Posts Tagged ‘ski boots’
In this part of our learn to ski guide we look at ski boot considerations.
The first consideration with regards to ski boots is how much you budget for them, and the answer is as much as you can afford to. A good ski boot has more bearing on your level of comfort whilst skiing than any other item of equipment or clothing.
Having decided on a budget, you’ll then need to find a boot fitter. Selecting a boot fitter is not something you should wait to do until you reach the resort, or you could find yourself with a long wait, less of a selection, and much higher prices. Look in your local area until you find a fitter who really seems interested in making sure you end up with a boot that you’ll be comfortable with; who will measure your feet and offer recommendations for a better fit, and will also examine your feet to determine how you move and what your range of flexibility is.
Talk to other skiers to find out which fitters they prefer. Leave enough time to select your boots, it’s not something you can do in less than an hour. Providing honest details to your fitter goes a long way towards getting you into the right boot. Your fitter needs to know what your proficiency level is, and how often you will be using your boots, as these things are important in order to keep you from purchasing a boot that hurts your ability to learn to ski.
It’s important that the new boots start off relatively snug and firm as over their life they’ll pack out around 20%. Your boot is something that will change as your experience changes; because when you have more experience you will be more conscious of response and precision, something that a shorter, tighter boot can accomplish, even though when you’re first starting out, you will likely prefer a more generous, lengthy fit in your boot.
Don’t expect walking around in your new boots to break them in – it really doesn’t affect any positive benefit and won’t give you a clue as to how they’ll feel in skis. Don’t be surprised if your boots cause your toes to go numb or tingle after about ten minutes or so without skiing in them – that happens with boots that fit well.
While wearing your boots on the slopes the first few days, you may find them to be uncomfortable, causing you to wonder if your fitter really knew what they were doing – don’t despair, you can expect your boots to be uncomfortable for a few days until you ski in them for awhile, at which point they will adjust to you and you will adjust to them.
Salomon have a great history of designing and producing ski boots, going back to 1947 when Francois Salomon and son first started the company. Since then the company has grown immeasurably, producing bindings, skis, clothing and of course the ski boots for which it is perhaps most renowned.
As with other ski boot manufacturers, Salomon have a different line of boots to suit different requirements. The All Mountain range is aimed the general skier and the majority of the boots they make fall into this category. The Mission RS 12 is one such boot and is a very popular choice, with all the usual features you would expect from a top quality boot, such as breathable liners and a wide strap at the top. Another option in this range is the Falcon CS Pro, which allows for ajustment of the shell for optimum performance.
With the growing popularity of free skiing, Salomon have a range specifically for these skiers. The Ghost boot was developed in consultation with professional free skiers to ensure all the requirements were met for this type of skier. The liner in this boot is more comfortable around the toe area and the lacing system help keep the foot in place. These boots tend to be a little higher in price but do offer a higher level of comfort for the free skier.
Finally in the Salomon ski range there is the Racing/Sport category, which is for the serious skier or professional. The boots in this range do command a high price but tick all the boxes for a professional skier. For example the foot position within these boots is designed so that the perfect race skiing position is more readily achieved. The shell is also customisable to further tweak the race position and the buckles are contructed from titanium for maximum durability but very little weight.
The company have of course developed snowboard products more recently and continue to be one of the big players in the development of new and innovative products from clothing and protective equipment right through to piste fashion.