Racing in my Full Tilts?

YungTabitha

YungTabitha

Member
So I basically only ski park and just bought a pair of Full Tilt Level 1s. I'm gonna start racing for my high school ski team and I dont want to buy racing boots for my first year. I was just wondering how full tilts perform when you race in them. Will I ruin my full tilts? Should I buy a stiffer flex tongue? +k for good replies
 
you're not going to break them that's for sure , a stiffer tongue might help though.

I know plenty of people doing moguls in full tilts so I'd imagine it wouldn't be too bad racing, especially at a lower level.
 
your not going to ruin your tilts but a stiffer tounge would help. and if your not gunna race super seriously theres no real reason to go get a race boot. i know kids who raced if tilts all the time and they were fine
 
Considering that I raced in a Salomon flex 70 boot for several years, you'll be fine. Just throw in a stiffer tongue. Supposedly FTs were used by some racers years ago so I see no reason why not. Once you progress you might notice the lack of edge response though and might want to get a dedicated race boot.

If you are doing the team for lulz then don't. Race in your Saga and FTs. Beat other racers. Watch them rage. Best moment ever. :D
 
They're not the best race boot ever, but they'll work just fine. They are pretty torsionally soft, while race boots are intentionally stiff from side to side in order to transfer energy into the ski from side-to-side flexing as well as just forward and backward. This is only really important when you're skiing a really stiff, aggressive ski, like a world cup race ski with two sheets of metal. However, I would say that if you ski only park and you're just racing for your high school team you'll be absolutely fine. You would be better off with race boots, but it's not going to make that big of a difference, and there's no need to own two pairs of boots. A stiffer tongue would probably be beneficial, but not necessary. And racing is still just skiing; you won't do any damage to your boots by racing in them.

Just as long as you're not chasing medals or FIS points or anything, you shouldn't have any problems.
 
Ha, ha, ha, no

I ride full tilts now, use to ride technica race pro 130's that were 3 sizes to small with lace up liners when I was racing my final 2 seasons. Yes there is a massive difference, no you can not expect to be competitive in full tilts that are fit for a normal recreational fit. The overall stiffness and responsiveness are entirely different because you are driving a race ski very different then a park ski. Of course if you are just racing some stupid hs league this doesnt matter(but that isn't real racing...), but Im not even sure if it's fis legal to race in FT's, so if that is going to be a factor I suggest you look into it. I have seen people get DQ'ed for gear violations.
 
This is why you see competitive upcoming racers get new gear every single year(disregarding sponsorships)
 
I don't think there is anything illegal about them. The main boot regulation is the stack height, which FT's fall well within, as long as you don't add like 15mm of risers on the bottom.
 
I know....I can't afford GS skis this year because the stupid 35m regulation. Who in their right mind thinks 35m will be safer anyway jesus.
 
Boots do matter for racing but you probably wont notice a difference in your first year. Throw in a tongue with a harder flex and youre good to go. You might wanna change your boots though after you got better in a couple seasons.
 
Like others said, definitely get the stiffest flex full tilt has (it's still not super stiff compared to a lot of racing boots) and also put the bigger pieces of plastic in (can't remember what they're called) to make sure you have a bit more forward lean.
 
FIS does not associate with highschool teams I believe. I never encountered a single FIS regulation when I raced through highschool. Racing USSA and FIS is a different story, however highschool is significantly more laid back. I feel he will be fine, but then again, I may be proven otherwise.
 
the guy who won the slalom this yr in the british schoolboys championship for my category had full tilt level 1, so yh id say you'd be fine. And i know he doesn't have a stiffer tongue for them
 
One of my teammates from my high school ski team raced this year in a pair of red and white FT Hot Doggers and did just fine, so you'll be fine, seeing that you're only racing on a high school level like me. Like so many people said in this thread, a stiffer tongue might help with performance. What do I know, I raced this past season in a pair of SPK Kaos's and have NEVER owned a pair of Full Tilts.
 
unless you have a serious team that is going to state i wouldnt worry about it, but it wouldnt hurt to get a stiffer tongue.
 
If its NOT fis sanctioned and doesn't utalize their points system its not REAL racing people. You cant even get into real races coming from a stupid HS league with no points.
 
So if you win the race, it can't count because obviously your boots are shit, and skiing ability has nothing to do with it!
 
Yeah, why are we talking about racing?

Oh, and Fulltilts are race boots. Raichle Flexon Comps were raced in the 90's. same boot. Nothing has changed. The Fulltilt has seen the least amount of change of any boot currently on the market. If they worked for Hilary Lindh, they will work for you too!
 
Well quite a bit has changed. The skis have a side cut now for example an can really be carved so lateral stiffness is inportant now. No top racer these days could use a full tilt, but that does not mean me and you could not race in them. As long as they fit ok then you can race in any boot. They may not be getting the most potential out of te ski but if your honest are you really able too. If your serious and want to try and win, get some proper race boots but if its just fun and to learn some good technique full tilts will be fine.
 
^ I fail to see how that particular quote is relevant. But I would hope you agree that with modern ski technology full tilts could not be considered a race boot.
 
Oh, well I'm in highschool and I'm in U18, meaning the USSA regs and the FIS regs are basically the same. I've been following FIS though because I don't want to have to spend more money on this silly sport.

I thought you had to be in USSA or FIS to race anywhere. Hm. I guess I'm just a gaper.
 
Everything has been covered. Picture above is downhill, where lateral transmission of power wasnt as big a deal as it is now in SL and GS.

OP, youre new to racing, you wont know otherwise. I doubt you will win races, or care to win races, so FT will be fine. You will not get the lateral support of a regular boot, but you will be fine with stiffer tongues.
 
I hope you realize that the full tilt mold is the old raichle race boot.

It was originally a race boot which is not used for freeskiing
 
I raced in SPK's all 4 years of high school. I think they're a little stiffer than fulltilts and I didn't really care about racing, but they worked perfectly fine. Also it's important to maintain all pieces of park rat swag when you race and beat kids who actually care about racing because it makes them all the angrier.
 
This.

Make sure you are wearing XXXXXXXXXXXXL tall tees too. If you find a decent pair of carving twins I bet you could get away with it. Maybe.

lololol threads for when this guy winz erything
 
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