All this talk of skiing has got me thinking of boots.....
Discussion
It's my fourth winter here in Austria and we've already got snow (albeit a light dashing), in my local resort about an hour down the road.
This is usually a good sign for the winter I've been told but you can honestly never tell.
I'm doing away with my intermediates this year and I'll be renting to see what suits me best. The only thing I'm after right now would be a pair of good boots.
What can the PH pro's recommend? I've got a budget of about £300-£350 and I've got about 3 years of experience with about 10 weeks of skiing under my belt so I'd say I'm an intermediate skier.
I managed to ski one of the steepest mogul runs in Europe last year in Obertauern. The Gamsleiten 2, and I'd like to start pushing myself further this year.
I've not done much off-piste, but I plan to do lessons this year and learn how it's done, plus I'd really like to concentrate on my carving.
Any suggestions?
This is usually a good sign for the winter I've been told but you can honestly never tell.
I'm doing away with my intermediates this year and I'll be renting to see what suits me best. The only thing I'm after right now would be a pair of good boots.
What can the PH pro's recommend? I've got a budget of about £300-£350 and I've got about 3 years of experience with about 10 weeks of skiing under my belt so I'd say I'm an intermediate skier.
I managed to ski one of the steepest mogul runs in Europe last year in Obertauern. The Gamsleiten 2, and I'd like to start pushing myself further this year.
I've not done much off-piste, but I plan to do lessons this year and learn how it's done, plus I'd really like to concentrate on my carving.
Any suggestions?
Get whatever fit your feet. I went to Ellis Brigham in Covent Garden last year and tried on 6 or seven different pairs. FWIW I ended up with Atomic M80s but several of my friends swear by Salomon boots, and one has Head boots owing to having flipper-shaped feet.
Conformable insoles might also be worth it, certainly some Superfeet footbeds made mine a lot more comfortable.
TC
Conformable insoles might also be worth it, certainly some Superfeet footbeds made mine a lot more comfortable.
TC
Ho hum. As a sweeping generalisation, the Salomon / Rossi / Technica etc all fit different types of feet, so that gives you a starting block. In a nutshell you want something that is comfy, but stiff enough for you to progress. Custom liners are a must, and from there on it, it's down to what you feel comfortable with.
Slush and Rubble / Ellis Brigham et al will sell you whatever they have on their shelves at the time (which could well be right) and will fit them, but for my money I'd either get it in resort (so you can have them tweaked after a day or so of getting used to them) or if you're really getting serious about it then seek out the Austrian equivalent of this lot - www.solutions4feet.com - high-end boots, high-end liners.
Slush and Rubble / Ellis Brigham et al will sell you whatever they have on their shelves at the time (which could well be right) and will fit them, but for my money I'd either get it in resort (so you can have them tweaked after a day or so of getting used to them) or if you're really getting serious about it then seek out the Austrian equivalent of this lot - www.solutions4feet.com - high-end boots, high-end liners.
Its very difficult to reccomend a boot as they all fit such different feet shapes. You really have to try lots of pairs on and keep them on for quite a while. I found it best to buy in resort as some shops will let you try before you buy ie take them out for a days skiing first. Heat fit or custom insoles are a must for maximum comfort and decide whether you want off piste or on piste as the boot will be better at one or another not both.
gingerpaul said:
beanbag said:
I managed to ski one of the steepest mogul runs in Europe last year in Obertauern. The Gamsleiten 2, and I'd like to start pushing myself further this year.
And this is what it looked like when he went up the lift...
You nutter.
The conditions could have been better, but more importantly, do you remember that chap being stretchered off as we arrived at the start of the slope!!!????
Edited by beanbag on Tuesday 16th September 15:21
Road2Ruin said:
Its very difficult to reccomend a boot as they all fit such different feet shapes. You really have to try lots of pairs on and keep them on for quite a while.
Yup, if you look at the experience 'grades' that the boots are aimed at there are a few which would do, but some are better than others. I have quite wide feet and didn't get on with some as they pinched my feet. Ended up with Salomon X-Wave which are very good.Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff