jim_s Posted March 8, 2015 Report Share Posted March 8, 2015 (edited) Broke a buckle (the center plastic piece) on my Shadow boots this weekend. I can mill up a replacement part, but between the buckle, packed-out liners, worn soles, etc, I may need to move on in life. I'm a lightweight at 140 lbs, and ride a 158 SL board (Donek), with an 8.5m radius. The Shadows are definitely a bit on the soft side, but between my light weight and the super tight turns of the SL board, soft works for me. (I run them very tight - likely the cause of the eventual buckle failure, so its not like they're floppy, but they're definitely not a high-cuff, 4-buckle boot :-). So, whether its now, or next season, the Shadows are going to eventually take up residence in the corner of the attic where all the stuff goes that I'm too emotionally attached to actually get rid of quite yet. :-) Thoughts/suggestions on a replacement boot?? My Shadows are a Mondo 27, FWIW. (Liners have '270' stamped on them, so I'm assuming that's a 27.0 mondo size? The shell has "25.5-27" stamped inside it.) I've got Burton Race Plates on the board. Thanks! Edited March 8, 2015 by jim_s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I loved my shadows because of my narrow foot and ankles. The deeluxe boots buckles were horribly designed for a narrow foot, I tried them and modified the strap to be tighter even but it would not hold my heel down as well as the shadows. Switched to the heads and they were the closest thing to the shadow's fit. Now that head is out of the game, I am looking at the UPZs but haven't tried them yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_s Posted March 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Scott - yes, from everything I've read, it sounds like if you've got a narrow foot (which I do), that the Deeluxe boots are likely going to be way too loose. (Like yourself, I love the Shadows because they hold my foot snugly - I even added insoles to them, to get further snugness and comfort, which was one of the best things I ever did!) I'd be keenly interested in your experience with the UPZs, if/when you get to try them. (I'd also be curious to know, as a fellow US resident, where you manage to source them from.) Thanks for the reply and info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcousticBoarder Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I had lots of heel lift in deeluxe boots, I got a pair of UPZs earlier this year and a world of difference it made. They tend to be cold, but the fit is unparalleled if you have a narrow heel. I have a pair of "used" like new (never seen the slopes) pair of UPZs size 27, from 2011-12 season if they fit you. They were sold to me as the wrong size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 (edited) jim_s, if you get UPZes you may want to get the newer ones which are softer, given you like your old Shadows. Not sure what year they changed. You get them from upzboots.com, which is Dan Yoja who is located in Canada. I note he has free shipping to the US. As the Canadian dollar is in the toilet right now it's a good time to buy. I hear Dan is a good guy to deal with, I'm sure he can answer your Qs. Edited March 10, 2015 by Neil Gendzwill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_s Posted March 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 AccousticBoarder - PM sent! Neil - Thanks for the pointer - I'll contact Dan tomorrow, and see what he has to say. Sounds like the UPZ are probably the right boot for my skinny feet! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aracan Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 If you like your boots soft, and if you do decide to order UPZ, try to get a deal with the red tongues instead of the black ones. They make a huge difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 Scott - yes, from everything I've read, it sounds like if you've got a narrow foot (which I do), that the Deeluxe boots are likely going to be way too loose. (Like yourself, I love the Shadows because they hold my foot snugly - I even added insoles to them, to get further snugness and comfort, which was one of the best things I ever did!) I'd be keenly interested in your experience with the UPZs, if/when you get to try them. (I'd also be curious to know, as a fellow US resident, where you manage to source them from.) Thanks for the reply and info! My experience with the UPZs is not good. I am actually going back to my heads. I spent over $300 trying to make the UPZs work with new liners and boot shaping, to no avail. I am going to put new liners in my heads, and give those babies serious love, in the hopes that they wont break on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcousticBoarder Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 The boot fit is going to vary by person for sure. I like the upz rc10s a lot. I got a custom foot bed since my last post and it makes a world of difference in fit. Had some pressure points before and the footed helped lock my heel in place better and got rid of the pressure points. No other boot fitting craziness. As I mentioned, stock liner is cold,i just put some toe warmers over my toes. Planning on getting a better liner later this season if budget allows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 (edited) interested to see how soft the new atb's are compared to the rc10's. I too am moving on from an old pair of shadows, but do want something stiffer. Edited February 29, 2016 by steven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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