bluesurf Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I have been riding hard boots for a few weeks now and mostly like it on my freeride setup. 0 foot pain, gobs of control etc. The only real complaint is landing jumps/rails. The bottom of my feet kill from the rigidity. I have heat moldable footbeds so i tried that. I want to try a real stiff soft boot and see. I currently have dc allegiance. Boots are stiff but they packed out almost a size, their footprint is huge and i ahve amajor pressure point on my ankle. i will be selling these soon. My question is, are the salomon malamutes or the burton driver x really stiff? which one is stiffer? Which one would be closest to an old pair of reactors that are really soft now. (i know i am trying to compare 2 diff things) which one has more padding in the tongue? I would try them on but not a single store near me has either. thanks for any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I had the DC Allegiance and thought they were stiff till I rode in them. Their design allows a smoother "hinge" point which makes them softer when in use. I switched to Malamutes and am much happier. I haven't tried the Driver-X but here that they too are stiff. It seems that Malamutes and Driver-X are the top choices here on the board. I don't know if you will find anything as stiff as a soft pair of hard boots. Like you said they are two different animals which cannot be compared easily. Deluxe made a stiff boot but sadly it is out of production. Ink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Try these under your footbeds: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiveBomber Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 what H boots are you using now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave ESPI Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Comedy reply: Add a third strap and a locking high-back... hurrrrrrrrr *seriously though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 This year's Driver X's are quite stiff for soft boots, but not as stiff as 01/02 Malamutes were when new. The Driver X's aren't softening as quickly thank goodness though. I'm amazed at how much control I'm getting in modern softie gear. Heck, the bindings I'm using - Burton Missions - are only middle of the road in terms of stiffness. I have no trouble bending my Steepwater Plow 171 and laying down some nice arcs; although I certainly cannot push it anywhere near as hard as I can in hard boots. I think more ergonimic binding straps and highbacks has a LOT to do with the improved experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoom Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Salomons tend to be narrower, especially in the heel, than the Burtons. A lot of people people just can't wear one brand, while the other fits perfectly. Both boots have their fans, but it seems like fit is the biggest issue. The Salomon F24s are another stiff boot that are supposed to have great board feel, but the liners aren't as plush as the others. You might look into the Deeluxe softies, too. They are serious boots with stiffening bars. The guys at hardbooter.com have one type (cheap), and Bola used to have some others and may still.... Either store could talk to you about the fit of those boots. One more thought - the guys on splitboard.com are always after stiff softboots. It could be worth a search over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcarver Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I ride Deeluxe Crest with moldable liners. Not super stiff but up there. I think the 32 Forcast is a pretty stiff boot with a moldable liner. I like the moldable deal as it gives you great fit and you can re-heat and mold them after they pack out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Salomons tend to be narrower, especially in the heel, than the Burtons. Over time that's been my experience as well. The '09 Driver X's seem to be an exception to the rule as they are the first snowboard boot of any kind, soft or hard, that holds my bony, girlish ankles in place firmly and comfortably. I rode Salomon softies for 9 years straight before getting the Driver X's and I don't miss the Salomons at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ur13 Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 Another option is to find softer binding. Now, I'm not being a flip. If you are using Bombers or Cateks you have a very rigid binding under foot which is great for power transfer but bad for shock absorbation. So landing jumps sucks. Look at some of the softer plate bindings out there, the non-metal ones like F2s, the old Burton plates (or whatever they are called now-a-days) or whatever other resin/plastic option is out there. Also if you are using step-in heels, try getting this softer binding with bails. That will also provide a less rigid ride. The only thing (and this is why I don't ride bails) is lots of jumps/landings and bails can equal opening bails (which happened to me so many times over the years, especially when we had heel entry bails) due to boot flex or (softer) binding flex. That being said a resin/plastic bail plate will be much more of a forgiving ride than a rigid Bomber/Catek metal step-in (or even bails). It will fall somewhere between a rigid step in Bomber/Catek and a stiff soft boot, closer to a 3-strap stiff soft boot, but slightly more rigid. Trust me on this one. I went the same issue as you a few years back. I loved my plates but wanted something more forgiving for freeriding. I tried the stiffest softies I could find (Burton Drivers with Head S-LTD liners with Booster shin straps) at first and hated it (it had been 3-4 years since I had last ridden softies at the time) and eventually found some F2 plates that were soft and forgiving compared to my Bombers. They rocked for a while until I switched to intec heels and couldn't find