Salomon Custom Shell, does it make a difference?

[stuckathuntermtn]

Versus their older boots. Can I get pressure off the bones on the outside of my foot just by heating the shell a bit?
Just got some intuitions cheap and molded them to my old guns, still not stiff enough, but fit is better. Newer boots from them are still on the same last so no rebaking old liners.
Yes I searched.

[Mustonen]

I dunno. I got some Ghosts that would not have worked for my feet AT ALL without the toebox being stretched.

Real boot fitters poo poo them, but it lets me do stuff in my oven that I wouldn't otherwise be able to do, and there aren't any bootfitters in the area.

[XavierD]

I'm not sure what makes a 'boot fitter' 'real' or not, but the custom shell does provide a great tool that can be used to help get the right fit.

[stuckathuntermtn]

So, the metatarsal pressure thingy?

[XavierD]

If you do it right, yes. Different people have different tolerances to pressure on their feet. Personally, it does not take a lot of pressure to make my feet go numb, on the other hand my friend needs his boots applying a significant amount of pressure to feel comfortable.

If you have less tolerance, put a pad on the problem area of the foot before molding. 5 min, 220 degrees convection oven.

[Finstah]

Yes, Salomon's custom shell panels mold and work as advertised. You could pad up the problem areas of your forefoot while molding to get really get good definition in those areas.

[mntlion]

they can help, but someone who does a lot of boot fitting, it is no better, no worse then a normal shell.

[Finstah]

they can help, but someone who does a lot of boot fitting, it is no better, no worse then a normal shell.

Just easier and faster...

[Sessiøn]

I have the same deal as the other dude with Ghosts. No way I was getting in them without significant work. we just padded my problem areas, baked the boot, and quickly cooled it in a tub of ice water with my feet still in the boot wrapped in plastic.

[skimaxpower]

They work, and they're cheaper and easier than repeated trips to a boot fitter. (Not necessarily better than repeated trips to a boot fitter, but cheaper and easier.)

[stuckathuntermtn]

Good to know. Thanks guys. Used to be a boot fitter. Don't wanna pay to do something I know how to do, and used to do all the time.

Any chance the boys at Gull would let me use their stretcher and heat gun for a 12-pack of something good? Guess it wouldn't hurt to ask.

[turnfarmer]

As these have been around awhile does anyone have any more fitting tips?
Besides padding problem areas. Specifically, use of toe caps like when fitting intuitions?

[zombinate]

As these have been around awhile does anyone have any more fitting tips?
Besides padding problem areas. Specifically, use of toe caps like when fitting intuitions?

kinda 2 different things, as you heat and mold the shells first, then mold the liner. If you were doing an Intuition swapout, I would likely mold the shell with the stock liner first, then mold the Intuition liner as we always have, toecaps and all.

[Muggydude]

Stick them in a fischer vacuum machine

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ts-Info-Review

[2FUNKY]

Stick them in a fischer vacuum machine

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ts-Info-Review

I wish the only local fisher shop would mold non fisher boots in their machine. I tried to have them mold my Atomic hawx, denied. Some bullshit about only fisher boots to be used, blah, blah, blah. I showed them that thread. They looked confused. Probably better off.

[gregL]

As these have been around awhile does anyone have any more fitting tips?
Besides padding problem areas. Specifically, use of toe caps like when fitting intuitions?

Do you mean can you use toe caps to create more length in the shell? Custom Shell works well to enhance general volume and width but won't really lengthen the boot effectively. Time to visit a bootfitter for a toe punch if that's what you need.

[turnfarmer]

I wondered if toe caps are used to make sure the shell doesn't collapse in on the toes and to seat the heel back. Sounds unnecessary. No Fischer vac around.
Thanks to all who responded.

[turnfarmer]

Also meant to ask how well does the molding work for gaining instep height?

[gregL]

Also meant to ask how well does the molding work for gaining instep height?

Pretty well. Pad your instep before you heat mold the shell, and cut the elastic and vinyl out of the liner tongue area if that's not enough.

[MC Slayer]

Fischer vac machine DOES work. But, it will likely never be advertised (probably because of copyright issues). Beer talks though.

My experience with a narrow heel, but a wide metatarsal region/6th toe has been that the initial mold does a good job for about 6 times skiing. After that I noticed some slop in the heel. I threw them into the fischer vac machine and presto: race type fit, noticeable cuff alignment, and without the grinding, canting, and trial and error associated with fitting other boots. This being said, I don't consider myself typical in foot type or how I like my boots to fit; I'm 6'1, 180lbs and I'm downsizing from a 26.5 MEASURED length (borderline 27), to a 25 boot (might change this year though, I'm getting old and comfortable/warm feet sound nice). The point here is that there is a certain amount of relativity when it comes to fitting these things; How tall are you? How much do you weigh? How wide are your skis? How aggressive are you? Are these your AT boots? AT and inbounds?

Molding techniques vary somewhat depending on the type of foot. Keep in mind that without the vac machine the shells are likely to ONLY expand. Narrow feet beware (like myself). I've needed a solution for my duck-like foot, and in the beginning and the initial mold was perfect. Eventually though, my narrow heel got the better of me and I had to remold with the vac machine to get my heels tight again.

