Dear Santa..What I want in a boot.

[John Gilmour]

What I want to see in a boot.

Raichle Flexion comp style tongue and straps. Lower height like Stratos. Progressive flex based entirely on springs and uerethane blocks so you can adjust for temp shift (blocks switch by rotation) .

Switchable Asymmetric cuffs for goofy and regular footers.

Nitrogen Air bag foot bed (with many air bag bonding points to prevent inner boot foot roll from top of bag to bottom of bag) for jackhammers and plantar f. sufferers.

Liner is water proof breathable laceup with tread so you can walk/drive in the liner.

Plastic boot has burton style soft boot lace up( Hail boot type) built in to hold liner securely from rolling within the outer boot.

Boot heaters.

Inset step in (current step-in heel receivers are too close to the end of the boot so the boot binding system flexes strange).

New Hole pattern in boards so you can eliminate most of the binding and just buy an assortment of heel and toe receivers that have built in cant and lift- perhaps each is adjustable within a range. You use your current Catek or Bomber bindings to determine your ideal cant and lift..and then swap out 90-95% of the binding weight for these.

[Mellow Yellow]

Ho ho ho.... you ain't getting' poo for Christmas

[michael.a]

Seeing that list kinda reminds me of Homer simpson prattling off what features he needs in designing the perfect car...

[Willow 15]

John's list of features is probably easier to achieve than trying to source some .950's!

[tex1230]

You build those boots and I'll be there to buy the first pair of 27.5 off the line...

[KingCrimson]

Inset step in (current step-in heel receivers are too close to the end of the boot so the boot binding system flexes strange).

Doesn't the current system minimize weird flex?

If you shorten the wheelbase, it seems like play and slop would be worsened, and any weird boot flex would be exacerbated.

[John Gilmour]

Doesn't the current system minimize weird flex?

If you shorten the wheelbase, it seems like play and slop would be worsened, and any weird boot flex would be exacerbated.

I would think the same thing... but in actuality ... there is a big difference between the way step-ins and regular clip ins ride. I attribute it to perhaps... the more lateral heel flex in a clip in.

Its not so much weird boot flex- but the elimination of flex that makes it strange. The Raichles/deelux was made prior to step ins so the lateral flex was likely compensated for clip ins when they selected boot plastic durometers.

I think that there is a systemic effect of flex.

The system is the snow, board flex, binding flex, boot flex , and rider tibia flex.

If you look at how most faster animals bone structure that must sustain some g force when cornering evolved...

There likely is some component of flex built into the bone structure.

So perhaps... if youwere to look in slow motion at how say..a chihuahua's bones micro deform when they execute tight corners..and then look at say a larger animals bones micro deformity under g's say..perhaps a Polo Pony (Very nimble horse) you might be able to derive a flexion scale.

Admittedly as we are bipeds this does not exactly translate... but primates likely aren't good candidates.

Since our feet are side by side..we are nearly 1/2 of a 4 legged animal under extreme cornering forces.

Likely, optimally, the amount of deformation in the boot/binding set up should not abruptly conflict with their adjacent interfaces

ie.. Your tibia

and

The board.

So a chihuahua tibia is thick near the knee and narrows to flex and then gets thick again at the ankle (though oddly horses run on their hooves which are essentially fingernails) the foot pad of the chichuahua is very flexy suggesting- perhaps that shock absorption is important in the forefoot when it comes to cornering.

In comparison it's is as if we have hooves that are nearly a foot tall and extremely heavy- perhaps out of scale for what we are trying to do.

Just an odd thought.

[KingCrimson]

I would think the same thing... but in actuality ... there is a big difference between the way step-ins and regular clip ins ride. I attribute it to perhaps... the more lateral heel flex in a clip in.

Its not so much weird boot flex- but the elimination of flex that makes it strange. The Raichles/deelux was made prior to step ins so the lateral flex was likely compensated for clip ins when they selected boot plastic durometers.

I think that there is a systemic effect of flex.

The system is the snow, board flex, binding flex, boot flex , and rider tibia flex.

If you look at how most faster animals bone structure that must sustain some g force when cornering evolved...

