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Softening Boots?

MissySki

Angel Diva
I’ve had my current boots for around 5 years now, they are Lange RS 110 SC. Warmer days are better, colder days more difficult to flex obviously. I’m feeling a lot of trouble pressuring my tips this year, regardless of the ski I’m on unless I’m going fast and skiing aggressively. This isn’t how I ski most of the time, I’m more finesse than hard charging. I lost around 12lbs. since last season, so I’m not sure if that could be contributing to the issue I’m feeling?? Seems like it shouldn’t make such a difference, but I’m not sure what else has changed.

I wasn’t really thinking about my boots being my issue. I always assume it’s something I’m doing versus equipment if I’m having some problem with my skiing. However, my instructor brought it up yesterday asking what my boot’s flex is. He thinks it’s possible they are too stiff for my size and skiing style. I can flex them when standing still outside, but not all that much. The group I’m in right now is focusing on a lot of technical skiing like firm bumps and will get into a lot more ungroomed stuff and steep tree areas once there is more snow. We’ll be in a lot of hairy places I haven’t skied at Sunday River yet (a lot I’m being told about isn’t on the trail map, and some are but I haven’t ventured into them previously) which is exciting and also a little scary haha. It’s the all mountain group whose mantra is to ski all terrain regardless of conditions. This is my goal so right up my alley, though I’m still a little apprehensive about it. The instructor says I’m very technically sound and a strong enough skier to go anywhere they’ll go (we’ll see when he sees me in trees lol), but I’d like to feel like I can flex and absorb the terrain better than I am right now before we start adventuring too much.

Anyway, I’m wondering what I can do to experiment with trying to soften my boots some without it being permanent. I’m planning on new boots next season because my bootfitter is in VT and I don’t want to deal with travel restrictions etc to go there right now, so hoping I can make due this year without getting completely sucked into a new boot saga.

I know I can take a bolt out of the back of my boots to try and soften them some, does it matter if it is the top or bottom screw that you remove though? Would a Booster strap help at all? I’ve even thought perhaps I could try some small heel lifts I have to give myself more leverage to flex, but I hesitate to go that route because heel lifts are usually quite disastrous for just putting me in the backseat anytime I’ve tried them in the past. Any other ideas or thoughts on what I can try myself on this?
 
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contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yes, the 12 pounds can make a huge difference, yes removing a bolt will help, and yes, get a Booster strap! How have you lived without one??

I can’t remember which bolt you should remove. I believe it’s the bottom one.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
Oh, I like this thread. I keep my boots buckled somewhat loosely because that's what I need to be able to flex them. I ski much better on warm days, too.


and yes, get a Booster strap! How have you lived without one??

Remind me what a booster strap does? I had one on my last boots and know I liked it, but I can't remember why my bootfitter suggested it, and so never got another.
 

snowski/swimmouse

Angel Diva
Boots are always such a serious issue with me. One new pair I skied on two short runs and had to have surgery on both ankles as a result. I've learned to plan for new ones after year 4 as it'll take me a full year to get them thoroughly adjusted. I spent all last season working on the new boots. So, I finally got to ski last week for the first time this season and what did I do? I accidently took the ~old~ boots!!!
:doh::frusty:
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
....I’m feeling a lot of trouble pressuring my tips this year
....I lost around 12 lbs. since last season
....He thinks it’s possible they are too stiff
....The instructor says I’m very technically sound
....I’d like to feel like I can flex and absorb the terrain better
I think you are trying to address two very different functions in your boot. Pressuring the tips is different from absorbing the terrain.

If you are asking your boots to press your ski tips downward against the snow, you need the flex to be stiff. When your boot is stiff and does not flex forward, and you have your shins against the tongue, and you hover your body weight over the front of the skis, your shin will lever forward against the tongue. The boot as a non-flexing unit will consequently press the tip downward. The boot will work as a lever. The stiffer the boot is, the higher the downward force you can direct to the front of the ski by moving your weight forward.
--If the boot flexes when you do this, the boot tongue absorbs your action and diminishes its effectiveness as a lever against the ski tip.
--However, precision skill is needed if the boot does not flex at all. A flexing boot absorbs pilot errors and smooths out the ride. This is why beginner boots have those very low flex numbers, and "expert" boots have high flex numbers.

