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I need advices for "racing" ski shoes

Someone

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Apr 21, 2021
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Hello everyone.

First, sorry for my (probably) not so good English.

Second, I'm new here and I'm asking for a precise knowledge of the existing "racing" ski shoes , so if it's not the right place to ask for it just tell me to go to hell.

I currently have a pair of dying head 140rs (currently unusable until I find a front left buckle) that fitted me pretty well (compared to the Lange rs120 and the rs130waytoowide) in 25.5. I put 2 more rivets to try the 150 flex and the result was pleasant, it seemed more "solid", I could push fast and hard without having the same "hehe calm down" effect. It also felt more stable and less dangerous on hazardously prepared terrains. So I would like to get something at least as stiff for my next shoes.

Important: I also set everything i could to push my knees outward (canting, tuning spoiler inwards and I even force the "tongue" in front of the tibias inwards to make more volume outwards for my legs). All this makes my knees go only slightly outwards (or just not inwards). My weird technique requires a weird tune and I would like my next shoes to have this kind of tuning possibilities.

My feet are not very long (~245mm) but have a "squared" shape on the front and are pretty voluminous (wide and high).
Screenshot_20210421_124006_com.fischersports.scanfit.jpg

The scan from the fischer app seems correct.

I had to take the 25.5 because the width and height are more of a ~27 (I have to take EU size 42 for walking shoes).
Despite the volume of my feet, my actual ski shoes are too voluminous. I have to tie them 3/3 on the front, then 3/5, 4/7 and 2/7 (my legs are not very thin).
I thought I had to take the 24.5 of the same model, but maybe the widest part of the shoes would be behind the widest part of the feet (given their shape). So why not the WCR 2 or 3 ? Or maybe another brand that would fit better with my feet's shape (I read the atomic would be between the 140rs and the wcr in terms of width) ?

If you have any advice or idea, I'd be very happy.

(Or do you know a decent boot fitter in Switzerland ?)



Thanks a lot to everyone who took the time to read this.
 

coops

Getting on the lift
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Since your foot apparently measures around 245mm... then you can expect to need a boot mondo size a bit smaller , even, than that size.... so a 25.5 would be a non starter, even a 24.5 would probably be too big depending on the shell...

Foot volume would be catered for by choice of boot (different models and manufacturers have different volume shells and then heat moulding, punching and so on.... but you need to start with a boot that's not oversize - and a 25.5 for your 245mm feet is completely wrong.

This why you should see a good bootfitter - they will measure and look at your feet shape etc, and ask about what your skiing style is etc - if you're loking for a racing performance fit, then a good fitter is even more important.

Others may have recommendations for fitter in Switzerland - you could look at Heierling in Davos
https://www.heierling.ch/en/products-services/sporthopedics-ski-boot-fitting
 

cem

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for Switzerland then you have to look at Heierling, Andreas Kolbl in Lenzerhide or Anja Reese-Jones in Verbier, if you want race specific fitters then you may have to look a bit further, i am in the UK plenty of race stock in small sizes but travel restrictions right now make it impractical, Fabian Stieple at Brundl in Kaprun Austria (probably your best bet at this time of year as most of the stores are closing up for the season, but kaprun has a summer ski business, or Julian Mills at the boot room in Chamonix, these last two guys have both worked on the world cup tour so know race boots well

with your measurements regardless of width you won't be in a boot bigger than 24.5 possiblly smaller but that will depends on how the shell fits you and the extent of work possible, bear in mind that your foot can be compressed a bit in a boot without any issue (compress it too much and the problems start)
 
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Someone

Someone

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Thank you for both of your posts, I actually haven't tried anything smaller than 25.5 (the seller thought my feet wouldn't fit well in a smaller size and didn't want to go lower, maybe he had too many problems with people sending back shoes that "hurt" them). My feet were already "compressed" (just a bit more than no margin for any movement of the toes and nothing smooth I could feel inside the shoe), but I had to tie a lot otherwise it was just not usable. It started to hurt when I tied the shoes more, probably due to deformation.

For a bootfitter, it will be hard for me to go to davos as i live near Lake Geneva. I'll probably go to a stockli shop where they make bootfitting and I'll consider the Chamonix option (or maybe skiclinic) if I can't get something more convenient.

Thank you again.
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
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The thing is, boots can be EXPANDED but not CONTRACTED. The idea is to get a close fit to all parts of your foot in order to maximize your ability to control the ski. The buckles over the foot itself shouldn't be tight. The ankle buckle is the one you want tight.
 

cem

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Near Geneva for a race boot you should go to Chamonix www.thebootroom.fr Jules and Damian ( his business partner) are among the best in the business both work on the World Cup tour with the likes of kristoffeson, Pinturault, and back to Anja Pearson. They also work with recreational skiers of all levels, being as it is only around an hour from Geneva to Chamonix if you find anyone closer that can do as good a job I would be surprised ( ski service are great at ski but Jules used to do a day a week there but is no longer there and they do not have the boot experience)

just check out their testimonials ( they are older ones but still relevant)
 
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Someone

Someone

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Well, apparently you were all right (not surprisingly).

