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Stiff boots for park?

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XtRemE11
Posts: 5680 - Karma: 246
i need new boots for park, i have the zebra FT hotdoggers (want to keep them cause they're the best looking FT's) but the toe and heal pieces are ground down like crazy.

anyway, I've always skiied a softer boot for park, mostly to avoid shin bang, but since shin bang is pretty much a non issue with FT's and the spk's i had before that, im thinking of trying something stiffer. maybe something like the dalbello il moro t? the full tilt seth morrison pro's?

i like something a bit more upright, and i really like how the full tilt tongue flexes with your leg, so FT's and Dalbello's seem like solid choices.

does anyone who uses stiffer boots for park find that it helps with butters, popping, and just flexing/controling the ski more in general? i sometimes feel like there's a lot of wasted effort/energy going straight into the boot rather than the ski. what are the negatives of a stiffer ski boot?

im 5'10, 155, and yes ive tried on multiple FT's and dalbellos and find both fit me pretty well straight out of the box.
Oct 23 2013 12:02AM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6673 - Karma: 10,972
For starters, soft boots do not help prevent shin bang, nor does any brand of ski boot. The only things that prevent against shin bang are having the right size boot, right volume for your foot, a footbed, the right fit of the tongue against your leg, and a flex that is appropriate for your weight and power.

With that said, you never want a stiffer boot simply "because". If your current flex is appropriate, going stiffer will only put you in the back seat and lead to bad balance and poor skiing. However, if you can appropriately flex the next stiffer boot in the lineup then it will give you some benefits. It will be more supportive on bigger landings and also be more efficient in many ways of skiing- edge to edge quickness, buttering control, etc.

Most all of our athletes are on 120+ flex boots. Keefer, Gus, Andreas, Elias are on the Overload 120, Jossi, Byron, Riddle are on Redster 120/130, Benchetler and Sage are on the Waymaker Carbon 130. But these are also strong powerful skiers used to stiffer boots because softer boots will simply fold underneath them.

But always remember that the right flex is what is right for you. Softer boots do not fix shin bang and stiffer boots do not necessarily lead to shin bang- only the proper fit and flex for you will prevent against shin bang. So try on the next stiffer tongue or model to see if it is something you can appropriately flex.
Oct 23 2013 2:45AM
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