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New stiff ski boots? what should I get?

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Dan-Man
Posts: 7488 - Karma: 3,623
I've rocked Salomon SPK/Ghost style boots for the past 15 years, (Since the SPK boot dropped). I recently scored a pair of Salomon Mtn. Lab touring boots off eBay I really like.

but I think it is time to try a new brand. What Full Tilt crossover would be the closest to the spa/ghost?

what boot is Sir. Candide rocking these days?



What boots do you rock and why?

my first SPK


my second SPK (and personal favorite) That rubber toe is a game changer! I am baffled that this was not continued or adopted by another company. That rubber toe will save your big toe nails!!!! trust me, it is amazing!



My first and current SPK relabeled as "Ghost. these things are pretty good, I can tell the construction has degraded quite a bit from the previous models. You can not replace the toe & heal plastic lugs that wear out (but who tf ever replaces these anyways?. There is no lacing system on the liner. softer flex than the previous versions.
these are the most recent Mtn. labs I picked up off eBay for a steal because I want to get into touring and knew they would fit similarly to the previous models. I've rode them twice now, and they are light af, much thinner liner, and more chincy buckles. idk if i could justify spending the $700 they usually retail for.



I really like the look of those FT Sammy ascendants..
Jan 26 2021 1:10PM
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scratchskier321
Posts: 2672 - Karma: 837
im pretty sure candide bought like the last 15 pairs of SPK salomon has left in his size... can anyone confirm?
Jan 26 2021 1:23PM
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CatdickBojangles
Posts: 6210 - Karma: 63,066
scratchskier321im pretty sure candide bought like the last 15 pairs of SPK salomon has left in his size... can anyone confirm?


Its honestly amazing how many pro athletes are keeping SPKs alive. I saw an interview with I forget who it was and they were saying that their coach has scrambled to buy all the SPK parts he cold to keep that pair alive for years.
Jan 26 2021 1:27PM
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scratchskier321
Posts: 2672 - Karma: 837
CatdickBojanglesIts honestly amazing how many pro athletes are keeping SPKs alive. I saw an interview with I forget who it was and they were saying that their coach has scrambled to buy all the SPK parts he cold to keep that pair alive for years.

yes. happens in golf too... they stop making a product and the good players buy the rest of everything.... the best athletes know how important the equipment is.... cant leave it up to chance for the manufactures to make something good again.
Jan 26 2021 2:08PM
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BrandoComando
Posts: 1486 - Karma: 18,785
scratchskier321yes. happens in golf too... they stop making a product and the good players buy the rest of everything.... the best athletes know how important the equipment is.... cant leave it up to chance for the manufactures to make something good again.


Goes to show that tech doesn't improve as much as the industry would lead you to believe. Tiger has used the same putter his entire career. Even when Nike was his club sponsor, he stuck with that Scotty for decades. Bubba Watson and Adam Scott both use irons from 2003.

Ski racers use older skis too. It's pretty common to see them on 5+ year old skis. Sometimes manufacturers hit a gem every few years, but sales and marketing drive annual releases and refreshes. Pretty annoying
Jan 26 2021 2:27PM
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scratchskier321
Posts: 2672 - Karma: 837
BrandoComandoGoes to show that tech doesn't improve as much as the industry would lead you to believe. Tiger has used the same putter his entire career. Even when Nike was his club sponsor, he stuck with that Scotty for decades. Bubba Watson and Adam Scott both use irons from 2003.

Ski racers use older skis too. It's pretty common to see them on 5+ year old skis. Sometimes manufacturers hit a gem every few years, but sales and marketing drive annual releases and refreshes. Pretty annoying


yep. designing for performance vs sales... are 2 different things.
Jan 26 2021 2:34PM
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jakeordie
Posts: 664 - Karma: 3,277
#teamsalomon
Jan 26 2021 3:42PM
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sashko
Posts: 226 - Karma: 754
Are you looking for something with walk mode and pins, just pins wo walk mode or a true alpine boot?
Jan 26 2021 4:02PM
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TheWeaz
Posts: 803 - Karma: 1,903
The actual fits between all those boots are fairly different, do they all actually fit your foot? The spk was very high volume and really didn’t fit that many people, lot of people liked them because they were cool at the time, the ghosts were kinda medium volume and did come in a 130 flex version that you might be able to find a pair of online somewhere. And the mtn lab is in the low to medium volume range but has a tiny toe box and low instep. I don’t really know how you are getting a good fit out of all 3 of those models, other than all having two buckles they are pretty different.

As far as modern boots, if you want a walk mode and tech fittings I’d say the dalbello lupo line is probably the closest, they come in a 100mm last and a 98mm last, the krypton line is a good place to look if you want something without a walkmode.

or there are countless 4 buckle boots that would probably fit well. You should really go to a boot fitter and see what they say about your foot.
Jan 26 2021 8:28PM
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Dan-Man
Posts: 7488 - Karma: 3,623
TheWeazThe actual fits between all those boots are fairly different, do they all actually fit your foot? The spk was very high volume and really didn’t fit that many people, lot of people liked them because they were cool at the time, the ghosts were kinda medium volume and did come in a 130 flex version that you might be able to find a pair of online somewhere. And the mtn lab is in the low to medium volume range but has a tiny toe box and low instep. I don’t really know how you are getting a good fit out of all 3 of those models, other than all having two buckles they are pretty different.

As far as modern boots, if you want a walk mode and tech fittings I’d say the dalbello lupo line is probably the closest, they come in a 100mm last and a 98mm last, the krypton line is a good place to look if you want something without a walkmode.

or there are countless 4 buckle boots that would probably fit well. You should really go to a boot fitter and see what they say about your foot.


Thanks for the response! Somehow yes, they all fit me well, and honestly all feel about the same to me (other than the flex, which are all really different)

What do you mean by "Volume"?

I suppose I don't really need another Walk mode/pin boot considering I have the Mtn. Labs.

I never thought I'd like Diabelos, though now that I think about it, they always seemed stiffer and are similar to the SPK.
Jan 26 2021 9:15PM
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animator
Posts: 4557 - Karma: 26,303
scratchskier321im pretty sure candide bought like the last 15 pairs of SPK salomon has left in his size... can anyone confirm?


He didn’t buy them, when he left Salomon he just grabbed like 20 pairs of them and is hoarding them, skis a pair per season.
Jan 26 2021 9:23PM
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TheWeaz
Posts: 803 - Karma: 1,903
Dan-ManThanks for the response! Somehow yes, they all fit me well, and honestly all feel about the same to me (other than the flex, which are all really different)

What do you mean by "Volume"?

I suppose I don't really need another Walk mode/pin boot considering I have the Mtn. Labs.

I never thought I'd like Diabelos, though now that I think about it, they always seemed stiffer and are similar to the SPK.


Volume when refered to in terms of ski boots basically just refers to how big a boot is on the inside. The problem is that there are so many different sections of a boot that you have to account for so overall volume doesn’t have a huge bearing on wether a boot will fit or not.

The new dalbellos are pretty good, but if you don’t need pins a full tilt is very similar, although they differ slightly on fit so it would be best to try anything you are considering before you buy. Every brand makes boots in varying volumes/ last widths so you can’t just pick a brand and assume everything from them will fit the same

A good shop will have someone who can look at your foot and take some measurements to determine what kind of boots would be worth looking at and which ones will be far to large or small and not worth the time.
Jan 26 2021 10:11PM
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