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Replacing Boot Liners - Help

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi All - first post in about 12 years I think!! Disgraceful I know but in truth I haven't skied since Feb 2006 for various reasons - weird vertigo being one! But I had a go indoors in Glasgow last Sunday, loved it, and am off to France at the end of the month!!

Last time I went I had just bought new boots - Nordica Speed Machine 10's. So whilst they are 12 years old, they've only had a week's skiing. They were in storage and having dug them out last night one of them (oddly only one) was half full of water and pretty stinky mouldy. I've got it drying out so perhaps still salvageable - shell fine, just liner is manky. In any case I tried on the other one and it felt pretty awful - they had been 'properly' custom fitted in Edinburgh in 2006. Maybe my foot has changed, maybe the liner has just expanded with moisture over years etc.

Question - if the wet one isn't salvageable and/or the fit is just too uncomfortable, can I get new custom fit liners?? whats the process?? where to go?? roughly how much?? Would be great to end up with a super fit in my old, new boot! I'm so out of the loop these days so any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Adam
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Adamski, welcome back to snowHeads! Very Happy

I've no personal experience but, from numerous recommendations I've noticed on the forum and taking into account your location, this will be your best bet: http://www.alainbaxter.co.uk/
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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?
@Adamski, just get new boots. Short story to a long chat. I'm in Glasgow weekend of 20th onwards ar braehead if you want a chat.

From my experience, you have lots of options. Ellis Brigham, see Scott or the other bloke with a beard for boot fitting. Shona at nevisport in sauchihayl st is good (no experience, just the vibe). I go to Alain Baxter in Stirling who has a smaller selection of brands but should have something to suit.

I'm not a fanboy and realise that just because someone has been good at a sport doesn't mean they know how to sort it. But AB was in the boot team for Head after he finished racing do did the fitting for Ted Liggety. Good enough for me.

One thing to bear in mind is........ go now for boots. If they are fitted at the correct tightness they may need tweaking so the sooner you start with the process the better.

PS: years on here and not a regular poster of nonsense..... shame on you Happy
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Pops blooming spell checkers and red wine is not good
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks for the quick replies guys - much appreciated! I'd love a pair of new boots but - I think the Mrs would kill me! Thats why I was thinking (well more like hoping) the world might have moved on and I could get a funky custom fit liner to go in my existing shell so her indoors wouldn't cop on that I'd dropped another few hundred! Plus I'm now paying for 2 kids as well as her good self to go instead of just me! And I realise I need a new ski jacket, and I realise I need a helmet too and being a specs wearer I'm getting one of those totally dodgy looking visor helmet bolle jobbies. Point being this is all getting very very expensive!!
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I had a similar dilemma a couple of years ago, and had new form liners fitted. However they just never seemed the same, and infact became quiet uncomfortable after a couple of days. So I bit the bullet and went into one of the resort shops (intersport) as soon as they turned the lights on in the morning, and got a new pair of boots fitted.

Then instantly regretted that I hadn't got new boots years earlier. The new ones fitted better than the old ones ever had, felt more consistent, were water tight, looked better, made the whole day even more enjoyable.

Wish i hadn't wasted the time and money on replacement liners..

Don't trouble trying to salvage, get some replacement boots, really after twelve years you've more than covered your investment.
There are still some good sale deals out there in the uk ski stores, provided you don't insist on the latest current gear (which it won't be next year of course), and after Feb the 'deals' should start on more recent stuff.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Hi Bob - and thanks - whilst the boots are 12 years old, they've only had a week's skiing so are basically brand new!
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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!
@Adamski,

You are in Edinburgh. I'm in Glasgow. If you fancy a chat I'll be at braehead(I'm in China just now) and I can advise on gear.

I know a few people and places you can get good gear at a good price and also help you with what to buy.

So boots from AB will be full price and expensive. However. It is worth the money on good fitting boots.

If you want gloves then These can be bought cheap from TKmaxx (e.g. Level mits).

Give me a buzz if you want after the 16 th when I'm back in Scotland.

PS: today my client had a wee Scotty dog. Felt like jumping on the first plane back to Scotland.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
It's just that boots have come on a bit in 12 years and nobody really sells custom fit liners that cost a great deal less than a new pair of boots.

You're just going to have to come up with an excuse.
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Adamski wrote:
Hi Bob - and thanks - whilst the boots are 12 years old, they've only had a week's skiing so are basically brand new!


It is not the use it is the plastic. It degrades over time so even with minimal use it will be gone.

There re some good deals on just now for various boots tht are a year or so old. You can get a pair for £200which will be better than your old boots.

As for a Jacket. See robin agogos post on the EOSB thread page 1 or the BB page one. I'm the guy pulling the AVi bag. I don't ski with a jacket. A down or synthetic bubble jacket is fine. Then put any old stuff in a backpack to get you home if it rains (unlikely)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Adamski, Both in my last shells and current ones I've had replacement liners (my liners get way too stinky after about 180 day's use).

No problem at all. SIDAS foams both times.

