How do you know if your boots are too soft?

[StayWarm]

I have Atomic Hawx 80 boots that are about 4 years old. I'm 5'10" and 170lbs, an advanced intermediate to advanced skier (somewhere around level 6-8, depending on the day and the mountain). Mostly skiing in Colorado and Utah.

I'm generally pretty happy with the boots; I have custom insoles, heel lifts, and Hotronics, and they're comfortable. In past seasons with these boots, I've struggled a lot with shin bang, but a combination of Booster straps and half a can koozie in each sock has solved that problem completely this season.

I confess that when I got the boots, I was pretty clueless about flex (I just wanted out of rental boots). In reading these forums, it's become clear that my boots are on the softer side, which leads to my question: How do you know if your boots are too soft? Is it possible that part of the reason I was getting shin bang/tossed around was because my boot flex isn't suited to the more advanced terrain I'm trying to cover?

I'm trying to get more confident/aggressive with my skiing, so that I can handle steeper terrain and go from "fine on any blue, okay on most blacks" to "confident on most blacks."

Thanks!

 

[marzNC]

Welcome! How many days do you think you've used your boots so far? The liners that come with new boots pack out in a few seasons. You might consider replacement liners such as Intuition or Zipfit. Do you have a good local boot fitter to consult?

As I improved my boots were on the soft side. Getting Intuition liners not only solved the problem of packed out stock liners, it also increased the stiffness. A couple years later, I got new boots that were inherently stiffer. Once those stock liners packed out, I had the Intuition liners re-molded to those boots.

 

[Jilly]

I have the Hawk in the 100. I'm 5'4 and 152lb. Advanced skier, CSIA 2 instructor. The 80 is probably too soft for your advancing skills. Are they just about ready to be replaced? Your foot beds and Hotronics can be moved to a new boot.

 

[StayWarm]

@marzNC Stiffer liners? What a great idea (and something I didn't even know was an option)! As @Jilly points out, I'm probably due for new boots, but I've been hesitating to invest in a whole new set-up because my husband and I are planning to start a family soon, and I'd hate to spend $$$ on new boots now only to discover that my feet/body change after pregnancy in a way that means I need another new set-up. New liners could be a good intermediate step.

Although I suppose another option is to just go for the new boots, and maybe get new liners post-pregnancy if necessary, since I'll need new boots eventually anyway. I'm going to keep my eyes open for end-of-season sales. I'm in Denver, so should have good options for bootfitters.

 

[marzNC]

Stiffer liners? What a great idea (and something I didn't even know was an option)!
. . .
Although I suppose another option is to just go for the new boots, and maybe get new liners post-pregnancy if necessary, since I'll need new boots eventually anyway. I'm going to keep my eyes open for end-of-season sales. I'm in Denver, so should have good options for bootfitters.

Based on my conversation with a boot fitter in Mammoth a few years ago, Intuition and Zipfit address slightly different issues. So depending on your feet, one could be more effective than the other. Pricing is about the same.

Sounds like it would be worth picking one of the recommended boot fitters in the Denver area and go have a chat. From what I saw at the Denver REI a few days ago, late season sales have started. My last two pairs of boots were bought from my local ski shop during March sales, just in time for a ski trip to Alta in April.

Should have options in this thread for the Rocky Mountains:
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...ion-usa-western-rocky-mountain-regions.16791/

 

[newboots]

The common complaint about pregnancy and feet of your feet growing half a size. Mine did. Not only ski boots, but much of your footwear might need replacing.

 

[StayWarm]

The common complaint about pregnancy and feet of your feet growing half a size. Mine did. Not only ski boots, but much of your footwear might need replacing.

A half-size difference would probably mean I'd need completely new boots, right? Not just new liners? In that case, it definitely sounds like I should hold off for a while until I have a better sense of what my body might do...

 

[newboots]

I expect you could need new boots if your feet grow that much. I had to replace all my shoes!

 

[liquidfeet]

My feet got bigger with pregnancy, then shrank back to original size later. Has this been the case with others?

 

[newboots]

Mine are still size 9, up from 8.5

30 years later!

 

[SarahXC]

Yes, your feet might grow... mine did (8.5 up to 9 or 9.5 depending..still bigger 10 yrs later) but also you might not get pregnant right away, lots of couples try a year or more. Of course it’s impossible to know!
I just skied this weekend with the new stiffer (intuition PowerWrap) liners (thanks to @marzNC who had posted a thread about it) and what a world of difference I felt from being bounced around in my too soft boots (Salomon xpro 90 for a 5’6” 165 lb gal) it wasn’t that much money and what a revelation to be able to trust leaning into my boots without them collapsing on me as soon as I skied through anything not perfectly groomed... if that’s how you feel I encourage a change sooner rather than later.

 

[StayWarm]

@SarahXC All really good points -- it's weird to be trying to plan ahead for something that might not happen anyway. And yes, I find it hardest to manage my boots in crud conditions -- that's when I get tossed around and run the risk of shin bang.

Thanks for the heads up on the Intuition PowerWrap liners! It looks like my local stores carry them for around $180-$200, which is much more manageable right now than a whole new set of boots. This might be just the ticket for next season.

 

[marzNC]

Thanks for the heads up on the Intuition PowerWrap liners! It looks like my local stores carry them for around $180-$200, which is much more manageable right now than a whole new set of boots. This might be just the ticket for next season.

When I first got the Intuition liners, a bonus was that since toe caps are used for the initial heat molding they turned out to be warmer because my feet had better circulation.

When I had the liners re-molded for my current boots, it took a few tweaks to get them set up. But like shells, the tweaks were for specific spots and didn't require a full re-molding.