If you are asking your boot to absorb variations in pressure delivered to it from irregular terrain, then you need the flex to "give." It shouldn't be stiff.
--A Booster strap is elastic; it replaces the non-elastic power strap that comes with the boot. There is no downside to having a Booster strap in place; they come in three strengths.
--Loosening the cuff's buckles gives the skier a lot of control over how much play there is in the forward flex.
--Removing one of the bolts loosens the flex a bit. This will allow the cuff to hinge forward more. I wouldn't remove both.
--Buying a new boot will do it too, but that may be overkill.
--Sometimes the shell's flaps in the front, just below the lower cuff buckle, those flaps that want to pinch your foot, are in the way of the cuff hinging forward. The bottoms of the plastic flaps can be shaved off a bit to allow the cuff to hinge forward better. Use a Dremel to do this; it's easy.

If you want to adjust your boots on the fly so that they can sometimes be stiff and other times soft, just adjust the buckles as needed. And maybe buy a Booster strap.
 
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MissySki

Angel Diva
I think you are trying to address two very different functions in your boot. Pressuring the tips is different from absorbing the terrain.

If you are asking your boots to press your ski tips downward against the snow, you need the flex to be stiff. When your boot is stiff and does not flex forward, and you have your shins against the tongue, and you hover your body weight over the front of the skis, your shin will lever forward against the tongue. The boot as a non-flexing unit will consequently press the tip downward. The boot will work as a lever. The stiffer the boot is, the higher the downward force you can direct to the front of the ski by moving your weight forward.
--If the boot flexes when you do this, the boot tongue absorbs your action and diminishes its effectiveness as a lever against the ski tip.
--However, precision skill is needed if the boot does not flex at all. A flexing boot absorbs pilot errors and smooths out the ride. This is why beginner boots have those very low flex numbers, and "expert" boots have high flex numbers.

If you are asking your boot to absorb variations in pressure delivered to it from irregular terrain, then you need the flex to "give." It shouldn't be stiff.
--A Booster strap is elastic; it replaces the non-elastic power strap that comes with the boot. There is no downside to having a Booster strap in place; they come in three strengths.
--Loosening the cuff's buckles gives the skier a lot of control over how much play there is in the forward flex.
--Removing one of the bolts loosens the flex a bit. This will allow the cuff to hinge forward more. I wouldn't remove both.
--Buying a new boot will do it too, but that may be overkill.
--Sometimes the shell's flaps in the front, just below the lower cuff buckle, those flaps that want to pinch your foot, are in the way of the cuff hinging forward. The bottoms of the plastic flaps can be shaved off a bit to allow the cuff to hinge forward better. Use a Dremel to do this; it's easy.

If you want to adjust your boots on the fly so that they can sometimes be stiff and other times soft, just adjust the buckles as needed. And maybe buy a Booster strap.

This is really interesting and makes me go hmmmmm... My instructor’s comments were regarding absorbing terrain and I myself am adding in what I’m feeling with not being able to pressure the tip of my ski as well when it’s colder out. I didn’t bring this point up with him and probably should have rather than assigning everything to the flex issue.

Your comments made me also think of more things to add that may be relevant. The reason I’m thinking about new boots is because my ankles/heel hold has started to feel looser this season if I don’t clamp down on my buckles more that I’ve had to in the past. Though mind you my ankles are extremely flexible so a little room equals the potential for a lot of perceived movement and feelings of ankle insecurity. I tried adding the typical c pads to snug things back up, but they were too much and felt really painful so I removed them (I’m kind of the princess and the pea when it comes to adding things to my boots..). The other alternative has been to clamp down on my lower cuff buckle more which gets me feeling secure in that area again. I haven’t maxed out the buckle, but I don’t think I could go much tighter than I am now without putting my foot to sleep. I’m wondering if clamping down there is also causing less ability for that portion of my boot to flex as you mentioned with the plastic overlap? I’m in a 23.5 and have heard that smaller sizes sometimes have that issue more than larger? Going along on buckles, the top one is quite loose, and then I try to tighten the booster strap as much as possible. Everything feels nice in my boot like a firm handshake for the most part. I’m sized down due to a very low instep and super skinny heel/ankle to begin with. So I don’t want to give the impression that the fit is sloppy because it’s not, it just feels that the ankle has started to pack out a tad which I think makes sense at this point.

