 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, I am an intermediate one week a year 60yr old skier who usually normally hires equipment.
I picked up a free pair of vintage Salomon Force 9 ski boots, the same as pictured here:
https://i.imgur.com/19Xm3y9.jpg
I am flying to Sun Peaks in February to ski a week, and am wondering whether I should consider taking these old boots to use (and just hire ski's for them)
I can find much info on them, apart from the fact they are very old and rear entry!
Will they even fit todays hire ski's?
Appreciate 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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Short answer - No.
FWIW. My advice is to get your own boots, if intending to go every year - fitted by an experienced Bootfitter who is recommended on here.
BTW. Welcome to 
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Sun 25-09-22 11:37; edited 1 time in total
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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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Bad idea.
Rent something modern, or buy some suitable modern boots if you hate that idea.
If it was me I'd do both at the resort, because them you can take the things back to get tweaked if that's needed.
I ride Sun Peaks a fair bit but don't know what the ski shops are like there. It's small so you may not have
all that much choice, but it's a "locals" type place, so you should get treated well and you can be sure everyone
working there knows how to ski.
Obviously with antique stuff, you can't make any adjustments and you take whatever liner compression
previous owner(s) left in the boot. I doubt you'll get anyone willing to work on those, because no one will know
much about them and the safety issues sound scary.
Rationale: well look them up on the internet. I'd not ride with old gear generally as breakages and repairs become more of a problem. I'd never ride rear entry (yes, I have done it) because I didn't find it very good. They were fashionable for a while. Everyone else eventually worked out why some of us never bought them. I can't see why they'd not work with modern bindings, although your ski tech people may refuse to deal with them, I'm not sure about that. They probably don't have modern "standards" markings etc, so it could be a liability issue, although that could probably be worked around with money and guile. Modern plastics (and carbon etc) are much more durable and temperature stable than the early stuff was, and ski boot plastic seems to me to alter over time: it doesn't maintain the original rigidity and performance over time.
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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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@apogee0105, What they said. Skiing in a boot with a packed out liner, and a shell that has been over-exposed to UV light is not safe: plastic generally, as we all know, becomes brittle with age.
In Les Arc last year I met a skier limping down the edge of the piste in a boot liner. She was carrying one ski, which still had the lower half of the boot shell clipped into the binding and in the other hand she had the boot's cuff and the upper part of the clog.Thankfully she was in good spirits and not injured. Boots do break, but I wouldn't want to take an unnecessary risk on it happening. Nordica is now making a rear-entry boot again that, apparently, offers ease of use and a generous calf and forefoot, giving a very relaxed and comfortable fit and making it a suitable for cruising blue runs, if that's your thing. Also useful for those post-op or with restricted mobility, see https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=152053.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 25-09-22 11:45; edited 1 time in total
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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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Absolutely not.......
Plastic degrades, as does the foam in the liners, these are likely to be a) uncomfortable and b) dangerous.
Ski patrol won't thank you if the boot cracks and your ski heads off downhill and your left standing with an ankle wrap!
Hire initially or have a proper fitting if the budget allows, plastic tech and boot design has moved on several times since this was a "modern" concept
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The excellent advice above gives some "Meat on the bones" to my "No".
I would also add, that the rubber heel and toe pads - essential for a secure fit in the bindings - can become worn and dozed to the point where they can split and come away. This happened to me (with boots slightly younger than those mentioned by you) on the mountain in a snow storm...and I clicked into the binding without a heel piece. I was very lucky not to have been seriously injured. Replacement pads are no longer available due to the age of the boots.
It is not worth the risk.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Mon 26-09-22 10:01; edited 1 time in total
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| Old Fartbag wrote: |
I would also add, that the rubber heel and toe pads - essential for a secure fit in the bindings - can become warn and dozed to the point where they can split and come away.
Replacement pads are no longer available due to the age of the boots. |
I've found that anything over about two or three years old is often impossible to find replacements. I've never known them come away like you have, but they can get badly worn from walking around off snow, although they do need to be very bad to affect the binding interface very much.
Then again, one could argue that if they're that worn the boot is probably past its best anyway - I mean, obviously in this case it is, but even a relatively modern boot skied for a couple of hundred days will have lost its rigidity and gone all sloppy. And sometime you don't really notice as things degrade over time.
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| Chaletbeauroc wrote: |
I've never known them come away like you have.... |
That is probably because you were not foolish enough to ski in boots that were nearly 20 years old. They looked in great nick and were very comfortable, so I kept using them.
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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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Thanks guys, that is a very convincing and unanimous NO! 
I figured that would be likely the case, and no doubt was why they were given away for free.
Makes complete sense, appreciate everyone's input!
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