2020 Atomic Savor: Could a Rear-Entry Boot Be the Most Important Product for This Coming Season?

[jmeb]

As someone who came of skiing age post tear entries can someone school me: are these notably easier on/off than 3 piece designs? Or simpler?

3 piece designs are available in a wide variety of lasts and flexes. Frankly always been surprised they aren’t more popular for those who prioritize comfort, and ease on/off. And more popular for rental fleets. I do miss how easy it was to get into mine, and they were a near pound lighter per foot than most alpine boots.

 

[Philpug]

As someone who came of skiing age post tear entries can someone school me: are these notably easier on/off than 3 piece designs? Or simpler?

Yes and yes.

 

[RuleMiHa]

As someone who came of skiing age post tear entries can someone school me: are these notably easier on/off than 3 piece designs? Or simpler?

3 piece designs are available in a wide variety of lasts and flexes. Frankly always been surprised they aren’t more popular for those who prioritize comfort, and ease on/off. And more popular for rental fleets. I do miss how easy it was to get into mine, and they were a near pound lighter per foot than most alpine boots.

Open boot, stick foot in. Easy Peasy. At least that's how my old rear entries worked. Skied like s*** though.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Open boot, stick foot in. Easy Peasy. At least that's how my old rear entries worked. Skied like s*** though.

But at least my SX92e's matched the colors of my Roffe jacket and hat perfectly. Sorry no pictures, but I think my brother in law still wears my neon pink, black, blue and white jacket to shovel snow.

 

[MarkP]

I look forward to an opportunity to try these on.

Now, Atomic, how about easy to put on socks? For the fit I like, I have difficulty getting mine on some mornings. Early morning (lack of) flexibility has something to do with that.

Perhaps a lace-up sock? Maybe you could get Intuition to develop it for you

 

[BS Slarver]

Smart move Atomic !
Lets face it, the average beginner doesn’t stay in the sport long and the ones that do stay don’t ski all that often so let’s make them comfortable !
The industry needs to retain beginner skiers so what ever it takes to keep them coming back is all good.

Thinking the average beginner plops down more $$$ per day than the icon skiing, brown bagging pugger - we need them as well.

 

[scottyb]

Interdasting.

The new Savor touring boots look pretty good also.

Not enough to make me give up my Mercs tho.

 

[cantunamunch]

Will this bring back perimeter sizing?

 

[dbostedo]

^^^
Explain please.

 

[cantunamunch]

^^^
Explain please.

In the late 80s early 90s - when @mdf's boots were new - Salomon used their own sizing system based on the heel-instep perimeter.

When rear entry boots went away there was absolutely no reason to continue using it.

 

[James]

In the late 80s early 90s - when @mdf's boots were new - Salomon used their own sizing system based on the heel-instep perimeter.

When rear entry boots went away there was absolutely no reason to continue using it.

Well...
This means that when shape skis came there was no reason to use Solomon's "Power Number" for ski length anymore?
Some seem to think that a volume meaurement or instep measurement would still be useful. Frankly, any damn measurement would be useful instead of the secret ones held in vaults, (cabinet in restaraunt), in Northern Italy.

Note to Dave: Solomon Power Numbers were a system invented to "simplify" purchasing of skis. Or say get the appropriate ski to the person. Instead of length, they had numbers. So height, weight, experience/level were put into a table and the power number was secured. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. I think it went up to 8.

Sales people must have been instructed not to convert to cm, because bizarre "who's on first?" conversations would take place. Essentially, they wouldn't tell you how long the damn ski was. So, what you did was pick up a non Solomon ski of say 200cm and place it next to the Solomon ski. That of course would be awkward after the non disclosure conversation. So, before getting near a Solomon, one armed themselves with a measuring stick, your usual size ski.

Afaik, no one bought into this system because wtf, what's so hard about cm?

I suppose that had we gone along with it life really would have been better. Everyone would have had a Power Number tattoo, and the transition to shape skis would have been easier because length in cm didn't matter, the PN did. Just go to your new power number, nevermind it's 15-20cm shorter. Oh, this is my new ski? How cute. Thank god, well Solomon, for Power Numbers because I'd never guess this short thing would work.

Instead, everyone essentially flipped Solomon the bird and moved on.

Swatch attempted a similar thing with "Swatch Time" in the 90's. Basing it on their city in Switzerland instead of Greenwich, England was just another step too far and everyone except Swatch has ignored it since. When's the last news article that quoted Swatch Time?

 

[Philpug]

In the late 80s early 90s - when @mdf's boots were new - Salomon used their own sizing system based on the heel-instep perimeter.

When rear entry boots went away there was absolutely no reason to continue using it.

Actually measuring around the instep should still be done and it is very helpful in a proper boot fit.

 

[Philpug]

Between Volume sizing of boots and Power Ratings on skis...both were pretty brillaint ideas that were just too non comformist for the industry.

 

[RuleMiHa]

In the late 80s early 90s - when @mdf's boots were new - Salomon used their own sizing system based on the heel-instep perimeter.

When rear entry boots went away there was absolutely no reason to continue using it.

Actually measuring around the instep should still be done and it is very helpful in a proper boot fit.

I feel like, though we don't call it that, everyone here advises a perimeter type sizing. How many times has a querent been told length is the least important measure while heel hold and instep fit are key, because they can't be easily adjusted.

 

[James]

Yeah, but did they make the same length boots with different perimeters? If not, what's the point? You're back to this boot fits or not and basing it on length is the same, no?
No one publishes any measurements of boots. So you're left with the shop. Some know, some don't. The whole situation is ridiculous.

So, Hanson invented the rear entry boot?
https://retro-skiing.com/2015/12/rear-entry-ski-boots-the-impossible-dream/

 

[cantunamunch]

Yeah, but did they make the same length boots with different perimeters? If not, what's the point? You're back to this boot fits or not and basing it on length is the same, no?
No one publishes any measurements of boots. So you're left with the shop. Some know, some don't. The whole situation is ridiculous.

Well, I see the thread has worked around to my earlier point - if no one makes boots to a range of specific perimeter specs instead of internal lengths then the perimeter spec is useless as a sizing system and there's no point in continuing to use it.

 

[James]

Well, I see the thread has worked around to my earlier point - if no one makes boots to a range of specific perimeter specs instead of internal lengths then the perimeter spec is useless as a sizing system and there's no point in continuing to use it.

Well, I agree! There's no difference except in the new hieroglyphics one has to decipher. I fail to see the brilliance of the system. You could just rename all the current boots. It's still one boot per foot size.

What would help is publishing the **@&$@ specs on boots!

What do you have on the Power Numbers?

 

[cantunamunch]

What do you have on the Power Numbers?

Power Numbers were brilliant but it was a nordic ski idea trying to make it in an alpine world. Having a Pr6,7,8 correspond to a range of lengths depending on flex and sidecut was completely lost on the alpine public. Of course, this was the same public that couldn't understand why a 170cm was not appropriate for a 200lb guy when it was flexed for a 100lb girl and a different 165cm was not appropriate for a 100 lb girl when it was flexed for a hockey-built racer.

Alpina hung onto a similar idea as their colour sizing system for out of track skis for decades.

@Philpug still doesn't believe me when I tell him that there was a 215cm Pr8 - soft as a pillow but LOOOOONG.

.

 

[graham418]

I knew it. Everything old is new again, I should never have thrown out those SX91Equipes.

 

[JohnnyG]

I was on the lift last Sunday at my local bump with a father and son, and the father was riding what I think are SX82 (it said memo on it) and some Dynastar VR skis. I was very impressed.