I love HEAD boots

[ncermak]

Got my new heads in time for this weekend. SOOOOO much better than my AF 700's.

Thanks to Michelle for her help in sizing and getting them to me so quickly.

(anyone wanna buys some AF 700's Size 26.5?)

[kamran]

I second that. Heads made me feel comfortable again on a board.

[Steve Dold]

What did you guys notice about them, what are the differences?

My problem with Raichles is that the toe and front foot area is too narrow, my foot is squeezed a little bit. Last week I finally took out my footbed on one foot to relieve the numb feeling, it was WAY better. I have the AF-600s.

[kamran]

Steve,

I had cramp and pain in my sheen (both feet) and front foot area (one foot).(Raichle SB 423) I played with adjustments but it never got really comfortable. talked to Ladia about it and he said he had the same problem with raichles and he was very happy with the new Head he got and he insisted I should try Heads. My raichles were only 5 days old so I wasn't too happy about buying a new pair, but I did and thank God (and Ladia) I did.

It may very well be the shape of one's feet as I know of many people being happy with their Raichles.

(bought a pair of Raichles 123 just yesterday for my gf and she is (sofar) happy about the fit (on carpet and at home).

[D-Sub]

Originally posted by Steve Dold

What did you guys notice about them, what are the differences?

My problem with Raichles is that the toe and front foot area is too narrow, my foot is squeezed a little bit. Last week I finally took out my footbed on one foot to relieve the numb feeling, it was WAY better. I have the AF-600s.

Steve...its not that expensive to have boots shaped a little bit for ya. I have wide feet too, and my Suzukas squeeze my feet to where they feel a bit folded inside. Im gonna have mine stretched,too

Id love to try Head boots...heard they have a wider toe box, but...my money went to suzukas, so...gotta try and make em work

[Guest jeremiah]

I picked up a pair of Head boots at Starting Gate the Sunday before Christmas, and after 4 days on the mountain, and two fitting sessions, they seem to be broken in. I was a bit concerned because I was in a lot of pain the 2nd day, but after having them stretched and shaped a bit, they're working great. I was on Raichle 413s previously, so these a quite a bit more boot, but I'm very happy with them now.

I have a very wide foot, and they didn't have to play with it that much to get it shaped. Had I not been such a wimp, I may have been able to just break it in, but I'm too old to deal with severe boot pain.

I think next weekend I'll start playing around with stiffness and lean position, then worry about futzing with cant. I REALLY like the buckles, can undo them at the bottom and just snap them back in place at the top, much nicer than having to readjust them every time with the Raichles. (Now if only they weren't screaming dork orange.)

Jeremiah

[skategoat]

I had problems with the toe box on my Raichles. I fixed it by molding some Intuition thermal liners. The key is to put some sort of cap over your toe then put on the liners after baking them. This will form a small void area inside the toe box to give the little piggies some wiggle room.

Good instructions at www.yyzcanuck.com

[Steve Dold]

Good ideas. My toes aren't too bad, it's more the front half of my foot, behind the toes. The boot isa little too narrow I think. I think I'll take my boots to a shop and see if they can stretch them a little.

What do they use? A heat gun?

[D-Sub]

Originally posted by Steve Dold

Good ideas. My toes aren't too bad, it's more the front half of my foot, behind the toes. The boot isa little too narrow I think. I think I'll take my boots to a shop and see if they can stretch them a little.

What do they use? A heat gun?

not sure, actually. I need to have mine done too...this is getting expensive!

mine is right behind the toe, too. Ill bet 1/8" would be more than enough. heck even 1/6"? Not sure how they measure that sort of thing

[kipstar]

If you pain is like mine in regular raichle ski boots (which it probably is) then it feels like your foot is being crushed slightly from the area behind the big toe (in the actual foot) across to the bunion(ah that is the word I think) behind the small toe on the other side.

This is usually the widest part of the foot. The pain manifests itlsef as often being pins and needley or cold in the early part of the day, then after a bit of swelling and exercise during the day ends up as a very tender pain with shots of pain particularly riding hard into heel side turns.

It seems for many people (like myself anyway) the feet aren't exactly the same size or shape, so the pressure points are slightly different on each foot anyway. The rear heel, and front top of the foot plus width of the foot are the areas that hit me anyway. Pressure points for width of the foot or the top of the foot are what makes your feet cold.

Fixes - first up is obviously a foot bed; it stabilises the foot, so that the foot doesn't collapse when you move weight forward (as in a toe turn); it also stops your heel from moving around as much. The reduction in movement prevents rubbing and so on; so the boot can be a tighter fit.

To widen the boot, there are various techniques; and usually the process must be repeated several times. 1. Identify the spot (usually a round piece on the small toe side of the foot) 2.Insert a stretcher, something like a G clamp that expands outwards with a rounded off metal lump placed on the offending spot, with some pressure 3.Put in boiling water (without liner) or use air dryer type heat gun, gently, to heat up plastic 4. Put in cold water, or leave to stand, so plastic sets in new shape 5. Repeat a few times sometimes, depending on the quality of the boot, to fix

Sometime there is a piece of liner that is cuasing the pain, which can be cut/ground/dremmeled off - but I think with the new thermo liners this should not happen.

