5mm vs 7mm boot lifts?

[RikkiBobbi]

Need to put some lifts on my Raptor 140s....with all of the crud I seem to be booting out a lot, and I think I'd just enjoy better leverage/angles as well as protection for the soles.

I've seen 3mm, 5mm, 7mm.....which should I go for and why? If it matters, I use Xcell and Jester Pro ID bindings.

On Phil's advice I think I'll be ordering the Nordicas (black?) or Tecnicas (color?)

 

[Philpug]

Whatever you add to the bottom of he shell, you will have to take off of the top of the lug so it will can be DIN compliant to fit into then binding.

 

[RikkiBobbi]

Yes yes, I won't be doing this solo I'll have a shop do it so they can route off the top of the lugs

 

[otto]

Can you post video showing you booting out while skiing crud? What is the primary use for your Raptors? Are you mostly running gates, or free skiing, etc. What width skis are you skiing and are you experiencing boot out on all widths of skis and heights of bindings? What condition are your bases and edges in? What are the slope angles like when you are booting out? Do you feel like you are favouring pressure on your outside or inside ski when you are having boot out? Or which ski edge is booting out, Inside edge of the outside ski, or outside edge of the inside ski? Have you had alignment work done to your boot sole, or cant shims under your bindings?

 

[RikkiBobbi]

Can you post video showing you booting out while skiing crud?
no - don't have folks videoing me

What is the primary use for your Raptors?
Everyday use

Are you mostly running gates, or free skiing, etc.
Free skiing

What width skis are you skiing and are you experiencing boot out on all widths of skis and heights of bindings?
Seems to be mostly with 74mm skis. Cant say I recall doing it on wider stuff but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened

What condition are your bases and edges in?
Very good

What are the slope angles like when you are booting out?
Whatever would be considered on the flatter side of moderate steepness from the times it has happened this season

Do you feel like you are favouring pressure on your outside or inside ski when you are having boot out?
I think it mostly occurs near transition/end of turn when pressure is moving from one ski o the other. I think I'm pretty even pressured in general.

Or which ski edge is booting out, Inside edge of the outside ski, or outside edge of the inside ski?
Outside edge of inside ski if I can recall correctly

Have you had alignment work done to your boot sole, or cant shims under your bindings?
I have not

 

[flbufl]

I may be wrong, but don't understand why you booted out in crud? Booting out usually happen when skiing with high edge angle and high speed. Also, 74mm isn't very narrow by race/frontside skis standard.

Can you post video showing you booting out while skiing crud?
no - don't have folks videoing me

What is the primary use for your Raptors?
Everyday use

Are you mostly running gates, or free skiing, etc.
Free skiing

What width skis are you skiing and are you experiencing boot out on all widths of skis and heights of bindings?
Seems to be mostly with 74mm skis. Cant say I recall doing it on wider stuff but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened

What condition are your bases and edges in?
Very good

What are the slope angles like when you are booting out?
Whatever would be considered on the flatter side of moderate steepness from the times it has happened this season

Do you feel like you are favouring pressure on your outside or inside ski when you are having boot out?
I think it mostly occurs near transition/end of turn when pressure is moving from one ski o the other. I think I'm pretty even pressured in general.

Or which ski edge is booting out, Inside edge of the outside ski, or outside edge of the inside ski?
Outside edge of inside ski if I can recall correctly

Have you had alignment work done to your boot sole, or cant shims under your bindings?
I have not

 

[RikkiBobbi]

Making high angle turn and relative high speed, outside of boot hits the crud/snowpack? Inside ski loses control and usually angles itself downhill almost crossing tips or ramming in to downhill ski, have to save myself usually by putting a hand down or trying to hurl myself back over my downhill ski. Have sprained both my thumbs badly from this already this season. Maybe my understanding of something is off? Maybe I should be more explicit....this happens in various conditions, not just crud.

