Head Stratus Pros

[big mario]

After 5+ seasons my Suzuka's where starting to show their age, so I decided to get some new kicks. I went to my local crack dea errrr snowboard supplier and wanted to check out the Track 700's. He was out of stock in my size and had me try on the Heads instead. Fit was fantastic right out of the box, with great heel hold and nice wiggle room in the toe box. The liner is moldable at the foot, and densely padded in the non moldable shin area, with a layer of plastic reinforceing the tounge and a small velcro power strap on the liner. I did have the liners molded by Larry to speed up the breakin process, though it wasn't really that nessescery

The shell is equally impressive, with real micro adjustable buckles, and a springloaded lever on the ankle hold down for a little extra oomfp when cranking down on that particular buckle. The shell is not Bts compatible without minor modifications, though there is a spring system similar to the one found on the old Raichle Af 700, so you may not need to add the bts. The lean is adjustable, though not quite as easily on a chairlift between runs as the BTS equipped Deluxe's. It also comes with a powerstrap.

I rode the HSP's for the first time yesterday and was very impressed. With the stiff tounges in (they also come with a set of soft) they flex was somewhere betwen a heavily preloaded blue or a lightly preloaded red bts spring. I was running all reds on my old boots. I initially felt the boots where a bit mushy, but this was quickly remedied by tightening the top buckle a bit more as well as the power strap and the boots came alive. I hit it hard yesterday, and felt that I did not miss a beat, the HSP's felt as though they had been on my feet the entire season. I experienced no heel lift, and I only had to loosen them once during a bathroom break. I rode a long day yesterday and experienced no discomfort.

For all of you that are thinking of a new boot, give the Heads a serious look. For about a Ben Franklin less than comparable Deluxe's, you get burly construction, great buckles, a powerstrap, and awesome preformance.

Try them.

Buy them.

Really.

mario

[bonzo]

How timely. Now that UPZ's are cracked and no longer rideable, I have been torn between a pair of Trak 700, Head Stratus Pros, or another set of UPZ. Having a wider foot, I had to run a half size larger UPZ, but after the first season I had some heel lift. I may have to wait until next season to find a pair in my size, but not having a local dealer, finding the right size is problematic.

[jp1]

big, I've done several of the BTS on HSP's, everyone them. Great summer project, while you're at it do the Boot Modifications . Search under HSP Modifications, all the information is there, any questions email or call me, jp1.

[big mario]

It is my opinion, and I tried to show this in my review, that for a firmer ride the HSP's work just fine without any modifications, that they are comparable to an all red bts setup right out of the box, and any modifications would be superfluous.

mario

[pow4ever]

perhap the weight of the rider have something to do with how flexable the boots feel?

lighter rider might have good reason to modified the boots to make them more flexy?

i am 230+lb. I can flex the boot pretty easily in stock format. The problem i see is the middle 2 buckle are in the way of each other when I am really cranking the boot(maybe it's by design? no amount of cutting will fix that...). Which might be one of the reasons for shin bang for I.

I found the power wrap strap to be useless(with the exception to carry boot)... Upgraded to booster strap and found it work much better.

--

David

[Seraph]

perhap the weight of the rider have something to do with how flexable the boots feel?

lighter rider might have good reason to modified the boots to make them more flexy?

i am 230+lb. I can flex the boot pretty easily in stock format. The problem i see is the middle 2 buckle are in the way of each other when I am really cranking the boot(maybe it's by design? no amount of cutting will fix that...). Which might be one of the reasons for shin bang for I.

I found the power wrap strap to be useless(with the exception to carry boot)... Upgraded to booster strap and found it work much better.

--

David

I think size of the boot also affects the flex. I have very small feet (24.5 mondo), and I found that the second buckle from the top sits right on a critical flex point (which has been documented on other posts) and really makes the boot very difficult to flex in the smaller mondo sizes. After tinkering with the boot over the past two seasons and working with Larry, I've now got mine to the point where I like them. They are great boots though and well made.

[pow4ever]

I found that the second buckle from the top sits right on a critical flex point (which has been documented on other posts) and really makes the boot very difficult to flex in the smaller mondo sizes. After tinkering with the boot over the past two seasons and working with Larry, I've now got mine to the point where I like them. They are great boots though and well made.

