Boot Fit

[Savemeasammy]

^^^

The progressive flex provides two things. First, it prevents or minimizes shin bang when that frontside bump is mistimed. Second, bump skis are skinny so that progressive flex allows more range to load the front side of the ski to initiate and control the turn.


As a side, all the park rats at the bump mecca (aka Ski Sundown) are using the cabrio design. The progressive flex allows them to cushions their landings.

What is "progressive flex"?

I've never had an issue with shin bang outside of the first few days on the hill...

According to Dalbello's website, that boot was designed to work with a wide, rockered ski, which is pretty much the opposite of a bump ski. So, to me, on the surface it just seems odd that bump skiers would prefer this boot. Do you happen to own a pair? If so, is it safe to assume you like them?

I guess that's one thing about boots... You can't just go to a shop and demo different pairs to see what works.


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[deadheadskier]

I guess that's one thing about boots... You can't just go to a shop and demo different pairs to see what works.


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Unless a shop someday gets an infinity ski slope

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showthread.php/132106-Infinite-Indoor-Ski-Slopes/page2

 

[jack97]

What is "progressive flex"?

Sometimes a vid is worth a thousand lines...... here's the promo vid by Dalbello. Go to 1:45 to see the progressive flex.

And since it's summer and all you can think about is skiing, check out of rest of the vid if you want to see the other features, middle buckle for heel retention and the extra shell material for lateral support. Glen Plake had some influence on their version of the cabrio design, the Krypton series.

As for some history, the original cabrio design boot was manufactured by Raichle and was name the Flexon. Now that Raichle is out of business, Dalabello bought the rights to use the cabrio design. Full Tilt bought the rights to manufacturer the original boot.

And yes.... some people do not like the feel of this progressive flex. I love it b/c I only ski skinny skis. Maybe I'll go fat one of these days or nights.

 

[Savemeasammy]

And since it's summer and all you can think about is skiing, check out of rest of the vid


.

:grin:

Wow... Glen Plake. Might be. The. Worst narrator. I. Have ever. Heard.!! I did see him in line for the summit quad at Alpine Meadows back in the day. Pretty cool for a college kid who watched him in movies.

There is some interesting stuff in the video. The shell design - and especially the hinge point - make sense. 3 different flex options seems like it would be a nice option to have. Not having a buckle near the toe seems like it might be a potential issue.

I remember Raichle's from my high-school days. My cousin had a pair. I had Solomon's. Rear-entry was all the rage!

 

[jack97]

I remember Raichle's from my high-school days. My cousin had a pair. I had Solomon's. Rear-entry was all the rage!

The Flexon was the rage in the downhill scene as well.

More ski porn, history of the Flexon.

 

[deadheadskier]

What do you think of the Panterra Jack? I might be willing to consider a 4 Buckle cabrio design. My biggest complaint with the Kryptons is the forefoot area. The single buckle is not enough to keep my forefoot locked to the base of the boot. I have to overly crank it to get my forefoot secured solidly and the boot/buckle fails consistently. Halfway through my runs the buckle pops open because I'm asking too much of one buckle. In fact, I can literally do a deep knee bend forward standing still in the lift line and spread the shell and pop the toe buckle.

When people talk about boots, often the most important thing they want is good heel lock. The middle buckle on the Krypton provides that. However, I think even more important than heel lock is forefoot lock. The forefoot is the balance control zone of the foot and what provides terrain variation feedback at the start of a turn. That feeling is critical to good skiing IMO. You process that feedback from the forefoot at the beginning of a turn to determine how you need to roll your weight and ankles/heels to finish the turn. If your forefoot isn't locked down, you're skiing blind and having to guess how to manage the rest of your body weight over your skis when finishing turns.

 

[jack97]

imo, for the skiers would can't get a snug fit at the forefoot, that forefoot lock problem is spot on. Some school of thought for mogul skiers is that you want to be weighted either on center of the boot or be on the (toe) ball of the boot. Never attack the bumps flat footed or on the heels. So having the snug forefoot gives you precision to guild the skis and as you mention get that feedback from the surface since this area will get the most weight.

However, i think heel lock design solves and a lateral forefoot fit solves most of these problems. The Pantera takes it to a another level by using that toe buckle to control the forefoot volume and it's a "set and forget" adjustment. Dalbello made an older generation four buckle cabrio boot called the Axion which might have tried to solve this forefoot issue but it seems the Panterra was designed for volume adjustment in mind.

