Boot advice needed

[patmoore]

I've been riding my Head Strato Pros since 2006 and they've seen better days.  The screws holding the gray toe lugs have fallen out a couple of times and walking on pavement for eighteen years has worn down the heels. I have the Orange (soft) tongue and have had some plastic cut out to make the boots even more flexible.  The boots have Fintec heels but I find the bindings a bit too stiff for racing.  Getting older I may find myself going back to step-ins so any boot I buy should be compatible.

I've been looking at the Deeluxe 325 and wondering if that or something else would be suitlable.  

For those that don't know me, I'm 77 and enjoy racing and riding the blue cruisers.  I've never been able to get really low but still have the dream of accomplishing that goal.  I split my time racing on board and skis and am currently ranked #6 in the nation in my NASTAR age group on skis.  In boarding I've outlived most of my competition.  Frequently I have to make a quick boot change at competitions.  I have run my board in my Lange RS 130 race boots with the top buckle unbuckled but it's still really stiff.  I've also used a pair of Dalbello Kryptons for both but it's not the best solution.  

Your thoughts?

Edited March 12 by patmoore

[Aracan]

It seems that you, like me, prefer a boot with lots of fore/aft flex. The UPZ boots can be softened admirably if you use softer tongues (the softest ones used to be red) and a soft aftermarket spring system such as the DGSS.

I also find they offer good heel hold and enough wiggle room for my toes, while the symmetrical Deeluxe shell (such as the 325) was a painful opposite.

[J0hn]

I am a big fan of UPZ as well.  I'm riding the RC12, but they have a model called the XCR which has a softer lower shell. And I believe comes stock with a softer tongue than the RC series. That might be the ticket for you.

[dhamann]

almost pulled the trigger on xc12 a couple summers ago, but glad i was steered to rc12 and was told that the rc12 is still soft with black tongue. great balance of flex for my needs/wants/etc.. i put a plug wrap liner in it and it stiffened it up just a bit more from the stock liner. ran the stock liner for a good 20+ days before i could afford replacement liners, that i knew may be inevitable. really not too many issues with the stock liner (some pinching at shin with the tongue), but just prefer the wrap i have now. more comfortable once fully molded too. i feel that wrap liners tend to hold more than tongue liners if that's what you're after; performance relied on equipment more than the body while understanding the trade-offs. alternatively, go tongue something. looks like this example could snug up the cuffs a bit more, but you get the point. it's merely an example of the xc12 flex (4yrs ago). i know a rider who rips free carves and loves the xc12. decisions decisions. good luck, but UPZ for me... coming from T325's/BTS.

[UPZ North America]

Hi Pat,

UPZ has four models, from flexy to full on stiff, they are XCR, AT8, RC12 and RCR.  Each boot has 2 adjustable springs for compression and rebound, plus one can swap those with another set of stiffer or softer (three total choices).  Each boot can accommodate 4 different outer tongue choices, from 90, 110, 130 and 150 MFI.  For comparison purposes, the XCR ships with the 90 MFI and the full on race RCR ships with 130 MFI.  UPZ makes liners for thin feet and shins, regular feet and shins, plus has swappable liner tongues in regular, thick and thin.  This is great if one has regular feet but thin or thick shins.  New to North America for '24-'25, we are importing UPZ foam injection liners.  UPZ makes 4 varieties, all of which can be injected by a good ski boot fitter.  

We do full alpine equipment demos all season long here in Northern Utah.  We have boards, bindings and boots.  We just ran a demo yesterday, which is also an excuse for us to get out boarding.  

Ultimately, the best boot for you is the one that fits and performs to your standards.  We simply provide the opportunity.

[fluxgame]

51 minutes ago, UPZ North America said:

We have boards, bindings and boots.

Sorry to thread-jack, but what boards do you have on demo out there?

[TJR]

I have the RC12 as well and love the amount of flex I get out of them.

[TimW]

I have the xc12 and I like them,  but would have been perfectly happy with a bit more stiffness as well. I am not heavy(180lbs) but carve hard.

The thing I like is they come with a different spring box with more travel, which is the right amount for me. The standard springs are very soft.

Given that you softened the head stratos I'd guess they would be stiff enough for you. 

A deeluxe 325 in walk mode would be similar in stiffness fore-aft,  but is a lot stiffer side to side. 

Edited March 12 by TimW

[arneburner]

You didn't mention your foot shape which is critical in finding the right boot. Deluxe are wider in the heel and narrow in the fore foot. UPZ are narrow in the heel and wider in the fore foot. Mountain Slope boots are somewhere between the above. I just got Mountain Slope boots after having 3 pairs of UPZ boots. The UPZ  boots fit fine with a wrap liner. I am liking the MS boots more due to the ability to change springs that are inexpensive die springs. I also like the progressive flex of the MS boots. I have the standard 100 flex which can be made stiff or  soft depending on the springs.

[patmoore]

Thanks everyone for the exceptionally detailed responses.  This forum is the best resource anywhere for guidance.

[Jack M]

14 hours ago, arneburner said:

Deluxe are wider in the heel and narrow in the fore foot. UPZ are narrow in the heel and wider in the fore foot. Mountain Slope boots are somewhere between the above.

I haven't measured them but I'd estimate that MS and UPZ are very similar in the heel and both have excellent heel hold down.  UPZ RC12 with black tongues are softer than MS 100.  I would also estimate Deeluxe T700s are similarly wide in the forefoot as UPZ, but the T700 heel/ankle is notoriously high volume, resulting in poor heel hold down for many.  Good choice for meaty feet.  Pretty sure the Deeluxe 325/425 is narrower in the forefoot, don't know about the heel/ankle volume.

[snowburn]

On 3/12/2024 at 1:46 PM, TimW said:

I have the xc12 and I like them,  but would have been perfectly happy with a bit more stiffness as well. I am not heavy(180lbs) but carve hard.

I have both XC12 and RC12. I was 180lbs, now I'm 170lbs. The XC's are definitely super flexy like the YT video shows. so I've been using the XC's for my powder boards. I just recently swapped out the stock XC tongues for the black ones (MFI 110) and swapped out the soft blue springs to the stiff orange ones and its way better. I also upgraded my RC's with the Silver tongues (MFI 130) and added the free flex spring box kit with the medium Silver springs for hard charging carving. I had no complaints with the stock RC12's, I thought they were perfect but decided to make them stiffer as a comparison. I'll find out how I like the RC's tomorrow.