 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Folks,
I've had a pair of Head Edge 8.8 boots for the past ten years and they've taken me from the nursery slopes to red and black pistes. They've had about 12 weeks action, the fit is great and I can wear them all day. I have custom sole beds in them. My Head boots are four buckle boots and have a flex of 70.
The question is would my skiing benefit from upgrading to something stiffer around 90-100 flex to take me on for the next ten years. My options are limited as I'm in Northern Ireland so my specialist ski shop options is precisely one. They have Head Advant Edge 95 in stock which should suit my hobbit wide feet but at 95 flex or turned down to 85 flex they see too close to what I have already. If I so desire the shop in question would be happy to order in a pair of Head Advant Edge 105, which can be backed off to a 95 flex.
They also have Salomon X Pro 90 and 100's and Quest Access 90's in stock. Their take is that 95% of UK skiers don't need anything stiffer.
Alternatively am I just being silly and should I keep my old boots and instead spend the cash on Jägerbombs and sweets.
Many thanks,
Mark. Aged 52 and a bit.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Buy the ones that are the most comfy...  Get them heat moulded.. Add footbeds...seamless ski socks and youre in business.
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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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Who is left selling ski boots in NI, as I thought most places had shut down...who is doing the actual fitting?
Are you going to S&R Dublin?
What is your weight, skill level and where do you mostly ski?
Are you going on a ski holiday this year, if so, where?...there might also be the option of a good fitting in the resort (where you will have a better selection, can try them out and have work done "on the hoof").
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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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Hi 'Old Fartbag', Topping Leisure in Comber are still going and they'll do a full fit including heat moulding.
I'm about 13 stone, 5' 10" and would say I'm your average mile munching intermediate. I normally ski on a pair or K2 all mountain skies though they are heavily piste biased. Due to circumstances I'll probably be hiring skis this year rather than taking my own.
Heading to the Portes du Soleil this year in Feb though I like the idea of a sneaky second trip somewhere if I can get away with it..
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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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Don't put too much faith in the flex ratings as different models and manufacturers can all vary.. I've had 120 flex boots I can almost fold in half in the shop and 110s that felt a lot stiffer. Your personal physiology and how it interacts with the boot is a pretty big variable. Stiffness preference is very personal too, many years ago I went from a soft beginner boot (prob about a 70 - 75 flex) straight to a very well fitted 130 with custom foot beds and suddenly I could actually make the skis do what I wanted them too, it was like jumping up a level or two. It might be better to buy them out in resort at the beginning of the week and get any tweaks done after a couple of days skiing them. I would advise getting references from other skiers on the fitters though, some really know what they are doing, others not so well.
Your weight, shin length, ankle flex, how aggressively you ski etc will all determine what boot you really need.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| rocksm91 wrote: |
Hi 'Old Fartbag', Topping Leisure in Comber are still going and they'll do a full fit including heat moulding.
I'm about 13 stone, 5' 10" and would say I'm your average mile munching intermediate. I normally ski on a pair or K2 all mountain skies though they are heavily piste biased. Due to circumstances I'll probably be hiring skis this year rather than taking my own.
Heading to the Portes du Soleil this year in Feb though I like the idea of a sneaky second trip somewhere if I can get away with it.. |
I learn something every day...Hobsons, Jacksons, SS Moore, MacSki and Climate have all gone (or stopped doing skiware over the years).
There are very few good Bootfitters about and would be surprised if the guy in Comber is up with the best...but you never know.
If you want an excuse for a sneaky second trip, I can recommend Jo Jo at Nevada Sport in Tignes Lac...he is something of a legend and Boots is all he sells.
At your weight, I suspect that you should be in at least a 110...but as Scarpa says, there are little meaningful assumptions that you can take from these figures...put yourself in the hands of a good bootfitter and then let them dictate the direction (based on feedback from you).
You need a shop with a proper range.
If you give which Ported du Soleil resort you are in, somebody here might be able to give a recommendation.
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Many thanks for the info.
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@rocksm91,
I had a similar pair of Head Edge 10.0's which had done more weeks than yours, originally supplied by S&R, and had gotten very sloppy, so did all the research, decided what I wanted (Salomon x-pro, nice colour) then went to see a highly recommended bootfitter.
