2012/13 Ski Boot Thread

What exactly does the booster strap do? Does it help keep the boot snug around the calf/top of boot area?

Cause every boot I've ever tried is always a bit loose at the top shin area, I just have skinny legs. Do girls boots have skinnier top sections? Or does the booster help correct that? Cause that's like the only problem with my current boots, the connection to my shin could be better.
 
it's supposed to prevent toe bang by having soft rubber in the toe instead of hard plastic, but it doesn't solve toebang, it just makes it hurt less. wearing a boot that fits (ie. probably not one with a 104 last width like the spk) stops toe bang from happening, and actually gives you performance.
 
11/12 T-Wall Hot Doggers, stupid tongues gone, and with Booster straps. Been riding them the past 2 days and I like them so far.
 
I have skinny legs as well, and what I did was cut up a mouse pad and I duct taped it to the inside of my Fulltilt tongs. This takes up the extra space / makes it a bit tighter to help solve this issue.

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Using 11/12 dropkicks which I got at the beginning of last season. They were great throughout the season, but this summer hitting my summer set up I would have to stop after about 15 or 20 minutes due to a sharp pain in my left arch. Anyone know what would cause that?
 
A few things. On your standard powerstrap it is solid, so has no stretch in it. Think what is happening to your foot if it gets slammed into the front of your boot- it comes in contact with a piece of material which doesn't really move, which can cause shin bang. Having something with some give reduces this

They can make a boot feel a bit stiffer if you buy the stiffer model (WC). Almost acts as a 5th buckle.

They also make sure there is no gap between your leg and the boot. To achieve this on a normal strap it would probably need to be absurdly tight which can cause some discomfort.

Gives your boots more rebound for better power transmission.
 
this kind of sells normal straps short. don't get me wrong, the elasticity of a booster strap is amazing and helps with a lot, including shin bang. but almost any strap will act as a 5th buckle if you use it properly. you should always crank down that strap to lock your calf in the boot. granted all straps are not equal, and a booster is about the best you can get, but that doesn't mean a regular strap won't function. it's still a super important part of the boot. if you aren't doing up your strap tightly, even if you don't have a booster, you should be.
 
Hmm sounds like I need to acquire some of these. My boots have riveted in straps I believe, next time I'm home I'll check. But I'm of the diy type, so I'm sure with a bit of drilling they can be installed on anything. I looked on the site, it looks like it will help a ton

Is everybody using the standard model? I'm only 120lbs, and short, so I'd think the standard is as high as I'd go. Their instructions say it should be routed outside the spolier and over the tongue. The picture makes sense, I can see how it's installed. But when they say routed, I'm assuming they're not telling me to bust out my router? But rather it should follow that route.

Actually it's definitely the route, not use your router, that would be dumb.
 
I like your mod haha. You can also put the booster strap right on the liner so that it sits under the tongue making it an even tighter fit if your legs are that skinny. My little brother is really small and it works for him well.
 
Isn't it supposed to go over the tongue? If you go to their site and put your mouse over the black box on the right you get a little flash animation of a guy using it, and it appears to be over the tongue inside the shell.
 
This is going to be a long winded post but I love those ones. This thread inspired me to do some of my own 'bootfitting' and even though it is ill advised. However I'm pretty comfortable with simple experimentation. So I took it into my own hands to make a pretty decent fitting pair of boots, fit really well. Pictures are worth 1000 words, so I just use them:

On the workbench, 2011 Dalbello Voodoo:

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Last season I had troubles with getting some calf strains from a few backseat/knucklers when the wind was uphill, bad idea. My calfs/shins felt a little loose at the top, so taking from OP's idea of using cork, I did! I had some good stuff laying around, and its super workable. Here is the spoiler shims:

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In doing so I found out I could lengthen my spoilers for more support. So I did! Feels way better:

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Next thing was that my boots felt a little wide and slightly too long towards the end of the season unless I maxed out my buckles. Definatley the liner packing out. So once again, I used cork to shim underneath my stock footbeds (thinking I should maybe get some new ones at some point...) and wow, what a difference a 1/16th of an inch shim can make. Boots feel way tighter all around, and still fit my feet really good. Nothing feels weird under the footbed, and I'm hoping the cork will take up some landing shock!

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After way more templates than the two shown up there, I cut one out shim out and fit it in the boot and it was a pristine fit:

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Then I put in the stocker footbed, and it fit in the boot cleanly with no weird bumps or raised edges from the cork shim, had a super nice firm fit:

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And then I tried them on and like I said, huge difference, feels way tighter, and my calfs don't feel like their being meathammered by the spoiler of the boot! Definatley worth your time if you have the skills and confidence to try a little of your own R&D. I will do my best to report back on the ride of the boot now, and then once more on the durability of the cork!

