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Time for new Ski Boots


Papasteeze

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Time for new boots - the linings in my Dabellas after 100+ days are compressed and feel shot! Every pair of boots I have had - I or a shop or both have added inserts, ground plastic and added padding to make them fit "right". I thought I found the boot for me a couple of weeks ago until I trudged around the store for an hour....

 

This time, I am thinking shell and a custom liner molded specfically to my foot and ankle or modifying a "soft" boot. Remember, I am an all mountain skier, including standing around not skiing, just watching type of skier.

 

My questions are:

 

Who do you reccomend for custom work.

 

How much should I expect to pay.

 

Can those electric warmer things be incorporated?

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For custom work on ski boots the only place I ever go to is Nestors. The boots are the most important thing and I want them done right and Nestors is one of Americas Best Boot Fitters. They know exactly what to do and I never had any problems with them. I only buy ski boots at Nestors and get work done on them at Nestors.

 

For the price is will depend on what they do to them and how much labor was involoved.

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Wow, how much room is there behind your foot when you take out the lining? 100 days is NOTHING.

 

The last pair of boots I got lasted more like 500 days (maybe 14 years). (Just guessing). This pair has got to be at close to that (10 years and another 500 days) and still going strong.

 

When my boots got compacted, all I added was a custom footbed and it was like I got a new boot. I have to admit I am now looking at an additional foot bed with a heel stabilizer, but that's about it.

 

I HATE GETTING NEW BOOTS, it's such a crapshoot.

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Also, I've found that if you have a "Raichle foot" or a "Nordica foot", you probably need to stick with that brand. I have a Raichle foot. Guess what, they don't make boots anymore. I went to Salomon and after hours and hours of shop tryons, found that I couldn't really stand in them all day (arch too high) without on-mountain modifications. It was almost the whole season before I got them right. I own tons of things to stick in your boots at this point.

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Crap shoot it is, no doubt. I too have all kinds of stuff stuffed in the boot. I am hoping I am smarter now. yeah right.. My linings are shot it may not be the number of outings but the number of hours. we are first on - last off kind of skiers. The linings are compressed and the fabric is worn - I noticed that my feet got a lot colder this year, but thats probably the high blood pressure, poor circulation, getting older thing..

 

I listened to the owner of Salter's speak once, I think I still have his literature. His concepts seem sound, its just that I have heard good and bad. I am also going to take a hard look at the soft boot tonight..

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Rob, it sounds like its mostly your liner thats a problem. Ever think about just getting a new liner? If you are looking into footbeds surefoot probably does the best job on them (and will give you a foam liner fitted to your foot. But the closest surefoot is in NYC.

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Rob, it sounds like its mostly your liner thats a problem.  Ever think about just getting a new liner?  If you are looking into footbeds surefoot probably does the best job on them (and will give you a foam liner fitted to your foot.  But the closest surefoot is in NYC.

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I seriously considered the surefoot thing from you. not the thing for me, maybe Ridge. I need the whole package. Yeah I thought about new liners but I have beat the Dalbello to hey and back. Besides, for all the gear I bought last season, I didn't get me anything and I do have a Birthday coming up and the GF knows thats what I want.

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go check out nestors once they get the ski stuff out again. as long as there are a good amount of boots in stock, they will find something and make it fit for you. also, make sure you check out a new pair of lange's. as of right now, they probably have the best liner out of anyone, its super customizable, comfortable, and it doesnt pack out nearly as much as anyone else's does, so they will last you well beyond 100 days. i've been on mine 60+ and they are just as snug as when i first wore them in the shop.

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go check out nestors once they get the ski stuff out again. as long as there are a good amount of boots in stock, they will find something and make it fit for you. also, make sure you check out a new pair of lange's. as of right now, they probably have the best liner out of anyone, its super customizable, comfortable, and it doesnt pack out nearly as much as anyone else's does, so they will last you well beyond 100 days. i've been on mine 60+ and they are just as snug as when i first wore them in the shop.

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I have been a fan of Nestors for my kids going on 6 years now however, not so much a fan for me. Who up there should I ask for?