As long as... 1. the shell itself is the right size (easily checked, google ski boot shell check) and 2. the last is the right shape (harder to check on your own) and 3. the tech who does the foaming/fitting knows what they are doing.

Ski boot shell design (of that type) doesn't change very often or very much (although we are just moving in to a totally new generation of freeride/hybrid ski boots).
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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.
dp wrote:
It's just that boots have come on a bit in 12 years and nobody really sells custom fit liners that cost a great deal less than a new pair of boots.

You're just going to have to come up with an excuse.


Oi you, yer talking pish ( only joking dp). no that is correct.m you can get boots for he price of old custom liners.
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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
@GlasgowCyclops, Many thanks for the offer of help! may take you up on that!

@All, OK I'm getting the message - a new pair of boots! hmmmm ...
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Adamski wrote:
Thanks for the quick replies guys - much appreciated! I'd love a pair of new boots but - I think the Mrs would kill me! Thats why I was thinking (well more like hoping) the world might have moved on and I could get a funky custom fit liner to go in my existing shell so her indoors wouldn't cop on that I'd dropped another few hundred! Plus I'm now paying for 2 kids as well as her good self to go instead of just me! And I realise I need a new ski jacket, and I realise I need a helmet too and being a specs wearer I'm getting one of those totally dodgy looking visor helmet bolle jobbies. Point being this is all getting very very expensive!!


Ps: do you want to borrow a set of top,of the range salopettes and jacket from me. I may even have a helmet ( think I chucked it to be fair). I've got Spare kit. This will save you having to buy gear for one trip.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Pops the salopettes are yellow and Mandy but you look like a seasonable until they see you ski Happy
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi Bob - and thanks - whilst the boots are 12 years old, they've only had a week's skiing so are basically brand new!

#shells are 12 years old, liners and foot beds (as a set) - really are more than likely knackered. Shell plastic is probably a little elastic buy now.

I've always believed that the boot is the most crucial piece of equipment that you have, and it need to be right. IME its a safer option to replace the boots, and have a great time vs saving less than £100 pounds and having a 90% trip or worse.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
You might take a look at Zip Fit liners. I don't know if they're available in the UK, but google them. They are custom liners made of, among other materials, cork. After the liners in my Solomon X Wave boots broke down, I bought a pair of standard Zip Fit. I think I paid in the $350 Cdn range. It's like having a new pair of boots for half price.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@Bob, do you mean adamski or me. I'm Bob as well Happy

Agree with your assessment. New boots required.
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adamski
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
If they've been stored in a cool dark place, the outer shells will be fine, it's sunlight that is the main killer of plastics. After a few years full of water they soind fairly gross and a write off bit try putting the liners through one or two 30c cycles in the washing mc once the missus goes out, it might wreck them altogether but there's not much to lose.
I thought about new liners for my boots till I saw the price.
Hire boots? 2nd hand?
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Quote:

It's just that boots have come on a bit in 12 years


not really - not "ordinary" piste boots
Quote:
and nobody really sells custom fit liners that cost a great deal less than a new pair of boots


I beg to disagree. Per Slush'n'Rubble;

Salomon Men's X Pro 120 £350.00 (broadly comparable to the Speed Machines)

Intuition Power Wrap Liner £118.00

(In both cases, footbed would likely be desirable.)

Oh, and I'd be surprised if the shells were not absolutely fine. But I am sure the liners are soggy toast.

Footbeds (if you have them) ought to be ok, maybe throw them in a bit of bleach or Milton's or something such like. They're mostly rigid plastic, not much padding.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
It's worth at least trying the old boots with new liners, for starters, surely. If it were me, I'd make an appointment with Alain Baxter and talk through all the options with an expert who can actually assess the existing shells and footbeds, if any.
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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!
And just to add, those intuition liners are better than the ones you get as standard (the whole liner is a thick layer of thermoformable foam). Boot manufacturers who supply with Intuitions genuinely make a point of talking about them as a key feature but even those ones are cheaper thinner than Powerwraps (I own both).
I agree that the footbeds should be fine.
And that boots haven’t come on that much in 12 years.
My son is currently skiing in a pair of my boots that have been skied hard for more than twelve years.
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I'd firmly be with tangowaggon and underanewname if you've had a weeks usage and they've been stored away from heat and UV I'd be tempted to try and risk it, there's still some folk you see in rear entry boots which will be 3 times as old as yours.
See what Nordica have to say
http://www.nordica.com/de/stories/a-guide-to-keeping-your-nordica-ski-boots-fit-for-life/?backstage=1

I do agree that custom fit liners are probably OTT as your effectively throwing money at something that may no longer suit you. I'd buy some approx £30 new correct size liners from ebay and if the foot beds are goosed get some of the shelf orthotics to try them out. Last time I was in superdrug they had some reasonable footbeds for less than a tenner (although cant find them online now), they're not as good as superfeet green but seem to have reasonable arch support and heel hold for the money. Of course all this advice assumes you have relatively "normal" anatomy and biomechanics.
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@betterinblack,
Quote:

