Eastsiiiide

That's great to hear Jarcode, and I think it's worth asking how one actually adds padding to a boot to increase heel hold. You're talking about adhering foam to the outside of the liner, like in this diagram, right? Source: Salomon shop manual, 2006/7 The "shim to the top of the liner" remedy they suggest is interesting, though I'm not sure exactly where they mean for the placement. And the last thing in the list, a heel lift, would be something like Adjust-A-Lift, a little soft wedge to go inside the liner. I believe heel lift = wedge in the previous comments. The compounding factor I find with heel movement is that it makes one want to to crank down the instep buckle, which can help hold the heel down a bit, but creates new problems.

It's true, China Peak is only 4 miles farther than Mammoth, as the crow flies. There's just the small matter of THIS that one has to drive around to get there. So 400 miles! California is quite a state. If you fly LAX--Mammoth you get an incredible sightseeing flight over the Sierra, often with some fun turbulence and banking, highly recommended.

Well heck China Peak is just 35 miles away. A mere 7 hour drive! [Don't get me started on Big Bear.]

So, Mammoth then! I can't think of anywhere else 5hrs from LA (Google says there is some place called China Peak????). Alas I would never see you as I avoid the weekends like the plague. I mean maybe I could brave a Friday sometime [shiver]. I admire your family's dedication, that is incredible!

Edit: I found some intecs thanks to this post, awesome. And another pair of boots! So once I decide which pair to keep I'll have some nice 25mp boots for sale. Want to get some heels for the Deeluxe 700s I just ordered. Also might be interested in other models of boots around 24-25.5 sizes. Concerned that the 700's might be too stiff or not the right fit.

Golf course? Where is this?

Huh I didn't even realize Deeluxe sold their own springs. Alpine gear shopping in the US feels challenging and often involves google translate... I guess if you're in Austria or Switzerland you just pop round to the corner alpine snowboard shop to browse the latest gear and chat with some international competitors about what brand of wax they like. I ordered my Deeluxe boots on ebay from the *one guy* I've found so far who consistently sells new original stock Kesslers and other alpine gear, from the US, not shipping direct from Europe. He had this lone listing for a pair of Deeluxe in one size only, and bingo they happened to be my size, so I stopped thinking and grabbed em.

So much useful info, can't thank y'all enough. BTW the main boot I have used over the years, at least for backcountry (snowshoe/snowboard) is a Dynafit TLT4, but sized up a full size (26.5) to get more width, so they've always been a compromise in terms of fit.

Thanks for all the data and advice! I ordered some deeluxe 700s, size 25 for my 25.5 feet. Fingers crossed they work out. So now do I need a spring kit??

I see Head Stratos boots for sale here and there for fairly cheap, and someone here said they have a wide toebox. Anyone have thoughts on them? Can you still get heel spring kits for them? It's not clear to me that the ACSS system is still available, and that's what I read was compatible with Stratos back in 2012.

I figured (hoped) someone would take issue with my hasty statement. Thanks for the info! I think the steel vs Al faction is sort of a religion. I concede I got a bit torch and pitchfork there. There are of course differences among the array of different steel and aluminum, but the truth is you can make pretty great stuff out of either material. I've had a bunch of aluminum bikes, and it's not like any of them ever broke, so wth am I on about with the metal fatigue in bikes rant, anyway? It seems to be a common trait among bike nerds (me) to obsess about minutiae that have essentially no practical effect on the fun level or even efficiency of riding a bike. Eh, it adds color to the enjoyment, in a 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' way. Now carbon on the other hand...

OMG yes. If I put a "wide" footbed on the floor and step on it you can't see any part of the footbed, it just disappears. Feet like a beached elephant seal. The only way I know my arch has increased after switching to flat shoes is by my wet footprint. There's an indentation now! 425/700, I don't know what I want, I've only ever used ski boots, alpine or AT. 24mp, seriously? I'm amazed you can size down with such wide feet. I guess it's all about the intuition liner.