 

[Madroch]

I agree with Dhs- forfoot lock is also very important. I lacked the lateral forfoot fit in the kryptons- maybe the panterras with forfoot volume control would have been the ticket-- but side to side slosh in a boot renders it unskiable imo

 

[xwhaler]

I ordered 2 boots online the last couple weeks and this thread was helpful to get a sense of what others are looking for in terms of fit.
From strictly a styling standpoint I wanted to like the Lange XT 120's but they were just too big and Backcounty.com didn't have any smaller sizes. Seems Lange boots run a tad bigger than others?
I could probably enjoy them for a half season while they were still fairly stiff and not broken in but I knew just standing in my living room I wouldn't be happy long term.

I'm keeping the Tecnica Bodacious 130 that I got a great buy on for $199 shipped.
The only mild pain point right now is on the outer left forefoot. Toes are where they should be touching the end but not painful and my foot feels locked in and secure. There is also plenty of room to crank them down as they get broken in

Last yr I was down to the tightest buckle on my old Atomics before I felt a good level of control.

 

[Puck it]

I ordered 2 boots online the last couple weeks and this thread was helpful to get a sense of what others are looking for in terms of fit.
From strictly a styling standpoint I wanted to like the Lange XT 120's but they were just too big and Backcounty.com didn't have any smaller sizes. Seems Lange boots run a tad bigger than others?
I could probably enjoy them for a half season while they were still fairly stiff and not broken in but I knew just standing in my living room I wouldn't be happy long term.

I'm keeping the Tecnica Bodacious 130 that I got a great buy on for $199 shipped.
The only mild pain point right now is on the outer left forefoot. Toes are where they should be touching the end but not painful and my foot feels locked in and secure. There is also plenty of room to crank them down as they get broken in

Last yr I was down to the tightest buckle on my old Atomics before I felt a good level of control.

Immense shells in very hot water and crank down to stretch them. Then set with cold water. It works great.

 

[xwhaler]

Interesting.....thanks Puckit! See u at Cannon with these new bad boys!

 

[Puck it]

Interesting.....thanks Puckit! See u at Cannon with these new bad boys!

I boil water on the stove in large pans and then us the sink to immerse shells. I them in the water for about 10 minutes to get them soft. I do this with all of boots now. No need to have shop stretch them.

 

[JimG.]

What do you think of the Panterra Jack? I might be willing to consider a 4 Buckle cabrio design. My biggest complaint with the Kryptons is the forefoot area. The single buckle is not enough to keep my forefoot locked to the base of the boot. I have to overly crank it to get my forefoot secured solidly and the boot/buckle fails consistently. Halfway through my runs the buckle pops open because I'm asking too much of one buckle. In fact, I can literally do a deep knee bend forward standing still in the lift line and spread the shell and pop the toe buckle.

When people talk about boots, often the most important thing they want is good heel lock. The middle buckle on the Krypton provides that. However, I think even more important than heel lock is forefoot lock. The forefoot is the balance control zone of the foot and what provides terrain variation feedback at the start of a turn. That feeling is critical to good skiing IMO. You process that feedback from the forefoot at the beginning of a turn to determine how you need to roll your weight and ankles/heels to finish the turn. If your forefoot isn't locked down, you're skiing blind and having to guess how to manage the rest of your body weight over your skis when finishing turns.

I bought Panterras at the start of last season after struggling for 3 years to get my Kryptons to fit my very wide forefoot, the opposite problem from yours. The Panterras fit the bill both fit and performance wise. My forefoot is so wide I leave the toe buckle on its' loosest setting and my forefoot is comfortably locked down.

The increase in control I feel now that my foot is locked but comfy has been eye opening.

 

[bigbog]

Hey JimG,
Is there sufficient space to secure a cant-shim under the soles? In eyeing pics there's some rubber but there's also flat plastic...y/n?
...thanks...
Steve
(who's looking for both downhill & walkmode)

 

[JimG.]

Hey JimG,
Is there sufficient space to secure a cant-shim under the soles? In eyeing pics there's some rubber but there's also flat plastic...y/n?
...thanks...
Steve
(who's looking for both downhill & walkmode)

There is space. The flat plastic is the insert that makes up the sole of the shell. The boots also come with extra shims for the spoiler of the shell to accommodate varying calf sizes.