the step-in heel part for the binding and my boots at the time) with intec heels didn't support bails. It's been 5 years since then and now I simply ride rigid step-in Bombers for everything (I got used to it) simply because I prefer it that way (or I'm simply a glutton) Point is, even the stiffest soft boot...still sucks compared to what I described above. I simply found recently that if you are going to bother riding softies in the first place, simply get a floppy boot and ride it in waist deep only (on a Burton Fish). Otherwise don't even bother. They are no fun once you've experience a good hard setup. The other perk is you can look on ebay and usually pick up some old Burton race plates for $50 or so to try it out without spending too much. If that doesn't feel right then try the softies...but at least try this first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave ESPI Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 UR13, I know your "fears" witht eh bails opening while getting air under the board. My rear foot kept comming out, so I made a strap to go around and under the boot / toe bail. I'll take a pic. It really messed with my confidence to "fly" until I fixed it this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ur13 Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 UR13, I know your "fears" witht eh bails opening while getting air under the board. My rear foot kept comming out, so I made a strap to go around and under the boot / toe bail. I'll take a pic. It really messed with my confidence to "fly" until I fixed it this season. Way back when when we only had heel entry bails I popped them open so many times on race courses and otherwise. The thing that made it worst was it was usually the front leg too. Not a good thing. As much as I loved the old Burton 5 hole plates they tended to flex alot under load and the front bail would pop open all the time. To make it worst I rode Koflach mountaineering boots for a while as my "soft" setup and a flexy binding with a flexy boot was a bad bad idea. I had all sorts of "creative solutions" to solve the bail issue...all of which involved duct tape. So when I rode I not only clipped in, I taped in as well. When I moved to the next gen Burton plates I actually used a velcro closure (part of an old leash) on my boots to keep the bails closed...even when they moved to toe closures. I solved the problem by switching to intec heels in 2002. I never looked back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesurf Posted February 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 all right i have found the right community for my issues. First my hard setup is burton reactors from the 90's and burton performance plates. Togeather they are as good flexing as i want a hard setup to be. really only issues are hard landings and the opening of bails in air(not experienced that yet). I don't know why i feel the need to try a stiff softboot only that it seems right to me. (a couple more days on hard setup may put that to rest). other thing is the deals that can be had right now. as for the 3rd strap and locked back i really like the idea and wish someone still made them. So who has the parts to convert my ride cads to a third strap? I think i would only need it in the front. here are my riding issues that maybe you guys can help me with. I bought a ns legacy 174 "rc" for soft conditions, but i like it so much i want to ride it all the time. thing is it is terribly hard to carve heelside. so i bought a premier 172 to try out and see if it is different or more similar to my old board. funny thing is i have the same heelside prob. they carve good in soft but when you hit hardpack they want to layflat. Is my problem that i am trying to rail a really big board. Should i be looking for a 165ish for a harder conditions board and keep the 174 for soft conditions? thanks for any input. I am 6'1" 230 sz 11 been riding 20 yrs. funny thing is the 174 is so stable i have been in the park a lot, more than i have been in atleast 7/8 years. it has made it fun for me again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolyMathMan Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 I'd have to go with the Malumutes. The combination of the heat-formable heel area and an internal strap to hold the heel down gives me a rock solid connection and a lot of comfort. As far as stiffness goes, I broke my leg a while back and the plaster cast seemed to have more flex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted February 11, 2009 Report Share Posted February 11, 2009 here are my riding issues that maybe you guys can help me with. I bought a ns legacy 174 "rc" for soft conditions, but i like it so much i want to ride it all the time. thing is it is terribly hard to carve heelside. so i bought a premier 172 to try out and see if it is different or more similar to my old board. funny thing is i have the same heelside prob. they carve good in soft but when you hit hardpack they want to layflat. Is my problem that i am trying to rail a really big board. Should i be looking for a 165ish for a harder conditions board and keep the 174 for soft conditions? thanks for any input. I am 6'1" 230 sz 11 been riding 20 yrs. funny thing is the 174 is so stable i have been in the park a lot, more than i have been in atleast 7/8 years. it has made it fun for me again. bluesurf, It sounds more like a technique problem. Do a search on here to find the threads to fix heelside turns. The info in those will help you on your NS. I carve a NS 172 Premier with Malamutes and Flow Eleven bindings ontop of Palmer Plates without problem. Also you may want to move your stance a bit more to your toe edge so you are less likely to boot out heelside. No need to keep buying boards when the ones you have work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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