Posts Tagged ‘ski boots’
Salomon have a great history of designing and producing ski boots, going back to 1947 when Francois Salomon and son first started the company. Since then the company has grown immeasurably, producing bindings, skis, clothing and of course the Salomon ski boots for which it is perhaps most renowned.
As with other ski boot manufacturers, Salomon have a different range of boots to suit different requirements. The All Mountain range is aimed the general skier and the majority of the boots they produce fall into this category. The Mission RS 12 is one such boot and is a very popular choice, with all the usual features you would expect from a good quality boot, such as breathable liners and a wide strap at the top. Another option in this range is the Falcon CS Pro, which allows shell ajustment for optimum performance.
With the growing popularity of free skiing, Salomon have a range specifically for these skiers. The Ghost boot was developed in conjunction with professional free skiers to ensure all the needs were met for this type of skier. The liner in this boot offers more comfort around the toe area and the lacing system help keep the foot in place. These boots tend to be a little higher in price but do offer a greater level of comfort for the free skier.
Finally in the Salomon ski range there is the Racing/Sport category, which is for the serious skier or professional. The boots in this range do command a high price but tick all the boxes for a professional skier. For example the foot position within these boots is such that the perfect race skiing position is more easily achieved. The shell is also customisable to further tweak the race position and the buckles are contructed from titanium for maximum strength but very little weight.
The company have of course developed snowboard products more recently and continue to be one of the big players in the development of new and ingenious products from clothing and protective gear right through to piste fashion.
In this installment of our learn to ski guide we look at footwear.
The first consideration with regards to ski boots is how much you budget for them, and the answer is as much as you can afford to. A good ski boot has more bearing on your level of comfort whilst skiing than any other item of equipment or clothing.
After you decide how much you can spend, you must find a boot fitter. Avoid leaving it until you arrive at a resort, as you’ll have less boot fitters to choose from and prices will likely be higher, and be prepared to shop around until you find a good one, who: seems genuinely interested in you as a customer; asks what terrain you‘ll be skiing and how often; measures both your feet and examines their movement and range of flexibility; gives you several different boots to try on; suggests possible adjustments to improve the fit.
Ask around for recommendations from other skiers you know if you can and be prepared to dedicate some time to getting it right (the process should take more than an hour if done properly). Providing honest details to your fitter goes a long way towards getting you into the right boot. Your fitter needs to know what your proficiency level is, and how often you will be using your boots, as these things are important in order to keep you from purchasing a boot that hurts your ability to learn to ski.
It’s important that the new boots start off relatively snug and firm as over their life they’ll pack out around 20%. As a rule of thumb, the less experienced the skier, the more generous the fit, including length; and with experience will come the need for increasingly shorter, tighter-fitting boots for increased precision.
As for breaking them in, spending time walking around in your boots at home is of only minor benefit and won’t give any real indication of how they will perform on the slopes. Don’t be surprised if your boots cause your toes to go numb or tingle after about ten minutes or so without skiing in them – that happens with boots that fit well.
comfortable and thinking that your boot fitter has made a mistake, but don’t worry if they don’t feel right at first, after those first few days your feet will adjust and levels of comfort will increase in line with use.