Shopping for New Boots

[Live2SkiGirl]

Am in the market for new ski boots to replace my 4 season old Salomon X-Waves (not sure what version). They're a bit packed out and too roomy in the spring (I have a lovely black and blue big toe nail as a souvenir that it's time to go boot shopping). I'm 5'7 1/2", 130 lbs and an aggressive expert skier. Ski mostly in the east, love the tight trees, and when skiing out west or in Europe, its steeps and more steeps. My feet are standard width to narrow. My XWaves feel a bit roomy in the toe box. I also have custom footbeds that I didn't have with me (shame on me) when I tried my first round of boots. I'm looking at:

Technica Attiva Pros (liked the narrow heel pocket but initial try felt liked it rubbed my achilles tendon the wrong way)
Salomon Instinct 9 (tongue was killing me but I haven't spent enough time in them).

And, a friend got the Nordica SM 10.0. I tried hers on (brand new) and they were comfy but am concerned that they might not be enough boot for me. I've got a good boot fitter and he did not suggest the Nordicas (when I mentioned the Nordica Doberman Aggressor he said way too stiff). I had a pair of Nordica Grand Prix before the Xwaves and loved the way they skied but they were cold, uncomfortable the first hour and death defying to get on.

Any tips?

 

[ski now work later]

I bought a pair of '07 Attiva Flames and had custom footbeds made for it. Haven't skied on them yet, but I think they're gonna be great. I am not as advanced a skier as you. With a bootfitter adjustment, the Attiva Pros might be a great boot for you based on how and where you ski. It looks like a very responsive boot for an expert skier.

 

[Lori_K]

Huh. I wish the store I went to had the Attiva Pro, as I see it's a smaller volume boot. As it was, I tried on the Attiva Flame Ultrafit (medium volume) and although it fit well, it wasn't perfect-- just a bit too much room in the toebox.

I ended up buying the Salomon Instinct 9-- great fit, right out of the box. I didn't have any issues with the tongue of the boot, and I wore them around for quite awhile. Maybe try them again with your footbeds?

Looks like Nordica's top of the line women's boot is the Olympia SM 12, although it's hard to tell from their website what the intended performance level is for the boots.

 

[pinto]

Am in the market for new ski boots to replace my 4 season old Salomon X-Waves (not sure what version). They're a bit packed out and too roomy in the spring (I have a lovely black and blue big toe nail as a souvenir that it's time to go boot shopping). I'm 5'7 1/2", 130 lbs and an aggressive expert skier. Ski mostly in the east, love the tight trees, and when skiing out west or in Europe, its steeps and more steeps. My feet are standard width to narrow. My XWaves feel a bit roomy in the toe box. I also have custom footbeds that I didn't have with me (shame on me) when I tried my first round of boots. I'm looking at:

Technica Attiva Pros (liked the narrow heel pocket but initial try felt liked it rubbed my achilles tendon the wrong way)
Salomon Instinct 9 (tongue was killing me but I haven't spent enough time in them).

And, a friend got the Nordica SM 10.0. I tried hers on (brand new) and they were comfy but am concerned that they might not be enough boot for me. I've got a good boot fitter and he did not suggest the Nordicas (when I mentioned the Nordica Doberman Aggressor he said way too stiff). I had a pair of Nordica Grand Prix before the Xwaves and loved the way they skied but they were cold, uncomfortable the first hour and death defying to get on.

Any tips?

I tried on those Attiva Pros, and I wanted to scream after 15 min. Apparently there is a heel lift built into the boot, or something. It felt awful on the achilles. But the fit was nice otherwise.

I ended up in a Lange ... have you tried those yet? The ladies Freeride 110 looked very interesting ... I never found one, and the WC 120 fit my foot quite well. I think the Freeride is a touch wider, so I decided to go with the narrower version. But one of the reviews said the men's Freeride is basically the same, so if that's all you could find, it would probably work well.

 

[Native Vail Gal]

I love my Langes! I also highly suggest getting your liners custom fit! WOW! That made such a difference in my skiing!

Langes are great for a narrow foot....which is great for me!

