 Poster: A snowHead
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I'll start by saying that I'm a very typical once a year (if I'm lucky) type skier, can get down most things fairly well, but very happy to cruise on blues and reds, so probably not a typical Snowhead contributor, but I'm fine with that.
Adding that fact that I've reached 50 this year, and aches and pains (particularly in my fingers for a short time after i get up) have started to rear their ugly heads.
Have had boots fitted before, Crosswave 8's from many years ago, and although they are in pretty great shape ,the potential age degradation issues and my undoubted reduction in their (and my) flexibility, means that although i can put them on, it's quite a battle sometimes, so the chance to get some shiney new ones is too hard to refuse.
A trip to Snowtrax is 15 minutes from my house, so a very good reason to start there.
Settled on the Nordica HF 110, and some custom foot beds and we are good to go. Not due in the mountains for quite a few months, but will spend a few sessions on the dry slope, and obviously this makes any little tweaks fairly easy to sort, as the fitters are on site.
Impressed by the quality of the boots, the cork liner particularly impressive, but the sheer ease of use is fantastic. I can be ready to rock in seconds, and no contortions required. I'm very aware that I'm pretty much the intended demographic, but even so, credit where it's due. They have done a cracking job, and will likely extend the ski life for many, many people.
As the title says, not for everyone, and I'll not be chasing Candide or Woodsy any time soon, but i wasn't planning to really. I'll cruise around, and hit the odd side of piste kicker, and generally do what I enjoy - spending time in the mountains!I
Edited for typo's
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@SHAP, good! Yes, they do look very impressive.
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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 am a very long time fan of rear entry boots - so much easier to use. I have been using a pair of Salomon SX72s since the late 80s but I decided to check out the new Nordicas last season but I didn't get on with them at all. I found I had nowhere near as much control as my trusty Salomons gave me and I had circulation problems with them (= very cold feet). I gave up with the HF 110s and will be returning to my old Salomons for this season but I hope that you get on with them - I have heard plenty of people have no problems.
BTW I'm 62 and I can still manage the multi buckle boots but really don't want to. If my Salomons ever fail me, I may have to reconsider but I'm now watching eBay for any old Salomons that are my size.
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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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Also fantastic to put on and highly adjustable and tuneable are Full Tilt boots … incredibly progressive flex, the flex capable of being adjusted through alternative tongues, great range of different liners … oh … discontinued. Thanks K2…what a screw up….
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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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@Kowal.Ski, your problem with Salomons is the age of the plastic ... I find it very odd that you didn't like the HFs.
My bootfitting chums think they're great and a massive leap forward compared to any Sallies, let alone the SX72s which were pretty soft shells and pretty basic in liner design. It sounds on first pass as though they were too big for you. Were they fitted by a real boot fitter?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My experience has already been discussed in another topic (which you participated in) but for the record they were fitted by a real boot fitter although I don't have the experience to know if it was done correctly other than that they felt good in the shop. My feet were measured before fitting. A smaller size may have given more control but I suspect would have made the circulation problem worse.
You seem to know a lot more about boot technology than I do but as for the HFs being a massive leap forward - I can't agree. My only perspective is that of a dumb user. In addition to the big open and close lever on the back (which has a much greater range on the Salomons), they also have 3 controls to adjust fitting. The Nordicas have just one - which in my case was the one that restricted my circulation but was unfortunately needed to allow sufficient control when skiing. This means that the Salomons can be adjusted to suit more feet shapes than the Nordicas.
I've heard that the Nordicas work for a lot of people and I think it is great that rear entry boots have finally reappeared but they didn't work for me. I hope that further developments will continue to expand the range of rear entry boots from other manufacturers as I know there is a market for them - especially in us aging skiers. I'd happily consider a different rear entry boot in the future but until then I have no reservations about continuing to use my Salomons.
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@Kowal.Ski, speaking with other manufacturers i don't see any of them moving forward in the rear entry boot marker any time soon, they all acknowledge that the nordica works well and has its place, but nordica and salomon were the masters of the rear entry boot, salomon destroyed all the old molds many years can as they were seen by the french tax man as an asset and taxable in some way, nordica took all the old timers from the factory out for a nice lunch and got to understand why things were done the way they were done back in the 80's they then took those lessons and used the modern materials to make the HF series of boots
the salomon was always a slightly slimmer fit then the nordica, but there are ways to make the nordica fit a slimmer foot, nothing in this world is ever perfect but right now it is all there is to work with so boot fitters have developed ways of making what is available fit more feet
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My wife who has always suffered with boots and crushed toes (from wearing high heels), just bought a pair Nordica HF 75 and has just had 2 days of pain free skiing and notable improvement in her skiing. She has owned many boots and only solution has been to keep them loose and take them off at every break - the last pair ended up in the bin at the ski shop at the end of last season. We were sceptical when the boot fitter recommended them but I think they are a game changer for people with similar issues or mobility problems stopping them from bending down to wrestle normal boots on and off. They are a completed redesign form what we remember form the 80's.
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FAQ
