Mountain Slope .951

[rst]

3 hours ago, hknz said:

It is really weird. What liner did you used? and how did you mod it to gain extra space for your feet?

I guess 2-3mm need for the front and rear of the liner. Thus 262-5=257mm only! 

 

shell A + Palau liners 25.5 (heatmolded) + custom insoles

 

PS

very tight; not advising to anyone; on cold day (0F...20F) I have to unbuckle all 4 buckles

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by rst
typo

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Has anyone tried out Pulse Boots Labs for custom boot fitting? 

I spent 5 hours on them today. I can definitely see why they are the standard; the flex is super great, very tough conditions today without a recent groom and they handled beat-up slopes like a champ. I still need some more punching in both boots (in areas that I thought seemed OK) for width.

The biggest surprise was my problems with heel lift and the liner. My Dalbellos are super locked down, and I haven’t had a heel-lift problem since the early 2000s. I’m getting a ton of liner slop with these. I had to crank down the ankle strap so much I needed the Jaws of Life to get the buckle undone. Still got a bit of lift and the liner itself is swimming in the shell, even when walking or carpet surfing I can feel the liner shifting around. Did not expect that and will likely be needing some taping! 

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Well, another 90 minutes of tweaking last night. One thing was pointed out to me is that my feet are more EEE wide in the forefoot, but I guess my heel and ankle are actually narrow for my size, and then a very wide calf…it sounds to me like someone up there was trying to perfect his design but yeah I guess ski boot molds were not drawn up for me. Now I remember what a pain it was to get the Dalbellos where I wanted them and why I kept them so much longer than I should have.  

The liner may end up being a problem for me—I’m getting a persistent pressure point on my instep (top of feet) when I get them fully tightened, right near where the tongue attaches to the liner with velcro and there are some bumps/folds/edges. Still playing around with the tongue placement and will see how that goes over the next couple weeks. Other than that the liner is fine for me, but I’ve used intuition wrap liners since the early 2000s and that may be where things end up if I can’t make it go away. 

Back for one more test day before some warm weather hits!  

[barryj]

On 12/16/2022 at 3:42 PM, MountainSlope said:

if you have any questions or need any help

YES!  Curious Minds Want To Know!  -  When are we going to see the before mentioned  Step-In Heel option in the MS lineup.....????? 

[MountainSlope]

23 hours ago, barryj said:

YES!  Curious Minds Want To Know!  -  When are we going to see the before mentioned  Step-In Heel option in the MS lineup.....????? 

When we get funding for it  We have just finished the S-Shell (smaller than A-Shell) and will be testing shortly. 

[hknz]

On 12/31/2022 at 5:18 AM, MountainSlope said:

When we get funding for it  We have just finished the S-Shell (smaller than A-Shell) and will be testing shortly. 

WOW!! May I know what size is the S-Shell? Does it equal to A-Shell minus 1.5cm?

In addition, do you have a plan to produce a super soft tongue for extremecarving/carving people?

Edited January 2, 2023 by hknz

[ShortcutToMoncton]

So after another 75 minutes of punching and shaping I got the shells to a pretty good spot width-wise last week (I basically had to punch them out entirely on both sides and shape the toe box a little, which is careful work).

I put another two days on them last week before all the rain in Ontario destroyed everything, and started to see marked improvement. From a riding and flex perspective I’m super impressed. 

Unfortunately I still have to crank the instep/ankle buckle (second from bottom) down to an ungodly degree in order to get great heel-lock. I mean, to the point it’s difficult to actually slam closed the buckle and super difficult to lever it back open. I suspect this will really shorten the buckle/cable life. But I start getting noticeable heel lift when I back it off. Heel lock is the one area where my Dalbellos definitely outperformed, as the  Krypton shell really locked in over the top of the ankle. 

This causes other issues, like uneven buckle tightness. So I wasted a lot of time microtweaking the ratchets. I still don’t have a great solution for the calves, as tightening the instep so much means that the shell naturally tightens more at the top. Basically I’m struggling to find zero-tightness buckle placement at the top (not adding any tightness, but not too loose so they pop open), so that’s always a pain. And finally, the liner tongue (which is velcroed to the liner at the bottom, near the instep) keeps shifting down slightly as I flex the boot on each run, and I get a pressure point as it bunches up; so at the bottom I have to grab the front liner loop and wiggle it around a little to adjust the tongue.

