 Poster: A snowHead
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I ski 90% off piste (mostly with guides) and my very ancient Lange X R9s are shot. I skin a small amount to get to good snow (sometimes) and walk up on foot quite often - but I'm not a tourer. My dominant concern is downhill off-piste.
I am a fairly agressive skier but like some forward flex for agility in couloirs etc (and tend to leave the top buckle relatively loose for that reason).
I like tree skiing and I ski breakable crust fast, and like freeride style. Should I consider Garmont boots or stick to downhill ones (and if so are Lange still a good choice).
(I used "expert" in the title in the English recreational sense!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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snowball, Talk to JT, he's just given his new Garmont Endorphin's a decent workout 
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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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Thanks snowbunny,
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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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snowball,
I've PM'd you
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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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snowball, I had XR-9s until about 4 years ago. I changed them to 120 Comps - reason being that Lange fit my feet, and I race on the plastic so a freeride/allmountain boot wouldn't be my choice. They're fine offpiste, if somethimes a little hair-trigger like. I've never skied alpine in Garmonts, I did have pair of leather tele boots, which were fine, but found the plastic ones too wide. Scarpa seem to have a narrower last. As far as the Xr-9 vs the 120 Comp goes, the Xr-9s lasted way way longer (just replaced the liners with Zipfits). Hope that helps
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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ski, XR-9 vs Comp 120. Completely different mould/shape. Lange have 7 last shapes, one may suit you, but not all, so to say you have feet that fit Lange is wrong.
Scarpa Touring boots on the 'Spirit' last are way wider than Garmont.
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i am well pleased with my SMALLZOOKEEPER-supplied Scarpa Spirit 4s (for touring) and Garmont Shamans (for general off piste). The Shamans are quite a bit narrower than the Scarpas but the SMALLone got his heat gun out and now they are really comfortable (so comfortable that I can leave them done up for most of the day which is a totally new experience for me!). They are a proper alpine boot with a vibram sole (which is swappable with a DIN one). Great boot IMO
If you can hang on until next year looks like there are some really interesting offerings. No doubt, none of the buyers in Britain will have the gumption to buy them so you'll just have to make a cheeky trip out to.... the Zoo for example
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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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ski, Sorry to stamp my feet, i have spent too much time recently trying to help people avoid this kind of thing. It's generalizations that cause the most confusion, that's all. I too am sorry.
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| Arno wrote: |
| No doubt, none of the buyers in Britain will have the gumption to buy them |
 if i had a market for them .....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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CEM, if you build it they will come
maybe
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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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Loving Garmont Shamans at the moment, much better for the sometime skinner than the Endorphins but I never loved the Endorphin fit, but...
...as far as I can tell absolutely nowhere to buy them in Britain so I'm with Arno on this one. Cem, by the way I'm just down the road from you and I would have bought them from you as they were well pricey in the States.
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You know it makes sense.
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Pretty sure CEM's dream will be at least 5 years to come to fruition. The home of FREE-Rando is Chamonix, the Endorphine, Axon, Shaman and all the Bollox for next winter; Bd Factor, Scarpa Typhoon, Shookan, Domina, Dynafit zZeus cut their teeth here. We've asked Garmont, Scarpa and BD to hold back at least a year for the market to mature to distribute the product in the UK, otherwise the product will stagnate and die before it really catches on. Then you guys will never see the product again. Marketing seems to have it's place.  There is still the call for Scarpa Laser and Denali in the UK, now out of production for 2 years!
This product works amazingly well, ski boots as we know them are changing. We're working on product for 2010/11, it's too soon for Cham' let alone the UK, Forums like this can accelerate it's development, we need more hits to open the purse strings of the Italians. I'm glad to be leaving the industry to let it catch up. It's half term and everyone's just starting to get to grips with modified 'Plug' shells for Free-rando.
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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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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
Pretty sure CEM's dream will be at least 5 years to come to fruition. The home of FREE-Rando is Chamonix, the Endorphine, Axon, Shaman and all the Bollox for next winter; Bd Factor, Scarpa Typhoon, Shookan, Domina, Dynafit zZeus cut their teeth here. We've asked Garmont, Scarpa and BD to hold back at least a year for the market to mature to distribute the product in the UK, otherwise the product will stagnate and die before it really catches on. Then you guys will never see the product again. Marketing seems to have it's place. There is still the call for Scarpa Laser and Denali in the UK, now out of production for 2 years!
This product works amazingly well, ski boots as we know them are changing. We're working on product for 2010/11, it's too soon for Cham' let alone the UK, Forums like this can accelerate it's development, we need more hits to open the purse strings of the Italians. I'm glad to be leaving the industry to let it catch up. It's half term and everyone's just starting to get to grips with modified 'Plug' shells for Free-rando. |
So the reason isn't just conservative buyers for the main British chains then? I need a new pair of boots for next winter. Endo was high on my list but I liked the look of Arno's Shamans even more if the forefoot can be blown wide enough for me. And I won't even get the attention of the SZK if I go to CHX for them?
BTW any point in buying this year if I'm planning for ACL surgery in the summer?
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Poster: A snowHead
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fatbob,
My boots (Endo's) were actually fitted by Seb and SZK so I think the zoo is pretty sorted and trained up.
I don't know the Shaman but Endo's can be pretty stiff when the booster strap is nailed to the carbon back plane which I think is a plus for this type of boot...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks for all this talk folks, though I'm still not sure if I really need a touring boot there do seem to be viable Garmont compromises.
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FAQ
I stand corrected. 