I don't have the possibility to go to one of the mentioned bootfitters right now, but I had a chance to try a lange rs110 in 24.5. Way better in terms of size, I didn't need to crush the boot on itself but it seemed way too smooth (like twice as smooth as the ones I had in 150, maybe also due to the temperature ). There was also a small margin for something narrower.

I've found a pair of Nordica wc 150 (old model but brand new) and a pair of b2 (same condition), both for around 200€.

Would these be directly usable or would they need a ton of work ?

And do you know if one of the mentioned shoes has a bigger outward tune possibility ?

Thanks again.
 

cem

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Well, apparently you were all right (not surprisingly).

I don't have the possibility to go to one of the mentioned bootfitters right now, but I had a chance to try a lange rs110 in 24.5. Way better in terms of size, I didn't need to crush the boot on itself but it seemed way too smooth (like twice as smooth as the ones I had in 150, maybe also due to the temperature ). There was also a small margin for something narrower.

I've found a pair of Nordica wc 150 (old model but brand new) and a pair of b2 (same condition), both for around 200€.

Would these be directly usable or would they need a ton of work ?

And do you know if one of the mentioned shoes has a bigger outward tune possibility ?

Thanks again.


the boots you are looking at are very different form the lange RS that you have tried.....3-5mm narrower for a start, so if you cant get to a good boot fitter i would possibly avoid for the time being, they might seem like a bargain, but if you can't ski in them or have them made to work (bear in mind if you buy from the fitter the fitting work will be covered by a fit guarantee of some sort) then it is going to be very expensive.... at a guess the lange 110 was too soft for you , i dont know your stats, but they make that in 120 and 130 flex too

but all of this is guess work, without you seeing a good fitter you will never really know if you can get into a full race boot or should be sticking to the consumer boot like the lange RS
 
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Someone

Someone

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Sorry for the late reply.

Well, I could have been a bit more accurate on few points. First, my stats are misleading. Everytime I say I'm around 170cm/60kgs (22yrs old) and that I've never been racing, I'm told to get Jr stuff.

I'm currently using a pair of Nordica gs 188/r27.5 from the 18/19 "season" (that are not produced anymore).

My technique is weird ("no one does this" according to a friend that was racing when she was a kid) and has 2 important points for choosing ski shoes (I guess)
1. I'm kind of brutal with my skis. I "hit" them on the ground with angulation at the start of every turn (I take them off the ground between turns, helped by the rebound). My skis seem to love it, but my shoes a bit less (at least with the base flex). Adding 2 rivets on each seems to have helped them to keep their shape around the ankle. That's why I wouldn't go with something softer than a 140rs maxed out.
2. I excessively rotate my body from the hips to the shoulders towards the inside of the turn. If my inner knee/leg is too high during a turn, it will prevent me from doing that just by being against my chest/belly. I'd like my inner knee to be close enough to the ground to give me a decent margin for upper body movements. I had to max out the outward canting tune + add a spoiler positioned in a way it pushes the legs outward. That's why I'd like to get something decently tunable for the canting.


I'm thinking about getting the 140 rs in 24.5 instead of the 25.5 I've now for a more adapted fit, but giving the small margin that was available in the rs110 and the Nordica 110 98mm (I don't remember the model), I'm considering getting something closer to a racing boot. I won't be able to use a 92-93mm boot with my wide feet (if I don't take a bigger size which wouldn't be a good idea) without a lot of work according to the seller I saw a week ago.

The firebird r 140 has an unsuitable forward lean, so there remains the atomic clubsport 130 and the team issue serie (wider than the sti).

I also saw that the fischer podium gt has an interesting 3d canting tuning but I read it was softer than the 140rs so...



Sorry if I'm not very understandable in English.
 
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Someone

Someone

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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I'm not sure it would be more understandable in French in fact. Explaining why I would need a stiffer flex than the 140rs despite my lightweight would need a kind of description of a part of my not very professional way of skiing (which is hard to explain).

But according to my experience with the 140rs, I'd say that I need :

- at least the same flex as the 140rs when increased to 150 (maybe stiffer could be better, I don't know any downside of a shoe that would be "too stiff" by the way)
- a bigger outward canting tune possibility
- around the same forward lean
- a slightly lower volume if possible (but not too much as I have wide/voluminous feet).

That's why I'm interested about the atomic clubsport 130 and the atomic ti serie (respectively 96 and 95mm I don't know at what size) .

I read someone will post a comparison between the clubsport and the 140rs soon, I may wait for it to be released.
 

Triplet

Chasing the perfect fit, ENTP :)
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@Someone , out of curiosity, did you need to do anything to the shell of your new boots to fit? Given your wide-ish right foot.
Disclaimer: I saw in the Atomic professional thread that you have the STI 150, this boot is 89mm wide in 24.5, if that is your current size.
 

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