There likely is some component of flex built into the bone structure.

So perhaps... if youwere to look in slow motion at how say..a chihuahua's bones micro deform when they execute tight corners..and then look at say a larger animals bones micro deformity under g's say..perhaps a Polo Pony (Very nimble horse) you might be able to derive a flexion scale.

Admittedly as we are bipeds this does not exactly translate... but primates likely aren't good candidates.

Since our feet are side by side..we are nearly 1/2 of a 4 legged animal under extreme cornering forces.

Likely, optimally, the amount of deformation in the boot/binding set up should not abruptly conflict with their adjacent interfaces

ie.. Your tibia

and

The board.

So a chihuahua tibia is thick near the knee and narrows to flex and then gets thick again at the ankle (though oddly horses run on their hooves which are essentially fingernails) the foot pad of the chichuahua is very flexy suggesting- perhaps that shock absorption is important in the forefoot when it comes to cornering.

In comparison it's is as if we have hooves that are nearly a foot tall and extremely heavy- perhaps out of scale for what we are trying to do.

Just an odd thought.

I think I understand..

It's more that the flex behavior of current boots does not mesh with stepins because of the lack of lateral flex.

A boot to compensate would make sense..If modern racing gear wasn't Sidewinders and F2s. More knives stuck in your Christmas list..

I think...

[John Gilmour]

Hitting Mt. High tomorrow... what's your number so we can hit a few turns..I'm a 47 year old crow with grey hair... sure to terrify your lady friends who were born after 1993 (ironically the year I perfected the Madd 158 Board) . I'm about 20lbs overweight right now, but just had a colonoscopy and endoscopy Wednesday so I feel a "crap bit" lighter. I'm coming with a beginner.

I'm going to carve on my 5 year old broken split tail and 3 year old soft boots...dull edges.. who does good edges in SoCal? What wax should I use?

Will Stan "Darsh" be there?

[Ian M]

Just an odd thought.

Odd indeed! I do think you're onto something, though. Never having ridden step-in's, I can't compare, but I love the lateral flex in my TD3 regulars. The whole step-in mechanism looked very rigid to me. I should try 'em some day and see what they feel like!

[Sinecure]

I wanna see that Chihuahua snowboard!

Mt. High? WTF? Get outta Socal and come to Tahoe.

[John Gilmour]

I wanna see that Chihuahua snowboard!

Mt. High? WTF? Get outta Socal and come to Tahoe.

got a house in Tahoe... in time... but gotta get the legs worth Tahoe first. Likely Mt. Rose... ulss there is better carving in Squaw or elsewhere.... where is the best carving trail in Tahoe? I remember he trail under Orient Express was good but too short. But minivZinal like.

My Dog longboards tandem...I got it on video.

[AMK]

Ho ho ho.... you ain't getting' poo for Christmas

take off your pj's I will show you how to dance ;).

Santa killer.

(... and I just want one more Coiler)

[John Gilmour]

http://www.pierregignoux.fr/GB/XpCompetition.php

My Deelux 700T boots + BTS with the -admitted very heavy Strolz foamed custom liners (my liners ALONE weigh more than a pair of soft 32 snowboard boots) weigh in at 5900 grams for the pair.

His boots weigh 590 grams each!

So 5 PAIRS of his boots = one pair of 700T with Strolz liners and BTS.

They look custom molded... so I might be able to make my dream boot after all.

NIIIICE! .......said with Borat inflection.

[KingCrimson]

Hitting Mt. High tomorrow... what's your number so we can hit a few turns..I'm a 47 year old crow with grey hair... sure to terrify your lady friends who were born after 1993 (ironically the year I perfected the Madd 158 Board) . I'm about 20lbs overweight right now, but just had a colonoscopy and endoscopy Wednesday so I feel a "crap bit" lighter. I'm coming with a beginner.

I'm going to carve on my 5 year old broken split tail and 3 year old soft boots...dull edges.. who does good edges in SoCal? What wax should I use?

Will Stan "Darsh" be there?

If you don't listen to me, you're gonna have a BAD TIME.

