New rig for petite ripper - boots first!

[cvana]

She grew again. My all-mountain girl needs new skis and boots.
She is 16 yrs old, 5" 3", 103 pounds, mondo 24, medium fit trending narrow in the heel, wider in the toebox. Slender calves. Her feet have probably stopped growing.
She skis very aggressively, but I am afraid of getting too stiff a boot given her weight. She is an eastern woods skier, prefers short radius turns, loves the moguls, too. She is an expert in every respect, so I am a bit afraid of the 70/80 FLEX boots that bill themselves as advanced beginner/intermediate.

I would love to hear from some petite expert divas out there, with their advice on maximum FLEX and even some boot recommendations.
Thank you in advance! I can't afford walk in to the ski shop and get the latest and the greatest 2018/2019 models in the shop.

Counting the days... the jones is on! Thanks.

 

[Gloria]

Look at the full tilt soul sister. Good boot for narrow heel great for moguls. If the original tongue is to soft or stiff you can replace them upwards or downwards without replacing toe entire boot.

 

[marzNC]

A good boot fitter with a big enough shop should have "new old stock" to choose from. All of my boots were from previous years, and I live in the southeast.

I'm 5'0", 112 lbs, older, advanced, and have had boots that are around 90 flex for the past 6-7 years. Went with 3-buckle the last time because the 4-buckle boot that was somewhat stiffer than my previous pair was too tall. The cuff and my calf were not compatible. Pretty sure my daughter's last pair of alpine boots were 70 or 80 flex. She was an advanced skier and not quite done growing height-wise but under 90 lbs when we bought them. Switched to telemark a couple seasons later.

Note that there is no standard for "flex" that works across brands. So a 90 flex in one brand could feel quite different than another brand.

 

[badger]

@cvana , while I cannot co.eclose to your daughter's skill level, I can speak to her size. I'm 5'2 and usually 95 or less. My boot is a 95 flex. No, it is not ideal for me. A softer flex could be beneficial for me, however my boot size is a 21 low volume, so difficult to find more than three or four models within the industry that fit. Unless I use a Junior race boot.

Several of us petite skiers here have encountered similar experiences finding a boot that fits sizes under 22. Your daughter at a 24 has a great advantage to find a perfect boot . Especially one with wider toe box.

As for flex, that's a very personal choice if you have the option of selecting that. At her level, 70/80 may be too soft. Maybe not. All manufacturers rate their flex a bit differently. Seems she could easily do well in a higher flex, and might even prove to be beneficial. It's tough getting dialed in, but you'll find a great boot to match her fitting requirements.
Bootfitter will be your best guide.

 

[cvana]

You all give me the sense that ability, stance, style is more important a criteria for flex than weight. Is that right? I feared that she is just too light to flex it, but if @badger and @marzNC an can flex a 95 at 90-112 pounds, then my concerns may be misplaced.

She has been skiing a junior boot up til now. Most are just too soft, and race boots too stiff/high/.

Stoked to see all the divas online in August! Thank you - keep it coming!

 

[marzNC]

You all give me the sense that ability, stance, style is more important a criteria for flex than weight. Is that right? I feared that she is just too light to flex it, but if @badger and @marzNC an can flex a 95 at 90-112 pounds, then my concerns may be misplaced.

She has been skiing a junior boot up til now. Most are just too soft, and race boots too stiff/high/.

Stoked to see all the divas online in August! Thank you - keep it coming!

All I really know is that my daughter didn't have a problem transitioning to an adult boot or adult skis. She is not an aggressive skier but was Level 8 at Alta Ski School by age 11. She can ski the harder terrain at Alta without thinking at all, even just doing parallel turns in her tele gear. Her alpine boots and mine are Mondo 24. When we bought the boots, they were perhaps a little on the large size. But that allowed her feet to grow in the 12-24 months after we bought them. Our boot fitter knew where we were skiing and how often. He'd done the same with the previous pair of boots, so they lasted two seasons when she was a tween.

My daughter didn't need particularly forgiving skis when she moved to adult skis.

Good luck with the boot shopping!

 

[badger]

I'd love to try an 80 flex!! On terrain other than groomers, I am certain an 80 flex would allow me to stay more forward. Is it the right flex for me? Unless I get into a Junior boot to try I will never know. But I am pretty sure that a 70 would be too soft, even at my weight.
For now, I ski in a 95 and do my best with it as it fits beautifully.

 

[Pequenita]

You all give me the sense that ability, stance, style is more important a criteria for flex than weight. Is that right? I feared that she is just too light to flex it, but if @badger and @marzNC an can flex a 95 at 90-112 pounds, then my concerns may be misplaced.

Leg length (i.e, the fulcrum) has more of an impact on whether a boot can be flexed than weight. That is, two women the same weight, but one taller and leggier, the taller, leggier person will have an easier time flexing the boot. I'm in a Tecnica Mach 1 LV 85. I'm both lighter and shorter than your daughter.

