Over the Summer I got some new boots - Nordica Pro Machine 85W. We did a lot of research and these sounded like they were designed around someone like myself that is petite (5' 1.5", 125lbs), with low volume feet and who ski with finesse vs power. They fit my feet very well and I was very excited to use them. However, a few turns into my first run last week and my quads were screaming. I had to stop many times on that first run to let my legs recover. Thankfully we brought my old boots (2017 Head Vector Evo 80W) so I put those on and the burn went away. My husband thought the ramp angle and/or forward lean must be drastically different as I was using my same pair of skis that I had been using so the only thing that was different was my boots. At first glance, the Nordicas appear to have a few degrees more forward lean as they are clearly more leaned forward to the naked eye. However, either Head or Nordica is off on their measurements because Nordica says they use a 13° forward lean with 5° ramp angle vs the Heads which say they are 14° forward lean with 4° ramp angle. They are both 98mm last and size 23.5. In spite of the numbers saying the Heads have more forward lean, they are clearly more upright both to the eye, and by feel when clipped in my skis and it's more than the 1° difference anyway (I knew flex was subjective among manufacturers but figured forward lean and ramp angles would be more scientific). Knowing I can't trust the numbers, it's hard to tell if the claimed 2° delta difference (Head 14-4=10° vs Nordica 13-5=8°) is the problem or if something else is going on.
My husband said he would just gas pedal my bindings but we can't since both of my pairs of skis use system bindings. We could have plates installed on the bottom of the toes of the boots but my question to you is if it's worth the hassles of trying to make these boots work for me or if I should just move on? My old heads aren't in bad shape but the liners are just packed out to where I have too much space for my low volume feet. At 80 flex, they are also on the softer side given that I've progressed in my skiing which is why I was bumping up in stiffness. I do see that Head makes the same Vector Evo in a 90 flex so maybe that is the answer since I know the head boots work well for me. Given that I only have 1 run on the Nordicas, I'm sure we could recoup most of what we paid since we got a good deal on them. Thanks!
My husband said he would just gas pedal my bindings but we can't since both of my pairs of skis use system bindings. We could have plates installed on the bottom of the toes of the boots but my question to you is if it's worth the hassles of trying to make these boots work for me or if I should just move on? My old heads aren't in bad shape but the liners are just packed out to where I have too much space for my low volume feet. At 80 flex, they are also on the softer side given that I've progressed in my skiing which is why I was bumping up in stiffness. I do see that Head makes the same Vector Evo in a 90 flex so maybe that is the answer since I know the head boots work well for me. Given that I only have 1 run on the Nordicas, I'm sure we could recoup most of what we paid since we got a good deal on them. Thanks!
In my old boot I would get early season quad fatigue from what appears to be me supporting myself in a too soft boot for my body specifics. For me the game changer was going up a few notches in flex.
