Thread: The $1,500 carbon fiber ski boot - Dodge Ski Boots - who's tried 'em?

So I came across this today - www.dodgeskiboots.com - I found them on a google search for something about insteps. Other than that I had never seen any mention of them in a magazine or on a forum. Intuitively the idea makes sense - carbon fiber is stiffer than thermoplastic and thus should make for an extremely responsive boot. What you want is super-stiffness laterally for getting your skis on edge, combined with a nice flex so you can still bend your ankles - right? This sounds like the best of both worlds.

Additionally they are supposedly much lighter than thermoplastic boots.

After moving from a Nordica Speedmachine 12 to the much-loved Lange RS130 last year, and seeing how much a responsive boot could improve the handling of my skis, I'm wondering if this is the next level?

Of course if the problems of carbon fiber are solveable, the obvious question is why haven't the major manufacturers with the big R&D budgets come up with this? It's two guys in a garage in Vermont (which is cool, of course).

Here's a review/discussion thread on Epicski (stfu about epicski before you start - it was the only discussion thread I found on the interwebs):

http://www.epicski.com/t/109148/2012-dodge-ski-boots

I see a few of the US guys around with them every summer in hood/chile/vail. I've heard some good things about the boots, but nothing crazy. They all end up saying the same thing "Something is definitely here, but lots of work is needed for perfection"

Its pretty cool that there is a whole new dome thing at the back of the cuff to allow your foot into the boot... it's too stiff to slide your foot in traditionally.

^^That review could be for their website. I wonder if they hired the Snowbowl website designer.

Tupp - do you recall any of the criticisms?

Originally Posted by Tupp-

I see a few of the US guys around with them every summer in hood/chile/vail. I've heard some good things about the boots, but nothing crazy. They all end up saying the same thing "Something is definitely here, but lots of work is needed for perfection"

Its pretty cool that there is a whole new dome thing at the back of the cuff to allow your foot into the boot... it's too stiff to slide your foot in traditionally.

I've heard the same thing from people out at Hood. They won't change flex characteristics as much as a plastic boot in warm or cold weather.
One of the major downsides is lack of customizability. The carbon can be stretched but it is much harder to work with than plastic and won't go to far. Also you can't grind out a carbon boot. If they were wider or had the ability to be stretched I would of been able to try them. I've also heard about the boots basically exploding and have seen a pair break in a course.
If you've got the money and they fit well why not?

Racestock sports in VT carries (or carried) these boots. As I recall (memory is hazy on the details here), these are not just two dudes from VT making boots, the brains was the head boot designer for Atomic and built a pair of custom carbon race boots for herman mayer a few years back to the tune of 10-12k.

The current dodge boots were being tested by some of the current US ski team guys that were swinging through Cochrans with apparently very favorable results (significant time shaved off runs).

Jon and Warner were on them two years ago, and I know they have changed since then, but what they said was very interesting. Because of the lack of play in the stiffness, they are SUPER aggressive, so aggressive that if they were to be used on injected snow, the results would be disastrous on the knees.

And in regards to boots starting to use CF, look at next years Head and Atomic Redster. Starting to throw a little in there.

Very cool - if this fits my foot I may have to try it next year if I can spare the coin. As it is I'm geeking out over the Fischer vacuum - gonna get those done tomorrow morning at Footloose in Mammoth.

La sportiva will have a stock full Cf shell dynafit boot on the shelves next year. it's lighter than your sweaty stinky sock.

meh, my old ICON Carbons have those little triangles of fake carbon and they are what, 12 years old now?

So I attempted to try on a pair of the Dodge ski boots today at Footloose in Mammoth. Couldn't get them on my feet even with the help of Corty. He spread them as wide as he could but my foot just got wedged halfway in. I have a relatively average foot with a bit of a high instep. In any case I went ahead and bought the Fischer Vacuum RC 130's, but I am still going to demo the Dodge boots, hopefully next week. We'll spend some time making my feet get in them - doubt I'll buy them because any boot that is this much trouble to get on is not going in my closet. And heating them shouldn't help because the carbon fiber isn't supposed to get softer with temperature. In any case I'll write a review after I ski them.

Originally Posted by calisnow

Tupp - do you recall any of the criticisms?

Sorry I really don't, but I'd imagine with the response you get out of them, you'd have to have a different tune on your skis to get the right feeling...

I honestly doubt these will perform anymore than regular race fit boots on anything but injected snow...

Well a heat gun and some lube did the trick (insert joke here) - I got 'em on. Once on they were reasonably comfortable. Decided to demo them and will ski them back-to-back-to-back against Lange RS130's and Fischer Vacuum RC 130's tomorrow. Should be interesting.

saw a pair in the garbage at Nakiska in Alberta on Wednesday at the end of the day...
wonder what the backstory is/was on those? they looked fine....

^ should have picked them up! Would have been cool to check them out up close!

HOLY FUCK. These boots are unreal. Demo'd them today at Footloose in Mammoth. One run and I was sold. I hate hype but this is for fucking real. So light. So rigid. Handling so precise they made my noodly Watea 101's feel like race skis. This is the future. I'll write a full review later this weekend.

And ya, I bought 'em. Can't wait to ski them with my Lhasas. Skis AND boots made in the U.S.A. FKNA.