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Rob, trudging around a store for an hour, your feet SHOULD hurt. hell, I started the season off putting my boots on the lightest setting and after 5 minutes, they'd start to go numb ('dude had the same thing). The first day hurt like a biotch (including a mid-mountain foot removal) but you know, by the end of the season, I was cranking them down to the 2nd or 3rd buckle, and micro-adjusting for the perfect fit, and I think i found it, and i have werid ass feet (two different sizes, almsot a complete size apart) and Nestors did a great job finding me the right boot. They're stock boots, nontheless, just molded the foam a few times at home to get the right fit.

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Ahem, here are the stats on each set of boots:

1978-1989  500,000  vertical feet (this a guess for these years)	
1990  408,800  	
1991  403,600  	
1992  554,400  	
1993  643,400  	
1994  432,620  	
1995  432,670  	
1996  612,787  	
1997  600,725  	
1998  620,772  	
 5,209,774 vertical feet    end of first set of boots	
1999  498,210  	
2000  457,855  	
2001  976,050  	
2002  523,090  	
2003  522,260  	
2004  1,500,005  	
2005  1,200,042  	
 5,677,512 vertical feet    second set of boots still fine

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I don't mean to start up a flame war... but even if rob only put in 1 vertical foot per day and you put in a couple thousand in a few hours, he's still spending all day at the mountain. Reguardless of how many feet he puts in during the day he is still in the boots for around 12 hours (sidenote to Jeff... maybe why he needs them to fell good ;) ). No offsense to you sib, but from the stats I've seen, your not putting in 12 hour days. Of coarse at some point.... the hours from several years sking a bit each day catch up with one or two years of spending all day at the mountain. I'm not sure where that crossover point is.

 

So to rob... it seems there is some doubt as to whether you REALLY need new boots. Of coarse there is only so much we can tell without seeing the condition of the boots (from my recollection they were pretty beat, but then again, that was a couple months ago and I'm a snowboarder). Maybe its best (if money is a concern at all) to check with a non-biased equipment specialist (aka not someone who is going to sell you your next pair of boots).

 

Just some thoughts.

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I really got to get a new digital.. they are so beat, you would think they are rentals. It's funny now that I look at them, I am looking at my boots in whole different light (literally) since it summer. :blink:

 

I mean, now I can tell where the pressure points are by the compression of the padding compared to area up by the cuff which is still soft. I can see all kinds of accerated wear both inside and outside by the chafing. I can see plainly that I am still and old school skier by all the edge marks at my ankles. Bent buckles from trying to slam them shut with who knows what (probably frustration) :huh: I wonder how long I have had the flex on 2 different settings? Oh - thats why.. it's just rotates and doesn't do a thing. Holy cow, many many miles they must have been through CB's parking lot. Its wonder if my binding even release properly, on that note when was the last time I had a binding check? The rubber on the bottom of the liner is almost solid hot glue. You know - I can get another season outa them! I just some new chit so I got something to complain about! :yes

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...he's still spending all day at the mountain.

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I can sure vouch for the unwavering obsession Sib has for racking up runs and feet and miles...and I'll bet Sib has spent more time than anyone standing around in her ski boots, not just watching races, but watching practices, too (we used to catch hell from the girls for that).

 

What Sib does to boots is what that woman in the Columbia ski jacket commercial does to her husband and the jackets...

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Cat-tracks...

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Yep. Or old shoes you don't mind losing. I often give people crap for walking from the lot in their boots. You're really screwing with the binding contact points...like using your binding to kick snow off your ski boots....use your pole instead.

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Yep. Or old shoes you don't mind losing. I often give people crap for walking from the lot in their boots. You're really screwing with the binding contact points...like using your binding to kick snow off your ski boots....use your pole instead.

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blah blah, you gave me that speech at Camelback. :P But at Blue I'm really close to the snow, so I just put them on at the car. :P

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And I remember a pre-release you had on a Montage diamond :yes

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That wasn't a pre-release, i didn't lose a ski, unless I'm not remembering it right. It was on boomer, I just lost my balance, it was right after I had adjusted my bindings forward, which requires much more balance, and I just leaned over too far and hard while not keeping the pressure in the right places, that's why i slid all the way down :D

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That wasn't a pre-release, i didn't lose a ski, unless I'm not remembering it right.  It was on boomer, I just lost my balance, it was right after I had adjusted my bindings forward, which requires much more balance, and I just leaned over too far and hard while not keeping the pressure in the right places, that's why i slid all the way down  :D

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Right. Probably was me. Eh, and maybe a different day. But walking across the lot in ski boots is still a bad thing...

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