I am hopeful that these raichle indys are going to fit my foot; otherwise it is a waste of another $230 via the bay of E for junk. Already been there with the crud UPS boots, so I guess my last choice is heads I suppose ;-)

[NateW]

Last season I had my 324s widened 1/8" at the widest part of my foot, and that helped a LOT. Didn't quite solve the problem, so this year I took the boots in to have them widened further back as well. This time they did it by grinding rather than stretching - I'm not sure that'll work or not, but I'll find out soon.

[Guest silversurf]

I'm thinking of trying Stratus Pro's out, I noticed they come with ThermaFit liners not ThermaFlex.

Any thoughts on the ThermaFits? Did your Raichles' come with the ThermaFlex's? If so how did it compare...would it be worth changing out?

I have standard liners now, and have wanted to try ThermaFlex's, but I hear they're kinda soft and squishy (not always in a good way).

-colin

[Art]

Colin, the therma fit is hose molded(heated)and is not as custom as the thermaflex/intuitions. I had mine done and added custom footbeds and have ridden with them once with this set up (2x total). So far they fit great but I'm getting a little shin bang in the right leg which I will correct with position/flex adjustment. I love the boots and have no complaints. One thing with the Raichles was that the buckle over the instep woul pop loose due to flex. Not a problem with these boots. You can ride them without molding the liner and I really did not notice too much difference other than the foot bed.

[hangten247]

I was at the Starting Gate a few weeks before Christmas trying on new boots. I tried the Head and the Indys. I did like the buckles on the Heads better, but I decided to go with the Indys based on overall comfort and workability. The Heads were a bit more comfy in the toe box, but the boots were not tall enough for me, they deformed for me way too much when leaning forward, and also caused an extremely bad shin bang. (I am 6'3" and 250 LBS). Because I'm getting the Indy's from the Starting Gate, they are going to work with me on the lesser issues the Indys had for me versus the Head. I'm gonna have the toe box ground a little bit, and the width stretched a little bit. The tech stated there was plenty of 'meat' to work with on the shell, no problems with custom fitting, and when the shop buys boots pre-season, they consider what models to buy based on how workable the shells will be for custom fitting.

I got the thermo molded innerboots formed for me, and I also use custom footbeds.

If you don't have happy feet, your riding will suffer, (not to mention you will be in discomfort).

Basically, what I am getting at is as much as we like to wheel and deal, spend the time and money for what I call the 3 part boot "system".

1)Think of the boot itself as the starting point, the first part of the system. Get the one that fits closest to your foot.

2)The second part of the "system" after the Boot itself is a custom footbed. Even the top end boots' stock footbeds are truly crap. Everyones feet are different. You need to support your feet from BELOW as well as from the sides and the top. You'd be amazed at what a decent footbed will do to improve your comfort, and therefore your technique. it will also improve the boot fit too, as it will prevent your feet rom 'mushing' out. If you can't afford the close to $200 for a full cork "Superfeet" brand footbed(or similar), at least start out with their low end $30 trim-to-fit model(or similar). My feet used to SCREAM with hotspots the first hr to 2 hrs of the day. Crappy technique due to severe pain, and I had to literally take off my boots at the bottom of the hill and stomp my feet to get things comfy again. Try that for the first 5 runs of the day. The $30 product cured 90% of my problems, and I went full cork the next year.

3)The 3rd and final part of the boot "system", (and probably the most important) is the reputable bootfitter, who can help you with points 1 and 2. Buy a boot from a reputable shop with in house custom fitting with a reputable boot fitter. Trust his fitting knowledge, don't play 'stump the bootfitter'. Let him shell size you, let him reccomend a shell and a footbed, let him put you in a smaller shell and work it. Do not be afraid! If the bootfitter does not shell fit you, RUN, don't walk out of the store and find somewhere else to go. You may pay a little more tham mail order, but usually the custom fitting is free at the shop you buy the shell from, or ar a greatly reduced price if it needs tons of work. If you must go the mail order route, or have some insider hookup, or just plain get a grest deal, more power to you. But still go to the bootfitter, just expect to pay for the services, it is well worth it. Heck, the bootfitter has to eat too!

Heck, I work part time at a ski shop and can get stuff at discount, but unfortunately, no snowboard hard gear. I have no qualms about paying whatever it takes to get a proper boot fit. Because I know if my feet aren't happy, my riding will suck, and all the other money I have spent for gear, clothes, accessories, tickets, accomodations, and transportation to get to the mountain were spent foolishly because the most important part of the puzzle is your feet.

(Edited ONLY to correct poor grammar, and you'll probably still find some goofs!)