Omg yes (you had the same ones?! I've never seen another pair). And as an added feature they like to lock into different notches on the two rails so that the bail is not square. You have to work at it to get the bails square. So, last time I snapped a baseplate on these bindings I fired off an email to Burton tech support and a new plate promptly arrived in the mail, even though the bindings were about ten years out of manufacture! I mean, I *have* to ask them again, right? I think it's safe to assume they'll just grab another baseplate out of cold storage, drop it in the mail and have me back up and running in no time, amiright? If I remember correctly when the last one snapped it was the other foot, which would indicate that it's about metal fatigue, not just the differential in force on the rear vs front binding. Aluminum suffers from constant/cumulative metal fatigue; it's always dying, all flexing is destructive. So after a relatively linear time&wear period it's so degraded that it fails. Whereas something like spring steel is pretty happy flexing within its intended range, thus it suffers comparatively little damage except at the extremes and thus can last much, much longer, practically forever compared to aluminum. This is part of the reason steel bike frames are attractive versus the ubiquitous Al. Aluminum is lightweight and corrosion resistant and that's about where its virtues end. Steel is real. Aluminum is shite but works alright. Of course Al is great in a planned-obsolescence business model, which is after all the dominant paradigm.

This is great information thank you Odd Job. I am likewise a 25.5 wide. My feet don't measure super wide on the measurer thingy, but are flat and high volume, so they fit super wide. My M.O. for all footwear is to buy whatever model is widest and flattest, and then simply remove whatever footbed is in there and wear it like that. If I want to adjust the fit from there I'll sometimes add a totally flat insole/footbed. For my (AT ski) hardboots I also added a little heel wedge in the back foot to reduce heel lift. And whether I'm in soft or hard boots, I can count on intense foot cramps for the first half the day and opening all the latches/boas on every lift. There are always people trying to push 'arch supports' as the remedy for flat feet, but it's the opposite. Arch supports are straight up torture devices for me, and my feet are never happier than in totally flat shoes, and it makes them stronger/more agile too. In fact after switching to flat, zero drop shoes years ago, my feet became noticeably less flat. But I digress. If you are able to make the 425s work, then that is probably the best bet for me too. I'm amazed you can size down in them on top of it. Did you do any extreme bootfitting or other mods?

Aha. They are probably 'asian fit' then, awesome. And I have short feet, ftw. No removable heel, but otherwise great. This Korean webshop is the only place I've found them for purchase so far http://www.s5.co.kr/ $644 plus a lot more to get to the US I'd guess, if it's even possible--I've never purchased anything directly from Korea, so have no idea. I see that user slapos got a pair two years ago via facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miunole but I don't see any info on that page about purchasing. I guess you'd send a message and ask about it directly? Also I don't facebook.

Hmm this looks impressive. With Burton StepOns I can't use their stiffest boot because it doesn't come in a wide. So my boots are soft and on top of that the bindings squeak and creak and move around a lot. Every time I use them I think jeez I've gotta spend some time figuring out if these can be firmed up somehow, but then I just go hardbooting instead and forget about the StepOns and their issues until the next time I get around to using them. They're great for convenience though, such as days goofing around with friends on skis, since I can click in right off the lift without stopping to join the herd of loitering snowboarders fiddling with their ye olde strap technology at the top of every lift. In the past I used Switch step ins (still have em in the shed) which worked great but you need specific boots, and all the structure is built into the boots which is heavy and mediocre at best. The supermatics do away with the boot-specificity issue.

Well yeah, it's true that occasionally this happens: But it's rare. Only under high loading.

Are there any? Deeluxe for example is one-width-fits-most.

Much thanks for the encouragement, seriously! I'm excited to see what all the fuss is about. Bring on that KST magic!

I had no idea this event existed. Because I live under a rock. Planning for next year!

You have snow? Ah, I can still remember when snow used to just fall right out of the sky. The good news is my Mistral performs equally well on all surfaces: rocks, snow, pavement... Can't believe I used to hike this thing up mountains. Yeah that's right, it's a backcountry AT board too.

I know these fancy newfangled boards are supposed to be great and all, but I just don't know if they can measure up to my trusty Mistral Energy. I mean it has "The Carving System". And genuine Burton bindings that mount straight through the board for ultimate control, power, and carveness.

The Alpine 168--I think I'll take it! I just broke the binding on the antique carving board I've been using since the early nineties, and anyway I've been looking to upgrade to something from this century for a while now. Given the new era of lousy snow we seem to be in, I was looking at things like the Coiler Contra or the Kessler Spectra (is it even hardboot appropriate?) based on manufacturers claims. But it seems like it's hard to go wrong starting the new quiver with a 168. Me want!

I have no experience with Thirst or any custom board, but am learning at my own special pace. I saw the specs of the XC online, but I'm not sure how the build is customized from there. If you have a spare moment to enlighten me, I'd welcome it. Rider weight?