 
^ Nice work! I've tried on the voodoo before and they're definitely a wider boot..

To the poster who taped a mousepad to the tongue. I know a bootfitter that does something like that, he just glues those eliminator shins to the tongues.
 
Thinking about getting these or last years color just really don't like the polka dots on them what do you guys think? 574147.jpeg
 
For inbounds days and guiding. I love the simple buckles and super powerful flex.
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For touring and ski mountainerding. The walk mode changed my life.
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just got them, granted they're brand new, they certainly feel like they live up to their 130 flex, and they have great heel retention due to the buckle right over the middle of the boot, which was the main problem I had with FullTilts.

seem to fix everything I didn't like about full tilts, plus theres a rad pant clip to hold your shit up.
 
Realistically, will I be able to get a pair of decent boots that fit well from a boot fitter for under $500 when I'm in Vancouver this winter?
 
Depends on what is left over from last year and depends on what fits your foot. The longer you wait to buy a boot (at Christmas or New Year's) your chances of finding a nice boot from last year will be very slim.

But no matter what you boot you purchase, you need to budget in the cost of a footbed as well. The best boot in the world is nothing if it doesn't have a good footbed to accompany it. At a minimum you want to spend $50 on footbeds. Check to the "how to buy a ski boot" thread at the top of the page.
 
Yeah, already checked the sticky, didn't have much on price though? Thanks on the heads up i might be spending a bit of money though +K
 
2011/2012 SPK Pros (model after the leather wrap).Seriously the most comfortable boots I have EVER worn. Finally found a boot that is tailored to my flat hobbit feet.

Because I know this thread is worthless without pics, I got you later.

Threads.

 
2013 Salomon Quest Max 130 ordered up today and a fresh pair of custom orthotics made yesterday. Add some booster straps and my feet will be having one happy season.

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Can't believe nobody skis on langes. Seriously one of the better boots for all purpose skiing at a high level. Was on these bad boys RX-130574339.jpeg

no movin to these XT 130s. much lighter with the hike mode for BC.

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^ i was deciding between rx 120 and salomon ghosts because they both fit. went with ghosts because of the weight
 
Funny, Full tilts fit my foot great, but my issue when looking for boots is my calfs won't fit, making it so the boot won't buckle.

These are what I rock:

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I grabbed the '12s as well because they were 300 less than the '13s funny what a year does to the price when the boot is exactly the same except for the color scheme...
 
What are the advantages to a 3 piece boot and a 2 piece boot? and disadvantages?Also, Is there a 3 piece boot for everyone and a 2 piece boot for everyone?

+k for any solid explanations
 
update from me: as always my early season plans shifted drastically, and i ended up buying il moro ids. thought i wouldn't have the money for boots at all, then tried on some il moros just a couple days before coming into enough money to buy a pair (thank god my store picked up dalbello) hopefully gonna get them in a couple of days, mold them with my insolet and be kicking ass by the weekend.

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there more 2 piece boots than 3 piece, so you will currently have more 2 piece fit options. and this is what is always the most important- fit.

not all 3 piece designs are created equal also. with nordica, you can't swap tongues and they don't have flexy ribs, like full tilt and dalbello. but people really like nordica because they can fit well and still flex appropriately for skiing.

there aren't any downhill performance advantages of a 3 piece over a 2 piece, otherwise you would definitely see competitive racers still using 3 piece boots. racers would for sure push their sponsors for it if it worked better.

it's really going to come down to what fits and flexes for you the best.
 
I probably won't have a good AT setup complete until spring. The I just plan on some short tours on Hood as long as the snow holds to gain experience, and fitness. So I'll probably just see how these do for now. If I feel I need to adjust once next winter rolls around then I'll do so.
 
Been rididng the 10/11 Ace of Spades for 2 and a half seasons, however the today I'm going to go get new boots fitted. Might go with another AoS, or try on a few full tilts possibly
 
just picked up the head vector 120 with custom insoles. I love the top buckles they take no effort to close because they have an extension for leverage.

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How do you like those boots? Might get those myself, not with the pro liner though. Deciding between those or some FT Booters or something.
 
Doing this makes the heel hold go to shit. I tried it for a day and I had no ankle and heel lock, felt super sloppy.
 
It's a really good boot. I enjoy it. Not sure how it would be without the Intuition and Booster. I actually ended up ordering some AOS sole blocks so I have Vibram soles too.
 
I just had to buy new boots, went from 09/10 boaters to this years drop kicks. I put the hard footboards in a shorter top cable all the forward lean and a cuff spoiler, BINGO. Perfect fit again!

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