J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by SwingBeep

A few centimetres down here in the Rhone valley, but 25-50cm of new snow over the last 3 days in the ski resorts to the south. Christmas day was cloudy, but today was fantastic, clear skis, snow laden trees and really good powder, but very cold.

It shouldn't be too much trouble to repair the liner, as Trencher said Plasti Dip should work fine, but Anything Foam http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Anything_Foam might be even better and its available in black. Failing that you could try Shoe GOO http://www.eclecticproducts.com/shoegoo.htm or Aquaseal http://www.mcnett.com/Aquaseal-Urethane-Repair-Adhesive-Sealant-P234.aspx

Repairing the front part of the soles however is a different matter. They need to be returned to the dimensions given in ISO 5355 using material with the same coefficient of friction, as detailed on page 53 of this Salmon technical manual http://www.salomoncertification.com/manuals/SPM_07_ENvCD.pdf This is normally done by planing the soles, (assuming they are solid) screwing on lifter plates and if necessary routing the lugs back to the required thickness. Unfortunately this is very difficult to do on a worn boot, as most boot fitters use an adapted woodworking planer. The Keyser Tools boot planer (made in Canada) http://www.buckeyesportscenter.com/Page.aspx/pageId/72750/Bootfitting-Services.aspx should be able to do the job as it references the top of the lugs, but as far as I know there aren't any in Europe. If you have access to a milling machine and could make a suitable jig it wouldn't be that difficult to DIY.

As for the heels these look like they are screwed on so you could replace them with any rubbery material of the same thickness you can find.

Bear in mind that plastic unlike Scotch doesn't improve with age and sometimes ski boots do fail http://www.flickr.com/photos/victorhansonsmith/2147975976/

So all in all its probably time to look for some new ones, there's a pair of nearly new 779s for sale here: http://www.ricardo.ch/kaufen/sports/skisport/skischuhe/groesse-41-42/raichle-skischuhe-groesse-8-12/v/an626633098/ for CHF 15, cheap as chips even at today's exchange rate.

Merry Christmas everybody and einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!

Bugger, I haven't got any coal!

The avalanche was triggered by two Swiss snowboarders, one of whom sustained serious injuries (multiple fractures) and was flown to hospital in Geneva. Fortunately no one else appears to have been involved. The avalanche was 80m x 40m and the rescue required thirty rescuers (the piste had to be probed), dogs and a helicopter. The incident took place at 11:20 and the rescue operation was concluded at 14:15, expensive. It will be interesting to see if the French decide to prosecute.

If my understanding of the regulations is correct, the lift companies are only required to protect the pistes against spontaneous avalanches.

The two incidents in Zermatt were the result of spontaneous avalanches and both resulted in fatalities. The first one resulted in the person responsible avalanche protection in the affected sector being prosecuted for manslaughter (he was found not guilty). I don't know if the authorities have taken any action with regard to the second incident.

If Gatwick bought a couple of fully equipped Boschung Jetbrooms http://www.boschung.com/index.php?id=362&L=1 then 4 million a piece is not out of the way http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e-1nXV6xkA

Sadly, this is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. It's relatively easy to get your foot out of the stiffest 'plug' boot even when it's very cold http://www.zipfit.com/fittrick.html (scroll down to "TAKING THE STIFF COLD BOOTS OFF AFTER SKIING")

Putting them on, is (as Dave Mac alluded to) a different matter. Warming them in a heated boot bag http://www.skigearbag.com/ makes it as easy as putting a pair of slippers on. Although placing a large hot water bottle over the front of the boots works almost as well, especially if you can insulate your boot bag with bits of camping mat or something similar.

If you really want to get something for the skier who has everything this has to be it! http://www.artechski.com/jomaxbeveler.aspx

Camskill Performance & Tyres http://camskill.co.uk/index.php is an online mail order supplier of Japanese car parts and tyres in Whitehaven Cumbria. The 175/65R14 Snowtrac 3 is listed here: http://camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m11b0s712p15151 As they have a good price performance ratio they are popular and sell out quite quickly.

As Tony_H says you've left it a bit late for this winter, I wouldn't expect the Camskill to be able to get anymore before the end of January.

Every year the Austrian, German, & Swiss Automobile Associations (ÖAMTC, ADAC and TCS) conduct tests on winter tires in Ulrichen a very cold (-30oC) snowy village in the Goms district of Valais. You can read the report here: http://issuu.com/touring_online/docs/infotechtcs_winterreifen2009_de unfortunately its only available in German, French and Italian, but there are lots of tables so you should still be able to see which tyres are recommended and more importantly which ones are not.

AllyG. if your Sirion is fitted with 175/65R14 tyres then Vredestein Snowtrac 3 would be a good choice, they are normally available from Camskill for £41.50. but they don't have any in stock at the moment. This could be due to a recent change to the law in Germany which requires cars to be fitted with tyres appropriate for the driving conditions.