 

[sleddog]

The Lange Freeride 110W is a 98mm wide boot as is the World Cup 120. The only differences between the boots is a women's last in the FR (slightly narrower in the heel) and a rubber boot board, and the 120 is about 10% stiffer than the 110 with a firmer boot board. I think the Attiva Pro is also a 98 mm boot width.

Many of the other boots for women are about 101mm wide at the forefoot, so although more comfortable for many, they are not going to be as responsive edge to edge.

 

[volklgirl]

I also found only the Lange WC to be a good fit for my narrow heel/ankle area. I ended up in the WC 100 Jr and had to have significant toe box work done to accommodate my bunion and wide toes, but I finally have a boot I can wear all day without much discomfort and they're tight and stiff enough to race in as well.

 

[Live2SkiGirl]

Thanks Divas!

Great feedback from all of you - thanks. I have had Lange's in the past but it was awhile ago. I'll give them a try as well and see how I do. I think I'm well armed to spend some time pondering boots. (P.S. Interesting that I wasn't the only one with achilles cramp in the Attiva Pro's but I will try all the boots with my custom footbeds.

 

[pinto]

The Lange Freeride 110W is a 98mm wide boot as is the World Cup 120. The only differences between the boots is a women's last in the FR (slightly narrower in the heel) and a rubber boot board, and the 120 is about 10% stiffer than the 110 with a firmer boot board. I think the Attiva Pro is also a 98 mm boot width.

Many of the other boots for women are about 101mm wide at the forefoot, so although more comfortable for many, they are not going to be as responsive edge to edge.

Thanks for the great info! Although I thought the WC fit was 95 mm and the HP fit was 98 mm?

 

[IntheClouds]

If you liked the Nordica Doberman aggressor but bootfitter thought was too stiff, you might want to try the Doberman 100. It has a very fitted heel pocket & flex doesn't seem too stiff. Definately for a narrow to med foot.

 

[sleddog]

The 95 mm volume booot is in the WC150 and WC130. They are both plug boots, so need quite a bit more customization. The WC120 and FR110W are slightly wider, so they are the"HP' fit. The WC130 is also available in the HP fit.

 

[volklgirl]

Keep in mind that it is much easier for a boot fitter to make a slightly too-small or too-stiff boot larger and/or softer, but much more difficult to effectively adjust them the other way.

 

[Elangirl]

So much with boots depends on the type of foot that you've got. I have a medium forefoot but really skinny ankles and heels. Also, my calf is very high, so skinny on the bottom too. (Sigh, I wish Icould say the same about my hips).

I have worn Langes for the last few years which are a great boot for a narrow foot. But, I also have a short leg---I am 5'3" and the new Langes come up too high on my leg. So, I am skiing the Dalbello Kryzma (Charisma) in one size smaller than last year. It is easy to bump the toe out a little bit on them if they feel too tight, but with the smaller size, I have a much better heel fit.

I also have custom footbeds, and boot heaters to stuff in there, but I think it will be okay. Don't worry about the brands---just look for boots that fit your foot----and that is where a good bootfitter enters into the picture. It will save lots of time and effort to just go to where a good bootfitter works---he will suggest some boots for you.

 

[pinto]

The 95 mm volume booot is in the WC150 and WC130. They are both plug boots, so need quite a bit more customization. The WC120 and FR110W are slightly wider, so they are the"HP' fit. The WC130 is also available in the HP fit.

Thanks very much. I no longer feel confused.

 

[Jilly]

The Salomon boot has a 98mm last. My question is where was the tongue bothering you? There is a 3D buckle that you might need to move up or down on the forefoot.

 

[Little Lightning]

How do you find out the width of the last?

My boot fitter thought the new Head's I bought were to wide for me. He said I have a classic Lange foot and would be better off in the jr. racing boot or my old Lange L8's. He did not want me in a newer adult model Lange, too wide.

But I thought the Head's felt good to me except for the cuff being too high which can be shaved lower.

 

[sleddog]

My son-in-law is the buyer for the local shop where I had been the asst. manager. He's got all of the info on last width and in Lange's case it's printed in their brochure that's available at the dealer. Some of the manufacturer's put a "cheat sheet" sticker on their boots which gives width and flex, which is only comparable between boots of the same manufacturer - so you can't compare flex of say a Lange vs. Nordica by flex numbers on the boot.