80s boot (SX92) sizing question?

[rmplum]

Hi gang - hopefully a wily veteran can help me out here Have an old but nicely condition (almost new looking, no sole wear at all!) pair of Salomon SX92 rear entry boots that I discovered in my parents basement. The only sizing I can see on these is 330-35, but they fit my 26/26.5 Mondo feet pretty well.

I can't figure out the 330-35 and what's it's indicating? It's not the length, it certainly doesn't seem be the mondo size in mm. Am I missing something obvious?

Not sure what I'll do with them, I don't ski much anymore and they are super old, but they are pretty cool and bring back a lot of old memories.

Thanks,

Ryan

 

[Philpug]

Salomon did a volume sizing. Yes, a 330-335 is equivalent to a 26.5 in today's Mondo sizing. The volume sizing went pretty much on HIP Heel Instep Parameter (IIRC). The main measurement was to measure the heel 45* around.

 

[rmplum]

Thanks Philpug! Super helpful!

 

[coops]

Hope the plastic is still mechanically ok, not just looking nice and shiny...! Would be kind of awesome to go around skiing in a fresh looking pair of SX92s in 2021.

My good friend finally had to get new boots.
He's had the same Salomons since 2000 - if you saw his feet you'd understand his reluctance to go through a new boot fit, but still...

Farewell, ye olde and trusty blue boots

 

[crgildart]

^^^They might be able to get a replacement heel piece.. from another old pair of similar boots.

There's not much more hilarious than seeing a ski hauling down the mountain with nothing but a boot lug in it and some poor soul a ways up with just liner parts and maybe a cuff on their foot watching it helplessly.... Not funny if the ski hits someone else though..

 

[Jilly]

I know a SkiDiva that planted succulents in an old pair of boots. Conversation piece in the garden.

 

[rmplum]

They are in pretty nice shape, at least visually and running through the adjustments.

 

[Tom K.]

Such an underrated boot. My wife loves her current heated Salomon boots, but she'd ditch them in a heartbeat for a NOS pair of her old SX91s!

 

[Philpug]

The discoloration of the shiny plastic is a concern with a 30 year old boot. Ski boot plastic is like a lightbulb, it is good until it isn't than will fail with little or no warning. A very good modern incarnation of the SX is the Nordica HF.

 

[rmplum]

The discoloration of the shiny plastic is a concern with a 30 year old boot. Ski boot plastic is like a lightbulb, it is good until it isn't than will fail with little or no warning. A very good modern incarnation of the SX is the Nordica HF.

Yeah those HFs are neat. I'd never take these old things on anything serious though. My days of 3x per week skiing are far far behind me (if I get out 5x per year its a BIG year) and with a torn up knee from a dog collision they'd never see any sort of extreme action anymore anyway.

Can anyone elaborate on the difference between the base SX92 and the equipe model? Was the equipe version just a stiffer flex?

 

[mdf]

Can anyone elaborate on the difference between the base SX92 and the equipe model?

I've lost track. I know on the SX93 the base had the double-purpose buckle like on your boots, while the equipe was essentially the same as the "force 9" with the separate buckles for closure and instep (heel hold-down) cable.

 

[rmplum]

I dunno - look pretty similar to mine:

SX 92 Equipe Ski Boot

Check out the deal on SX 92 Equipe Ski Boot at RPK4.com

www.rpk4.com

 

[mdf]

Yeah, that one has the combo buckle too.

 

[AlpsSkidad]

I had a pair of those "Halloween" colored Equipes!

 

[ScotsSkier]

Salomon did a volume sizing. Yes, a 330-335 is equivalent to a 26.5 in today's Mondo sizing. The volume sizing went pretty much on HIP Heel Instep Parameter (IIRC). The main measurement was to measure the heel 45* around.

I seem to recall that the difference between the xx0 and the xx5 sizing was the xx5 was supposed to be higher volume/width. It is a long time ago now though... I had the original sx90 equips I bought in emergency on a French trip as my dynafit 3f had destroyed both big toe nails to where I could not ski. Hated the Salomon boot otherwise

 

[Philpug]

I seem to recall that the difference between the xx0 and the xx5 sizing was the xx5 was supposed to be higher volume/width. It is a long time ago now though... I had the original sx90 equips I bought in emergency on a French trip as my dynafit 3f had destroyed both big toe nails to where I could not ski. Hated the Salomon boot otherwise

The XX5 was indeed the slightly wider width...not that it made much difference with the band around the forefoot.

 

[mdf]

One nice thing about the SX line is that most of the pieces have sizes molded into them on a normally-hidden surface. The boots were assembled from many individual parts. (A slightly invented example, the front part of the shell might say 330-335 inside while the cuff says 330-345 and the back pieces says 320-340.) So you can see which pieces are the same across sizes.

 

[skipress]

Reinforcing the comments on the plastic. In general white plastic is more sensitive to UV than darker colours but they can all get pretty brittle.

On other points. The initial salomon HIP fit system was only the circumference of the heel and instep [hence heel instep perimeter] plus width. One of the benefits [as with salomon's Power Rating {PR] ski sizes] was that it reduced the number of sizes and therefore molds and cost to cover a run of sizes. Mondopint has a similar benefit [albeit less extreme].

A later iteration also used length so that either length or HIP became the determining factor [whichever bit of the fit gauge stopped first - cable or toe length was used].

That s a very odd coloured SX 92. The originals were white with blue black and pink highlights. The 93 was black and orange. I wonder if that is some sort of SMU.

 

[mdf]

That s a very odd coloured SX 92.

I have an odd-colored SX93. (Too big, but grabbed as heel/toe part donors.) They are purple or maybe a strange blue. I'd look or take a photo, but they are buried under the stockpiled groceries.

 

[johnnyvw]

If I had a knee that was already torn up, the last thing I would do is risk it with old boots that could break at any time. I had a pair of 91E's that I loved...one day on an easy slope with my kids the rear buckle broke. I was actually able to get new replacements from Salomon (even though they were probably 15 years old at that point) but I "got the memo" and bought new boots before the next season.