- Joined
- Oct 10, 2018
- Posts
- 32
So last year I needed new boots. My old Dalbello Axons from 2012 were actually too big(insert dig about boots being too big here). I wanted to spend $600-$700 on a 90-100 flex range boot. I've been skiing on and off for the past 30 years(. I've only been skiing once per year the past few years and am pretty small(38 years old, 5'3", 140lbs). You could quality me as an athletic aggressive skier who enjoys challenging terrain just short of hucking cliffs. My technique lacks polish and muscle memory because I live in Atlanta.
I went to the legendary Matt Sheets at Teton Village Sports in Jackson Hole last year to get fitted. The problem was that he didn't have any men's boots in my size, but he referred me to Pat Sullivan at JH Sports next store. The only size 28 was a Lange RX 130 for $900. I didn't want to spend that much, so I checked every other store in the village for size 28s. 1 Store had a Nordica 100 flex, but the liner in the Lange was just SOOO much better fitting IMO. I absolutely had to buy boots. Those Dalbellos weighed a ton and my foot was swimming in them because of the packed liner and too-big shell. The guy at JH Sports said he would give me the Lange 130s for $650 because of all the stuff, so I got those. I LOVE the liners. They are super tight and keep my heel planted and my experience matched the reviews I read after the trip.That 130 flex had me worried. He wound up taking BOTH flex bolts completely out. Based on Lange's website removing both bolts results in a 20% reduction in flex(so a 104 effective flex) I've heard differing opinions on whether this was a good idea or not. What do you think?
This is all anecdotal because I have nothing to compare to except the previous trip a whole year before. The boot was super responsive and light. I really like the boot.... BUT It felt like I really had to push the boot hard to flex it forward, but that may have just been mental and me being intimidated by that big flex number. And even then it felt like I couldn't get it flexed as much as I would have liked. My body was felt like I was always standing too far upright in relation to my ankle and hip angle. I had to STRONGLY dorsi-flex my ankles while simultaneously driving into the boot to feel what I considered(which may be wrong) enough flex into the boot to get to a proper position during aggressive skiing. I've always just just driving into the boot was sufficient with much dorsi-flexion. I took the highest level group class the next day and had to cut out 2 hours early because I was just SOOOO tired. That's never happened before, but it could have been any combination of : trying to keep up with more advances skiers, skiing harder terrain in a larger volume than I've done in other classes, and me having to work harder than normal to drive the boot. I don't really know if any were were main cause.
Do you think that boot is too stiff or was I just over-skiing my abilities?? If so, What are my options? I don't want to throw down another $600 on boots again and I REALLY LOVE that liner.
I went to the legendary Matt Sheets at Teton Village Sports in Jackson Hole last year to get fitted. The problem was that he didn't have any men's boots in my size, but he referred me to Pat Sullivan at JH Sports next store. The only size 28 was a Lange RX 130 for $900. I didn't want to spend that much, so I checked every other store in the village for size 28s. 1 Store had a Nordica 100 flex, but the liner in the Lange was just SOOO much better fitting IMO. I absolutely had to buy boots. Those Dalbellos weighed a ton and my foot was swimming in them because of the packed liner and too-big shell. The guy at JH Sports said he would give me the Lange 130s for $650 because of all the stuff, so I got those. I LOVE the liners. They are super tight and keep my heel planted and my experience matched the reviews I read after the trip.That 130 flex had me worried. He wound up taking BOTH flex bolts completely out. Based on Lange's website removing both bolts results in a 20% reduction in flex(so a 104 effective flex) I've heard differing opinions on whether this was a good idea or not. What do you think?
This is all anecdotal because I have nothing to compare to except the previous trip a whole year before. The boot was super responsive and light. I really like the boot.... BUT It felt like I really had to push the boot hard to flex it forward, but that may have just been mental and me being intimidated by that big flex number. And even then it felt like I couldn't get it flexed as much as I would have liked. My body was felt like I was always standing too far upright in relation to my ankle and hip angle. I had to STRONGLY dorsi-flex my ankles while simultaneously driving into the boot to feel what I considered(which may be wrong) enough flex into the boot to get to a proper position during aggressive skiing. I've always just just driving into the boot was sufficient with much dorsi-flexion. I took the highest level group class the next day and had to cut out 2 hours early because I was just SOOOO tired. That's never happened before, but it could have been any combination of : trying to keep up with more advances skiers, skiing harder terrain in a larger volume than I've done in other classes, and me having to work harder than normal to drive the boot. I don't really know if any were were main cause.
Do you think that boot is too stiff or was I just over-skiing my abilities?? If so, What are my options? I don't want to throw down another $600 on boots again and I REALLY LOVE that liner.