Hi Seraph:

How did you get around the buckle interfering?

I would love to do the same to my HSP.

Thanks

David

[Seraph]

Hi Seraph:

How did you get around the buckle interfering?

I would love to do the same to my HSP.

Thanks

David

Well, I kind of worked around the problem. I have seen some posts where people have moved the buckle strap, but I wasn't up to that challenge. Instead I did the a search on the site for head tuning and found this:

http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=6008&highlight=head+tuning

Making those modifications, and adding BTS with yellow springs, got me to the point where I was getting good flex despite the second buckle strap binding on me. At that point because I had a snug fit in the boot with proper molding and footbeds there was no slosh or hard points in the boot and I was able to get a comfortable flex out of the boot. I'm not an expert in boot modification but this has worked for me so far. I would think that on the smaller boot sizes if the second buckle strap was moved up a little bit it would allow for a lot more flex, but again, no expertise in boot modification here and don't know if I would want to try that and potentially ruin the boot and have to start over.

[Surf Quebec]

At ECES, I've compared my HSP (with blue springs) with others including JP1.

I was the lightest rider withe the stiffest boots.

At the PSR clinic, Eric told me that I was fighting with my boots instead of fighting with the board.

I've redone some mods and now they flex more, I have also exchanged my blue springs for yellow ones, I'm waiting for them .

I'd like to try my new setup before the snow melts

My boots are mondo point 25.5. The second and third buckles are near but from my testing there is a lot of friction everywhere in the boot causing the stiffnest of the boot.

[BlueB]

Take my opinion with a pinch of salt, as my boots are the ski version of the HSP (Dalbello Carvex). They are supposedly made of stiffer plaastic and DIN toe/heel blocks, but the rest is the same...

I do not believe that 2nd and 3rd buckle touching has to do much with the flex. 2nd buckle is on the foot, so it's not supposed to move anywhere. 3rd buchle is on the ankle strap, so it's right where it should be to keep the heel in place, i.e. it shouldn't move either. Tongue is of the floating variety (it does not even have the ridges like on Raichle/Deeluxe to impede sliding) and the cuff is hinged, so there is plenty of alowance for movement. Where the stiffness comes from is actually the 2 wings of lower shell, overlapping on the inside of the cuff. By trimming these, you can get more flex. Other limitting factor is the kidnbey hole under the 3rd buckle. Thes size of it dictates where the hard stop will happen. Travel can be increased by routing that hole longer (removal of the buckle is required).

Advantage of BTS id that the flex and travel are dictated by (tunable) spring. Without it and without the mods, one relies on the bend/buckling of the shell. This might be fine for bigger/stronger riders, but harsh on the lightweights.

Also, the plastic used changes a lot with temperature. In warmer conditions it's nice and squishy and very stif in the cold.

I had a pair of the semi-transparent ones which seemed to be stiffer plastic then the black ones. Mind you, the shell to cuff interface was a bit different.

My 0.02 CAD.

[Steez]

I find it hard to believe that boots can be cranked hard enough for this to happen, that and the board should be up on edge long before this is even a possibility. Been riding Heads for 6 years with blue BTS, great boots.

[bonzo]

Well, I bought a pair of Head Stratos Pros.

It's a special order from my local shop. No returns accepted. Head rep had me try on an equivalent ski boot for size. I took the leap, placed the order, and they arrived in less than a week. They seem to fit fine, but a little bootfitting may be in order. I spent some time this weekend wearing them in the basement while watching a couple Warren Miller films on Netflix, just to make sure nothing funny happens if I am boarding at 65F.

For lack of better terminology, the fit and finish of the HSP is way beyond my cracked UPZ boots. Not that how it looks and feels on the outside really matters, but it does make you feel better about your purchase decision in the preseason.

I'll try them stock for a few weeks before I try any mods or do any bootfitting. Now all we need is some snow.

[jp1]

bonzo, I'm going to 'stick my neck out' here (as usual) but here goes. I'll start wearing my boots around the house a month or so beforehand to acclimate them and my feet. I've done it with ski boots and my alpine boots, and have always been extremely :) lucky with fit & feel!

I would recommend only snugging them up loosely in the beginning to let the new liner form to your feet. When the time comes, wear them where they feel comfortable.