So, should I try loosening my lower cuff buckle? Or will that just be counterproductive of it makes my ankle and instep feel sloppy? I don’t think tightening the top buckle would do much. Is there a way to determine if the overlap of plastic is the issue for flexing forward? I’m not sure how to distinguish if that’s an issue versus the flex itself being too much. Or should I try to keep that buckle tight and loosen the powerstrap? This is making my head spin at the possibilities lol. All of this is making me ponder the flex issue for absorbing terrain, but now I’m more stumped on the feeling of not being able to pressure my tips on groomers as well and how that fits in since they seem like pretty opposing issues the way you laid them out more clearly in separate pieces.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Yes, the 12 pounds can make a huge difference, yes removing a bolt will help, and yes, get a Booster strap! How have you lived without one??

I can’t remember which bolt you should remove. I believe it’s the bottom one.

I’m not sure how I’ve lived without one haha. I had a pair on a previous boot, but I guess I didn’t understand the application well enough to realize I should always have them regardless of the boot.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Boots are always such a serious issue with me. One new pair I skied on two short runs and had to have surgery on both ankles as a result. I've learned to plan for new ones after year 4 as it'll take me a full year to get them thoroughly adjusted. I spent all last season working on the new boots. So, I finally got to ski last week for the first time this season and what did I do? I accidently took the ~old~ boots!!!
:doh::frusty:

Oh no, how frustrating! I really really hate dealing with boots.. This is probably a bad attitude to have on my part though since it makes me really resistant to heading to the fitter more often. It doesn’t help that the fitter I like and trust is way out of the way in another state from where I ski..
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I was using Boot Pro at the base of Okemo...

I go to Totem Pole, near Okemo as well. Which doesn’t work out so easily when I live in MA and ski in ME most of the time haha. I really like working with Torin there though, he’s a pedorthist and has done wonders for my boots fitting pain free, though I’ve never started with a picking a brand new boot with him and want to next time. He has just fixed issues for me that others couldn’t resolve in boots I already had.
 

contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The more days I get in my Rossi ZJ (92mm last boot, 120 flex!) the more I am understanding why the fore/aft balance is probably more important than any. Whether it's extra cold or not, it's much easier to adapt to the change in boot stiffness without fussing a ton with the cuff buckles. In fact, I am getting some looseness in my right foot, probably because I'm in an Intuition liner and it's packed a bit, but because my stance is good, and my upper cuffs are snug, I still can stand centered and STAY centered. I'll probably just replace the liners every season.

I'm sure many of you have read or heard the same thing--get the fore/aft dialed and you're 90% there. But getting it dialed is NOT easy! I have a 3mm toe shim on my boot sole. I'm in a 22.5 boot (263mm) and am hyper-mobile in my ankles, so it's possible that I'm extra sensitive to the fore/aft alignment. I also think there is something to the Lange/Rossi Dual Core shells. There's a compliant smoothness to the flex that I haven't felt in other boots.

A Booster allows for a more progressive feel in the flex vs. hitting a stiff piece of nylon.

As to the weight loss--your feet and ankles lose some volume, too. "A millimeter is a mile" in boots. I'd steer you towards some aftermarket liners, but your boots are 5 seasons old, so you're on the cusp of needing new ones anyway. Instead of foam C pads or something similar, layering some duct tape in those problem areas can help snug things down to get you by. Or, since it's the heel cup, some foam on the tongue that goes down towards the instep to push your foot back into the heel pocket more can help. I did this last season prior to getting the ZJ; just got some thinner boot fitting foam with adhesive on one side (since I'm lucky and have access to such things) that wasn't super dense, then cut it in the shape of the tongue of the boot. http://svst.com/Boots/Foam-Boot-Fitting-Aids/Boot-Foam-1-8X42X36-Soft.html Looks like you can order some from Tognar: https://www.tognar.com/ski-and-snowboard-boot-fitting-foam-10-x-10/ The key is you have to cut it to follow the curve of your instep into your boot. I had removable tongues at the time, so took them out and traced the foam to the tongue. It doesn't need to go to the top of the tongue, but ideally it will reach to the top buckle. I can take pictures of it later if you'd like.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
....So, should I try loosening my lower cuff buckle? Or will that just be counterproductive of it makes my ankle and instep feel sloppy? ....
....some foam on the tongue that goes down towards the instep to push your foot back into the heel pocket more can help. I did this last season prior to getting the ZJ; just got some thinner boot fitting foam with adhesive on one side (since I'm lucky and have access to such things) that wasn't super dense, then cut it in the shape of the tongue of the boot. http://svst.com/Boots/Foam-Boot-Fitting-Aids/Boot-Foam-1-8X42X36-Soft.html Looks like you can order some from Tognar: https://www.tognar.com/ski-and-snowboard-boot-fitting-foam-10-x-10/
Try this, @MissySki. It will fill the small slop in front of the lowest part of your shin, where the leg exits upward from the foot. You will not feel the need to tighten that lower cuff buckle. You can also use wide sticky-backed velcro, the soft part, cut to shape.

