Advice!! women's freestyle ski boots

W

WWTD

New member
Hey ladies,

I'm a ski bum, so i can't afford new gear all the time....

I've had my Full Tilt Soul Sisters for over 5 years and they were ready for ski boot heaven 2 years ago. Its time for a new pair.

I loved these boots to death and I'm wondering if i should just buy them again. Or is there some thing new out there that is worth considering?

I'm a strong skiier in, and out of the park and i'm going to be hard on these boots. Do I need a women's specific boot? Do women actually have this specific thigh to foot shape that requires a specific boot?

I like the 3 piece style that full tilt has revived from the 80's and i LOVE me them intuition liners. Its looking like heaps of companies are putting intuitions in their boots now so that brings me back to the question... should i consider going with a different 'free ski' boot?

I needs helps....

Thoughts?
 
Unless the plastic is cracking or the sole is worn away you could always just keep your old boots and buy a brand new liner. Nothing beats a newly molded intuition powerwrap. Otherwise as the saying goes, the best boot is the one that fits your foot. You can always check out the ski swaps for cheap boots since plenty are happening about now.
 
Hey glad to hear you loved the soul sisters, i was looking into getting a pair! i just got into park last year and am looking for some freeskiing specific boot (so i get less toebang and have the souls absorb more of the landings). If you're interested in shopping around though, I had some advice from a female pro to switch to dalbello boots for freestyle skiing.
 
First of all definitely buy womens boots! Our calves are shorter and a mens boot is going to sit too far up your leg- sucks but it's one of the things we biologically can't really swing on when it comes to gear.

I'm honestly done with Full Tilts. Rode them for a few seasons but at the end of the day for women I think there's a lot of better boots out there. But again- if it fit you, allowed you to ski aggressively, and was comfortable, by all means go for it again! I wouldn't hesitate to go try on some boots as well however.

Dalbello looks like they make a really sick freestyle boot and stick to that 3 piece model. I tried on a couple aggressive boots that I really liked and am choosing between the two of them, the Technica Cochise Pro W (105 flex), and the Salomon X Max Pro 110W. I'm getting into less park and more big mountain freestyle stuff, but I'm really stoked on the feel of them!!

Hope this helps!!
 
I'm stoked you guys mentioned the dalbello boot because i was looking at that one too.

I guess i'll just have to try the two on and see which one fits me better.

Thanks for the help :) keep it coming!
 
definitely buy womens boots! Our calves are shorter and a mens boot is going to sit too far up your leg
Click to expand...

I've heard this before and I'm not sure where it came from because it doesn't seem to be true, at least not in my case.

Most of the high end race boots are unisex, and the more aggressive a boot you get the taller the cuff. I recently switched from the Nordica Dobermann WC EDT 100 to the 130 flex version, and it was partly because I wanted the taller cuff. The higher cuff gives me more support and more boot to lean into, better leverage in general (which is particularly good for managing longer pow skis). I haven't ever had issues with calf pain.

Before you dismiss race boots because you aren't a racer, keep in mind that a lot of pros ski race boots in the park, people like Simon Dumont and others. It all comes back to what I was saying about the best boot is the one that fits your foot. If you have a narrow foot a tight fitting race boot can be the best choice (they are also designed with thicker plastics and modifications in mind).

Keep two things in mind when you do go buy boots. 1. A bootfitter can punch and grind a boot to make it bigger, but can't ever make it smaller. 2. You can soften the flex of your boot by removing the rear bolts or adding a V-cut, but you can't make a soft boot stiffer.

I agree that Full Tilt's are overrated.
 
13532922:Cyanicenine said:
I've heard this before and I'm not sure where it came from because it doesn't seem to be true, at least not in my case.

Before you dismiss race boots because you aren't a racer, keep in mind that a lot of pros ski race boots in the park, people like Simon Dumont and others.
Click to expand...

i agree with most of your comment, but I've always worn race boots, and for what we do in the park, you need more sole support for absorbing the shock of landings and softer for the same reason. I love my boots (Atomic RT CS 130) for racing and skiing aggressively, but they are awful for park as i don't believe they are built for it (e.g. full tilts have the rubber sole support called a "Shock Absorber Boot Board").

So personally, unless you are a pro who specialise on jumps with smooth landings or big mountain or racing, i wouldn't recommend a race boot, as you will need a new boot the next season (one of my regrets of buying race boots again last year).
 
I'm sorry your race boots didn't work out for you in the park, I hope you find a boot that works for you. It was long journey before I found my perfect boot.

Just so you know that I'm not crazy though plenty of people do ski race boots in the park as shown in this newschoolers thread: https://www.newschoolers.com/forum/thread/811537/Why-do-some-Park-and-pipe-skiers-use-race-boots-

Boot choice is really a matter of personal preference as well as what fits your specific foot.

I do like the idea of incorporating dampeners into ski boots like Full Tilt has done. I know TomPietrowski is working on trying to develop some D3o shock absorbing footbeds which sounds awesome to me, then they could move with you when you swap boots.
 
For the most part race boots for different than non racing boots- at that level most skiers are fairly equal in aggression.

As far as other boots on the market- go wth women's specific. Dabello makes incredible boots.
 
Love my dalbello kryzmas. I loved my full tilts but they died and I switched last year and I'm loving dalbello right now. The retail price is shocking though.
 
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