I hope you have as good of luck as I have with the Head's

[Petrol]

I walked around the house a few timesin them and now finally managed to get the wind in my face out on the snow in my new Head Stratus Pros.

they felt ok the first run but very shortly thereafter I developed pain from a pressure point on the inside ankle bone. OWCH!

I continued to ride 4 more hrs before surrendering the day.

Two days later & due to tenderness I'm pretty sure I couldn't ride them tomorrow if I had to :(

Anyway, I was already thinking about making a few of the mods discussed herein to gain flex, Now I'm looking for a little bone-out relief.

Any ideas?

[bonzo]

bonzo, I'm going to 'stick my neck out' here (as usual) but here goes. I'll start wearing my boots around the house a month or so beforehand to acclimate them and my feet. I've done it with ski boots and my alpine boots, and have always been extremely :) lucky with fit & feel!

I would recommend only snugging them up loosely in the beginning to let the new liner form to your feet. When the time comes, wear them where they feel comfortable.

I hope you have as good of luck as I have with the Head's

After having worked 10 days in them I can say that I am pleased. They feel great and fit pretty well, though I may move up to a higher volume sock and/or footbed. I really wanted a 29, but the Head Rep said it would be close 2011 before any were in stock, so I settled for a 29.5 so I would have them before the start of the season. Strangely, they seem to fit my Catek bindings better than the UPZ's that they replaced (due to cracking).

[jp1]

Petrol, just curious, do you have bony 'extremely bony' ankles? Just wondering if you gave them enough time to conform to your foot?

The liners should say 'Heat Moldable' right on them. You may want to take them to the shop where you bought them and have them molded to you feet.

I'm far from a boot fitter, I've just always been lucky, but believe you need time in them for them to conform to your feet. Good Luck, I think when you get them fitting right, you'll be very happy.

[Petrol]

I wouldn't consider mine boney, but I've never really looked at other mens ankles. That said, I know what you're saying. I've since played around with the canting and the little adjustable side panels which seemed to help distribute the clamping forces of the boot across a wider area.

That and a little more time in them and we'll see!

Thanks

[Scott.Creer]

I made the purchase at the start of this season, and they are amazing. Prior to these I have had Burton Shadows, and track 700s. And I must say these are the best. I replaced the hard tongue on the back foot with the soft one, and moved the straps to the tighter set up. But they do a way better job keeping my ankle down than my track 700s did. Work great for me with my narrow ankles and feet.

[big mario]

Still very happy with the HSP's I picked up last march. No compaints after 25+ days, and I have still not and will not need to modify them. I have found a few things to be aware of however. I had not ridden them in below zero weather until this season, and they are a touch chilly on colder days, and without the BTS mod, I have to pay attention to the preload on the "RAB" on colder days, the boots will stiffen up considerably below 10 degrees f, so adjust accordingly

mario

[philw]

Switched to these in 2010-2011 from Deluxe Indy boots which I'd ridden since 2005. They're quite the best built snowboarding boots I've owned, very well built and a pleasure to use. I didn't bother getting them heat moulded (unlike the Indys), but they worked fine anyway. Perfectly comfortable.

At the start of the season I'd get very mild shin bang on the Indy's (slight reddening of the shin which would go after a few days riding). With these I didn't even get that.

I rode all sorts of temperatures and didn't notice any difference, but then I'm possibly not very sensitive to that sort of thing.

As I didn't get the chance to do an A:B comparison, and I'd changed boards too, I couldn't really say how these compare, but they definitely work and I like them. Oh, they're black too, which is a bonus.

[big canuck]

I've herad they are not going to be bringing HSP's into N/A anymore. Its is the best boot I've tried for a bigger volume foot like mine by far.

Tried em all, nothing fits like it. If you like the fit, get back ups.

That would suck if they are out.

K

[DiveBomber]

I talked to the Head buyer in germany:

they stopped producing them 2 years ago :(

[Transistor Rhythm]

I chatted with somebody from BlueTomato when I bought mine there about two months ago, he said they were expecting a new shipment for this year, but I'm still not convinced they will as their new winter catalogue is already in but there are no new HSP's on their site....

[Awesomo12000]

My friend just got the brand new 2012's! He hasn't used them yet though.

[big canuck]

Are they different at all? I'm pumped if they're still making them, it is a unique fitting, great quality boot IMO.