Boots

[SkaFreak]

I'm looking at getting some new boots because my old ones have too far of a forward lean, so when I try to stand up straight my toes get jammed into the front of the boots. Anyone have any suggestions, or should I just go with the Raichle's that Greco has on here.

[zenderfall]

Try going to a shop and trying on their entire selection. Did that for 2 hours and finally came up with one I liked, and it was one of the cheapest boots there. That was a plus.

Really, you can't buy a boot from its looks. You need to try them on, and I mean REALLY try them on, as in walk around the store in them, jump up and down, stretch your legs, bend forward, etc...

[SkaFreak]

I understand that. But in reality even that truely isn't enough to know if a pair of boots is gonna work the way you want them. The only real way to know is to actually ride them, because walking in boots is completely different from riding them. I was asking people for input as to the type of ride and control they give as opposed to how they fit.

[PureVenom]

Dude if you can afford them...I would seriously look at the Deeluxe. I have those boots and to be able to fine tune your stance is HUGE. I mean you can really pinpoint the most comfortable position for you very easily. Thay are way comfortable. Well worth the money in my opinion.

[PureVenom]

By the way....these are so easy to walk in. When you release the forward lean in the back,you can walk very easily.

[valmorel]

The Salomon Performa range were manufactured specifically to have a more upright standing position and work REAL well with skiboards. They have been around for a few years now, so you could probably find a closeout or last years model pretty cheap. They come with a range of different linings, at various costs, but the upper models even have heat formable inners (Performa 7 and above). Good luck.

[PureVenom]

Yeah you can find a great deal on those. Right around 174.00. The only problem is they are very narrow at the toe area. I was helping my friend try and find a pair of boots we ran into that problem.We were told that they run alittle more narrow as well. Even the performa 8 was the same problem. You can easily see the width difference from all the other boots. But they are still very nice.

[valmorel]

Yea, I solved it by buying a half size bigger. When buying boots, check the sole length. This is marked on the outside of the boot on the sole somewhere, usually on the side. You will find that to save money, manufacturers use the same size shell for two boot sizes, eg, a size 28 and a size 28.5 will have the same shell size, but the liner is different, with more padding in the 28. In my experience, this sacks out in time, so if a 28 feels good in the shop it will be loose after a week of riding. If this happens to you, try putting something about 2 to 3 mm thick under the insole to reduce volume. You can buy volume reducers for this purpose from most outdoor shops that sell waking boots. This is a useful trick if you have one foot bigger than the other too. Buy the bigger size boot, and put a volume reducer in the side with the smaller foot. Works like a charm.

[snojam]

i got my boots online, they are the best boots iv ever had and my feet never hurt. My boots are Solomon Verse 2.0 http://www.skiingmag.com/skiing/outfitter/article/0,12910,328786,00.html

[SkaFreak]

I'll look into all the boots that you guys have sugested, and I'll see if I can stretch the $$ to get the Deeluxes, but does anyone here have anything to say about the Raichelles? They're quite a bit cheaper than alot of the other options and the main difference between them and the more expensive model seems to be slight adjustments and the molded liner. Another sidenote is that I'm not looking as much for super comfort as I am for performance, because most of my riding isn't park, it's steeps and such.

[PureVenom]

The raichle are very good too but they are different in a couple different ways to the deeluxe.

1. They do NOT have a moldable thermofit liner.

2. They do not have 4 buckle mico system...they have 3 and 2 velcro straps.

3. The forward lean only has a couple of settings.

If you can deal with these differences then cool but one of the main reasons the Deeluxe are so good (amongst all the other cool features)is the moldable liner. Have that molded to fit your foot and then throw in a good gel pad in the heel or a killer footbed(depends if you have bad arches to even need this) and you are set for pure comfort.

[PureVenom]

Since you like the steeps between those 2 boots I would still go with the Deeluxe only because it has buckles where the velcro is on the raichle. I don't ride a lot of park either. Mostly high intermediate, blacks and double blacks when off my local mountain.

[zenderfall]

Originally posted by PureVenom
Mostly high intermediate, blacks and double blacks when off my local mountain.

Does Mt. High reaaaaaally have double blacks?

:D

[PureVenom]

No on the doubles I was talking about mammoth. The blacks are barely blacks at mtn high...lol. East base might have a couple pretty good steeps though.

[SkaFreak]

Alright, it's looking like I'll be able to spring the cash to get the deeluxe's, but one other question. At the moment I have Canon Thais Bindings. I'm assuming that even though the bombers and FF pro's are supposed quite a bit better that it would be better to get the nicer boots and keep the Canon's than it would be to get the cheaper boots and a set of new bindings (most likely FFPro's since they are a bit cheaper). Am I right here?

[Greco]

yeah i tend to agree with you on that one.
but it's a tough choice.
g

[SkaFreak]

Alright, it's gonna be a pain for me to get the thermoflex liners fit to my feet, as there is only 1 store in my area that can do it, and they are about an hours drive away. This means I'll have to waste about 3 hours to do it as well as the $$ for gas. I'm assuming that if I'm not going to get the boots fit to me that they're probably not worth the extra 185$.

[PureVenom]

Dude...the boots are so worth it. I have never had a better pair of boots. Look into a good footbed as well.(you dont have to have it) The footbed makes a sick custom fit along with the liners. Also easier on your heals if you like to spend a lot of time hitting those kickers. And yes they would still be worth it because as you ride they will still mold a little bit to your foot. Just not as good as having it done in a shop.

[SkaFreak]

G, I noticed that you have 30's and I was wondering what shoe size and type/brand of shoes you wear so I can make sure that 30's will be big enough for me

[Greco]

i wear a size 12 shoe and sneaker, all makes and models

[SkaFreak]

Alright, the boots are here, and I'm gonna go get them fitted sometime next week probably. PureVenom mentioned getting a gel heelpad and I was wondering you you meant just some of those that you can buy pretty much anywhere for pretty cheap or if you meant something higher end than that. Also anyone have any suggestions on things I should do when I get the boots fit other than to wear the socks that I'd wear when I ride and cutting the tip off of a sock and wearing it for a little bit of toe space?

[Greco]

the shop that has the thermoflex heater and does the fitting should have toe cups to wear when they are fitting them.

g