I also have very narrow heels/ankles, extremely low volume flat feet. I've dealt with this issue. In previous too-high-volume boots I've clamped that buckle so tightly that it hurts hurts hurts, just trying to get control of the ski. Not good. Fill the space with some nice happy substance instead of clamping the plastic tight.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
The more days I get in my Rossi ZJ (92mm last boot, 120 flex!) the more I am understanding why the fore/aft balance is probably more important than any. Whether it's extra cold or not, it's much easier to adapt to the change in boot stiffness without fussing a ton with the cuff buckles. In fact, I am getting some looseness in my right foot, probably because I'm in an Intuition liner and it's packed a bit, but because my stance is good, and my upper cuffs are snug, I still can stand centered and STAY centered. I'll probably just replace the liners every season.

I'm sure many of you have read or heard the same thing--get the fore/aft dialed and you're 90% there. But getting it dialed is NOT easy! I have a 3mm toe shim on my boot sole. I'm in a 22.5 boot (263mm) and am hyper-mobile in my ankles, so it's possible that I'm extra sensitive to the fore/aft alignment. I also think there is something to the Lange/Rossi Dual Core shells. There's a compliant smoothness to the flex that I haven't felt in other boots.

As much as I hate to admit it, and have tried to convince myself otherwise due to my never ending boot issues of the past.. I definitely believe that my fore aft alignment needs assessment and fixing. Probably my right leg needs to be aligned laterally as well since that leg A-frames again (one of the things we had actually fixed in my last pair of boots with a toe lift for leg length discrepancy and having it adjusted to some different angle versus my left leg.) After the previous multi year long struggle of trying to make a couple of boots work and constantly being in the shop trying new things literally almost every week I just got so fed up. It made me start to really dislike skiing because it felt more like a job than fun, very discouraging. My current boots fit great out of the box except for my forefoot (always an issue due to wide forefoot and super skinny low volume everything else) that we fixed so I really took a hard stand on not doing more work on them because I was so scared to go back down the rabbit hole. Seemed like once I started last time it went on forever with no good conclusion and I HATED it.

All of that being said, I'm a much stronger skier now than I was then and skiing a lot more technical terrain than what I used to as well, so I was planning to bite the bullet and let my fitter go to town when I go in for new boots to address my alignment and balance issues. I've also been questioning whether it's good or bad that I'm in a short cuffed boot. Now that I'm skiing more complicated stuff, the last thing I want to be focused on is whether difficulties are coming from me or my boots. I know there is plenty to work on with my technique in these areas as well so the boots being an issue just throws a wrench in things and probably has me compensating in different ways. I was just hoping to get through this season without new boots due to complications of traveling to VT during Covid currently. Also at this point I assume inventory will be somewhat lacking in my size.

I think our feet are quite similar except for my wide forefoot. Also have the hypermobile ankles working against me..

As to the weight loss--your feet and ankles lose some volume, too. "A millimeter is a mile" in boots. I'd steer you towards some aftermarket liners, but your boots are 5 seasons old, so you're on the cusp of needing new ones anyway. Instead of foam C pads or something similar, layering some duct tape in those problem areas can help snug things down to get you by. Or, since it's the heel cup, some foam on the tongue that goes down towards the instep to push your foot back into the heel pocket more can help. I did this last season prior to getting the ZJ; just got some thinner boot fitting foam with adhesive on one side (since I'm lucky and have access to such things) that wasn't super dense, then cut it in the shape of the tongue of the boot. http://svst.com/Boots/Foam-Boot-Fitting-Aids/Boot-Foam-1-8X42X36-Soft.html Looks like you can order some from Tognar: https://www.tognar.com/ski-and-snowboard-boot-fitting-foam-10-x-10/ The key is you have to cut it to follow the curve of your instep into your boot. I had removable tongues at the time, so took them out and traced the foam to the tongue. It doesn't need to go to the top of the tongue, but ideally it will reach to the top buckle. I can take pictures of it later if you'd like.

