Comfort or Flex?

[KevinF]

Is that due to the physics involved with the massive forces being directed on the feet/boots (i.e. you probably want a bit of "give")?

One of the features of stiff boots is that they transmit everything to the ski -- including things you didn't want to happen. You getting bounced around at 70mph is going to transmit some forces into your feet that you didn't necessarily want happening to your skis. Result: soft boots.

Slalom, GS skiers, etc., need their skis to respond instantly to whatever input they give them. They'd probably ski in steel-reinforced concrete boots if they could.

 

[darent]

Don't be fooled into buying more flex than you need for the type of skiing you want to do. Having said that, don't buy a beginner soft flexing boot just because it's cheap.

Flex is a personal choice based on a lot of factors, like: skiing style, body weight, body style, length of femur, how much weight you carry in your hips versus your torso, etc... Mogul skiers would be better served by a softer boot, than a slalom racer, etc.. Ski boot manufacturers love to position stiff flex ~130 as expert level boots. Not necessarily so. you can get expert level ( even race ) boots at 100 and up. Stiffness within the same make/model and flex rating will most likely vary with boot size. One cuff is usually used for several sizes, and the smaller boots using that cuff will usually be stiffer than the larger sized boot of the same model and flex rating.

Racing boot flex: Little known fact, and counter intuitive to most - Slalom racers prefer very stiff boots, Giant Slalom, moderately stiff boots, and downhill skiers prefer softer flexing boots. Yes that's right, a downhill race, over 2 miles long, average gradient over 30 degrees, speeds in excess of 70mph, taking rollers that launch you the length of a football field are done in a softer boot than slowly whacking slalom poles on a ~20 degree slope of 600 feet.

those Head Raptors worn by Bode were said to be pretty stiff!!

 

[Scruffy]

those Head Raptors worn by Bode were said to be pretty stiff!!

Ok. I'm not sure whether you're arguing my point or supporting it?

But, before you answer:

A) You do realize that the Head Raptor Race boot comes in flexes from 70 - 160, and that's just what you and I could buy.

B) If you were a sponsored WC Race Pro with a company like Head, that company would develop product specifically custom for you and the race you intend to win. And, although, you and I might be able buy their product line that is a reasonable facsimile of that custom made boot or ski, it would not be the exact same.

C) Boot fitters soften and stiffen stock boots. A WC racer like Bode, most def has his boots (plural intended) custom tuned to his liking.

D) In order to have a meaningful conversation, with respect to the thread topic, and your Head Raptors and Bode; we'd have to know what flex ( if it was even possible to determine after the custom work ) Bode preferred for a) Slalom, b) GS, c) Super G, and d) Down Hill, events.

 

[Geoff]

My biggest concern relative to a ski boot is toe bang!

Yep. I had decades "Lange bang" from the original orange Banshee through models like the yellow Tii & Pink Panther. Toenails were something you had in September after they grew back. I learned a better way in the late-1990's when a bootfitter talked me out of Lange and into the Head/San Marco injection system: I buy a long shell with tons of room, toss the liners in the trash, and use custom-injected liners with custom foot beds and heaters. Custom liners last much longer than stock liners. I buy leftover spare shells and swap them in halfway through the life of the liner. It's a big up-front cost but you more than make it back over the life of the liners and two sets of shells. I've had 2 pairs of liners and 4 pairs of shells since 1999. The only time my boot fitter sees me is when a Hotronics heater dies.