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2011/2012 UPZ Boots


Puddy Tat

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Does it make a difference though, as the toe-to-cuff distance hasn't changed?
if your bindings have a max toe-heel distance of 30cm, and your boot toe-heel length is 29cm, you have 1cm of longitudinal adjustment available. if it's shorter, you get more.

i don't need it now with the 700's because i successfully downsized, but i could have done with it when i used 325's.

(f2 bindings, btw)

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if your bindings have a max toe-heel distance of 30cm, and your boot toe-heel length is 29cm, you have 1cm of longitudinal adjustment available. if it's shorter, you get more.

i don't need it now with the 700's because i successfully downsized, but i could have done with it when i used 325's.

(f2 bindings, btw)

I see your point. I'm thinking that with my mondo 28's on a 21.5cm waisted board (13.4m SCR) I set the boot up such that the edges of the boot are just inside the edges of the board. There is no space remaining to bias the boot towards the toe or the heel edge. (TD3 SI)

Dave

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i do the same, but with f2 bindings on a 2x5 insert layout, i line the binding plate slots up with the inserts, and mount with a gap of 2 inserts instead of one to distribute the load a bit more.

it's fine for the front foot, but the rear has a slight toe bias.

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...with the 27.0 RC10's, there is no problem getting the boot centered on the binding whatsoever?

Absolutely correct. I was able to center the boot perfectly with 27s and even had room to offset it forward if needed.

Checking bolts is a good idea, especially when stuff is fairly new and still settling in.

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Oh Canada Post...leaving a $625 pair of boots on my doorstep for the taking :nono: At least I could try them on faster :D

Been in them for 5 minutes now and feel good out of the box. No problems getting them on either. My initial concern is that the heel is really, really narrow. It's a wonderful snug fit but will this pack out...soften? It's borderline pinching on the soft tissue below the ankle bone however I'd hate to give up the snugged-down feel for heel slop. I know many of us battle with the lifting heel syndrome so don't want to complain too much :rolleyes:

The toebox is roomy for my average D width foot and not as wide as I was expecting...this is a good thing for me. I'm sure over time it'll get a little roomier too but I suppose my foot isn't going anywhere with that heel.

And the green looks better in person. Boot flex seems really consistent but the test will be on the slopes. I was thinking these would be really stiff but to my surprise they are not. I have the black tongues and the flex for my just sub-200 lbs is great. Quite a different flex pattern than the HSP's...hard to explain but I like it :D More review to come.

P.S. Heel is already feeling better at the end of me writing this but would still appreciate any comments on the matter!

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My initial thoughts coming monday, 10/24 when the boots are delivered. Hilux, with your heel issue, that's happened to me, and might not be boot specific. Granted, I have yet to try the new UPZ on, but when I threw a new liner in my old boots I felt the same way as you about the heel hold - borderline pinching. I think once you get used to it and the liner packs out a tiny bit things will be ok.

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P.S. Heel is already feeling better at the end of me writing this but would still appreciate any comments on the matter!

I laughed when I realized you were writing the entire review while wearing your new boots. Apparently there's a few of us around here who can't wait for the season to start. :eplus2:

Dave

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Oh Canada Post...leaving a $625 pair of boots on my doorstep for the taking :nono:

CP likes to be helpful like that ... they did the same with mine.

Been in them for 5 minutes now and feel good out of the box. No problems getting them on either. My initial concern is that the heel is really, really narrow. It's a wonderful snug fit but will this pack out...soften?

It will, even just wearing them around the house. I had mine on every day for a couple of weeks before I took them out on snow, and they felt great by the time I got to ride them. Out of the box, mine were so tight I couldn't wear them for more than a few minutes.

Have fun!

Randy, I'm sure your demo would go great in lime. When you've finished, come over here and help me with mine - it's making me crazy.:smashfrea

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Been in them for 5 minutes now and feel good out of the box. No problems getting them on either. My initial concern is that the heel is really, really narrow. It's a wonderful snug fit but will this pack out...soften? It's borderline pinching on the soft tissue below the ankle bone however I'd hate to give up the snugged-down feel for heel slop. I know many of us battle with the lifting heel syndrome so don't want to complain too much :rolleyes: .... P.S. Heel is already feeling better at the end of me writing this but would still appreciate any comments on the matter!

It seems like experiences vary on these liners considerably. When I got mine the liners felt a little snug at home but not at all uncomfortable. I felt compelled to give them a shot on snow despite warnings. Fast forward a few months to when I actually got to try them: HOLY HELL PAIN!!! They put a lot of pressure on your heel, which reduces blood flow, which turns your foot into block of ice. Note how liner has literally no insulation around the toes and then imagine yourself out in the cold with very poor circulation in your feet. ... when I took them off my whole foot BURNED for several beers as it warmed up. I wore them for half a day before giving up, and my feet were swollen/painful for two days afterwards.

Bought/Molded a pair of Dalbello Gold ID's and my feet were warm, supported and comfortable, with zero heel slop.

There are a lot of people that ride these liners and have no problems with them, but I was definitely not one of them. Never hurts to try them out but if you have the remotest sense of discomfort in your living room it will probably be worse on the mountain, so have a back up plan.

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Okay...here we go.

Nick: It would be interesting to compare initial out-of-the-box thoughts even though our feet are different. Perhaps UPZ designed this super snug heel to be excessively tight out of the box so when it packs out it's just right...lets hope so!