I do agree that custom fit liners are probably OTT as your effectively throwing money at something that may no longer suit you
Why? I fully expect to transfer my existing (non-stinky!) Zipfits to my next pair of shells. And my footbeds have already been transferred from one pair of shells to another.
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thanks again All. I'm just home and tried the shell fit test for my speed machines - I'm not sure they even fit!! Maybe my feet have changed or the shell has shrunk from being in a storage shed!? have at best 1 1/2 fingers behind heel and I have skinny fingers - so that's probably about 1 normal male finger! Also find it tight side to side just behind the toes - at my little toe knuckle, so its hard to understand how a liner could fit in there too without totally crushing my tootsies!! the Mrs caught me doing the check and asked what I was up to and immediately said - "so you're about to tell me you need new boots right?" .... hmmm

Surely should have more room side to side?

Assuming I was considering new boots - given that I work right in centre of Edi and most likely wouldn't get a chance to go visit Alain Baxter (much as I would love to) does anyone know if Blues Edinburgh are competent enough?? I'll do some more searching on previous posts but dont see much mention of them
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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.
If you're going down the new boot root I can highly recommend Karla @ Craigdon in Perth (assuming she's still there). @CEM, recommended her to me and I can't fault her. I've been very, very happy with my boots.
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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
Hurtle wrote:
@betterinblack,
Quote:

I do agree that custom fit liners are probably OTT as your effectively throwing money at something that may no longer suit you
Why? I fully expect to transfer my existing (non-stinky!) Zipfits to my next pair of shells. And my footbeds have already been transferred from one pair of shells to another.


Mainly for the reasons the OP gave in his following post that we didn't know if the shell was truly a good fit and it didn't seem prudent to put a lot of money into them until he'd tries skiing with them again.
Zipfits seem to run at about £200 & custom orthotics are another 50ish, what I was suggesting was only about 40 quid.
Yes you can take your footbeds and zipfits to your next shell as in all likelihood yours were expertly fitted by CEM and the next ones will be a similar size so a bit of the cork putty could be added if necessary.
The OP didn't mention zipfits (others did) only custom liners if he's talking about foaming a liner or off the shelf intuition/Paulau liners these are quite possibly an expensive doorstop if he changes shell size.
Custom footbeds on the other hand are probably not a waste of money as he could more than likely move them to a pair of traiiners, I only suggested the off the shelf cheapies as OP initially appeared (at least to me) to be on a budget. Now as he's got the WAF sorted out there will be some sparkly new gear as a late Christmas present Very Happy
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@betterinblack,
Quote:

Yes you can take your footbeds and zipfits to your next shell as in all likelihood yours were expertly fitted by CEM

True enough
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 JeffJeff
JeffJeff
Guest
After much rummaging we recovered four pairs of boots that had been in the loft for 20+ years. The two pairs of rear entry boots were in perfect condition, probably due to the plastic being so firm to begin with. In fact we saw an identical pair listed on ebay second hand at a price comparable with new boots so it seems that with all the hatred surrounding them they do last the test of time.

One pair of regular boots literally disintegrated upon picking them up and all the buckles fell off, the other pair seemed fine on the outside but the linings had largely rotted away despite being dry.

So it looks like even if boots are stored well their chances of survival over that kind of time frame aren't great. Also seems like rats and birds don't consider them suitable nests though so that's something at least...
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Adamski, how was one of your boots full of water?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Adamski, I replaced my speed machine liners last year of about the same age as they had become padded out.

I am fortunate to live near a boot fitter in London called Pro-Feet who stock Nordica and provide custom liners which replace the Nordica ones that I assume get thrown out. They sold me a set of Nordica liners which they were discarding for c. £75. It was for a current model but the liner was identical to my original other than a few cosmetics.

You should see if they will ship to 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?
Since your in Edinburgh pop down to Rose st and see Nevisport (loads on sale at 1/2 price) or Tiso etc.

I'm sure you'll get sorted for a cheap price.
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@swiftoid, Work was starting on our house, boots (along with lots of stuff) were in garage which was being demolished. Builders had built a storage shed and moved all stuff there. Roof hadnt been waterproofed, rain came in. Was told stuff had got wet but had been moved again and all ok. clearly my boot bag was open a crack and water had gone in and boot was half full for a year until I noticed! Embarrassing but true!

@All I have devised a cunning plan. I have winnings in my golf pro shop in the form of vouchers. I'll be able to sell them to someone and therefore can use the cash from that to finance new boots! I can get this past the Mrs!! But still want to do it on a reasonable budget and whilst I would really like to go to Alain Baxter, I imagine in the end that would be very expensive and I'd like to keep things to £250 max approx. So will give Blues/Tiso Rose street edinburgh a look ...

Anyone know roughly what the Alain Baxter costs are likely to be though!? Point being if I can get a sale model from last year in Tiso/Blues for sub £200 its hard to reconcile the trip to AB if its full price boot plus all the fitting costs??
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@GlasgowCyclops, Nevisport doesnt exist in Edinburgh any more??
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