive. This leads me to the subject matter of flex. I was using the 80/90 and set them to 90. You can also get them in the 100/90.

Does anyone know the brand or think that the 80/90 is too soft. It seemed ok but I really would not know. I live in the alps and have skied each season for the past three years most weekends. I am an average (improving skier) with a weight of 70kg. The problem is I a struggling to get the 100s from the store. Sadly IMO stores will sell you the best of what they have available rather than asking you to wait for an order due to the massive competition in the area.

Any advise would be great.

Thanks.
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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?
Ps I am 5'8". Also I asked my work colleagues as most of them have grown up here and skied all their lives and oddly none of them seemed to know about the flex or what their boot is. Maybe a big caffufle about nothing Happy.
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Dazzas1066, regarding your last comment, maybe it is just SH's maybe it is not, but gear and it's ins and outs does seem to get very anal at times on here. Your comments from your friends parallel my own friends who grew up in Switzerland and probably skied before they walked. They own their own boots, but I doubt would be that concerned about what they had been sold any more than they are about the skis they hire for each season. I think if I was to ask them, their answer would be that they ski in boots and ski on, well, skis!! Laughing
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
It's really down to what works for you. I'm 76kg and own two pairs of boots, one is 130, one is 90. I'm much happier in the stiffer boot, but can adapt to the softer one. Saying that, the stiff boot is sometimes a little too stiff on off piste crud, so if I only had the one pair maybe a 110 - 120 would be best for me.


Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Mon 6-01-14 21:59; edited 2 times in total
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Megamum, It's only a problem if your boots are too stiff for you to flex them, or so soft that you keep overwhelming them when trying to drive the skis. Anything in between will work, although maybe not perfectly.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Dazzas1066, I'd rather find a really good boot fitter I can trust and see what they would put me in, a manufacturer sometimes makes changes from year to year in their lasts so sticking to one may not always work. I've had good results over the past 7 years with Nordica and last year changed to Atomic. The store didn't carry Nordica but had two other manufacturers who had models in the same last width and approximate profile / volume.
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