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The Atomic Professional Series

chris_the_wrench

Spinning wrenches and throwing spokes.
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Been out of touch on this for months -- biking season!!! -- but checked in at my shop today and they think they have liners coming in. No specifics yet.

Any guesses @onenerdykid? NW MT location.
Sweet news! Hopefully in the same box(es) as my dual straps, mid-December was the eta on those.
 
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onenerdykid

onenerdykid

Product Manager, Atomic Ski Boots
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Been out of touch on this for months -- biking season!!! -- but checked in at my shop today and they think they have liners coming in. No specifics yet.

Any guesses @onenerdykid? NW MT location.

Thanks!
Product is available... getting it out of Europe and into the US is a whole 'nother issue that no one has a good handle on unfortunately. Austria is about to go into another (light) lockdown next week, so things might become more problematic.
 

Tom K.

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Product is available... getting it out of Europe and into the US is a whole 'nother issue that no one has a good handle on unfortunately. Austria is about to go into another (light) lockdown next week, so things might become more problematic.

Thanks!

I'm just waiting patiently because 1) our lifts aren't even spinning yet, and 2) it's not like I can't go skiing in my Hawx S, or XTDs or (gasp) my old Lange RX boots.
 

Academic

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Hey Quandary, Mimic Professional is indeed a type of foam injection liner. I'll address your questions in the order you gave them.

1. Normally, they shouldn't crank the buckles down when molding a (regular) Mimic liner. Buckles should be on a medium tension. I often hear that shops do this and it must come from them applying the Intuition liner fitting strategy to Mimic. It's simply not ideal because it can overly compress the foams, creating a wider fit, unless that is the goal.
2. The boot is initially buckled on a medium tension (to find the right setting), the buckles are then released but still attached to the toothplates, the liner is foamed, the buckles are then closed when the needed amount of foam is in the liner.
3. It is done simultaneously. The liner comes out of the oven, it is foamed as soon as the it goes into the shell, while the Mimic material is still warm. Everything cools and hardens together.
4. Adding Hotronics won't be an issue.
Hi Matt (Matthias?):

Thank you for your very informative posts throughout this thread.

I just purchased the new (I guess carry over from last year based on your input) Redster Team Issue (TI) 130 boots, size 25.5. My feet are extremely narrow and I am coming from an old RT TI 150.

Based on my size, I believe the last should be 93mm on my new boots. There is still some space around my feet inside the liner so I will be using a Sidas Custom footbed to take up some volume.

I will not be able to go into the shop where I got my boots for a while so I have a few questions.

  1. It seems like the Memory Fit is for the shell. Since I do not need any extra volume, the shell will not have to be heated. Is this correct?
  2. World Cup Liner. For my application, should the liner be heated (i.e. to mold to my ankles, etc) or do you think I should leave it as is without heating the liner? Basically, I would like to know if someone like me with such a low volume foot will benefit having the WC Liner heated or will heating the liner "compress it even thinner" when molding to my feet, thus resulting in an increase in volume (i.e. say the 93mm last will now become 95mm, etc).
  3. Would you suggest I ski a few days in the boots prior to getting any work done (i.e. heating liners if necessary)?
  4. Finally, since my feet and shins are so narrow, I can get into the boot without too much of a struggle with the liner in the boot. Is this bad for the liner (i.e. within the ankle area where there is extra volume - will it "shift" or mess up the mold of this padding in the liner every time I force my feet in and out of the boot)?
  5. Continuation of question 4, should I remove the liner from the boot each time, place my feet into the liner, then step into the boot or can I leave the liner inside and step into the boot.

Thank you very much in advance for your help. I have been a huge Atomic fan since I was a small kid had have been using Atomic skis since the HV3 SL (both Module Technique and pre) and ESS days and currently use the Redster FIS SL 157 and X12 VAR. The 165's SL's were getting exhasting but I may go back to the 165's again. Even my wife and 5 year old son is on Atomic Redsters.

Oh this reminds me, when will Atomic release their new race bindings that have been tested at the World Cup for the last number of years (looks like my son's Colt bindings)?

Vielen dank!!!
 
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onenerdykid

onenerdykid

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Hi Matt (Matthias?):

Thank you for your very informative posts throughout this thread.

I just purchased the new (I guess carry over from last year based on your input) Redster Team Issue (TI) 130 boots, size 25.5. My feet are extremely narrow and I am coming from an old RT TI 150.

Based on my size, I believe the last should be 93mm on my new boots. There is still some space around my feet inside the liner so I will be using a Sidas Custom footbed to take up some volume.

I will not be able to go into the shop where I got my boots for a while so I have a few questions.

