 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm after a bit of advice.
My skiing has progressed over the last 2 or 3 seasons. When i purchased my boots i was a competent enough skier. I learned to ski when i was 10 or 11, skied every year up north and abroad for 6 or 7 seasons, then kayaking took over and i never returned to skiing until 5 or so years ago. When i returned i skied for one season in my old boots then went out and bought my own.
I have sinced progressed in my skiing and now, instead of competently skiing difficult reds in control and blacks a wee bit out of control, i am now good enough to be able to ski a black run without much negative effect on my skiing and am also spending a hell of a lot more time off piste and hunting out the more difficult steep spots.
The reason i'm asking this, is because i'm not sure if my boots are stiff enough. I feel like i can flex them a little too easy when i'm hammering down something - take the white lady at cairngorm for instance and the west wall above there.
I'm 6'4" and weigh around 14 stone. My current boots are Atomic M90 like these
Any experts out there give a brief indication as to wether i should consider new boots?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Can open, is that worms on the floor? Can't wait for this one. Gonna sit it out for a while. 
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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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please try to ignore the worms and tell me what you're thinking 
even if you are thinking "shut up you raging idiot!"
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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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shoogly, What do you understand about the flex of a ski boot?
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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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good question!
i understand that you need to be able to flex your ankles to ski properly and that each person's ankles can flex to a different degree.
i also think that more weight makes it easier to flex something, and also more speed, or at least the extra force that comes with that extra speed??? notice i said "think" here as opposed to "understand".
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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shoogly, On the nose there.
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
| shoogly, On the nose there. |
does this mean that this is a silly question as it's only one that a bootfitter can tell face to face after they've looked at my feet/ankles.
Sorry for being ignorant, but i've only ever had to buy one pair of boots and the sales experience was less than rewarding - problems with the footbeds, liners.
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shoogly, Always.
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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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As a non-professional but someone similar to yourself who recently bought boots, I found that trying some on helps. You get a good idea of stiffness of a range of boots, and their fit. I then went away and thought about it and decided that the boot I liked best at the time would be too stiff in colder conditions and that I like a bit more flex. In the end, I went for a pair I could get at half the price with a nominal flex of 110 (but this means not a lot as Nordica 110 seemed less stiff than Salomon 110).
I would have thought that with your stats, skiing etc the M110 might suit you better but you could get another year out of the M90s.
So, my main piece of advice would be wait till the boots get reduced at the end of the season.
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| beequin wrote: |
| So, my main piece of advice would be wait till the boots get reduced at the end of the season. |
good point.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| shoogly wrote: |
| beequin wrote: |
| So, my main piece of advice would be wait till the boots get reduced at the end of the season. |
good point. |
Great idea in theory but often stockists run out and only have a small selection of sizes for teh boots you are loooking at. that means compromising and for teh sake of saving £50.00 or so you may wish to shop at the start of the season , get good advice and the boots that you really need. The sour taste of poor quality long exceeds the good taste of a cheap price and all that. It can work though - it did for me in Val with my Salomon Pro boots that have been superb ...but it is a risk.
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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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i think that there is a lot of tosh written and said about boot flex. for the most part it is something that manufacturers use to market gear to recreational skiers (i.e., probably most people on this site. If you want my advise, try on a few pairs, and keep them on in the shop for at least 20-30 minutes each. Try one of each pair on each foot as well. Flex in the boots, and see if they hurt you. Ultimately, forget the marketing gimmicks - 'for expert or performance'. Unless you are a downhill racer, there are only two criterion you need to worry about: 1. Fit - make sure they are the right size, snug fitting with little foot movement in the boot, 2. Comfort. They should be so comfortable that you look forward to putting them on. Yes, look forward to putting them on. If those boots just happen to be the cheapest in the store - then you just got lucky!
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You know it makes sense.
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CharlieL, The cheapest in the store, (if not expert boots onsale) are probably made from polypropylene. The flex of such boots will vary massively between temperatures thus will offer no real honesty to flex rating as boots are given a flex rating at 22°c. Expert or performance boots are made of high quality materials (polyether) and will suit any skier provided ankle flex and fit is observed. Come to my store and walk around in boots for 20-30 mins and you'll be here around the same amount of time for no reason. Unless we let you into our special cold room where you can test the flex of a boot at -5°. 
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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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| Quote: |
our special cold room where you can test the flex of a boot at -5°.
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Nice idea!
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Poster: A snowHead
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CEM, You're right in that I should have added a PS to the effect that the boots I bought were some I had previously tried on and knew that they fitted. Also true that there is a risk, but this OP has a pair of boots which fit and can be used so perhaps he can afford to wait.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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One of the most common problems I see in people's skiing is a lack of ankle flex which results in an overall lack of movement and an inability to stay centred on their skis. I often wonder if this is because the boots they are in are too stiff for the technique that the skier has available to them.
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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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CEM, you woss!! wanna buy some boots... I'll do ya a good deal... especially on atomic b tech's... I thought I would of got more spade feet in this year! 
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I've learned lessons about minimum flex and maximum discomfort the hard way a couple of times in the last few weeks by packing mine in the car boot overnight with the rest of my clobber ready for a trip to Glencoe or Glenshee in the morning. Ski boots prechilled to -10C are both horribly cold for your toes and significantly harder to persuade to accept a foot when trying to get togged up in a cold car park than if they're kept toasty warm in the house then loaded into the passenger compartment next to a warm air blower.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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You know when your boot is too soft for you when you can no longer drive the ski as hard as you need to, keeping sensitivity, maintaining pressure whilst still retaining rebound.
Soft boots are good for your skiing, see the above posts. Your skis / skiing will tell you when you need stiffer boots and staying in softer boots, for now, *should* let you arrive at that point sooner...
How does the shell fit you? If it's a good fit I would and the soles still have plenty of life in them (or replacements) then why not get an upgrade liner? That would give you even more feedback from the ski, increase your comfort and more often than not slightly 'increase' the 'stiffness of your old boots...
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FAQ
. But also like the guy in the post above says, too many vacation skiiers struggle with bad posture and ankle flex, I think because they get seduced into buying 'performance' boots which are too stiff. (not blaming the boot sellers here because ofte (and I've been there myself) we want certain equipment because we want to be asociated wth performance gear. Big mistake.