So far the solution has been to crank them down to “slightly uncomfortable” for each run, and then at the bottom loosen the buckles and adjust the tongue for the ride back up. It’s not too bad except for having to bring Archimedes back from the dead to open that instep/ankle buckle. 

All that to say I’m going to work through ongoing tweaks, and I’ll be doing another gentle liner bake again shortly. But long-term it seems likely I’ll need a custom liner approach for next year, possibly even an injected-molded one. 

Again: it appears my feet are a bit more odd than I remembered them: super wide toebox, very narrow heel and ankle, very wide calves. So I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise than I’m having issues with boots designed around a standard deviation! 

Edited January 5, 2023 by ShortcutToMoncton

[hknz]

"crank down the ankle strap" and "getting noticeable heel lift" are signs that the boots are too large. What mondo size is your Dalbello?

My right foot (rear) is smaller than my left foot, thus, sometimes, having a slight heel lift. I need to crank down a little bit more and insert shim to rectify the problem. I know the size of the boots is slightly larger for my right foot. I suspect yours are much larger.

[barryj]

21 minutes ago, hknz said:

getting noticeable heel lift

Ok......... what's noticeable heel lift....and what's acceptable heel lift,  if any?

I got a 1/4 to maybe a 1/2 inch at most in both boots.   Tomorrow I hope to pick up some Intuition C and L ankle Pads to add to my Power Wrap liner.  

[ShortcutToMoncton]

I think it has more to do with my narrow ankles/foot.

My foot size is squarely within Shell B. Got the bootfitter to do a precise foot measurement; I’m about 25.8 when just sitting down in the foot measurer thing (??) without much weight, but when I stand and put some weight on my forefoot I stretch to 26.2.

But like I said, my forefoot is apparently pretty wide (113mm). I have never been able to fit any US size 8 shoe or boot. And I also have a high 

Maybe it’s possible I could have squeezed into a Shell A with a complete width and length stretch, and a custom low volume liner. As it is, I suspect I’m probably going to end up getting custom-fitted liners that have a bit more volume in the ankle. But there’s no way to tell that from boots you can’t try on before ordering….

[rst]

20 hours ago, ShortcutToMoncton said:

I think it has more to do with my narrow ankles/foot.

My foot size is squarely within Shell B. Got the bootfitter to do a precise foot measurement; I’m about 25.8 when just sitting down in the foot measurer thing (??) without much weight, but when I stand and put some weight on my forefoot I stretch to 26.2.

But like I said, my forefoot is apparently pretty wide (113mm). I have never been able to fit any US size 8 shoe or boot. And I also have a high 

Maybe it’s possible I could have squeezed into a Shell A with a complete width and length stretch, and a custom low volume liner. As it is, I suspect I’m probably going to end up getting custom-fitted liners that have a bit more volume in the ankle. But there’s no way to tell that from boots you can’t try on before ordering….

yeah, to remove extra room you can try foam injected liners

[bigwavedave]

I just had another wire strap (the long one that locks your foot down) break as I was buckling in. I had one break almost 2 years ago, probably the other foot. I bought my boots 2nd hand from a retiring racer, so they may have seen hard use before me.

Fortunately, I ordered 2 replacement straps after the first one broke. It's probably a good idea to have a couple of spares on hand as this is apparently the most common part needing replacement. I was still able to ride until I was ready for a break to put the spare on.  

I mainly wanted to say that All Boards Sports in Boulder has replacement straps. I just ordered another pair. It's best to order over the phone.

I have used bailing wire in the past for a temporary repair and still keep some in my bag. It's funny, as this was the same strap that routinely broke on my old Burton Reactor and Furnace boots and I couldn't find replacements, so used bailing wire.

 

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Yeah, that’s the strap I have to crank down the most. I should have ordered some spares. FWIW that’s also the same cable I kept breaking on my Dalbello Krypton Pros before this, and I’d suspect it naturally takes the most strain in this type of boot design. 

