 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm looking for suggestions for comfortable boots.
For 20 years I've used Swiss Raichle ski boots whihc have had to be heavily maipulated to take account of my bony, sticky-out ankle bones and also rather narrow shin bones. The Raichles are quite narrow, thinly padded boots.
Last winter, my last pair of Raichles (they must be at least 12 years old) had become pretty much agony, pressing/rubbing on my inner ankle bones, I suspect the padding is worn out.
So now I must buy some new boots for a family ski holiday in Austria and I'm wondering if there are some particular makes/models which would be recomended for these awkward ankles of mine? The (very expensive) foam-filled ones look like they might do the trick if I can afford them, but can anyone whose had similar problems make any suggestions?
Very grateful for any advice!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi roberto and welcome to snowHeads!
Mr C has very difficult feet with sticking out ankles due to over pronation. His newly fitted Salomon X-wave boots with foam-injected filling certainly seem to be very comfortable walking round the house, with no rubbing on the ankle. They were fitted at profeet, which has recommendations from many snowHeads here (do a search on profeet using the User Facilities on the bottom lefthand side of the mountain at the top of the page), and the outer shell was stretched out before the foam was injected. I would suggest you have a session at profeet and see what they can do for you.
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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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I have the same problem and have Salomon Crossmax 10 virtually the same as the X waves very little different. Find them very comfortable.
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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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roberto, Where are you going? Best to get boots in resort so you can get all sorts of extra fitting done as part of the deal. No-one makes a boot like the Raichle, but the good news is that K2 have apparently bought the lasts and patents and will be making a similar boot in the next year or two. My Flexons have foamed inner boots (comformab'l) specially made, and they're fine. Is it your inner or your shell that's a problem? How many weeks have you skied in them? If it's 1-2 weeks a year then your shells should be fine, just get foamed inners for them - about the same price as a new boot.
Personally I found the salomons painful.
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Thanks all.
Getting new foam inners made – sounds interesting – is that possible?
The old Raichle boots I've had for at least 12 years, I spent a season in them skiing five or six days a week, and since then just odd holidays and occasional dry slope use. The shells are fine, I've always taken them off and changed to trainers for walking.
I've emailed Intersport in Kaprun where I'll be off to for holiday. They suggest Stolz (foam fit - I've seen these - they're pricey but if they work they'll be worth it), or Nordica Speed Machine or Technica Diablo Fire - don't know anything about the last two.
Thanks again!
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roberto,
it is possible to have the existing shells foamed, assuming that they are in reasonable conditon, be aware that the plastic could be a little brittle by now, if the raichle is right for you then the chances are the nordica or tecnica will not be, very difficult to even make comment without your feet. Easiski always says buy in resort, I do not take that view, buy where you can find a good bootfitter, France is a hugh skiing nation and I can only think of a handful of shops that fit boots well, besides you live in the UK you speak english and if the shop you buy from is in this country you are covered by the sale of goods act if the shop gets it wrong....don't know about you but i don't want to spend every evening down the shop sorting out problems that should have been sorted prior to getting to resort, also from experience most resort shops don't really give a dam if there is a problem (not all)
easiski, K2 have been rattling on about having the lasts for the past 3 seasons, yet they do nor seem to be doing anything with them, knowing that the molds are now over 25 years old if not quite a bit more, they will need to rebuild them to even start producing a boot.... the problem is without a having a 'range ' of boots they will probably not have the balls to do it...as people who have skied the boot know if it works for you then it is the best thing in the world the fit of the original was what could only be described as slim and low volume so it is a little bit of a niche market..... if you produce a narrow boot then only people with narrow feet can wear it (without modification) if you produce a wider boot them many more people will find it comfortable on first try. As 95% of all boots bought world wide are not fitted, the manufacturers go for the easy option of the wider boot to increase volume of sales.
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Thanks very much for useful advice.
For some reason I can't view the author's names on this forum.
The Raichle boots certainly are narrow fitting, and I think that is why the shell had to be stretched a lot to accomodate my ankles. I originally bought them from Datwylaer Sports in Villars, where the owner (ex- olympic racer if I remember rightly, had similar skinny, bony ankles, so he knew what to aim for). Nontheless, I still endured some days of discomfort until the boots had been adjusted just so.
Ideally I think with boots it would be a case of just an hour or so skiing now and again until completely happy with a new pair. I have avoided buying new boots for so long because of my dread of going through the 'bedding-in' stage again!
I'm thinking to try first the Austrian Stolz boots. Kaprun Intersport has told me they have an expert fitter, Manfred, and if I'm there for a week hopefully we'll get them right (though I still dread the faffing around in the resort!).
Excellent forum, thanks again.
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CEM, The trouble is lots of people don't go to a good boot fitter, but buy boots in any old ski shop in the UK with all sorts of problems once they get here (or wherever). I appreciate that you're in a different league. My experience is that there's always at least one good shop in every resort, but probably not the shop most Brit TOs do business with. Most locals can always tell you where that shop is. I do understand the problem of narrow boot manufacture, but as I understand it, freeriders and freestylers the world over are crying out for the flexon, and the Dalbello is not similar as it has a solid strap around the top of the boot. ergo: shin splints!
Tip for France - never go into a shop and start talking in English. Ask if they speak English, or apologise for not speaking French first. It's considered very rude to assume they speak English. You'll find a whole different world of service from that moment on!
roberto, My foamed inners are from Comform'able, and have been great. Comform'able are based just ouside Grenoble http://www.sidas.com/b/s/307/fiches/FILE2_6670377771112100837307.pdf for the inner boot page. They may have a dealer in Kaprun, but otherwise the Strolz will be OK. Don't throw them away if you replace them - can I have the wires, heel and toe thingies and buckles for spares please???? 