  1. It seems like the Memory Fit is for the shell. Since I do not need any extra volume, the shell will not have to be heated. Is this correct?
  2. World Cup Liner. For my application, should the liner be heated (i.e. to mold to my ankles, etc) or do you think I should leave it as is without heating the liner? Basically, I would like to know if someone like me with such a low volume foot will benefit having the WC Liner heated or will heating the liner "compress it even thinner" when molding to my feet, thus resulting in an increase in volume (i.e. say the 93mm last will now become 95mm, etc).
  3. Would you suggest I ski a few days in the boots prior to getting any work done (i.e. heating liners if necessary)?
  4. Finally, since my feet and shins are so narrow, I can get into the boot without too much of a struggle with the liner in the boot. Is this bad for the liner (i.e. within the ankle area where there is extra volume - will it "shift" or mess up the mold of this padding in the liner every time I force my feet in and out of the boot)?
  5. Continuation of question 4, should I remove the liner from the boot each time, place my feet into the liner, then step into the boot or can I leave the liner inside and step into the boot.

Thank you very much in advance for your help. I have been a huge Atomic fan since I was a small kid had have been using Atomic skis since the HV3 SL (both Module Technique and pre) and ESS days and currently use the Redster FIS SL 157 and X12 VAR. The 165's SL's were getting exhasting but I may go back to the 165's again. Even my wife and 5 year old son is on Atomic Redsters.

Oh this reminds me, when will Atomic release their new race bindings that have been tested at the World Cup for the last number of years (looks like my son's Colt bindings)?

Vielen dank!!!
Matt (Matthew) - I'm 'murican, but living & working in Austria. Always nice to meet a long time fan!

To your questions:
1. Memory Fit is a boot-fitting technique for expansion. If you don't want a wider shell, don't do this. On a TI boot, it doesn't really do a whole lot anyway - the plastic here is thicker than thick. It's best to stretch & grind your way to perfection.
2. Our World Cup liner has some very dense foam in it. Heating a liner will never cause it to deteriorate. All it does is speed up the molding process. The lifespan of the liner is not sacrificed- it will still last the normal time (150-200 days of skiing). It just depends on if you want to grunt it out for the first 5 days or not.
3. I would suggest having major "red flags" addressed before skiing a boot. If your bones are right up against the plastic of the shell, no amount of skiing will make that feel good. But you can always do a little bit at a time just so you don't go too far (it is difficult to undo grinding).
4/5. Neither stepping into the liner when it is in the shell or putting the liner on then stepping into shell will weaken the foam or fit of the liner. They are the same in this regard. I will say that stepping into the shell with the liner on can wear down the heel/sole area of the liner, so if you do this use some sort of ski boot shoe horn (there are few types on the market).
6. New world cup race binding is coming shortly, stay tuned...
 

Jb.schulte

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I purchased the Ultra 130 Professional boot earlier this year and will likely get the boot/liner molded sometime this week. I had a custom footbed made about 10 years ago and might get a new one this year. My question is whether I should get the new footbed before getting the liner injected or can I do that later with no impact on the molding/injection process.
 

ScottB

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I purchased the Ultra 130 Professional boot earlier this year and will likely get the boot/liner molded sometime this week. I had a custom footbed made about 10 years ago and might get a new one this year. My question is whether I should get the new footbed before getting the liner injected or can I do that later with no impact on the molding/injection process.

Foot bed before injecting for sure. Actually, foot bed before fitting period
 

Academic

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Matt (Matthew) - I'm 'murican, but living & working in Austria. Always nice to meet a long time fan!

To your questions:
1. Memory Fit is a boot-fitting technique for expansion. If you don't want a wider shell, don't do this. On a TI boot, it doesn't really do a whole lot anyway - the plastic here is thicker than thick. It's best to stretch & grind your way to perfection.
2. Our World Cup liner has some very dense foam in it. Heating a liner will never cause it to deteriorate. All it does is speed up the molding process. The lifespan of the liner is not sacrificed- it will still last the normal time (150-200 days of skiing). It just depends on if you want to grunt it out for the first 5 days or not.
3. I would suggest having major "red flags" addressed before skiing a boot. If your bones are right up against the plastic of the shell, no amount of skiing will make that feel good. But you can always do a little bit at a time just so you don't go too far (it is difficult to undo grinding).
4/5. Neither stepping into the liner when it is in the shell or putting the liner on then stepping into shell will weaken the foam or fit of the liner. They are the same in this regard. I will say that stepping into the shell with the liner on can wear down the heel/sole area of the liner, so if you do this use some sort of ski boot shoe horn (there are few types on the market).
6. New world cup race binding is coming shortly, stay tuned...
Hi Matt:

Thank you very much as always for your quick and thorough responses.

Just to update you on things, I was able to wear the boots for about an hour in the house finally and no issues out of the box so far.