[J49]

Hi, is anyone able to comment on differences between 100, 120, 130 flex? Seems like it can be tricky to find a place to compare them side-by-side. Thoughts on what would be a good fit for an intermediate ~155lb rider? Recreational carving, not racing. Coming from deeluxe 325 and looking for stiffer, better heel hold. Thanks!

[hknz]

I am about the same weight. Buy the 100 flex. I would say 100 is extreme stiff even without spring, you can use a harder spring(included in the package) to achieve harder flex. I cant imagine how hard are the 120 & 130.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

I came from a slightly stiffer (modified ski) boot and wondered if the 100 might be too soft, but so far it is great. The 100 is roughly flex comparable to Deeluxe T700 and UPZ RC12, so it’s no noodle. 

If you want stiffer you can always put a stiffer 110 tongue in later on (in addition to using stiffer springs). However, Ivan mentioned that in general he sees more riders asking about moving down from WC to ST, rather than going from ST up to stiffer WC.

Basically, if you’re not sure…..go with the 100. If you need even stiffer you probably should already know that! 

[pow4ever]

anyone know how to properly swap(remove and install) the tongue on MS951 boots?

i see tabs but afraid i might break it with my 2 left hands.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Unless I’m crazy, I’m pretty sure you can flip it forward and just pop them right off? 

[pow4ever]

21 hours ago, ShortcutToMoncton said:

Unless I’m crazy, I’m pretty sure you can flip it forward and just pop them right off? 

i have no idea lol; that's why i asked.  i got idiot strength and tend to break things if i am not careful.

having spare parts in hand confirm that just "pull" and it pop right out.

[pow4ever]

On 2/16/2022 at 10:28 AM, inkaholic said:

Check it out https://patriotfootbeds.com/products/trustraps-2-0 These fit absolutely perfectly with the cuff of the .951. The inner strap can be fed through the upper slots so it is inside the shell and the outer remains outside the shell. 

Thanks Ink!  This sounded like it will fix my "wandering back line/plastic tongue impedance mismatch".  Now i have a bit of heel lift in the back.  so close yet so far.  

[pow4ever]

anyone know how to change the bottom spring?
change the top spring and forward lean is simple.

[MountainSlope]

On 1/2/2023 at 7:19 AM, hknz said:

WOW!! May I know what size is the S-Shell? Does it equal to A-Shell minus 1.5cm?

In addition, do you have a plan to produce a super soft tongue for extremecarving/carving people?

On 1/2/2023 at 7:19 AM, hknz said:

In addition, do you have a plan to produce a super soft tongue for extremecarving/carving people?

Honestly, you're the first person who's asked for that. We have soft green springs, the softest tongue is 100 Flex. Have you tried those 2 things yet?

[MountainSlope]

On 1/31/2023 at 11:49 PM, pow4ever said:

anyone know how to properly swap(remove and install) the tongue on MS951 boots?

i see tabs but afraid i might break it with my 2 left hands.

 

Push the tongue towards the toe like I show in the picture. Then wiggle gently left and right down below towards you to pull it out over the lip

 

[ShortcutToMoncton]

FWIW I’ve tried lots of tweaks but can’t get the stock MS liner working for me. I’ve had two bootfitters help me and both were unimpressed with the stock liner. It is fairly thin and flimsy and the tongue sags down and often pops out of the main liner once you have them on. Plus I just broke the tongue loop in my left this weekend, went to pull up the tongue and yanked the loop right out of the stitching (they are two months old). 

I’m going to go with an Intuition SBC wrap liner (I tried their regular Pro liner but it is too short). That will also get me a little more volume over the ankle and hopefully lock it in better. 

Other than my ongoing liner issues, I love the boots themselves. I wish they used a better liner but I suppose there’s probably not a big push to use a more expensive liner since so many riders want to use their own favourite regardless. 

[Ladia]

Still wondering about stiffness. Can somebody made direct comparison between Standard MS and Old Head Stratos or UPZ AT8? I like softer flex on “Raichle” type boots I am using yellow tongue which is the softest and soft springs on DGSS.  Any input welcome, I don’t want to dump $1000 for boots, which will not work from start. Like I didn’t do it in the past. As I see MS coming with only one tongue stiffness? Thanks.