 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
My current Head boots are starting to get a little tired, I've advanced quite a way in ability and have been very much drawn away from the pistes since I bought them and I can't achieve the levels of retention I want my feet to have in the boot anymore (almost certainly as a result of liners packing down and possibly not a fantastic fit for me in the first place) so I'm starting to consider a new pair of boots and with end of season sales coming soon I thought I might look and see if there's anything going which might be suitable for me.
My feet are very, very wide (I had to have my head 104mm last boots blown out at the sides as I had crippling pains down the outside of both feet before that was done) and from my research so far it's been quite difficult to find some wide boots which are compatible with tech(I think?) bindings such as dynafits which are sold in the UK. I've got powder skis with Salomon Guardians on them, and all mountain skis which I'd like to have some dynafit bindings mounted to. A four hour skin in BC a few weeks ago on my powder skis and Guardians and Alpine boots very much highlighted the fact that I'd like a slightly lighter set up for long tours, so if I could have a boot suitable for the downhill and the up, that would be ideal. I understand there's going to be a compromise, but I'm just after some initial suggestions.
Things I'd really like the boots to be able to do/have:
Be compatible with dynafit bindings etc..
Be compatible with normal alpine bindings (doesn't matter if I have to change the soles!)
Be suitable for wiiiiiiide feet
Have a form of walk mode
Can anyone suggest a boot or manufacturer for me to start looking into? And furthermore, if anyone knows of an excellent boot fitter who sells these, then that's even better. Solutions4Feet would be where I'd go otherwise, but they seem to be slightly limited on the boot type I'm after.
Thanks in advance,
Chris
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The Black Diamond Quadrant has a reputation for being the widest proper touring boot. Wouldn't work with alpine bindings though (Maybe you could buy some Marker Lord SPs?).
Edit. Just noticed the reference to Guardians in your post, The Quadrants probably wouldn't work with them either.
The only other wide touring boots I can think of are Salomon Quest Access. They are very soft though, and I don't think the reissued Salomon 'Dynafit compatible' soles are available yet.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Oceanic wrote: |
The only other wide touring boots I can think of are Salomon Quest Access. They are very soft though, and I don't think the reissued Salomon 'Dynafit compatible' soles are available yet. |
low tech sole pads are coming for the salomons for next season for sure, there might be a few out there already
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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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low tech sole pads are coming for the salomons for next season for sure, there might be a few out there already
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Last count we got 50 pairs!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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CEM, CH2O, thanks for the info. Is that only for the Salomon Quest Access boots? They all seem to be low flex ratings, and I'd like something a bit stiffer this time. Also, do you stock anything that could potentially suit me? I couldn't see anything on your website to suit my specific needs, but would very much like to come to you if I can. All the other Salomon boots had very narrow last sizes.
I've seen some Scott/Garmont Delirium's which come with a tech and alpine sole and a 103mm last so I might have to try and find somewhere to try them out.
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Why do you need a boot with a wide last? If you are going to a boot fitters, can't you just get them to punch the boots like they did with your Head boots?
The last width can be changed easily so other aspects of fit are more important, e.g. instep height and heel shape. I would just go to a descent boot fitters who can find the right boot for your feet and do any necessary boot work.
Touring boots tend to have wider lasts than downhill boots anyway. I would say it is harder to find an AT boot that is narrow enough as boots can't really be made tighter / narrower, though I probably feel that way because I have narrow feet, haha.
Some boots with interchangeable soles: Scarpa Freedom or Freedom SL, Tecnica Cochise Pro Light, K2 Pinnacle. These boots might be stiffer than what you want though.
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I suspect what would also help is for me to have a proper boot fitting once I've found a boot which might be able to accommodate my needs, then I'll really be able to see quite how wide my feet really are.
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Go to a trustworthy bootfitter who has lots of experience fitting touring boots and they will be able to select the right boot for you. Fit is the most important and that is what they know. If they don't seem to know what they are talking, just go elsewhere.
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Besniwod - That's a great point, and one that I hadn't really thought about. My mindset was very much wide feet necessitates a wide last, but you're quite right - if it's a good fit other than width, then blowing out the sides would be an excellent option. And given the heel retention problems I've had with my current set of boots, that's got to be more of a priority now. Thanks for pointing that out!! I'll stop being quite so focused on the last. It sounds like we've got similar problems but on the other end of the spectrum!
So I suppose really, I'm just looking for boots which I can switch the soles between alpine and tech. I like the look of the Tecnica Cochise but at 130 they might be a little too stiff but having never skied a 130, it's something I'd have to get some advice on based upon my skiing ability. I'll have to head to Profeet at some point (or maybe Edge and Wax if people rate their fittings?) and seek some advice there.
Thanks for your response, it's made things a lot clearer!
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Chrisssyg, there's also a 110, 120 and 120 light version of the Cochise.
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clarky999, ahh that's good news. Hadn't made it over onto the Tecnica website, I'd only looked on the Profeet website thus far. Thanks for pointing that out, if the Cochise fits nicely at a 130/120 then I could always order a 110 and take the boot for a proper fitting.
I think I need to spend a bit of time talking to some of the top boot fitters around and find out who has stock of things that might suit me.
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FAQ
I guess I'll have to make that a main criteria, could be in for quite a long search though, most that I've found seem to be around the 100mm last. Does anyone know of any others?