That makes a lot of sense, I wasn't thinking of the weight loss as being enough to potentially have an impact on boot fit. I was just thinking perhaps I didn't have as much weight to drive things forward. This could definitely be what is causing things to feel looser though, that would explain why everything feels so comfortable suddenly this season in my feet! haha For my forefoot that's a good thing, feels utterly perfect whereas in the ankles a little extra room is a big issue for us. I started a medication over the summer that also acts as a diuretic, so the weight loss mostly happened from that very quickly and would certainly make sense in feet where things can fluctuate with fluid retention and loss.

I am definitely open to trying the tongue foam idea. Isn't there also some tongue shaped thing you can buy for this purpose that can be added to your boot? Feel like I've seen that around on the forum recently, though likely more expensive than this fine option. This seems like an easy thing to try to start. I definitely won't say no to pictures, I'm far from a DIY person with this stuff but I do think this one seems easy enough for me to accomplish.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
....I've also been questioning whether it's good or bad that I'm in a short cuffed boot.
I think our feet are quite similar except for my wide forefoot. ....Also have the hypermobile ankles working against me..

Wow. Our feet sound so similar. Hypermobile, very low volume, flat instep, super narrow at the heel and somewhat wide at the ball-of-foot.

The reason the cuffs on women's boots are shorter than on men's has to do with male vs female anatomy.

Below is the calf anatomy you'll find in all anatomical illustrations. The red bulge of the gastrocnemius is massive and high on the lower leg. There's plenty of room for a tall boot cuff to snug itself up against the narrow part of this leg.

This is male anatomy.

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, it's almost impossible to find a similar illustration of a female calf. Half of human beings are female, but the illustrations of "normal" anatomy are almost always of male anatomy. Go figure.

The gastrocnemius on a woman's lower leg extends downward more that of a man. Well, normally, since there are always exceptions. So on women the narrow part of the lower leg is normally shorter than on men. That narrow part is where the boot cuff needs to snug up against the lower leg. So boot manufacturers make women's boots with shorter cuffs.

If you purchase a boot with the cuff too high for your personal anatomy, the cuff will clinch tightly at the top where your bulging gastrocs are, but leave air space below closer to your ankle. You'll need to fill it with something. Tightening the buckles won't work to fill that much space. Zipfit and Intuition liners can do that - but they are expensive.

In uni-sex race boots I don't know what is done to deal with this issue. Maybe someone here knows.

Check the height of your calf muscles in a mirror. Stand on your toes to get the muscles to contract so you can see them. Then you'll see how high the narrow part of your lower leg extends. You'll know how high a cuff you can wear without added fill for the lowest part. This is especially critical in people with low volume feet, since that lower leg area is usually very tiny in diameter.

how-to-rehab-calf-strains-in-runners-clean.jpg
 
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MissySki

Angel Diva
Wow. Our feet sound so similar. Hypermobile, very low volume, flat instep, super narrow at the heel and somewhat wide at the ball-of-foot.

The reason the cuffs on women's boots are shorter than on men's has to do with male vs female anatomy.

Below is the calf anatomy you'll find in all anatomical illustrations. The red bulge of the gastrocnemius is massive and high on the lower leg. There's plenty of room for a tall boot cuff to snug itself up against the narrow part of this leg.

This is male anatomy.

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, it's almost impossible to find a similar illustration of a female calf. Half of human beings are female, but the illustrations of "normal" anatomy are almost always of male anatomy. Go figure.

The gastrocnemius on a woman's lower leg extends downward more that of a man. Well, normally, since there are always exceptions. So on women the narrow part of the lower leg is normally shorter than on men. That narrow part is where the boot cuff needs to snug up against the lower leg. So boot manufacturers make women's boots with shorter cuffs.

If you purchase a boot with the cuff too high for your personal anatomy, the cuff will clinch tightly at the top where your bulging gastrocs are, but leave air space below closer to your ankle. You'll need to fill it with something. Tightening the buckles won't work to fill that much space. Zipfit and Intuition liners can do that - but they are expensive.

