Boot fitting sounds like a dream job for a foot fetish! Jokes aside, it is so important to get in a shop with a very competent personel, instead of getting stubborn about brands, colors and weight! thanks for sharing this guide!
Love this series! Now that you’ve parted ways with Salomon, what skis are you going to be looking at this season? And did you ever meet/do any work with Cody Townsend?
Thanks! I’m mostly looking at skis from blizzard and Nordica at the moment. I have the freedom to try anything now which is super liberating! I’ve chatted with Cody but we’ve never managed to meet up. I was never on the Salomon A list of athletes so didn’t get to hang out with those guys fancy unfortunately.
@@DaveSearle Ah that’s a shame, but can’t wait for the ski reviews! Will there be reviews on other types of gear such as avalanche safety and clothing? Also thinking of putting a CAST setup on my QST 106s; would that be too heavy for touring?
The other factors I'd suggest as considerations are: 1. The type of boot sole, as I've found gripwalk ones neither grip nor walk particularly well. Vibram type soles are much better for touring. 2. The forward lean/ramp angle, and whether the former can be adjusted. 3. The flex rating, to suit your ability level (altho' this varies between manufacturers).
All good points! Grip walk soles (ISO 23223) and ISO 9523 Alpine Touring Soles do walk very differently on rough terrain. Grip walk soles are normally found on hybrid or AT boots not on free touring boots. Vibram type soles are much better for sure but not all ISO 9523 Alpine Touring Soles work in bindings like the shift for example. Forward lean and ramp angle can be adjusted internally. Getting a boot that fits well is more important than this IMO. Also flex rating is not directly and solely linked to your ability it's more about your weight and how passive or aggressive you are when you ski.
@@DaveSearle - True, fit is the no.1, no.2 & no.3 most important factor. But I had a beginner friend sold a 130 flex race boot, because "he wanted the best", which of course was totally wrong for him even tho' he is tall & fairly heavy.
We regularly put beginner skiers in 130 boots, height/tibia length and weight are the most important variables not ability. Manufacturers are moving away from the skier “level” index little by little.
One thing that confuses me is boot/binding compatibility! Will this be the topic of a future boot video in this series? Because I'm thinking of switching to a lighter setup but would like to do it in stages (buy touring boots first since my powder/touring skis have Shift bindings, then get skis with proper pin bindings later). But looking at Salomon's webpage, I can't figure out if any of their touring boots will work with their own Shift bindings! From googling, it looks like S/Lab MTN boots will work but Salomon boots with "Summit" in their name will not -- but this is something they should put on their own webpage I think. EDIT: I should mention right now that I have a super-convenient setup with two pairs of skis (one with alpine bindings and one with Shifts) and two pairs of boots (one pair Salomon X/Pro alpine, one pair Shift Pro hybrid) that are all compatible with each other. I can use either boot with either binding. But I'm thinking that if I get a Salomon touring boot like the S/Lab MTN I will have to adjust the Shift binding in a way that will make it incompatible with my alpine boots (because of the higher toe height). Sorry for such a long and complicated comment!
Look at the boot sole standard (ISO) and compare it to the binding compatibility, the boot name itself can be misleading because brands re-use names all the time for new boots. The Shift is compatible with the following boot soles: ISO 5355 (Alpine), ISO 9523 (Touring), Gripwalk, and WTR. Despite ISO 9523 being called "Touring", not all ski touring boots are ISO 9523 certified, especially on lighter weight boots that are designed to be used more for mountaineering, where the sole configuration required for the standard would be a hindrance while climbing or bootpacking. The S/Lab MTN Summit boots do not have an ISO certified sole at all, meaning that they are not certified for use with the Shift binding. Depending on which version of the S/Lab MTN boot you're looking, some have ISO 9523 compliant soles, which are certified. If a boot is certified, there should be a stamp somewhere on the sole, usually near the heel.
Nice video series Dave. Question for Sole Boot Labs, I have a very wide and very high foot. I noticed that tecnica now make the cochise in a high volume version with a pretty generous last width, but is the instep height on this cochise considered low, mid or high volume?
With someone with a high instep, I can only recommend you to go to a bootfitter and figure it out. Even if the Cochise has the right instep height, it might not work for you. I tried on a Dalbello Cabrio, which looked amazing and on paper would work but the buckles didn't align properly in order to make sure my heel is snug. It really comes down to trying it on and see how your foot is inside of the boot and how the whole system works together.
![Eminem - Temporary (feat. Skylar Grey) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZaK9Wi5ho0o/mqdefault.jpg)
Boot fitting sounds like a dream job for a foot fetish!
Jokes aside, it is so important to get in a shop with a very competent personel, instead of getting stubborn about brands, colors and weight! thanks for sharing this guide!
😂 for sure seeing a boot fitter is key!