In previous boots I would have to replace the lower two buckles every so often from getting beat up.

 

[cantunamunch]

I don't think 5-7mm will help you with boot out, not if your buckles are getting banged. And I don't think it will help with protecting the soles from wear, rather the opposite.

As far as balance and pressuring go, hey, I say go for it, why not, have fun.

Have you considered flipping the buckle orientation?

 

[hbear]

Odd, won't comment on technique as I've not see you ski.
I'm hardly on my inside ski at all when I'm in a high angle, high speed turn.....almost all my weight and pressure is on the outside ski so have not had the sensation of booting out with my 140s. (this when driving a FIS GS ski or even my free skis).

 

[KingGrump]

Or which ski edge is booting out, Inside edge of the outside ski, or outside edge of the inside ski?
Outside edge of inside ski if I can recall correctly

Hmmm...

 

[NE1]

In my experience, booting out can be a result of too much inclination (as opposed to angulation) in a turn.

 

[cantunamunch]

How does that work? Why would the inside leg be tipped over further if there's less separation at the waist?

 

[Ross Biff]

How does that work? Why would the inside leg be tipped over further if there's less separation at the waist?

With more inclination and less separation the com is further inside the turn with less edge pressure to hold the ski in the snow so I can see that it may take less of a disturbance from inside boot buckle drag before the ski edge let's go causing boot-out. Just my tcw.

 

[cantunamunch]

With more inclination and less separation the com is further inside the turn with less edge pressure to hold the ski in the snow

Yes, I am 100% with you thus far.

so I can see that it may take less of a disturbance from inside boot buckle drag before the outside ski's edge let's go causing boot-out. Just my tcw.

With the highlighted emphasis I also agree.

Is there any mechanism implicit in inclination which increases the likelihood of inside boot buckle drag, tho?

Not being snarky, I seriously don't see one.

 

[Ross Biff]

Yes, I am 100% with you thus far.



With the highlighted emphasis I also agree.

Is there any mechanism implicit in inclination which increases the likelihood of inside boot buckle drag, tho?

Not being snarky, I seriously don't see one.

I think we all drag our buckles at some point but I think inclination can make it an issue due to less outside ski bte pressure and more inside ski lte pressure. My point about the inside foot buckle drag was in reference to the OP's problems with " booting out" when the outside edge of his uphill ski let's go so his issue may not even be booting out in the traditional sense as we generally understand it.

 

[cantunamunch]

I can accept that

 

[James]

So op needs to bend his inside leg more?

 

[KingGrump]

I always thought booting out as the medial side of the outside boot impacting the snow.

 

[RikkiBobbi]

So op needs to bend his inside leg more?

OP skis with lots of bend

 

[Muleski]

This is a picture of Ligety, Beaver Creek GS, I believe fall 2014. May have been 2013. It was when the 35M skis were being skied, and when Ligety skied a very round line {but a fast one vis a vis the field}. I was thinking of this particular turn, as a good number of his friends and competitors commented on it. Saw in on video and described it as the most "F***ing sick turn ever" in GS. So I tracked down a pic.

Note that Ligety's hand is on the hill {as it normally was/is}, and that his hip looks like it is. In reality, I don't think it was. Maybe an inch off the hill. Slight roll to the hill. He had a ton of pressure on that outside ski, which was critical with his technique, tactics, and the skis. It looks quickly like he's "hip checking" or "hipping out", but he's not. This was an amazing turn. This is when Ligety was also strong and healthy, with great core strength.

My reason for posting is to show the inside boot precariously close to "booting out." He also executed these turns with a huge amount of inclination. Convention would suggest that his shoulders should be more level, among other things. Convention did not enable him, back then, to be "Mr.GS". At this point of the turn, there is inclination going on. Now, things have changed a great deal, since. Ligety is a very long shot for a GS podium. Still a great skier, but he gives away a lot of real estate, skiing much the same

So maybe we have the OP generating these kind of angles?