[ncermak]

the big differences:

for me the raichle was way too narrow. I actually had to order longer buckle staps because the stock ones literally crushed my foor the first time I put them on. The heads had a much better fit out of the box.

Consistencey: with a trditional buckle system, like the heads. you will always sbuckle your boots to the same tightness. with the raichle straps, you will hit what feels right on that given day, but sometimes be tighter or looser. Micro adjust buckles ensere that the they will be just right.

Daul Powerstraps: one on the liner and one on the shell. snug and responsive

stiffness: maybe I beat my raichles out after 4 or five seasons on them, but the heads feel stiffer getting more power to the board.

Color: I don't care what anyone else thinks, I dig the racer cool orange...it draws atteention to the feet so people can really see that these are unique boots.

-Noah

[D-Sub]

"3)The 3rd and final part of the boot "system", (and probably the most important) is the reputable bootfitter, who can help you with points 1 and 2. Buy a boot from a reputable shop with in house custom fitting with a reputable boot fitter"

pretty much impossible for 99% of us

[ncermak]

D-Sub-

It is true that it is tough to find a retailer with our gear. but michelle is very helpful in several ways (as I know you know).

among other things, she will accpt changes or returns.

what I did with my Heads is took them to my bootfitter before rifding them. we checked the shell fit, and inserted a wedge here and there to address any pressure points. A reputable bootfitter will do this for you. He (she) should be able to make sure you have good fit before you ride, and help iron out wrinkles that may develop in the breaking in process. they will also be able to make your footbeds, and mold your liners.

you can also chack your own shell fit by putting your foot into the shell without the liner, pushing it foward to the front of the boot, and having a friend reach their hand down to the heel, and see how many fingers they can fit between the shell and your heel. you are looking for 1-2, morefingers, the boot is too big. less fingers - too small.

-Noah

[hangten247]

Originally posted by D-Sub

"3)The 3rd and final part of the boot "system"..............

.......pretty much impossible for 99% of us

Yup, I'm a part of that 99% too, I took a 1 day road trip to get my boots fitted because there isn't anyone nearly closer to me that can do it with the product that wanted. One of the issues we must deal with when participating in this "niche" sport.

ncermak's finger advise is right on. 1-2 fingers is all you want behind your heel when doing the shell fit.

[D-Sub]

I wasnt talkin about the fitting as much as the retail sales/fitting combo

I dont even think the folks at bomber are trained bootfitters are they? TOP NOTCH service, without a doubt, but even then its mailorder for most of us

Ive actually spoken to the head fitter at Bachelor here, and we determined that Im not a "trouble" case...my feet are pretty normal, no pronounce pronation or supination, "normal" arches, etc...

Im a little wide, and I can feel it in my suzukas, but...at this point, they are what i own and Im going to make them work

[John Gilmour]

I will need some new liners for my Heads. Does anyone carry them?

________

Cr-v

[Guest Randy S.]

Originally posted by John Gilmour

I will need some new liners for my Heads. Does anyone carry them?

If I were replacing my Head liners I'd probably get some of those really nice Conform'able foam injected liners if I couldn't find a stock liner cheap. Every skier I've known who got those loves them. Only problem is I bet they cost almost as much as a new pair of boots.

[bobdea]

in my old burton winds they were incredible but pricey

around $300

those liners though are the best in my book

[mikemcse]

zip fits rock. but they are very costly

[ScottW]

3)The 3rd and final part of the boot "system".............. pretty much impossible for 99% of us

I am part of that 99%, and just returned a pair of Raichles to our hosts because although the shell length was ok, my feet rubbed BOTH sides of the shell *without* the liners. We are talking WAY beyond a little tight (excruciating pain just putting them on in the living room). I am hoping that a pair of Heads will be a better starting point, but my freaky wide feet will probably make me have to have some custom fitting also.

I have seen numerous posts referring to the Starting Line, and several folks recommend visiting 'boot fitters'. has anyone compiled a list of shops specializing in fitting? I doubt there are any here in Richmond, but with a little planning I could probably road trip to one if I knew where to go. Any Suggestions?

Thanks,

Scott

[Chris Houghton]

One thing that many are overlooking: We all like to take vacations to nice resorts, ECES, SES, and so on. And we often visit resorts regularly to snowboard. There are MANY MANY qualified bootfitters accesible to us if we combine a bootfitting session with the vacation/resort visit. Just ask around, you'll find out in 10 minutes at the bar or in the lift line (or even with central reservations on the phone) who the best bootfitter is at the resort. Plan a session as soon as you arrive, ride the boots for a day or two, see him again if needed, and you are all set. Don't forget, you don't need a snowboard hardboot fitter, just a ski boot fitter. I've done this with great success at Whistler, Sun Peaks, Mont Ste Anne, and other places. It's a great way to improve your riding, and something to do late in the afternoon when the runs are all tracked out. The hard part is getting the boots in the first place, and that is no problem now that we have Michelle and Fin.