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I hate my boots

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DayMan
Posts: 4704 - Karma: 8,748
TLDR: bought fancy new boots from bootfitter, hate them, can't return cause they're used now, i am fukt

So I went out to Colorado for a 3 week trip to ski and visit friends/family. First day I'm there I go ski Winter Park and my right boot basically snaps in half. The shell is totally fucked and made them unskiable. It was my 5th season on them so it wasn't totally unexpected, but still I was in no financial position to buy a brand new pair. After calling around to a bunch of shops in Denver asking if they had any of last years models at a discount, Evo was the only one that said they might be able to help me out.

They ended up basically catfishing me with that phone call because once I get in with the bootfitter at the Evo store he tells me that they don't actually have any discounted old stock. At that point I just said fuck it and committed to getting a fresh $800 pair of Salomon S Pro 130's. They fit great in the store, and I told him I'm a super aggressive skier with some history in racing so I like a ridiculously stiff boot. He ensured that these were the boots for me. I voiced my concerns about them being too soft when I tried them on but once again, he ensured that they would stiffen right up when they got out in the cold and that they would feel totally different on skis.

The next day I take them out skiing for the first time. Right off the bat something feels wrong. They're even more soft than they were in the store once I get skis under me. I've had rental boots feel stiffer than these. At first I figured maybe it was just because they were new to me and I had to get used to them, but they never got any better, only worse if anything.

They were so soft that I figured something had to be wrong with them. It's to the point where I can overflex them to the point of relying on my ankle mobility for resistance. My ankles have never felt so compromised in a ski boot. When I try to engage a hard turn and put a lot of pressure into the boot it basically just folds over itself and bends in half.

So at this point, I'm convinced that something is wrong with them, they feel like a 90 flex boot instead of a 130. I drive my ass all the way back to Denver from Steamboat and miss a day of skiing so I can see what's going on. I tried to explain the situation to the bootfitter at Evo and he was kind of a dick and wouldn't believe me that anything was wrong with the boot. Like why would I drive 6 hours round trip and miss a whole day of my ski trip to lie about something being wrong with my brand new boots??? And since I had skied 2 days on them, they obviously were no longer eligible for a return. Another bootfitter gets involved and insists that I need booster straps and that booster straps will solve all my problems. As a long time customer of booster straps, I know they can help, but I knew they wouldn't solve a problem of extreme over-flexion like I was experiencing.

The guys at Evo sent me on my way and basically just told me I don't know what I'm talking about and there's nothing they can do to help me. I bought some booster straps and they didn't help at all, I'm still having the exact same issue. I now have beautiful $800 boots that I absolutely hate, and no money to get a different pair either.

Anyone else ever have something like this happen?


At least they look nice

**This thread was edited on Jan 15th 2020 at 7:12:59pm
Jan 14 2020 12:11PM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24725 - Karma: 29,944
b00mSkisi appreciate all your answers. one last question then, you said there isn't a downside to molding your shell, but you also said that you and others try other avenues first before molding the shell. so why try other things first if there's no downside to molding the shell?

When the shell and liner are fresh, the material has a bit more density. It hasn’t been packed out. So doing a custom fit or memory fit or form fit or whatever the company calls it, where they market the ability to cook the shell tends to “overdo it” where the boot is now too wide and volumeous and packs out sooner.

additionally, the more you stretch the plastic, the thinner it will be and the softer it will become.



fischer attempts to counteract this with their vaccumfit, but it’s still not the answer
Jan 19 2020 1:00AM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 7147 - Karma: 17,498
I would tend to disagree with the above opinions. When I fit boots I would always try to put people on the smallest volume possibly (depending on the customer needs of course) and then start by doing a shell mold to get a more exact overall fit. From there I would then go in and punch more precise areas where molding will not be effective. She’ll molding is awesome to get a good overal volume fit and also to get a great fit from shell to liner. What it will not do is give specific shapes like bunions etc. so I would normally do both a mold and normal stretching/punching techniques.


if done correctly it will not effect the shell at all and makes the break in and initial fit time be greatly reduced.


for my own boots I will always mold. I have tried both techniques ie all by hand versus molding and by hand and I would argue you actually get a better fit by molding as it’s almost impossible to get all the tiny changes in shape when just using traditional fitting techniques.


as for your issues Op I think it’s worth chatting to eco again. A lot of shops would help you out with this issue and I’m sure evo will want to try to make it right.


alternative solutions could be a foam injection liner, building up the cuff with race plates or changing the boot board angle to elevate the toes more. All those can be effectively used to make a boot stiffer.

**This post was edited on Jan 19th 2020 at 2:28:22pm
Jan 19 2020 2:27PM
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elcheapo
Posts: 3449 - Karma: 13,975
I got intuition liners fir my boots last year cause of shin dang and they heated them up but it took two people to buckle my boots and was expecting a cable to snap. I took them for a spin and by the time I got off the chair my feet were asleep by my second run my feet hurt so bad ,the felt like they were in vice so I left and got a full refund but the gave me the foot beds free. The next day I go anyway and could not buckle my left boot so back the buckles all the way and said wherever and skied . That night a was reading about how footbeds could help shin bang and remembered I put the two free foot beds in one of my boot shells at the store. Took the liners out and sure enough, there they were, skied all day with 3 foot beds in one boot. Next day skiing put the new foot beds in only and no more shin bang till last night. Now the big boot dilemma starts all over again.

