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BClipped

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Spotted these today in the Kranjska Gora slalom - not the usual i.SL RD markings on Wendy’s skis... Something new?

1DD7AD00-4000-410B-963F-5721068D6293.png
7D90379E-CEFA-45F0-8FC1-26FEA0FBA870.png
 

Tricia

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The i technology is going away to make way for e technology.

57F67185-E90B-483D-B3C4-7E491C9EC692.jpeg
 

Swiss Toni

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The skis have next year’s Worldcup Rebels e-SL RD FIS top sheets and WCR 14 plates on them, she is also using the new WCR 3 boots, but without the SpineFlex buckles
 

Tricia

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The skis have next year’s Worldcup Rebels e-SL RD FIS top sheets and WCR 14 plates on them, she is also using the new WCR 3 boots, but without the SpineFlex buckles
I tried that boot on at OR. WOWZER!!!
59FED31C-725A-4408-98AA-DFBB70200484.jpeg
 

Swede

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They will make what the athletes is using (somtimes not even the ”correct” brand) look like what they want to sell.
 

Tricia

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@Tricia no offense, but I doubt you did ;) At least that boot, that's used on WC tour, and not marketing "copy" of it. ;)

:roflmao:Are you saying that I'm not the caliber of a World Cup Athlete?

So, the boot that is in the picture above is the boot I tried on, and for the record, I said I tried it on, I didn't say that it fit nor did I say that I would ever attempt to ski it.
I am, after all, a mere mortal.

That being said, I understand that manufacturers have a "recreational" version of the real deal, so no surprises that something on the shelf at OR is not the real deal.

All I'm saying is, I was handed the boot in the picture in 24.5 (I measure a 24.5 but ski 23.5) and the 24.5 in that boot was tiiiiiiight.

:hail: Wendy Holdener


*And, BTW, no offense taken.
You do realize that I describe myself as an advanced female skier with an achievable skillset, right??
 
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dbostedo

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So, the boot that is in the picture above is the boot I tried on...
@Primoz is saying that the boot in the pic is not what Wendy Holdener is skiing. I.e. what is being sold is not the same as what the WC athletes get.

So you tried on her boot, but the consumer version of it.
 

Ivan

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@Primoz is saying that the boot in the pic is not what Wendy Holdener is skiing. I.e. what is being sold is not the same as what the WC athletes get.

So you tried on her boot, but the consumer version of it.
I don't think @Primoz and @Swede are talking about the difference between the WC and consumer versions. I have no insider info but am pretty sure that Holdener's boots are not made by Head, not least because her buckles look nowhere like Head. My hunch is that her skis might not be Head, either.
 

dbostedo

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I don't think @Primoz and @Swede are talking about the difference between the WC and consumer versions. I have no insider info but am pretty sure that Holdener's boots are not made by Head, not least because her buckles look nowhere like Head. My hunch is that her skis might not be Head, either.
Ah...yeah. That could be too. Good point.
 

Black Dog

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I would bet that "Head" probably has custom division that most of the World Cup stuff is coming from. Either totally custom or very heavily modified std products.
 

Primoz

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:roflmao:Are you saying that I'm not the caliber of a World Cup Athlete?

So, the boot that is in the picture above is the boot I tried on, and for the record, I said I tried it on, I didn't say that it fit nor did I say that I would ever attempt to ski it.
I am, after all, a mere mortal.
I'm not saying you are not World cup athlete caliber. We have never met, and I have absolutely no idea about your caliber level, even though I still think it would be pretty safe to say you are not, and neither am I. :roflmao:
I just said that I'm pretty sure you didn't try the boot Holdener (or any other WC skiers on Head) is skiing. Boots that are on display on trade shows or available in stores, have absolutely nothing in common with boots that are skied on WC... except for color and sticker design.
 

LiquidFeet

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I'm not saying you are not World cup athlete caliber. We have never met, and I have absolutely no idea about your caliber level, even though I still think it would be pretty safe to say you are not, and neither am I. :roflmao:
I just said that I'm pretty sure you didn't try the boot Holdener (or any other WC skiers on Head) is skiing. Boots that are on display on trade shows or available in stores, have absolutely nothing in common with boots that are skied on WC... except for color and sticker design.

No one here is suggesting your WC skiers would use the boots that we mortals would use, nor that we mortals would be served well by using theirs. The divide is clear to all of us reading on this forum.

