Anyone use men's boots?

[pinto]

I think I might have asked this before, but I can't find it, or remember any answers. Maybe I just thought about asking.

But, anyway, do any of you use men's boots? I need new boots. My current ones are Atomics, but not the wide ones. They are an advanced freeride boot, traditional last, and fit my foot pretty well. However, the cuff is too short, and I overflex them. (Probably the height has something to do with that.) I think they are an 8 on Atomic's stiffness scale.

My legs are as long as many men's, so I'm thinking I might be better served with the higher cuff. Any experience here?

(And yes, I do have a bootfitter, who I'll ask about this. He was the one who told me my cuff was too low. But I just wondered about others, and wanted to research some boots before I go back after my toe is better.)

 

[Jilly]

On some boots the cuff is adjustable in height. I seem to remember Lange has it. As for men's boots, the heel pocket is going to be larger than female version. Also the toe box will be too. I once wore junior boots, but the fitter had to add all kinds of padding and plastic to keep my heel from lifting. But that was before women's boots were really being made. Ask the pro, there has to be a boot out there that has cuff and foot you need.

 

[ISki]

Yes, I once had a pair of men's boots. I have wide feet and the toes fit.

Overall, I did not like them. The heel was too loose and the calf too tight.

 

[Little Lightning]

You can check with your fitter on this but my understanding is that women's boots use a men's shell and a woman's specific liner.

I know Head has designed a woman's specific shell in their Dream Thang line of boots. I bought the Dream Thang 10 at the end of the season and loved the fit but did not ski them. I'll give a review of them at the beginning of this season.

BTW, according to their website, Outdoor Divas (Boulder/Cherry Creek) has a few boots on sale. They may have something in your size.

Kathi

 

[pinto]

Bumping thread ...

Well, I got my new boots, and I did indeed end up in a men's/unisex Lange. It's the WC 120, the crazy blue one.

In women's, I tried

--the Dalbello Krypton something or other (fit was okay, not great, but I didn't like the buckles and pressure over the instep/ankle),
--the Salomon Scarlett (foot felt amazing, cuff not high or stiff enough),
--the Tecnica Attiva Pro (fit my foot well, but after 15 min, the forward lean was making my calf/achilles area burn! ouch! I couldn't wait to take it off)

In men's --

--Lange Freeride 120 (too big, never found the right size),
--Nordica Supercharger Enforcer (fit well, but too comfortable out of the box, liner was cushy and would have packed out),
--Salomon Gun (felt great in the cuff and most of foot, slightly too big in the heel, still pretty soft)

I wanted to find a Lange Freeride W 110, but couldn't. A couple of sellers said they wouldn't stock it, just order it on pro form.

Anyway, the WC 120 fits very very well, everywhere. It is narrow enough to keep everything in place, and the cuff is the perfect height. I was nervous about the stiffness at first, but after trying them, I'm sure it will be fine. I'll probably need heaters, but I'll worry about that later.

So, in summation, make sure the boot fits, women's/men's/whatever. Pay attention to fit characteristics more than gender. Obviously most women's boots fit the characteristics of most women's feet ... but not all.

 

[volklgirl]

I was nervous about the stiffness at first, but after trying them, I'm sure it will be fine.

If you do find them to be too stiff, it's a simple matter for the shop to remove the cuff bolt and/or notch the upper cuff of the lower shell to make them as soft as you'd like.

After significant toe box fit work, I love my WC 100! They're the first boot I've ever had that secures my ankles and heels without tons of weird padding and crap.

 

[bklyn]

Bumping thread ...

Well, I got my new boots, and I did indeed end up in a men's/unisex Lange. It's the WC 120, the crazy blue one.

In women's, I tried

--the Dalbello Krypton something or other (fit was okay, not great, but I didn't like the buckles and pressure over the instep/ankle),
--the Salomon Scarlett (foot felt amazing, cuff not high or stiff enough),
--the Tecnica Attiva Pro (fit my foot well, but after 15 min, the forward lean was making my calf/achilles area burn! ouch! I couldn't wait to take it off)
...

Interesting. I bought the same boots last February. I also tried Lange's womens offerings, the Dalbello, last years Salomons, Tecnicas as well as a Nordica that was way too wide. I really tried to go the women's specific route but found they weren't providing the fit and flex I was looking for.

I hope you enjoy the 120's as much as I have. They are my favorite boot ever.

 

[altagirl]

Yeah, I had womens boots for a while, in my quest to find something to fit my narrow heel and small ankle (but wide forefoot). And oddly enough, I'm back to mens boots. (Atomic M 110) Which fit better than anything I've ever had before (still required blowing out the toes, custom footbeds, dropping the heels lower for balance, etc.)

The key is always to find the best bootfitter you can. They can usually take one look at the build of your foot and tell you right off what the best fit will be. If you just go around trying everything on, you won't be taking into account what is easy or difficult for them to do for modifications and will usually end up with something too big by the time it's comfortable enough to walk around in unmodified. (Unless you're one of the lucky few who they must model boots off of...)

 

[pinto]

Interesting. I bought the same boots last February. I also tried Lange's womens offerings, the Dalbello, last years Salomons, Tecnicas as well as a Nordica that was way too wide. I really tried to go the women's specific route but found they weren't providing the fit and flex I was looking for.

I hope you enjoy the 120's as much as I have. They are my favorite boot ever.

I remember your boots now ... we skied at Breck during LGC, and you remarked how my pants matched your boots -- little did I know! (And no, I didn't buy my boots to match my pants. They clash a bit, actually. ha ha)