**This post was edited on Jan 19th 2020 at 2:39:21pm
Jan 19 2020 2:37PM
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SavageBiff
Posts: 3483 - Karma: 14,753
It was this guys info that led me to buying the boots that I have which just so happen to be new s pro 130s and not only do I have a perfect comfy fit and they are stiff, I’m 200 and I charge , my boot fitter basically followed this exact process under my request
When I hit 50 days on these boots I’ll come back and Comment how they’re doing
tomPietrowskiI would tend to disagree with the above opinions. When I fit boots I would always try to put people on the smallest volume possibly (depending on the customer needs of course) and then start by doing a shell mold to get a more exact overall fit. From there I would then go in and punch more precise areas where molding will not be effective. She’ll molding is awesome to get a good overal volume fit and also to get a great fit from shell to liner. What it will not do is give specific shapes like bunions etc. so I would normally do both a mold and normal stretching/punching techniques.


if done correctly it will not effect the shell at all and makes the break in and initial fit time be greatly reduced.


for my own boots I will always mold. I have tried both techniques ie all by hand versus molding and by hand and I would argue you actually get a better fit by molding as it’s almost impossible to get all the tiny changes in shape when just using traditional fitting techniques.


as for your issues Op I think it’s worth chatting to eco again. A lot of shops would help you out with this issue and I’m sure evo will want to try to make it right.


alternative solutions could be a foam injection liner, building up the cuff with race plates or changing the boot board angle to elevate the toes more. All those can be effectively used to make a boot stiffer.

**This post was edited on Jan 19th 2020 at 2:28:22pm
Jan 19 2020 3:27PM
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ColoradoDogfart
Posts: 2443 - Karma: 29,001
If your really study and can’t do anything go to a hoot fitter and get the shells heat molded. I just got a pair of the xmax 100 and in store they felt fantastic and the beat boot I ever had worn. However on the first day my feet would go completely numb and they hurt like hell. I needed up getting them heat molded and they are a totally differnt boot now for the better. Just some tips if your really stuck, good luck tho OP
Jan 19 2020 11:08PM
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j_oski
Posts: 32 - Karma: 187
Just because the other options are a little more simple. No need to make extra work if you can solve the problem with a simple liner mold or a different footbed.
b00mSkisi appreciate all your answers. one last question then, you said there isn't a downside to molding your shell, but you also said that you and others try other avenues first before molding the shell. so why try other things first if there's no downside to molding the shell?
Jan 20 2020 12:02AM
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Cade2
Posts: 2124 - Karma: 2,706
evo bootfitters are shit. support actual ski shops with experienced boot fitters.
Jan 20 2020 7:42PM
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DayMan
Posts: 4704 - Karma: 8,748
Quick update:

Evo hooked it up and ended up giving me a full refund. Got in touch with a really helpful and nice manager who was very understanding and did everything he could do accommodate me being a difficult bitch. It’s still unclear if there was actually anything wrong with the boot and I definitely wasn’t expecting a full refund by any means so that really took me by surprise. At the end of the day I just really hated something that I spent $800 on and Evo did a great job remedying the situation.

While I don’t agree with what Evo is doing in general (the guy who fit my boots said they just bought out a bunch of local shops in Whistler - super whack), I will say that they are not all bad and their size can be a benefit in situations like mine so that an $800 refund won’t have any effect on their cash flow. Will definitely only be supporting local, experienced, crusty old bootfitters from now on because I realize my taste in boots is oddly specific and probably hard to accommodate for someone who is used to fitting boots for Denver gapers who ski Copper 10 days a year.
Mar 27 2020 9:56AM
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JmckR
Posts: 1279 - Karma: 5,871
DayManQuick update:

Evo hooked it up and ended up giving me a full refund. Got in touch with a really helpful and nice manager who was very understanding and did everything he could do accommodate me being a difficult bitch. It’s still unclear if there was actually anything wrong with the boot and I definitely wasn’t expecting a full refund by any means so that really took me by surprise. At the end of the day I just really hated something that I spent $800 on and Evo did a great job remedying the situation.

While I don’t agree with what Evo is doing in general (the guy who fit my boots said they just bought out a bunch of local shops in Whistler - super whack), I will say that they are not all bad and their size can be a benefit in situations like mine so that an $800 refund won’t have any effect on their cash flow. Will definitely only be supporting local, experienced, crusty old bootfitters from now on because I realize my taste in boots is oddly specific and probably hard to accommodate for someone who is used to fitting boots for Denver gapers who ski Copper 10 days a year.


That's awesome man. Shame it took 2 months and you had to throw your toys out of the pram, but fair play to Evo there. $800 isn't much to them, but it's a lot to us skiers. Hope you get sorted for next season.
Mar 27 2020 12:23PM
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OregonDead
Posts: 6891 - Karma: 24,559
Return policy is the reason I ultimately bought my current boots from EVO. My boot fitter does almost no retail inventory except for a few boots popular with the race kids so he hinted it was a lot less hassle for me to buy something he thought would probably work and then bring it in for him to check the shell fit etc. before we agreed it was the right boot for him to punch and grind for my feet. EVO has a pretty big inventory with fast shipping
Mar 28 2020 12:56PM
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