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I have had similar problems due to ankle sports injuries, went to lockwoods and got fixed up with some salomon x waves with a custom insole and zip fit liners, they get better each time I wear them. Very helpfull. X waves have more volume than other salomon boots i have owned and limped around in.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The Comformable information looks very interesting, but a bit technically scary!
Salomon X Wave - think I will also get to a UK store and just try these and some others on and get a feel for what might suit. If nothing comes close I'll know that the Stolz or something similar is the only way to go.
Cheers!
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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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easiski,
if you need spares for your flexons the SMALLZOOKEEPER has loads in Cham as do Lockwoods in Leamington.
interesting point on the flexon, the shape as it is was a mistake! when Sven Commer designed the boot he had intended it to be a asymetric shape over the instep (higher on the medial side) when Raichle got the desihn to production they thought it did not look right so they cut down the medial side of the instep to square it across giving us the classic that is the flexon.
the dalbello is nothing like it in fit (far too much volume over the foot)
If you are looking for some new ones Lockwoods did have stock in most sizes (when I left at the end of last season) we bought up as many as we could find from round europe.
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You know it makes sense.
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[quote="easiski"]
Tip for France - never go into a shop and start talking in English. Ask if they speak English, or apologise for not speaking French first. It's considered very rude to assume they speak English. You'll find a whole different world of service from that moment on!
Can't agree more - I have never ever had any sort of rude service in any French shop I've been in, and Ive been in a fair few (not Paris I must say). A simple bonjour and asking politely if they speak English ensures that everyone goes out of their way to help you - and smiling helps too. France seems so much more polite than the UK. Even here though - at airports, cafes etc - be nice to people - you get much better service and may brighten someones day.
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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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Scarpa, Paris doesn't count as France!!! Happy new year
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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With any sort of polite and friendly approach by a customer, surely a "tip" for preventing the shopworkers from being rude shouldn't really be necessary in the first place
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no, it shouldn't, but if a customer in France marches in and starts speaking without apology in a foreign language, that is most definitely not a "polite and friendly" approach. And a lot of Brits do. I saw a middle aged woman come into a tourist office in a tiny French resort and ask "Where's the nail bar?" without so much as a "Bonjour" - or even "Good morning", which would have been fine. Unbelievable - and not only because you don't go to tiny French ski resorts to get yer nails done! I speak more French than most Brit tourists, but far from fluent, and the very subtle language needed to get ski boots fitted well would be beyond me, I have to say. We are lucky that so many of the technicians and others in French resorts have worked so hard at their English.
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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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pam w, if you're describing an approach that'd be rude in your own country, not too surprising that it'd likely be rude in a foreign one too. I think if you approach in a polite and friendly manner, even if you don't speak a single word of the native tongue of whichever country you may be visiting, you should not be treated rudely. If it isn't unreasonable that they may speak your language, as in a tourist office, it should be enough to ask in your own language if they speak it, as they are trying to provide a service. Of course, it isn't difficult to learn to ask this in the native language and quite fun to do it, just that the expectation seems to be more evident in some countries than others. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I just signed up to Snowheads - and went straight to this forum - as I also have the same problem with ankles! A few of my friends have Strolz boots and swear by them. They are telling me that I should go to Lech to have some custom made. Thing is, my current plans do not include skiing to Lech this year. Does anyone know if Lech / St Anton is the only place to have Strolz boots fitted - or are there Strolz franchises throughout Austria? (Friends of mine are suggesting that I join them in Soll next week - but I can't find out if there's a Strolz shop in Soll or not).
Will welcome any feedback suggestions...
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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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galleywoodman, welcome to snowHeads!
Obergurgl has at least one place that does the Strolz moulded liners - I don't know whether there is more to Strolz than that in Lech.
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Thanks guys. All useful info - although I'm not sure if I'm any clearer now than before! Seems to me that if I really want to be certain that I'm getting a good boot, the only answer is to travel to Lech itself. None-the-less, I will certainly speak to Profeet also.
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slikedges, The point is that it's fine for you to say in english "do you speak english" - that's enough. My parents live in Bath which is a huge tourist city, and hardly anyone in any of the shops speaks any other language at all - why should the french be any different? I agree 100% with pam w, that it's just common courtesy not to assume. Once you've said that you should be fine. Like Pam I've seen 100s of tourists just march into any shop and start talking (often fast) in english. My reaction would also be "quoi?". However, bizzarely I was today asked by a french person if I spoke french when they were trying to get directions!!! I did think that was odd. 
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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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easiski, not everyone agrees with us. Some imply that you must make an effort to speak French in order to deserve acceptable service there. Anyway, not a problem for either of us.
However English, whether people like it or not, does have a special place amongst languages. Consequently, we are fortunate that in many countries the world over, service is provided in English automatically, naturally and without complaint. I think it's rather sad that as a result, native English speakers often don't feel the need to learn other languages.
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FAQ
. I haven't really had any rude (as opposed to poor) service to speak of, but I do think that the onus is upon those providing any service to be polite and welcoming first, as well as continuing to be at least professionally courteous thereafter. With any sort of polite and friendly approach by a customer, surely a "tip" for preventing the shopworkers from being rude shouldn't really be necessary in the first place (though this may indeed be the reality - don't intend to test it out)! 