When to trade up ski boots?

Hi Folks,

I have a pair of Head Edge 8.8 ski boots with about 6 weeks use. I'm now using them with my own K2 Shockwave skis and Marker bindings.

I bought the boots as a beginner and I'm now confidently skiing reds. Haven't really bothered with blacks to date.

My question is will I gain much by upgrading my boots to something better like to a Head Vector? Yes I've hobbit wide feet. My 'old' boots are in decent condition and still snugg in their liners and I'm sure, should I choose, they will certainly last for at least another few years. My question is not so much about what I should upgrade to, more what I would gain by upgrading to something stiffer when there's still life in my old boots.

Thanks in advance, and apologies if this has been covered elsewhere and I've missed it.

Cheers,
Mark.

Great question as I am in the same position. Have skied in boots seven times since i began skiing. Got the boots secondhand (only one use). The guy I got them from got the sizing wrong - but they fitted me perfectly.
The boots have a fair amount of movement and was wondering if I need something stiffer.

Well certainly 6 weeks is not even touching the expected lifespan of a ski boot. If they fit well then you would likely gain very little. Look at most people heading offpiste on touring setup. 1/2 will have touring boots, which are definitely a compromise. Stiffer boot should make everything happen a bit faster but if you are looking for jump in ski performance I would use the money for a private ski lesson.

For Tspill, sounds like boots are too big and need swapping

I think you will know when it's time to go up a notch in performance. It's really not how much you have skied, but rather has your technique reached the stage where you are over flexing your boots, by getting your body mass forward enough. If when initiating a turn, you feel your boots have no resistance to your forward movement, it's time to go stiffer.

Head Edge 8.8 is (I read) a flex rating of 70. That's quite soft for an average size male with some experience. Different manufacturers and model lines will be very different despite the flex number.

Trencher wrote: If when initiating a turn, you feel your boots have no resistance to your forward movement, it's time to go stiffer.

Thanks Trencher - that is good to know for the future!

tspill wrote:Great question as I am in the same position. Have skied in boots seven times since i began skiing. Got the boots secondhand (only one use). The guy I got them from got the sizing wrong - but they fitted me perfectly.
The boots have a fair amount of movement and was wondering if I need something stiffer.

Fitted being the operative word IMO

You could try heating the linings again or using an insole. But sounds like your boots really don't fit you.

If you want to get kore out of your skiing, invest in the highest quality boots you can afford and take advice from fitters in shops, don't buy what you think might be nice or look good etc etc
And definitely don't buy online.

Best thing I did was have an insole in my current boots, which have not done something like 11 weeks skiing and never give me a moment of grief, except when I wear smart wool socks!!!!!

Mrs H on the other hand has skied the same number of weeks in her boots and this past week away she had awful problems with the balls of her feet aching after skiing a morning. I need to get her feet and the boots looked at ASAP!

Ranchero_1979 wrote:

For Tspill, sounds like boots are too big and need swapping

i think the boots fit me well. What I was trying to say is that the boots them selves seem to flex a lot. There is a slider on the side that apparently allows the flex to be adjusted, but even on the tightest setting, they still flex a lot. They also have a knob that releases a lock to allow easier walking.
I just wonder with these adjustments - is the stiffness of the boot compromised.

Thanks for the advice. We're due to head off again at the start of March and I'll see how I get on before making any rush decisions.

Cheers, Mark.