My experience has also been that the liners that come stock in the higher end Salomons are on par with intuitions as far as quality is concerned, so I have stuck with the original liners. Then again, I've never really had much luck with intuitions. To each their own I think.

As for stretching toe boxes, I'm not sure you'll have a lot of luck there. The twinframe technology they use in Salomon boots is somewhat specific. If you look, you'll notice that the bottom portion of the boot is a different color. This plastic has the stiffness equivalent of about a 300 flex boot. It compensates for the softer plastic they use (as a necessity for heat molding) in the moldable part of the shell. This gives the boot the torsional strength it needs to throw a ski on edge. Unfortunately, it also extends fairly high in the toebox, this renders a neoprene cap on your toes likely to do nothing for space besides MAYBE packing out the neoprene toe in the liner.

The true beauty of Salomon shells is this; they are virtually limitless in how you can fit them. Sick of being in that tiny 25 shell, but a 26 is just too big? Throw the 26 into the vac machine and crank the pressure, now you have a tight fit with wiggle room in your toes.

[lordf]

So here is my experience with sollys CS boots over the years.

Started with a set of Impact 110 CS in 2011 skied them for two years putting about 70 days on them. The shell fit was ok as was the liner, these were my 1st boots in 15 years as I hadn't been skiing since I was 12. But I skied them until the buckles were all buggered and the liners were shot, I felt I got more than my monies worth from them.

So in 2012 I pay a visit to the nearest place with a large selection of boots and a decent reputation. The end result is a I'm fitted for a set of X-Pro 120s, the shell and liner fit is a huge improvement over the old Impact CS. I spend a couple of days in Scotland on them and the shell fit and control is incredible, I've never felt so comfortable and controlled in a set of shells.

Then it starts to fall apart, I then went out for the 1st of four weeks in the alps, some lift served powder skiing, bit of piste and a few small hikes. By the fourth day of the trip I know something is wrong with the boots, my foot feels like its floating in jelly by the end of day 4 (day 7 of boot use). By the middle of the next week the boots are un useable, my foot has no hold in the bottom of the shell and I can curl my foot up into a ball with the shell buckled down.

I get back to the UK and return the boots to the shop who send them off to Solly and Solly agree the shells are buggered. The shop have to fit me with a new pair of Sollys under warranty and stick me in a set of X-Max 120's which they say should suit my style of skiing better. They last three days... Three fucking days Solly. Tearing around the pistes on a set of GS skis was apparently too much for a race boot.

My conclusions:

I know (or at least have) a fair understanding of what I did to the Sollys and why prebax isn't great. The last two seasons were pretty warm in the alps, the shells were not getting cold at all. these boots are actually pretty upright and don't take well to being pushed forward to drive skis (all of my quiver prefer to be driven, MX88's, Legend Pro 105's and FIS GS). Doing this pushes the CS part of the shell out as the prebax is designed to be far easier to mould and expand to peoples feet. I'm at the bottom end of the fit scale. I'm now of the opinion that if you are like me (98mm last or below) and like to drive your skis then the solly CS is best avoided.

The new CS are designed to be easier and quicker to fit which is the appeal to most larger stores, less hassle and most people don't ski like we do so will likely never push the shell in the same way. I'm of the opinion that I need specific tools for specific things, my day to day boots are now Atomic Tracker 130's which are an actual 130, the CS 120 was at best 100 once I had put a few days on it. I will also be having some plugs done for piste weeks.

[undertow2]

I must have been extremely lucky with my XMax 130s as to this day it is by far the best performing and comfortable boot I have owned... I ski raced for 15 years and grew up skiing Langes and the majority of my skis love to be driven and have never encountered any of what lordf did... The only issue I have with them as they get cold in very low temps, but for the performance and comfort I am willing to deal with it from time to time... I love the boot so much and the performance it provides I bought a backup pair for when these die thanks to a smoking end of season deal...

[mntlion]

the salomon CS is what any good boot fitter can do anyways. It makes the boot fitters job easier (or doable with less skilled monkey) and gives the sales people something to talk about.'


not a bad thing, but not a magic bullet.

[lordf]

I must have been extremely lucky with my XMax 130s as to this day it is by far the best performing and comfortable boot I have owned... I ski raced for 15 years and grew up skiing Langes and the majority of my skis love to be driven and have never encountered any of what lordf did... The only issue I have with them as they get cold in very low temps, but for the performance and comfort I am willing to deal with it from time to time... I love the boot so much and the performance it provides I bought a backup pair for when these die thanks to a smoking end of season deal...

I wonder if there's a slightly different mixture in the plastic for the 130, or even the angle for lean. I asked for the 130s on warranty and was given the 120's and told to enjoy them. It was down work that I ended up in the larger chain store as I was 400 miles from home contracting and didn't have enough time to go to the normal shop I use.

As Mntloin said correctly and as I found out it makes an under skilled boot fitters job very easy.