softboots for carving?

[ronals]

I ride my Donek 179 FC-1 every chance I get. Last year I bought a 164 Retro Air Lamm LSD to use when the "variable conditions" in the northeast don't make the FC-1 practical. I have K2 A-Team bindings that are realativley stiff - my boots are definatly the weak link when I'm laying into a carve.

Any recomendations on a good stiff boot that will help to hold the edge when doing laying it over?

Thanks!

[MikeC]

Burton Driver X.

What I and several other USASA medalist ride for both BX, softboot carving, and general freeriding.

Can go from stiff to super stiff epending on how much you tighten them up.

________________

Mike

[kieran]

salomon malamutes are often touted as well.

[Mig]

One more vote for the Burton Driver X.

[Loc]

I use the Driver X boots too and they work great for softboot carving.

[heroshmero]

Does anybody have any opinion on which of those boots is better for a wide foot? The Burton Driver X or the Salomon Malamutes?

[jp1]

heroshmero, I can't comment on the Malamute's, but I have 5(E) wide feet and used Burton Drivers with good fit previous to hardboots.

[John H]

I've got Burtons and Malamutes and I find the Burtons to fit a bit wider than the Malamutes. Size 7.5 Burton is wider than size 8 Malamute.

[thebionicman]

I run with the Driver X as well, was definately able to carve with these.

[slopestar]

I run with the Driver X as well, was definately able to carve with these.

I use 9 year old flow Domain boots. Still have the sperm logo on the sole of the boots. I have shoe gooed the base back on twice and the inside is all packed out. Too broke to buy anything else. They work fine. Just lay it over and hope she sticks!

[heroshmero]

Thanks for the input on the width.

It looks like the Burton's have a liner. I'm curious, has anybody ever done a foam injected or heat molded thermofit liner for a soft boot like this? What were the results?

[zoltan]

If I remember right, the Driver X comes with an (re-branded) Intuition liner.

The Driver X fits wider than the Malamute.

[Scott.Creer]

I would recommend thirtytwo brand snowboard boots. I used to ride burtons, but about 5-6 years ago I discovered the thirtytwo team 2s and they are giant leaps above anything else. If you are looking for super stiff I would go with the thirtytwo Focus Boa boots.

[Tick]

Ok, now that Scott chimed in on the Thirty two, I will too. I have the Focus BOA and was really looking for a stiff responsive boot. It really does the trick.They have a moldable liner. Also has a nice heel retention strap inside the boot (between the liner and boot), a great adjustable cinch strap at the front of the liner (most boots do now though), and a dual BOA system. You can independently adjust the tightness of the bottom of the boot and the top. And man can I get dialed in tightly. Was really skeptical about the wires of the BOA system and thought the system might break down, but after 2 seasons (25-30 full days each season) they are still going strong. The liner itself has packed out a little bit, but they are still my go to boots. In my opinion I can get just about as tight as my hard boots with a bit more comfort.

I have a wide foot and the boot fits just fine. However, one quirky thing about the Thirty Two boots are that the outside of the boot runs a little big. For example, I wear size 8.5 (yeah yeah, I know what they say about guys with small feet - they wear small boots). I looked at buying a pair of Flow bindings that were supposed to fit boot sizes up to 9, but the Focus boot was a tad to big to fit into the binding. So just make sure you have a binding that will fit at least one size bigger.

[leeho730]

32 forecast - stiffer than focus boa; discontinued after 07-08 season.

K2 T1 - stiff, highly adjustable inner, go for the ones made before 07-08 season.

Salomon malamute - I somehow managed to soften them really badly after one season.

[dingbat]

Picked up a pair of new Solomon Malamutes in the off season.

Haven't ridden them yet, but they don't strike me as anywhere near as stiff as the old Malamutes.

[Rob Stevens]

Past performance is a hard measuring stick to use.

Each year, product seems to get cheaper and cheaper. Burton bindings were a great case-in-point. The C-14 was the best thing you could get at one time... Now, the C-60's aren't a shadow of what they were.

Same with the boots, though if I recommended anything from past performance, it would be the 32's. Shell breakdown (especially the backstay) took seasons, rather than days.

The Vibram sole on the Driver X is a nice touch, but it's not the climbing sole, so it does have flex, which is a drag.

Getting a stiff boot is, however, a useless exercise unless you get stiff bindings to go with them. The top Nitro and Nideckers are a good match.

If I really wanted to go crazy, I'd buy some 32's and a pair of ice climbing double-boots, take them both to a shoemaker and have the proper Vibram sole (0 flex) bonded to the SB boot. People place a lot of stock in ankle stiffness, but I think the power and comfort comes from the sole.

[bobdea]

Picked up a pair of new Solomon Malamutes in the off season.

Haven't ridden them yet, but they don't strike me as anywhere near as stiff as the old Malamutes.

that's probably a good thing. softboots CAN be too stiff. particularly in certain places. it's one reason why I stayed with burton drivers. they are softer than the older malamutes but for me the flex in the ankle they gave me over a couple other brands allowed me to have overall pretty good stiffness but also allowing me move around and not feel restricted.

there were a couple boots that were stiffer in the ankle than the driver x that I tried and it made the boot less effective for me. I think the flex profile of the boot matters more than actual overall stiffness.

not sure I completely agree with rob 100% but the old k2 clicker boots that were pretty soft but had a mega stiff plate right under foot were really good for getting the board up on edge fast, not so much keeping it there and stable though. so there is something to what he's saying for sure.

[bobdea]

Thanks for the input on the width.

It looks like the Burton's have a liner. I'm curious, has anybody ever done a foam injected or heat molded thermofit liner for a soft boot like this? What were the results?

yeah, I put my thermoflex liners in, they were too tall and I knew they would be but it was sort of a proof of concept. it works and a few boots are built around such liners. the big thing was the boot was softer but fit better.

[Bora20]

I bought some Deeluxe GTS boots for $95 last night. They might be crap, but for the price I am sure they will be fine for the small amount of soft boot carving I intend to do.

[topoftheworld]

Hey Bora20,

I saw the Deeluxe too for 95$ and almost bought a pair, let me know when you get hem what you think.

thanks

[blknwht]

Being in the midwest unfortunately I ride my softs more than I ride my hards. Someone above mentioned the K2 T1 boot. I think that's a great carving boot personally! I ride the TI double boa(db) wich has a boa for the liner and for the outside and they are plenty stiff. I think the Boa is the way to go for a soft carving boot myself. The T1 also comes in a lace outside and boa liner, slightly softer. There is also the thraxis wich is even stiffer and has a boa liner and two zones on the outside... more boas, more bucks though...

[nitros]

i tried both models (from burton and salomon) but i prefer .............. malamute

[piusthedrcarve]

My 2 cents on Malamute.

Compare to Driver X:

Lighter, Stiffer, Tighter. Hard to put in & out. especially ankle (which could be pro once feet gets in for locking down heel tightly), Narrower.

I needed to put some effort to get in and out. Great carving specific soft boots but just can't spend much time on bench to put feet in and out. I have hardboots for that

The reason I bolded above is I don't think I want to put on malamute on park or freestyle boards.