 

[Jilly]

Flex is more about power than weight. But weight plays a part in power. I'm a 24MP so there are many options. Find a bootfitter and place her feet in their care. Also flex is not consistent between brands.

On that note...where are you so can point you to fitter.

 

[Little Lightning]

Another vote for the Technica Mach 1 LV 85. I'm small footed, size 22.5 with a narrow heel, wider forefoot and higher instep. This boot has worked great for my foot shape which sounds like your daughters. At 5'1" and 100lbs. I don't feel I need a stiffer boot. In the past I've used stiffer boots but prefer less stiffness. I tried on the Full Tilt but it was too narrow in the forefoot. Best advice is to see a good bootfitter.

 

[Little Lightning]

Another vote for the Technica Mach 1 LV 85. I'm small footed, size 22.5 with a narrow heel, wider forefoot and higher instep. This boot has worked great for my foot shape which sounds like your daughters. At 5'1" and 100lbs. I don't feel I need a stiffer boot. In the past I've used stiffer boots but prefer less stiffness. I tried on the Full Tilt but it was too narrow in the forefoot. Best advice is to see a good bootfitter.

In the past low volume boots did not work for me. They're generally too tight over my instep or too tight in the fore foot or both. The Technica's have been the only boot that has truly fit my foot.

 

[mustski]

A boot fitter is your best bet for finding the right fit and the right shape. It is hard to say what would work best. She needs to try them on and then see what she can flex. The numbers are different for each manufacturer. Remember that it is easier to stretch a boot to make it fit in the necessary area than it is to make it fit more snugly once it packs in. Some models of boots have a "flex range" that can be easily adjusted at home. I gave my son's GF a pair of Dalbello Chakras. These are a great boot for small calfs and narrow heels. They may be too narrow in the forefoot for your daughter. I'm not sure what constitutes "medium." What is great is that they have an insert that can be completely removed to soften the boot or placed at two different locations within the boot to provide two stiffer settings. It has a range from 80 -95.

 

[cvana]

On that note...where are you so can point you to fitter.

Hi - we are in Connecticut but ski mostly in central/northern Vermont.

 

[marzNC]

A few good boot fitters in VT. The list in the Diva boot fitter thread for the northeast is from a few years ago, but should still be relevant. Could call around and see what advice you can get over to phone while things are slow after Labor Day. May well be worth a drive during pre-season sales before November.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...stern-central-mid-atlantic.16792/#post-239814

By the way, after you post a bit more then you'll be able to see the Meet On The Hill threads in Divas Only. Sometimes Divas get together in the fall just to chat about skiing stuff.

 

[santacruz skier]

This thread got me thinking as I will need new boots soon. Mine are Technica Inferno Crush from 2014 with 100 flex. I am 5'1 103 ish so am paying attention to this thread. I definitely had work on these boots to soften flex a little and 2 years ago intuition liners. Think I will look at @Pequenita and @Little Lightning 's boot. I'd have to try on as an 85 flex seems pretty soft but every boot is different. My boots are perfect now and reluctant to get new ones but 4+ years ......

 

[badger]

I'd be in that Technica Mach boot in a heartbeat if it came small enough. It is an awesome boot.

 

[tinymoose]

Leg length (i.e, the fulcrum) has more of an impact on whether a boot can be flexed than weight. That is, two women the same weight, but one taller and leggier, the taller, leggier person will have an easier time flexing the boot. I'm in a Tecnica Mach 1 LV 85. I'm both lighter and shorter than your daughter.

This. I'm short, but have large feet for my height b/c my toes are long. If I wear a boot that is my correct size, 23-23.5, the cuff of the boot comes up too high on my shins, basically locking too much of my leg in place making the boots hard to flex/leverage. She may not have this issue given she's taller than me, but I had to downsize my boot size with a bunch of grinding and punching to get the cuff low enough to where I could flex it. I'm currently in the Dalbello Chakra, flex is 85.

 

[Skisailor]

Lots of good stuff here. If she is moving from a junior boot, make sure you've got the mondo right! 24 sounds large for someone of her height and weight - though not impossible. Too large will throw off all of the other things you are considering. Love the advice about how it's easier to stretch and make room in a boot that's too snug. They are made to do that! It's a real problem trying to snug up a boot that is too large. If she skis trees and bumps a lot, try the next mondo size down in any boot she tries on. A tight fit is essential. Remember that half mondo sizes are really the same shell and liner size. Typically the only difference is the thickness of the footbed or under footbed padding.

 

[marzNC]

24 sounds large for someone of her height and weight - though not impossible.

My mother was very happy when I reached size 7 for shoes by middle school even though I wasn't quite 5 feet tall yet.

 

[mustski]

I am 5’2” and have been since the 6th grade. I’m heavier now for sure but my feet were a size 8 since I was 11.