Buying boots - Advice needed PLEASE!

I am in my fifties and started skiing 2 years ago - I have done 2 weeks skiing in total. I'm a real beginner, not very good, very nervous - but want to improve.

I thought I would treat myself to a pair of boots this year to give myself the best chance of doing that. The choice is between a pair of Atomic Hawk 80 and Salomon Idol CS.

They're both very comfortable - the Atomic is an upright boot and easy to walk in - the Salomon is more angled and makes me bend my knees forward in a flexed position, but are less comfortable to walk in upright because of this.

My big problem on the slopes is not bending my knees enough and leaning back too far – so wondered whether the Salomons would help.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
SF

Hi Silverflora,
The most important thing is to get boots that fit you properly, and I shouldn't imagine anyone here can tell you which pair of boots actually fits you better, via the internet!

I bought the Atomic Hawx 90 boots myself, about 3 years ago, and I am very pleased with them, but it doesn't mean they are the right boot for you.

I went to a lot of trouble (and expense) to have my boots professionaly fitted, and I wrote up an account of it here:

http://www.j2ski.com/ski-chat-forum/posts/list/8320.page

Thanks Ally

Your report on buying is really useful, and very similar to the process I am going through myself.

The advice I hope I might get is not whether the boot is comfy or not (both are), but the Salomon is angled forward so that I am continually flexed forward when I walk in them - the Atomic allows me to walk upright without flexing.

Which is better for improving skiing?

Also - should they be very tight at the beginnig? I have had two different fittings and they recommended 2 different sizes :( !

Do you mean they recommended different sizes for the same boot, or different sizes for different boots?
From what I understand of boot fitting, different makes of boots vary in things like how wide they are etc. so you might very well take a different size in a different make of boot.
I found my Atomic Hawx boots very comfy from the beginning, and I was rather worried about this, because everyone kept telling me they should feel too tight at first otherwise they would become too 'baggy' after a few weeks of ski-ing in them.

But I have skied for several weeks in them now, and they still fit. I had them checked again for size recently by Profeet, and they are still fine, and I have had no problems with them.

So I don't really know the answer to how tight they should feel at the beginning :(

My boots also felt comfortable but pretty snug from the start and I've now skied 10 weeks on them with no problems. If you find boots difficult to walk in you can always undo them, which most people seem to do (personally I find mine easier fastened.)

I know NOTHING about boot fitting but is one a higher flex rating than the other or is it just the way they are cut? If so this may explain the difference. With regards to improving I guess you want something that you're happy you can flex sufficiently and will still suit you as you progress but not so stiff as to hinder progress.

I bought mine after 1 weeks' skiing and they are an 80 flex. The boot I have was marketed as an intermediate – advanced boot (which surprised me as I thought 80 was quite low?) however I've loved them from the start and they are still perfect even as I've progressed.

Depending on where you live I'm sure someone can recommend a good boot fitter so you end up with the perfect boots for you. Good luck :D

Essentially the question is, "will boots which force the shin forward help me get my weight forward." I am not an instructor. but FWIW I doubt it. You have retrain the natural reflex to lean back by practicing better technique. If you instinctively want to lean back, boots which foce you forwards might make you more tense. Feeling relaxed helps. Those boots might help technique but I would not bank on it... Best be as comfortable as possible, skiing is supposed to be fun :-)

When you are standing in your boots and skis, there is a very small place in space where you are in a good skiing position. The combination of binding ramp (the angle the bindings tip you forward), foot board ramp (the angle of the inside bottom of your boots), and cuff lean (the angle of the cuff) combine to put you either in this balanced position, or most likely not in it. A foot stabilised by a footbed makes a difference too.

Strangely, the factors above that tip you forward do not necessarily help you stay forward while skiing. If you feel tipped forward, you will counter-balance by leaning back. Generally, an upright cuff, and less ramp will have the effect of helping you exert pressure forward. The only way us mere mortals can come close to having the perfect set up, is by having our boots fitted by a boot fitter.

"Binding ramp"? Interesting. I had never heard of that. My expensive Silvretta touring bindings have a reverse ramp, i.e when they are locked down for downhill skiing you are standing with the toes uphill of the heels, so they push your weight backwards. Makes getting down the piste without a fall challenging. The fitter in the best-respected local shop told me they are meant to be that way (for powder?), and said all he could do was move them forwards 5cm, which helps a bit.