I may or may not heat the liner then and will keep the liner in when entering and exiting the boots then based on your advice. It was actually easier for me to get into and out of the boots with the liner in just like my RT TI 150s.

Since my feet are so narrow, I don't have any areas where my feet/bones are right up against the plastic shell width wise so no red flags there. Length wise all is good but I will likely have to take up some volume within the toe box since it is slightly roomy there. Same goes for the heel. Slight movement / lift but very slight. Forefoot is perfect. Hopefully the Sidas will help.

Thanks for the update on the bindings. As you can tell, I am a total gearhead to notice these bindings from a few years back.

By the way, you've got a great gig going on there. Close to Kitzbuhel, Garmisch and Munich. Speaking of Europe/Austria/Germany, I miss the food, Christmas Markets and gluhwein during this time of the year (I'm usually there during the year here and there and it seems like often times during the winter too). The driving is great too. Hope you were able to have some sort of Thanksgiving while you are there.

Thanks again.
 
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onenerdykid

onenerdykid

Product Manager, Atomic Ski Boots
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Posts
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Location
Altenmarkt, Austria
I purchased the Ultra 130 Professional boot earlier this year and will likely get the boot/liner molded sometime this week. I had a custom footbed made about 10 years ago and might get a new one this year. My question is whether I should get the new footbed before getting the liner injected or can I do that later with no impact on the molding/injection process.
As Scott said, you want to get the footbed sorted before you get any work done, especially a Mimic Professional liner fitted to you.
 

Academic

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Matt (Matthew) - I'm 'murican, but living & working in Austria. Always nice to meet a long time fan!

To your questions:
1. Memory Fit is a boot-fitting technique for expansion. If you don't want a wider shell, don't do this. On a TI boot, it doesn't really do a whole lot anyway - the plastic here is thicker than thick. It's best to stretch & grind your way to perfection.
2. Our World Cup liner has some very dense foam in it. Heating a liner will never cause it to deteriorate. All it does is speed up the molding process. The lifespan of the liner is not sacrificed- it will still last the normal time (150-200 days of skiing). It just depends on if you want to grunt it out for the first 5 days or not.
3. I would suggest having major "red flags" addressed before skiing a boot. If your bones are right up against the plastic of the shell, no amount of skiing will make that feel good. But you can always do a little bit at a time just so you don't go too far (it is difficult to undo grinding).
4/5. Neither stepping into the liner when it is in the shell or putting the liner on then stepping into shell will weaken the foam or fit of the liner. They are the same in this regard. I will say that stepping into the shell with the liner on can wear down the heel/sole area of the liner, so if you do this use some sort of ski boot shoe horn (there are few types on the market).
6. New world cup race binding is coming shortly, stay tuned...
Hi Matt:

I forgot to ask two last questions.

My old RT TI 150 was considered a plug boot. Is the 2021/2022 Team Issue 130 also a plug boot?

I also read somewhere that the STI model boots are slightly more "forgiving" and suitable for lighter skiers. I am in that category but have always been somewhat scared off of the 91mm last for my size (25/25.5). Is this the case (i.e. STI boots are forgiving with a thinner shell and more for lighter skiers)? My thought would have been a 130 or a 150 flex, regardless of the WC/TI/STI line would be the same and the only difference would be the volume of the boot and the resulting lower volume of the STI line makes the boots lighter in weight.

Oh, maybe I will slip in one more question since you are the Atomic guru. What does the "S" in STI stand for?

Thanks again.
 

AlpedHuez

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Oh, maybe I will slip in one more question since you are the Atomic guru. What does the "S" in STI stand for?

The S stands for Slim. The STI ("Slim Team Issue") is the women's plug boot for the WC racers, or for those men with a narrower foot/shin. I don't believe the plastic is any thinner/lighter. It's just a difference in last (91 in Slim Team Issue, vs 93 in the Team Issue).
 
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onenerdykid

onenerdykid

Product Manager, Atomic Ski Boots
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Hi Matt:

I forgot to ask two last questions.

My old RT TI 150 was considered a plug boot. Is the 2021/2022 Team Issue 130 also a plug boot?

I also read somewhere that the STI model boots are slightly more "forgiving" and suitable for lighter skiers. I am in that category but have always been somewhat scared off of the 91mm last for my size (25/25.5). Is this the case (i.e. STI boots are forgiving with a thinner shell and more for lighter skiers)? My thought would have been a 130 or a 150 flex, regardless of the WC/TI/STI line would be the same and the only difference would be the volume of the boot and the resulting lower volume of the STI line makes the boots lighter in weight.

Oh, maybe I will slip in one more question since you are the Atomic guru. What does the "S" in STI stand for?

