Help Needed: That thorny boot size and flex question again!

[jo-belle]

Hi guys,

I'm a kiwi in the states at the moment hoping to pick up a good deal on a pair of boots - Langes specifically as I love their fit, however I have had my old boots for way longer than I care to mention and I feel that they are half a size too small. As I want to go skiing next week in Canada I'm trying to get this sorted asap!

Height: 5'9"
Weight: 145 pounds (approx)
Level: 7 ish skier
Skis: 174cm Atomic Whiteouts
Days: Ski about 10-20 days a year.
Shoe size: US womens 9, narrow feet.

Type of field I ski are what we call club fields, ungroomed with a variety of terrain but definitely enjoy and want to manage the steeps better.
Snow is heavy wet powder mostly and once it gets cut up I find it a bit of cow to initiate turns. Which may be a whole bunch of things which I'm not looking for answers on today

My old boots were Lange Althea mid 5.6 (I think) in size 25.5 and when I first put them on they feel firm all over and my toes hit the end without scrunching. But after a day of skiing I find that my toes have been hitting the end of the boot and ache. I also have to slowly increase the tightness of the boot (re-latching buckles tighter etc) over the first couple of hours else my toes go numb.

What I'm wondering is:
1. are these boots just too packed down and I'm sliding (though they feel tight from the start...)
2. are they too soft flex wise for the steeps
3. would I benefit from a size 26
4. looking at either the Lange exclusive 90 or 80 and don't really know what the difference in flex translates to for me and my type of skiing.

Any help that can be provided would be much appreciated!

Thanks
Jo

 

[Jilly]

Wow, your Athena's are, I won't say except I had 2 pairs I loved them so much. Had to change to Rossi's, as I couldn't get the Langes at home. Where are you going skiing in Canada? The American $ is really good against the Canadian. Like 25%. So the US$ goes further. Someone may know a good bootfitter.

Also your boots should be packed out by now. Why do you think they are too small. If anything they're too big!

Take a look at some of the freeride boots. If you're doing alot of skiing "off piste" or in the rough stuff a conventional boot and a race type boot may not be for you!

 

[jo-belle]

I suspect the Althenas are too small as yes they are now well packed out, they still feel firm when I put them on first thing in the morning and my toes hurt by the end of the day.

I think that maybe when in stance my toes are not pulling away from the end of the boot enough or and this is my concern, that they are too flexible for steeps hence the sore toes, ie the boot is not holding my heel far enough back which by my understanding should be a function of the buckles on the shin of the boot, which I think are tight enough, ie I cant go any tighter without cutting off circulation to my toes and I'm not at the last notch on the buckle.

My understanding of a good intial fit for a ski boot is that your toes should be just touching the end of the boot and that your toes pull away slightly when you go into stance.

I'm not a complete comfort maven as I do rock climb and understand the trade off between comfort and performance. I can stand achey feet but this toe thing is just downright unpleasant.

 

[jo-belle]

I tried the Lange exlusive FR 80 and it seemed too flexible to me, just super spongy on the lean forward.

Hopefully skiing at Kicking Horse as I have a friend there!

 

[volklgirl]

What I'm wondering is:
1. are these boots just too packed down and I'm sliding (though they feel tight from the start...)
2. are they too soft flex wise for the steeps
3. would I benefit from a size 26
4. looking at either the Lange exclusive 90 or 80 and don't really know what the difference in flex translates to for me and my type of skiing.

Any help that can be provided would be much appreciated!

Thanks
Jo

1. Yes - too packed out and too big all the way around, I suspect. Are you fully seating your heel into the heel pocket before buckling the boot?
2. Quite possibly the exact opposite. The Anthea has a definite stop point in its flex which may be forcing your leg and foot to slide around. Also, the flex hinge point of that boot is in a rather odd place. If it doesn't match the hinge point of your ankle, that too could be causing the slide.
3. NO!!
4. Go with the 90 if the Exclusive fits your foot. The Exclusive line is quite a bit softer than other Langes of the same flex rating.

If you truly have a narrow foot overall, you may want to try the Lange World Cup series or the Nordica Dobermann series instead. You may find the Exclusive's forefoot to be way too wide.

the boot is not holding my heel far enough back which by my understanding should be a function of the buckles on the shin of the boot, which I think are tight enough, ie I cant go any tighter without cutting off circulation to my toes and I'm not at the last notch on the buckle.

This really suggests a bad fit for your leg and foot size/shape.

 

[jo-belle]

Thank you heaps for this!

I went and tried on some Exclusive 70's today and the Lange Banshee. They only had these two Langes available in my size. Every other boot they fitted me into including Dalbello, Atomic and Salomon just hurt my toes and felt too sloppy in the forefoot and around the cuff.

The Exclusive fit like a glove in a 25.5 and this was what the guy fitted me into though I said I was open to being re-sized either way if he thought 25.5 was incorrect. The Banshee felt like I had a bit too much play in the forefoot and was definitely less comfortable on the shin than the 70 though the higher cuff on it was nice as I have noticed a bit of a tendency to lean back too far in the crud. Overall though I noticed some difference in flex between them in the store, it wasn't as noticeable as I imagined it would be. Though loading them up on the steeps would probably show.

I think width wise the Exclusives were a good fit, no sideways movement and no bashing toes! Plus the heel felt way more secure.

 

[veggielasagna]

Did you try on any other sizes in the Lange..? If they have it available I would really recommend trying the next size down as well. I wear a 9 and ski in a 24.5. They will likely feel tight in the store and for a bit on the hill, but a properly fit shell will keep you from getting that "packed out" feeling so much...they'll just fit instead of being too big.

-veggielasagna

 

[jo-belle]

He didn't fit me in anything smaller, he did measure my feet and shell fit me on every boot though and I really am quite uncomfortable with having my toes feel pressured against the end of the boot while in stance which is what all the other boots were doing.

I will see if I can't find a boot smaller to try, but I think given the number of days I ski it may not be worth it for me to trade off that last piece of comfort for performance.

 

[frenchgirl]

I was just fitted for new boots. I wear a 8 81/2 and my boots are a size 24. That said all boots are differents. But in the store my toes were pressed in the front, even when I tried the liner alone without the shell. The boots will pack out and the bootfitter said he can make a boot bigger but not a big one smaller. I would try to go down 1/2 size and also different models within the same brand fit differently too.

 

[veggielasagna]

Sounds like you found your boot then : ) Glad to hear a shell fit was done, so it sounds like you're in the right size for that model. Be sure to report back how you like them when they break in a bit Happy skiing!

-veggielasagna

 

[jo-belle]

Can I just say a big thank you to everyone who took the time to reply, this was my first post and I gotta say you guys rock!

Will update after bought and used!