But that difference doesn't need to insisted upon by a reference to absolute difference, either. The manufacturers are smart, and make sure the boots they want to sell to the skiing public have so much in common that they can look the same on the shelf and feel different when enclosing the foot. @Tricia makes clear that this boot, blatently marketed as WC stock to the public, feels quite different from other boots available to recreational skiers. It must have something more in common with Wendy's Holdener's boots other than color and sticker design.
 
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Primoz

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No one here is suggesting your WC skiers would use the boots that we mortals would use, nor that we mortals would be served well by using theirs. The divide is clear to all of us reading on this forum.
Not sure about first claim.... Maybe it's my English but when @Swiss Toni wrote:
The skis have next year’s Worldcup Rebels e-SL RD FIS top sheets and WCR 14 plates on them, she is also using the new WCR 3 boots, but without the SpineFlex buckles
and @Tricia wrote:
I tried that boot on at OR. WOWZER!!!

I understood that she tried the boot @Swiss Toni wrote about, not some random Head boot totally unrelated to this discussion. Therefore my comment. But as I said, it can be just my English.
I think we went through this about equipment that's used on World cup and equipment that's available in stores are two completely different things, so it's useless to keep this discussion going on. If someone buys marketing hype, and seriously believes equipment available in store has anything else in common then color and sticker design with top race equipment, I'm fine with that.
 

skipress

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Spotted these today in the Kranjska Gora slalom - not the usual i.SL RD markings on Wendy’s skis... Something new?

View attachment 93838

Whatever that boot is, it's not a retail head Raptor. The buckle setup is complete different, the hinge is not the same [salomon oversize pivot type], the studs on the spolier look odd too with that strange 'stripe'.

If I was glancing I would say it was a white Salomon or Atomic [parenthetically both Salomon and Head make boots in Hungary].
 

Ivan

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Whatever that boot is, it's not a retail head Raptor. The buckle setup is complete different, the hinge is not the same [salomon oversize pivot type], the studs on the spolier look odd too with that strange 'stripe'.

If I was glancing I would say it was a white Salomon or Atomic [parenthetically both Salomon and Head make boots in Hungary].
There has been a lot of discussion on this forum previously that many Head athletes (not only Holdener, but also Pintu, a few Swedes, etc.) use a white French boot whose name starts with "R" :)
 

Corgski

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There has been a lot of discussion on this forum previously that many Head athletes (not only Holdener, but also Pintu, a few Swedes, etc.) use a white French boot whose name starts with "R" :)
Yup, the Rossignol president made the accusation that Pinturault was using Rossignol boots. Assuming there was no secret deal with the Rossignol race department, doesn't this suggest that Pinturault was choosing to use the consumer Rossignol World Cup boots instead of what the Head Race Department could provide? :huh: Modified for sure, but modifications performed on an existing boot are going to limited compared to what you can do if you have access to actual production.
 

Noodler

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Whatever that boot is, it's not a retail head Raptor. The buckle setup is complete different, the hinge is not the same [salomon oversize pivot type], the studs on the spolier look odd too with that strange 'stripe'.

If I was glancing I would say it was a white Salomon or Atomic [parenthetically both Salomon and Head make boots in Hungary].

The pivot hinge on the 2021 Head Raptors has been completely changed. The picture of Wendy's boots from the previous post is the new Raptor pivot. It now uses replaceable discs to change the cuff alignment (like a Fischer).
 

Noodler

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:roflmao:Are you saying that I'm not the caliber of a World Cup Athlete?

So, the boot that is in the picture above is the boot I tried on, and for the record, I said I tried it on, I didn't say that it fit nor did I say that I would ever attempt to ski it.
I am, after all, a mere mortal.

That being said, I understand that manufacturers have a "recreational" version of the real deal, so no surprises that something on the shelf at OR is not the real deal.

All I'm saying is, I was handed the boot in the picture in 24.5 (I measure a 24.5 but ski 23.5) and the 24.5 in that boot was tiiiiiiight.

:hail: Wendy Holdener


*And, BTW, no offense taken.
You do realize that I describe myself as an advanced female skier with an achievable skillset, right??

I dropped right into the WCR3 and was impressed by the fit and the changes to the Raptor "WC" series consumer boots. I'm just not a fan of those white buckles (and neither is Wendy ;) ).
 

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