Thanks again.

The S stands for Slim. The STI ("Slim Team Issue") is the women's plug boot for the WC racers, or for those men with a narrower foot/shin. I don't believe the plastic is any thinner/lighter. It's just a difference in last (91 in Slim Team Issue, vs 93 in the Team Issue).

The original RT TI and the Redster TI are the same exact shell & cuff - same mold series, unchanged. The only difference is that the current TI has new liner technology, updated buckles, and updated power straps. TI = Team Issue

The STI (Slim Team Issue) is narrower/lower volume and utilizes a thinner shell wall thickness in comparison to TI. It was purposefully made for our women's athletes, Marlies Schild-Reich in particular. It's thinner wall thickness allows lighter/smaller athletes to flex & control the boot more easily. It's not a "thin" boot, just thinner in comparison to the TI. Very much a World Cup-level boot.
 

Academic

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The original RT TI and the Redster TI are the same exact shell & cuff - same mold series, unchanged. The only difference is that the current TI has new liner technology, updated buckles, and updated power straps. TI = Team Issue

The STI (Slim Team Issue) is narrower/lower volume and utilizes a thinner shell wall thickness in comparison to TI. It was purposefully made for our women's athletes, Marlies Schild-Reich in particular. It's thinner wall thickness allows lighter/smaller athletes to flex & control the boot more easily. It's not a "thin" boot, just thinner in comparison to the TI. Very much a World Cup-level boot.
Fantastic, thorough and knowledgeable response as always!!! I think you are well on your way on your thesis on the history, material and mechanical properties of Atomic boots :cool:. Thanks again Matt for your answers to my questions.
 

Jb.schulte

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As Scott said, you want to get the footbed sorted before you get any work done, especially a Mimic Professional liner fitted to you.
So I finished up the professional liner fitting last week and picked up my boots yesterday (left at the shop to set bindings on a couple pairs of skis). i just noticed that the strap does not seem to work at all as designed. Impossible to get any part of the strap inside the shell. The entire strap is outside the shell and in that configuration it seems to bo only ok and not as effective as a normal strap. I then noticed that there is a tag on the strap with an “s” on it indicating I think that it is a size small strap. My boots are 26.5. I would think that would be at least a medium. Perhaps it was shipped with the wrong strap?
 

ScotsSkier

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The original RT TI and the Redster TI are the same exact shell & cuff - same mold series, unchanged. The only difference is that the current TI has new liner technology, updated buckles, and updated power straps. TI = Team Issue

The STI (Slim Team Issue) is narrower/lower volume and utilizes a thinner shell wall thickness in comparison to TI. It was purposefully made for our women's athletes, Marlies Schild-Reich in particular. It's thinner wall thickness allows lighter/smaller athletes to flex & control the boot more easily. It's not a "thin" boot, just thinner in comparison to the TI. Very much a World Cup-level boot.

So, since I have 2 or 3 pairs of the previous RT TI in various flexes I can mix and match the cuffs from these with my Redster TI?
 

Jb.schulte

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So I finished up the professional liner fitting last week and picked up my boots yesterday (left at the shop to set bindings on a couple pairs of skis). i just noticed that the strap does not seem to work at all as designed. Impossible to get any part of the strap inside the shell. The entire strap is outside the shell and in that configuration it seems to bo only ok and not as effective as a normal strap. I then noticed that there is a tag on the strap with an “s” on it indicating I think that it is a size small strap. My boots are 26.5. I would think that would be at least a medium. Perhaps it was shipped with the wrong strap?
I know, I’m replying to myself but didn’t see a way to edit the post. I dug a little deeper (beginning with looking back to the first post in this thread and I think I see how this works (Everything stays on top of the shell). Basically a more elastic power strap with a second top strap to limit the range of elasticity if you want to do so. Seems interesting and I’ll hopefully get out this weekend to test it.
 
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onenerdykid

onenerdykid

Product Manager, Atomic Ski Boots
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I know, I’m replying to myself but didn’t see a way to edit the post. I dug a little deeper (beginning with looking back to the first post in this thread and I think I see how this works (Everything stays on top of the shell). Basically a more elastic power strap with a second top strap to limit the range of elasticity if you want to do so. Seems interesting and I’ll hopefully get out this weekend to test it.
It should line up this way for you:
  • strap is on the outside of the cuff & liner
  • top half of the strap (says Atomic) sits on the liner tongue
  • lower half of the strap (says Professional) sits on the plastic cuff
  • undo the adjustable velcro portion completely and tighten the strap down as firmly as you want (it should always be pretty snug)
  • if you keep the adjustable velcro portion loose, it will be more elastic/more active
  • if you keep the adjustable velcro portion tight, it will be less elastic/more direct
 

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