Weird, I watched part 1 last night expecting to see part 2 and upon not finding it, gave up, but here we are
I’m posting one a week at the moment!
@@DaveSearle thanks! I like the series
Dave, great video. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Glad you enjoyed it
You're Fit Dave
any place in CA that would have knowledgeable staff, I have needed new boots for many seasons.
Love this series! Now that you’ve parted ways with Salomon, what skis are you going to be looking at this season? And did you ever meet/do any work with Cody Townsend?
Thanks! I’m mostly looking at skis from blizzard and Nordica at the moment. I have the freedom to try anything now which is super liberating! I’ve chatted with Cody but we’ve never managed to meet up. I was never on the Salomon A list of athletes so didn’t get to hang out with those guys fancy unfortunately.
@@DaveSearle Ah that’s a shame, but can’t wait for the ski reviews! Will there be reviews on other types of gear such as avalanche safety and clothing? Also thinking of putting a CAST setup on my QST 106s; would that be too heavy for touring?
The other factors I'd suggest as considerations are:
1. The type of boot sole, as I've found gripwalk ones neither grip nor walk particularly well. Vibram type soles are much better for touring.
2. The forward lean/ramp angle, and whether the former can be adjusted.
3. The flex rating, to suit your ability level (altho' this varies between manufacturers).
All good points! Grip walk soles (ISO 23223) and ISO 9523 Alpine Touring Soles do walk very differently on rough terrain. Grip walk soles are normally found on hybrid or AT boots not on free touring boots. Vibram type soles are much better for sure but not all ISO 9523 Alpine Touring Soles work in bindings like the shift for example.
Forward lean and ramp angle can be adjusted internally. Getting a boot that fits well is more important than this IMO.
Also flex rating is not directly and solely linked to your ability it's more about your weight and how passive or aggressive you are when you ski.
@@DaveSearle - True, fit is the no.1, no.2 & no.3 most important factor. But I had a beginner friend sold a 130 flex race boot, because "he wanted the best", which of course was totally wrong for him even tho' he is tall & fairly heavy.
We regularly put beginner skiers in 130 boots, height/tibia length and weight are the most important variables not ability. Manufacturers are moving away from the skier “level” index little by little.
One thing that confuses me is boot/binding compatibility! Will this be the topic of a future boot video in this series? Because I'm thinking of switching to a lighter setup but would like to do it in stages (buy touring boots first since my powder/touring skis have Shift bindings, then get skis with proper pin bindings later). But looking at Salomon's webpage, I can't figure out if any of their touring boots will work with their own Shift bindings! From googling, it looks like S/Lab MTN boots will work but Salomon boots with "Summit" in their name will not -- but this is something they should put on their own webpage I think.
EDIT: I should mention right now that I have a super-convenient setup with two pairs of skis (one with alpine bindings and one with Shifts) and two pairs of boots (one pair Salomon X/Pro alpine, one pair Shift Pro hybrid) that are all compatible with each other. I can use either boot with either binding. But I'm thinking that if I get a Salomon touring boot like the S/Lab MTN I will have to adjust the Shift binding in a way that will make it incompatible with my alpine boots (because of the higher toe height). Sorry for such a long and complicated comment!
Yes this is in plan to do a video about this as well!
Yes this is in plan to do a video about this as well!
Look at the boot sole standard (ISO) and compare it to the binding compatibility, the boot name itself can be misleading because brands re-use names all the time for new boots. The Shift is compatible with the following boot soles: ISO 5355 (Alpine), ISO 9523 (Touring), Gripwalk, and WTR. Despite ISO 9523 being called "Touring", not all ski touring boots are ISO 9523 certified, especially on lighter weight boots that are designed to be used more for mountaineering, where the sole configuration required for the standard would be a hindrance while climbing or bootpacking. The S/Lab MTN Summit boots do not have an ISO certified sole at all, meaning that they are not certified for use with the Shift binding. Depending on which version of the S/Lab MTN boot you're looking, some have ISO 9523 compliant soles, which are certified. If a boot is certified, there should be a stamp somewhere on the sole, usually near the heel.
Hello Dave , I would value your thoughts and your opinion on ski Boots with BOA FITTINGS
Not tried any boots with boa yet but it seems like it would be easier and create a dialled fit. Interested to try some out.
Nice video series Dave. Question for Sole Boot Labs, I have a very wide and very high foot. I noticed that tecnica now make the cochise in a high volume version with a pretty generous last width, but is the instep height on this cochise considered low, mid or high volume?
With someone with a high instep, I can only recommend you to go to a bootfitter and figure it out.
Even if the Cochise has the right instep height, it might not work for you.
I tried on a Dalbello Cabrio, which looked amazing and on paper would work but the buckles didn't align properly in order to make sure my heel is snug.
It really comes down to trying it on and see how your foot is inside of the boot and how the whole system works together.
Do