After he examined my feet while I talked to him about how I skied, wanted to ski, my perceived problems with my then current boots I ended up with the Head Adapt Edge 125 a full mondo size smaller than my original boots (no wonder the originals were initially comfortable and then became sloppy).
The Salomon's along with a lot of others were just not wide enough without going a size larger. It seems that Head offer the best solution for those of us with very wide feet.
It will probably sound stupid but because my new boots fit better I can flex them more easily (and so get better control of my skis) than I could flex my old boots (where my feet and calf were moving around in the boot).
I have now had 4 weeks in the new boots and like @Scarpa feel as though my skiing has improved considerably (whether it has or not is open to debate).
Good luck in your search.
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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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@Timc, It also allows you to improve a lot more as the feedback is so much better. I too had real trouble flexing my first boots as they ended up being buckled that tight that the flex of the boot was being blocked. I have recently started skiing in a softer boot for off piste as for the last 3 years I have been in a fairly aggressively angled race boot (Atomic Redster) and although amazing on piste I found that slower tree skiing or very undulating terrain was getting pretty uncomfortable after a few hours. However, I had even done short tours in them with no problem although they did make you skin up in the posture of a Tyrannosaurus Rex 
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I find that the defining factor in how much a boot flexes is how high up me shin it comes...
The higher they come, the more they seem to flex 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hi @Timc, do you remember who the highly recommended bootfitter was?, I have been skiing once earlier this year and promised myself to get my own boots for multiple trips next year and would like them to be as close to perfect as possible.
| Timc wrote: |
@rocksm91,
I had a similar pair of Head Edge 10.0's which had done more weeks than yours, originally supplied by S&R, and had gotten very sloppy, so did all the research, decided what I wanted (Salomon x-pro, nice colour) then went to see a highly recommended bootfitter.
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Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Wed 13-03-24 12:52; edited 1 time in total
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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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@ruairim13, Welcome to the forum
Not sure who @Timc visited, but the boot fitter most mentioned on the forum is Colin from https://www.solutions4feet.com/contact-us
Bicester would be a bit of a trek for you though!!
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@albob, Hi thanks, I noticed Timc mentioned S&R which is in Dublin but I'm curious to know about the other just because it sounds like they done a great job fitting and choosing the boots
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You know it makes sense.
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@ruairim13, Ahhh.. :: I have done a quick forum search for you, and can confirm that @Timc went to Colin for boots
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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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@red 27, exactly right, it’s leverage, the higher it runs the easier it will be subject to flexion forces. Same as when you use a long pipe to tighten your wheel nuts.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| ruairim13 wrote: |
Hi @Timc, do you remember who the highly recommended bootfitter was?, I have been skiing once earlier this year and promised myself to get my own boots for multiple trips next year and would like them to be as close to perfect as possible.
| Timc wrote: |
@rocksm91,
I had a similar pair of Head Edge 10.0's which had done more weeks than yours, originally supplied by S&R, and had gotten very sloppy, so did all the research, decided what I wanted (Salomon x-pro, nice colour) then went to see a highly recommended bootfitter.
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Hi welcome to the forum.
Bootfitter was indeed Colin at Solutions4feet. Boots were bought in 2015 and are still going strong doing between 4 and 6 weeks a year.
Original linings packed down after about 20 weeks. Went back to Colin intending to buy new boots which he didn't think necessary so bought Zipfit liners which have been great.
Since my original post my skiing has definitely improved and my boots must take some credit for that.
Bicester was a bit of a trek, 8 hours round trip, but well worth it. It's probably too far for you but hopefully someone will be along with a closer solution for you.
Good luck
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@albob, @Timc, Thanks guys I won't rush the process. Only been skiing once so I'll get something bit closer to home. Wasn't expecting replies since your messages were from 7 years ago lol
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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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| Timc wrote: |
Bicester was a bit of a trek, 8 hours round trip, but well worth it. It's probably too far for you but hopefully someone will be along with a closer solution for you.
Good luck |
Probably a similar timing if OP is close to an airport and flew over and jumped on a train to Bicester
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