[John Gilmour]

Looking forward to checking out the ski-in ski-out luxury condos, can't wait to get a taste of the luxury.

The scratchy granular had better be impeccably groomed into a intense slam bullet proof surface with tons of loose ball bearing snow on top of that.

If only I had hard boots. I just sold mine.. how do I do pizza or french fries on my board?

Santa...please....I need new boots.

(who would guess Santa's real name might be Pierre Gignoux)

but back on topic..

Making your own hardboots out of carbon fiber.... sounds like a fun project.

best part.. is .. I could make mods to existing parts (cutting or adding material and then use them as a negative mold)

[KingCrimson]

Looking forward to checking out the ski-in ski-out luxury condos, can't wait to get a taste of the luxury.

The scratchy granular had better be impeccably groomed into a intense slam bullet proof surface with tons of loose ball bearing snow on top of that.

If only I had hard boots. I just sold mine.. how do I do pizza or french fries on my board?

Santa...please....I need new boots.

(who would guess Santa's real name might be Pierre Gignoux)

but back on topic..

Making your own hardboots out of carbon fiber.... sounds like a fun project.

best part.. is .. I could make mods to existing parts (cutting or adding material and then use them as a negative mold)

Ask Tinky about making CF boots, I know he made some cool Burton parts for someone. Bryan has the info on tap I'm sure.

We actually don't get scratchy granular. We like to call our snow "sintered"

[nekdut]

John, Mammoth/June over the holidays. Make it so. :)

There will be a fair smattering of carvers at June between Christmas and New Years. We will likely avoid Mammoth if possible as the crowds there will be painful, not so at June.

[DiveBomber]

FWIW: http://www.bootfitters.com/oldsite/parts_dept.htm

[b0ardski]

Great link DB. thanks

Dual Pivot Cuff Alignment

Dual-cuff alignment is a worthy feature in any boot. When you can move both sides of the cuff, you can more precisely match the shape of the lower leg.

Tecnica goes one better with Dual Pivot, a twin-cuff alignment system that uses offset hinges to rotate the cuff in a slight circular motion as well as left to right. That lets the boot better match the flex-arc of the cuff to the skier’s lower leg shape. And that permits pinpoint steering accuracy while providing an exceptionally broad range of cuff-angle adjustment options.

I've always believed cuff flex control in hardboots is where we have the most room for improvement. When snowboard specific hardshells first came along most had "floating" cuff hinges which allowed a lot more lateral flex albiet uncontrolled.

My Nordia SBH and my UPS asymflex (same as lower shell as megaflex circa '91) had lockable, slotted cuff hinge on the outsideSBH, inside UPS, while the original Raichle snowboarder slotted both cuff hinges but didn't lockout. These were the weak link of the boot design and more or less abondoned by the manufacturers:(

Along comes rab/BTS to give us some control of cuff flex but these only help for/aft. I want lateral BTS but without the bulky spring mechanism like Beckmans frankenboots.

A lockable slotted cuff hinge mechanism using elastomer bushings combined with a lockable rab type forward lean springs (rather than bts to cut down on bulk) would create a customizable cuff flex to surpass anything yet dreamed of. Also easily swappable tongues like Raichle sb series.

Combined with a lightweight boot shell like scarpa F1 or dynafit tlt, snowboard boots may actually enter the 21st century.

This will be the ultimate boot for switching between board & skis and split boards with traction soles and step-in DINtech/Fintech heels.

C'mon Santa, bring me some b0ardski boots,

please, please, please,

[Mr.E]

I'll be the voice of dissent- I like tall cuffs and tongues. Speed/ climb AT boots are awesome for up, but I like more cuff for the downs. Especially on the snowboard. That is part of the reason I ultimately dropped the Scarpa Denali's- the cuffs just were not tall enough for me. Tall boots with lateral flex sound better to me.

[John Gilmour]

The best thing about springs is immunity to temperature variations... Elastomers... can help make minor adjustments but are temp sensitive....but still with most of it being done by springs and not by the plastic cuff... it would go a long way to adapt to a wide range of temps.