 Poster: A snowHead
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I bought mine, the only pair I’ve owned, about 8 years ago in Pila. The make is ‘San Marco’ which I think is a no-name version of a more well known brand, but ignorant as I am of such things, I have no idea which. They weren't very expensive, and I had some 'supafeet' insoles cut to fit at the same time (they didn’t offer the thermal fitting process back then, at least not to me).
I’ve worn them on a dozen or so trips over the last few years and although a bit scratched up they are VERY comfortable (can walk around in them all day without aches, pains or blisters) and they don’t seem to be loose when I’m skiing.
I could afford to get ‘better’ boots these days, but these feel like they fit so well I am loathe to swap them just because they are old.
So should I be thinking about new ones? Does their age mean that they are getting loose even though I haven’t noticed? Would more modern boots give me more control, weigh less, help my skiing, impress women, and improve my life beyond recognition, or should I spend my money on lessons and more ski trips? 
Advice welcomed.
Cheers
SimonT
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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AxsMan, check the interface points for wear, i.e wherever the boot meets the bindings, as long as the wear is not significant you can keep using them until they fall apart, but check regularly
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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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Also, if the liner has packed out, and you end up int he tightest buckle notch, but they are still lose.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| admin wrote: |
Boots last until u can no longer handle the derision heaped upon them by peers and (particularly) ski instructors.
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Does this mean you'll be buying real skis soon? 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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They last anywhere between 80 and 140 skiing days.
The liners are the first to go - they will pack out.
The shell next - the plastic goes soft in all sorts of wrong places, and it no longer flexes appropriately.
My Lange Comp 120's have had it after 180 skiing days. They are as soft as noodles.
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admin, would you like me to post a picture of your 17 year old floopy wellies "easiski's words" not mine.
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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.
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| Quote: |
So in summary, provided I have skied them less than 180 days (totting up it’s around 50 odd), the buckles aren’t on their last notch (nowhere near), I can bear the looks of ridicule on the faces of my instructors (when they see me ‘ski’ it’s not my boots they laugh at!), and the bindings grip better than blue-tack, I should be OK with my trusty old footwear for another season or two?
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Equipment is everything, without seeing you ski in your current boots, it's hard to say if you should go for new boots.
However - newer designs, materials, injection moulding processes, shift in thinking from stiff fore-aft boots to stiff lateral boots etc, etc. it's highly likely that a new pair of modern boots would change your skiing, give you more control, impress women etc.
I'm assuming of course you aren't still skiing on a pair of 8 year old skis.
Try to think of skis and boots as a system.
Boots are an integral part of the skiing system - they are your ski's handles.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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.
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Simon,
What you need to do is book yourself a long weekend to somewhere with a recommended boot fitter, Footworks in chamonix and precision in Val D'Isere come well recommended.
They will then take a look at your boots, sell you a new pair if necessary, and you can then ski in them, returning if necessary for fitting tweaks etc etc.
Cheers,
Greg
PS There you go, encouragement to ski and shop 
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AxsMan, chin up and be proud of San Marco (hardly a no-name, wasn't it "Head by San Marco" for years?) and keep them until you find the perfect pair gregh mentions.
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You know it makes sense.
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Old boots do get plastic fatigue. May not be a problem as it sounds like your boots aren't that old. My father's old rear entry boots fell apart a few years ago - he asked if he could have mine of a similar vintage. I said they'd probably fail similarly - sure enough he got to the top of a chair one day went to ski off and his ski (with boot sole attached) set off while he (with remainder of boot round his foot) went in another direction. I wish I'd been there for the entertainment value  Now all he had to do was download & hire a new pair but it would have been a different story if he'd been halfway down the mountain.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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My old Dachsteins were old enough to buy beer in America before they finally got too loose/soft! I'm now very happy in a pair of Tecnicas.
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Poster: A snowHead
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AxsMan, San Marco were taken over by Head, so no problems about quality, how long do boots last? Well, one of my sons., killed a pair of TNT race boots in a season, although he did get a replacement pair free of charge, thank you Ellis Brigham. I, on the other hand have been skiing for 5 decades and I've only ever had 4 pairs of boots, my current pair are Heads about 6 years old, great boots and they should last at least another 4 years minimum. I ski at least one month a year, so I reckon my boots get about twice average use for a UK skier, I don't ski on dry slopes now but I used to be a club insructor, skiing twice a week. I can't say that it felt as if made any difference to the wear of my boots. Just keep wearing them, they don't get worn in until they're at least 5 years old.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have a story on this subject which may touch a few hearts.
Some years ago I bought boots here in the UK from Snow & Rock. As I have quite difficult ankles to fit they were foam fit and quite expensive. Having spent about four months in the Alps one season with a few good years usage before, I had about twenty five weeks intensive usage out of them, by which time they were starting to feel somewhat like carpet slippers.
As cash flow was a bit tight (that's what happens if you take a year off) I took them back to Snow & Rock to see if they could do anything. I explained the amount of usage I had out of the boots and said to the boot fitter, that although I probably needed a new pair, was there anything they could do with the old ones. Although I said cash flow was a bit tight I quite frankly fancied a new pair of boots in some ways and I felt as I went into the shop as though I had a neon sign flashing on my forehead saying "I want to spend three hundred pounds on a new pair of ski boots".
The boot fitter, who was not the person I bought them from some years ago, checked my feet, checked the boots and said no problem - they could shave a bit off here, put some padding in there etc. etc. and would I mind waiting half an hour. Half an hour later I walked out of the shop, a little disappointedly really, having spent the princely sum of about eight quid on getting the old boots fixed.
Off to the mountains I went and the boots were just great. I probably had about another nine weeks out of them over three years, at the end of which they were a bit loose again, although not as bad as before.
Back to Snow & Rock I go with the old boots and with that neon sign flashing even brighter. I saw a different boot fitter and dammit the same thing happened as before! About an hour later out I walked forlornly out of the door having spent about another eight quid getting the old boots fixed again.
Well I got a couple more years out of them and they were fine but by then I had really decided I wanted new pair. Off to Snow & Rock again I went, but this time there was no way I was going to take the old ones with me. They were not going to outsmart me any more.
Even then after I explained that my old pair needed to be foam fit they said that with the newer technology (about ten years newer) that might not be necessary. They were right and I went away with new boots at last and spent about fifty pounds less than I expected. I still have them with about twelve weeks usage on them.
I have heard some criticism of Snow & Rock recently, perhaps because they have become so big, but they were just brilliant to me.
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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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Clearly spent some time in kensington SnR. Nice One. Now get some real skis.
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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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I am light on my equipment, but I expect to get AT LEAST 2 years (60 weeks) out of a pair of boots. The average would be around 4 years or 120 weeks. Having said that, I know most of my male colleagues change every year or may be two.
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