 Poster: A snowHead
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Situation is: 10-year-old top line in their day, Salomon boots with 80 days on them, generally pretty good but starting to niggle in the right foot toe area (numbness etc), usually ski with foot buckles slack or undone. Starting to get more than just slightly irritated with this niggle.
Don't want to go down the new boot route (basically cos current boots are pretty good really and my attitude is if it ain't completely broke why replace it).
So am booked in with a certain west London professional boot fitting service (CWLPBFS) which offers the options of new foot bed plus the usual shimmy shammying with the outer shell for £145 or the foam injection bizo for £200. The CWLPBFS is pushing me to buy new boots but they would say that, wouldn't they?
While I can be as much a gear whore as the next sucker, I also think boots for a "lower end of advanced", two weeks a year, old-bloke skier should easily last ten years and more (my previous Daleboots lasted 20 or so and some of those were 40-day seasons). Especially if they fit well overall and are treated only slightly less affectionately than a good wife.
We're not talking a high-speed, precision slalom, life or death, razoredge carving style here.
So - the £145 package? The foam-injected bizo? Or - a very, very distant third - new boots?
What would Jesus do?
(PS. I've tried to check other threads on this and can't really see any appropriate answers (particularly on opinions on foam injections) altho happy to be directed to them now. I don't really want to start the "good in-shop fitter vs expensive specialist service" argument again! )
(PPS. And just to confuse matters - anyone got any experience with the full tilt, soft flex, new models?)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A well made Foam Liner is awesome, however may outlast the current shell and then, if you can't find the same shell, when you do need to replace it, you'll have to replace the liner too, sad if it's done well.
Going down the road for another boot may work, however that's a difficult topic without being misleading.
In all counts, get them done in resort, by a reputable fitter and have the chance to get tweaks done then as many issues will become known when skiing on the mountain, saving you from having to source an pay a fitter to fit retrospectively, all our clients and those using services such as ours in resort say they would never do it again townside having experienced the difference. Having been a fitter both townside and resort, I can only tell the story as I see see it from the two sides of the fence.
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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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Foamies are awesome, I got some done a few years back and they were agony for the first 2/3 days but then made my boots fit like nice solid, stable slippers! Although, getting new boots would probably eliminate the need for foam liners as they would fit better. See what the fitter advises (probably new) £145 seems steep for a footbed and fitting sesh though?
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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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1 you will need a footbed to go into the foam liner
2 i probably wouldn't be foaming a 10 year old shell as the liner will probably out last it as SZK has said
3 i think the key is having a reputable fitter do the work wherever in the world it is done end of.
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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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| Quote: |
i think the key is having a reputable fitter do the work wherever in the world it is done end of.
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Sounds like Essex is the place, end of, nahhh wahhh I meeeeeeaaaan!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| CEM wrote: |
1 you will need a footbed to go into the foam liner
2 i probably wouldn't be foaming a 10 year old shell as the liner will probably out last it as SZK has said
3 i think the key is having a reputable fitter do the work wherever in the world it is done end of. |
4 Don't forget to remove the bolts for your router from the toecaps before foaming.
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Thanks all - you make some good points I hadn't thought through.
SZK and CEM - I respect your knowledge. Is it really true that those hard plastic shells can deteriorate so much in a few years with only a few days on them each season?
Aaargh - one minute I think maybe throw caution to the wind and go with some new boots and next I think that is just an unnecessary luxury. Then, on the other hand, if I'm gonna get some work done on what I've got, I may as well go the whole hog.
Jeez - it's supposed to be a simple matter of just sliding down a snow-covered hill!
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| Big Paua wrote: |
| it's supposed to be a simple matter of just sliding down a snow-covered hill! |
It used to be. But then you discovered snowHeads ......... 
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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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maggi.
True dat!
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Big Paua, Injection Liners are, as said an awesome product and when done (subjective) well there is nothing better for skiing, IMO. Over the years i have had many fail on me, for reasons at the time we difficult to understand. Following the procedure to the word of the manufacturer would still lead to occasional problems. Some shops systematically use them as a fitting tool, perhaps rightly, but again, IMO wrongly. Not satisfied with this we have now taken the word of the manufacturer and broken it down into the letter. By this I mean carefully breaking down each tiny individual stage/step and carefully verifying each detail. We are now seeing around a 90% success rate in foam distribution, density and finish. We're super happy with this and the small percentage of fails are often factors impossible to control, albeit we'll continue trying.
Fails to look out for are: Empty bladders(liners on one part or side.) Heavy creasing(on the outside of the liner, although often cosmetic), Empty entry/exit areas, excess foam in the heel areas, over filled areas (full of air).
If you are having to have foam cut away from the finished product, this is a big fail.
Our key has been controlling liquid and shell temperatures, aswell as finishing and precise timing of steps. I've seen many Bootfitters revel in the fact they can follow the process quickly, like some crazed chinese chef, we on the other hand will often take upto 3 hours from start to finish to carefully ensure your money is well spent and offers value.
Hope that helps, good luck getting it fixed. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks all for helpful detail - especially SZK. Good to know.
Am now better armed to solve the issue than before but am still in a quandary stuck on the horns of a dilemma.
(Now leaning back towards putting up with current boots!!!!! Gottdam!!)
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