In uni-sex race boots I don't know what is done to deal with this issue. Maybe someone here knows.

Check the height of your calf muscles in a mirror. Stand on your toes to get the muscles to contract so you can see them. Then you'll see how high the narrow part of your lower leg extends. You'll know how high a cuff you can wear without added fill for the lowest part. This is especially critical in people with low volume feet, since that lower leg area is usually very tiny in diameter.

how-to-rehab-calf-strains-in-runners-clean.jpg


I need to pay attention to this next time I'm up north with my boots, now I wish I had them at home! My Langes are specifically the short cuff design while I also have an Atomic hybrid boot for AT that are a "normal" height female boot and also seem to work fine on my leg. I'm curious to try them both on and compare where they fall in comparison to my calf muscle now, and to also pay attention on whether I have any dead space lower down as you mentioned on the Atomics. The Atomics are not fit as snugly as my downhill boots and are actually my "correct size" of a 24.5 for length because I didn't want to torture my feet trying to skin uphill with such a close sized down fit. They have a more forward lean and I was wondering if that and the taller cuff were helping me feel more balanced in them when I've skied them. They are also a 95 flex though so much softer than my downhill boot. I've only skied them a handful of times since I haven't skinned much yet, and perhaps isn't comparing apples to apples given the difference in size, flex, and fit.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Wow. Our feet sound so similar. Hypermobile, very low volume, flat instep, super narrow at the heel and somewhat wide at the ball-of-foot.

Hmm they DO sound very similar. Who do you use for a bootfitter, and are they close to where you normally ski at Bretton Woods? It sounds like you have good luck now with boots, or more that you are very knowledgeable about what you need now and have a good fitter you work with versus luck. That wouldn't be a horrible trip over from Sunday river sometime if I can't get this all worked out on my own soon.
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I know there is a lot of hate for Surefoot, but I recently went to Surefoot in Killington and I'm in the best boot setup I've ever had. After dumping WAY more money than I care to admit into boots over the past five years to no avail. I have super low volume feet, low-low instep, and hyper mobile feet and ankles (EDS). I mean, I can clap my feet with my legs straight. It was $$$ but I got the full setup with new footbeds, foam liner, alignment correction, in a Lange ZJ. If you can swing the $$$, it might be worth a shot. You don't have to do the full setup, you can just do a new boot, footbeds, or just a liner in your current boot, or whatever.

I had some of the old Lange RX 110 LV boots, and those things turned into concrete when it got cold. I couldn't flex them for the life of me, and I'm reasonably athletic. My current boot is 120 flex (so they say) and I can flex it FAR more than that old Lange.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I know there is a lot of hate for Surefoot, but I recently went to Surefoot in Killington and I'm in the best boot setup I've ever had. After dumping WAY more money than I care to admit into boots over the past five years to no avail. I have super low volume feet, low-low instep, and hyper mobile feet and ankles (EDS). I mean, I can clap my feet with my legs straight. It was $$$ but I got the full setup with new footbeds, foam liner, alignment correction, in a Lange ZJ. If you can swing the $$$, it might be worth a shot. You don't have to do the full setup, you can just do a new boot, footbeds, or just a liner in your current boot, or whatever.

I had some of the old Lange RX 110 LV boots, and those things turned into concrete when it got cold. I couldn't flex them for the life of me, and I'm reasonably athletic. My current boot is 120 flex (so they say) and I can flex it FAR more than that old Lange.


I'm so happy to hear that you are having such a good experience, I can definitely relate to putting way too much time and money into ski boots in the past. I'm pretty willing to spend almost anything on a boot setup that will get rid of these issues! Only problem is that you never know if it will or not until you commit. I've had some other friends who did Surefoot in the past, and at the time I think flew to another part of the country for it, they were very happy with the outcome.

It's really interesting to me that both you and @contesstant are in the ZJ and singing its praises, with a lot of similarities in our feet/issues it sounds like.. Though you're in Surefoot and she's not. The shell sounds like it needs to be on my radar. @contesstant you said you're in an intuition liner, but you've tried other customizable solutions in the past as well. What made you go with Intuition this time versus the others?

I've never really looked into Surefoot for myself, I had thought about Zipfit and Bootdoc liners since they come up a lot but I don't think there are a lot of options near where I ski for all of these things. Perhaps I need to do more research though as I haven't done a ton of looking into it in recent times.
 

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