 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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"Boots are suspension. Bigger loads and higher speeds require stiffer suspension. Stiffer suspension also produces quicker more direct response, which might unsettle the unskilled. That's it; that's all."
(Ghost on EpicSki.com Dec 2010)
I think only you can decide whether you need a stiffer boot.
According to Jeff Rich, master bootfitter and founder of the Masterfit University Training Centers, seven years, or about 250 days of skiing, is about the maximum use for a ski boot.
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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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Snowy23, IMO, and you can discount as you like, about 100 is as low as anyone with a normal BMI should go.
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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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Snowy23, I have Salomon Idol 8 CS boots. I believe they have a flex of 80 so probably wouldn't be a great deal different in terms of flex to the boots you have already. I certainly wouldn't opt for a stiffer boot, mine are already difficult to walk in (having said that, mine are too small so that probably doesn't help!). However, I'm not considering instructor training! I'm getting on a bit so I think I would opt for a lower flex for my next boots.
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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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queen bodecia, Ski boots are generally not recommended as ideal footwear for a pootle around Tescos!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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all depends on body weight, skill level and level length, but normally i would look at something 90 or more for a female doing any form of instructor level skiing, we don't sell a man's boot below 90 and most of what we have is 100 +
if the boot fits your foot and leg profile properly you will be able to flex a stiffer boot easier, if the boot is a size or 2 big for example your foot will not be in the correct place and you cannot use your whole shin against the cuff to bend the boot (you will only contact at the very top which can make the boot seem very stiff)
all above said the most important thing is the fit of the boot, if it is close fitting all around the foot then they will help you improve, if they are not then they won't
queen bodecia, point 1, they probably aren't too small, you wouldn't have left the shop with them if they were! point 2 if you feel they are why don't you have the shell stretched a little to make them "not too small" point 3 as has been said, they are for skiing rather than walking around, yes you have to do some walking, but keep the clips done up and this will stop your foot sliding forward and making the boot seem too small point 4 (final one) don't go softer, the next level down is going to be made of cheaper nasty plastics and won't have the elasticity that the current ones do 
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Thanks for your replies  sounds like i should maybe think about changing
In the last couple of months I'm finding that after about an hour or so i'm having to tighten them up as the tops have gone quite loose, especially if i'm in a ski school doing flexing exercises - would this be to do with the flex now not being high enough or because i've used the boots for quite a while now?
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 15-03-12 17:09; edited 1 time in total
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Snowy23, the other thing to think about is they will feel even softer as the summer comes so if you go stiffer and they feel good on the dry slope they may feel quite as bit stiffer in the mountains, if you use them for here and in the mountains maybe have a look at ones with removable flex bolts, then you can have them stiffer for our summer temps and softer for lower temps, at least it may give you some other options.
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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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I was watching a warren smith DVD last month where he said 'many people have boots that are too stiff' when discussing ankle flex.
I have a theory that I get most of my ski control from the lateral support on the side of my legs, which will help if the cuff is snug/tight. flex at the ankle is done by ... my ankle and loading the front of the ski is done by loading the ball & toe on my foot, not by my shin. But I have quite strong calf muscles, other people may need to load the ski tip through the shin & boot.
Having said that, I have expiremented with shin stuff to change turn shape in big carves.
I will need new boots very soon anyway. It will be interesting to see how this helps my skiing.
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| Snowy23 wrote: |
| ...in the last couple of months I'm finding that after about an hour or so i'm having to tighten them up as the tops have gone quite loose, especially if i'm in a ski school doing flexing exercises - would this be to do with the flex now not being high enough or because i've used the boots for quite a while now? |
I think what you're describing is relatively normal in my experience - the boot's liner warms up and becomes too compressed.
After I'd had my boots for a relatively short period, I could no longer get the top two clips tight enough. I discussed the problem with a professional bootfitter, who explained that the original manufacturer's boot liners are only designed to last for 60 days worth of skiing. He recommended replacing the original liner with a custom fitted (goo-injected) Conform’able liner and told me that is what all the technicians in his shop ski with. It's not cheap, but worth every penny in my experience. It gives a very snug (but comfortable) performance fit and took my skiing to a new level. It's hard work getting my feet into the boots in the morning, but gives me a good warm up!
Also, what gatecrasher said about temperature changes affecting the flex is something I've noticed. In warmer Easter temperatures my boots used to sometimes become too soft flexing at high speeds, whereas in colder temperatures they are perfect.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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CEM, the boots have already been identified by a boot fitter as being too small. They have also been stretched twice already. I live and learn...
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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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Lampbus
| lampbus wrote: |
| I was watching a warren smith DVD last month where he said 'many people have boots that are too stiff' when discussing ankle flex |
That's what worries me, i'll get a new pair of boots and the flex will be too stiff especially for spending most of my time on the dry slopes.
| lampbus wrote: |
| I will need new boots very soon anyway. It will be interesting to see how this helps my skiing. |
Will your new boots be the same flex as your boots now or will you change?
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| Walter-Spitty wrote: |
I think what you're describing is relatively normal in my experience - the boot's liner warms up and becomes too compressed |
So it's not linked to the flex as such just from the amount of wear and the liner's getting warm
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You know it makes sense.
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| Snowy23 wrote: |
| Walter-Spitty wrote: |
I think what you're describing is relatively normal in my experience - the boot's liner warms up and becomes too compressed |
So it's not linked to the flex as such just from the amount of wear and the liner's getting warm |
In my opinion, yes, but I'm just a long-time recreational skier who's had serious problems with boots in the past and decided to learn as much as I could about them, to solve my own problems. My boots have a flex index of 80, and I'm a bloke with a 'normal' BMI, although I consider myself to be a lightweight. I definitely wouldn't want anything less than 80 and will almost certainly get *slightly* stiffer flexing boots when the current pair have had enough.
I've used stiff 'racing' boots in the past and ended up with bleeding and infected shins. It's not nice.
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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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Walter-Spitty,
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I've used stiff 'racing' boots in the past and ended up with bleeding and infected shins. It's not nice.
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bleeding infected shins are unlikely to be caused by boots too stiff...more likely boots not fitting around that area correctly
queen bodecia, boot fitter or boot seller? 10-20mm should be ample space behind your heel without the liner and just your foot in side the shell, but a lot of "sellers" will want to see 25-30mm because it is an easy sale... we have several high end clients with 7-8mm shell check and no problems, it can be more about shape than actual size and often it is just the foot not sitting in the right place in the boot that causes the problems, if someone is stretching a boot and it is not working either they are not stretching it right or there is something else going on... time for a deeper investigation
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Poster: A snowHead
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CEM, thanks for the advice. I assumed it was a combination of what people call boot bang (or shin bang) and the boots being too stiff, and me trying to pressure the front of the boots too much - it happened when I used carving skis for the first time in 1997 but I was still using old school technique.
Just out of interest, what flex would you recommend for someone like me, who still gets red vertical marks on the shins after a week's hard skiing, i.e. it looks like very light bruising, but no pain.
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 65 kg
Level: upper intermediate to advanced. Ski anywhere on-piste with reasonably good technique.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Walter-Spitty, somewhere form 90-110 depending on the boot, some people just have sensitive shins, have you tried epitact gel sheet (or shaving any hair from the front of your shins, often it can be that catching on a sock which causes pain)
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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, thanks. I tell myself every year that I'm going to shave the hair off my lower legs before going skiing but can never bring myself to do it  . I'm pretty sure you're right and it's the hairs catching.
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FAQ