Puddy Tat: Indeed, I was wearing the boots although it was only my left foot as it's a 1/4" longer so it's always my tester foot. Glad you got a chuckle out of it : )

Allee: My plan exactly, wear them as much as possible for the next month and a bit until I can get out onto the snow...although it's probably better there's no snow right now because I'd put myself through pain and suffering of breaking in new boots on the mountain.

Randy: Bah! Haven't tried them yet! I couldn't contain myself...I become a child with new toys. Get in the green!

QQ: I've read up extensively on these boots before I got them and there does seem to be a divide for those who don't mind the liners and ones where they bring on discomfort. I am prepared for the alternative however I have a feeling they'll be fine with a few more hours of wear-time.

Heel review: I've had them on now for half an hour again (both feet now) and they feel pretty good. The heel on my right foot feels awesome whereas it's still tender on the left. I've been trying to stand in them as much as possible to so as not to cut off/slow down circulation to my feet and keep the blood flowing to give them a fair chance.

Toebox: Still roomy but I notice it more up and down and less side to side. Probably good for wiggling toes in the cold and I won't (hopefully) be getting to much side to side movement when it packs out.

Flex/Shell: So far I love the flex on these. Very consistent flex all the way through. No change of fit, or pressure points developing through range of motion. I found with my Head's I'd feel pressure (aside from the expected) on different parts of my foot and ankle as the shell contorted through it's flex...it was painful.

One thing I noticed...why can't I seem to walk in these (other than the fact they are hardboots)? I feel as though the heel is tucked so far forward that it gives a false sense of security. Big difference compared to HSP and my ski boots. Not a big deal just thought I'd mention it.

P.S. 45 minutes in and feeling better and better...time to take them off while I'm ahead :D

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Damn...Beautiful, captures my heal like no other...but, no way of even coming close to closing the top two buckles around my troll like calves. I tried and tried and tried...

Had to send Dan an email. Hate to say it, but these will have to go back.

Damn.

Noo! I'm sorry to hear that. You probably have already tried this...did you move the buckle teeth m'bobs over a couple holes?

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Thanks guys. Yea, tried everything. Hugely bummed, what a fantastic boot. I could always bring out the mod kit and drill the upper buckles to move further out of which I've done before on other boots, but I've got this old pair of 324's that'll have to do, and dropping that kind of coin, just would rather not start modifying out the gate.

Don't suppose anyone knows sources for Deluxe these days? Know Fin has carried them, but I cannot seem to find a Deluxe site that has info on their hard boots.

Man I hate doing this to Dan...great guy!

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One thing I noticed...why can't I seem to walk in these (other than the fact they are hardboots)? I feel as though the heel is tucked so far forward that it gives a false sense of security. Big difference compared to HSP and my ski boots. Not a big deal just thought I'd mention it.

Put Fintecs on them and walk on polished concrete - I look like an 80 year old man walking on ice in the basement of one of the local ski lodges. ;) But I bought these for riding, not walking in the lodge.

Take smaller steps so your leg isn't as far in front of you when the heel strikes. My few falls were with big steps where the heel skids out forwards and you do the splits. Ouch. It does become more natural, I walked around at SES enough to wear out a set of the Fintec heel pads, with no falls.

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;) But I bought these for riding, not walking in the lodge.

Hey now...I bought these because I was told the ninja green is a ski bunny attractant for when I'm looking all cool at the bottom of the hill joining the spectacle of Descente trench coats, weekend "warriors" exhibiting their Volkl Racetigers, and fox scarves. I need to get the UPZ walk down before the season starts so I don't look like a fool ;)

But seriously, thanks for the input :biggthump

P.S. Racetigers (or any ski of that caliber) are great skis but no one around here seems to actually ski on them...at least not well : )

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I could always bring out the mod kit and...
No no no, stop right there. I bet you'd be fine riding them with 20-30 passes around the top of the boots with duct tape, then just unravel when you're done. I believe they sell duct tape in lots of colors now, so you could even customize your color scheme!
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I've had the hardest time getting boots to fit well enough to allow me to control the board and, at the same time, not be distracted by having my feet clamped in a vise. I have a pretty narrow heel, I've determined, and a wide forefoot. I've tried a number of moldable liners in Deeluxe of various sizes and shells (28, 29, 30, SB, AF) and the closest thing I found was AF in M28 with Intuition power wrap liners. But my heel still slips all around and my toes are cramped in the toe box. Some bootfitting foam in the heel and shaving down the liner in the toe area might fix this. I'll be trying that this year.

But I got my hands on some UPZ RTRs (M29) at the end of last season and rode them a few times, and they're fantastic out of the box. Heel almost locked in, tons of room for my toes. I don't just "not mind" the FLO liners, I'm really happy with them. The lack of anything in the toe area could be a problem... I may get a "boot glove".

The set-back heel is annoying and serves no purpose. I think the boots have a bigger real footprint than my M29 Deeluxes.

I suggest threadlock on all the machine screws. I had one fall out and used a TD3 screw to replace it temporarily.

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Have had the new boots on a few times and the fit just gets better and better. The extreme pressure in the heel is subsiding and things feel as though they are molding nicely. The heel is still very tight, but a good tight. The padding and material holding the heel in place is really, really dense so it's no wonder it takes a few wears (have had them on 5 times for 30-35min) for things to take shape and feel comfortable. I was a little concerned about the the five buckles and that there would be strange pressure points but I can get a nice snug fit clamped down with no pain now. I imagine I'll really appreciate the buckles for their range of adjustability on the mountain. These boots are ridiculous...I can't wait to really try them out on the snow :eplus2:

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