Ski boot stiffness....

[EWG]

They ski fine.

Fuck they are tight, though. Hoping a second bake cures that.

I kept working on them and they are starting to feel really good. After 10-15 days they started to loosen up.

But they really feel great on the snow pushing the skis. I’m pleased.

[funkendrenchman]

I have the smax 130s. Haven’t skied or modded them yet. I’m 6’ 185 and flex them ok at room temp. They have that piece in the back that can be flipped to change flex. I’d say on the softer setting they are still slightly stiffer than the smax 120s.


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I’m pretty sure that 130 is the stock setting and flipping the chip makes it a 140. That’s what I was told about the other S/Max’s by Salomon.

[EWG]

I’m pretty sure that 130 is the stock setting and flipping the chip makes it a 140. That’s what I was told about the other S/Max’s by Salomon.

Huh. Well that would explain why they are stiffer than the 120s when on the softer setting. Thanks for the info.

[gretch6364]

I have the S/Max Carbon. I am 5’11” and 185lbs. I came from a Lange 130LV with intuition liner.

When I tried on this years low volume Lange’s with a stock liner,it felt like like my foot just behind my toes was swimming, width wise. The Carbons are nice and tight. They honestly suck to get off and on, but if you pull the tong to the side, it works well. I find the tongue gets stuck/pinched after my foot is out and it is a pain to get pushed back in a and the buckled up.

I have them on the stock “soft” setting. They are definitely stiff, but seem to of gotten a little more of a progressive flex after 20 days. New, they felt very stiff, which a flat felt curve.

My pinky toes come up and lay a bit on top of my fourth toes and I did get some numbness in my toes the first 15-17 days. Some ankle pain the first 5 days, but they have really come into their own around 20 days. Longest breakin of any boot I have had before.

They seem worth it though. My main ski is a 186 Line Sick Day with Tyrola bindings, so it is pretty light. I like have the stiffer boot with lighter skis. Can really keep them calm in chop.

The boot is super precise and fun to ski. The lightness if the carbon model is very noticeable...love it in the boot pack...it just seems to not fatigue me and allows me to throw the larger skis around in the trees incredibly fast. Fun for jumping around and slashing.

Last thing, I still wear them when skiing with my 4 year old and wife. In the stock ratchet positions and the buckets screwed all the way in...the fourth notch is tight and stiff for me, the third is the comfort cruising setting and the second is for skiing with the kiddo. Many times I find myself not even buckling them. They are so snug around my foot, and so stiff, even unbuckled I seem to have full contact and some support from the cuff. I do not have a fat ankle or lower leg.

Anyhow, long winded way to say it’s the best boot I have ever skied performance wise (I never raced) and be patient with the break-in process. Give them 20-25 days before a second molding. They will reward you if your foot is shaped right for them...they are narrow and have a shirt instep...so don’t try them if that is not your foot shape.


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[Mustonen]

I ended up doing another bake. And a third.

I had a habit of putting my ski boots on my radiator to dry them out. I suspect this got them hot enough to (mostly) return to their original shape. After the second bake they felt ok, but the next day after drying them out they were almost unbearable again. Baked a third time, kept them off the damned radiator, and they’ve been good since.

I’d echo your comments, otherwise.

[ill-advised strategy]

Of all the fancy drying stuff out there, I just lay mine in front of a box fan. It works as well as anything else I’ve ever tried.

[bodywhomper]

Vapor barrier socks will keep your liners dry

[gretch6364]

Mine sit about 3 to 5 inches from an electric radiator in my mud room, set to 3 (so pretty low), so far I have not noticed them returning the stock shape, but who knows how far from stock shape I really was after the initial mold.

[skier2265]

I’ve found a good deal on S/Max carbon 130 boots.. How manageable is the flex?

I’ve skied Atomic Hawx Ultra 130 and the flex has been fine, but the carbon is on the high end of 130 right? I saw somewhere here that GregL said that he could barely flex it at room temp?


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[toast2266]

Paging Bushwacka to the white courtesy phone.

[skier2265]

Paging Bushwacka to the white courtesy phone.

[emoji33]


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[altacoup]

If you’re worried about them being too stiff, just remove a rivet or cut down the lower half of the cuff. Just like ski boot fit, you can make more room but never go the other way.


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[Mustonen]

They’re stiffer than the hawx for sure, but stiffness hasn’t been a problem skiing these. I find even as a lightweight I don’t have a problem getting into the (very stiff) flex. Fit is noticeably less roomy in toes and instep, though. I struggled with fit and had it ruin a rare day at snowbird. Have it dialed now and really like the boots. Much more precise and powerful than the older, pre-reinforced version of the hawx. I haven’t tried the Hawx since they reinforced them, though.

[Climber Joe]

You can always remove one or both rivets in the rear spine to soften them, then add them back to find your sweet spot. I think just the top is softer than just the bottom rivet IIRC. Removing both softens the boot by quite a bit.

[skier2265]

They’re stiffer than the hawx for sure, but stiffness hasn’t been a problem skiing these. I find even as a lightweight I don’t have a problem getting into the (very stiff) flex. Fit is noticeably less roomy in toes and instep, though. I struggled with fit and had it ruin a rare day at snowbird. Have it dialed now and really like the boots. Much more precise and powerful than the older, pre-reinforced version of the hawx. I haven’t tried the Hawx since they reinforced them, though.

Thanks for the first-hand info Mustonen! I'm 5'11 roughly 160 pounds, so pretty light also. I want a tighter fit in the instep, which is the main reason I'm curious about trying these. I have the "pre-reinforced" version of the Hawx, but thought it was precise enough since I don't really charge anyways.

[skier2265]

Thanks altacoup and Climber Joe! in my experience I haven't personally noticed a difference in flex from removing a rivet in other boots. Doesn't removing both cause function issues since the spine is no longer rigidly fixed?
Cutting down the cuff is definitely an option I'd consider, just would prefer not to bother with it at a boot shop if I could avoid it.

Anyway, I've reached out to the seller, so hopefully I can have these in hand soon!

[JayPowHound]

I've recently learned that ankle flexion is a completely unnecessary component of good skiing.

Boots shouldn't flex. Like, at all.

So whatever boot you may be looking at, regardless of being labeled 130, 150, etc.. its likely too soft.

You should research any and all modifications to make your boots completely rigid.

A pro internet skier who skis better in his YouTube videos than anyone else who could produce video evidence of their flexible ankle style skiing told me so.

[XXX-er]

I softened a salomon boot by cutting a V in the back of the clog if thats what this thread is about, there was even a handy V in the plastic to use for a guide so I was able to do it with a box cutter

[Bushwacka]

I’ve found a good deal on S/Max carbon 130 boots.. How manageable is the flex?

I’ve skied Atomic Hawx Ultra 130 and the flex has been fine, but the carbon is on the high end of 130 right? I saw somewhere here that GregL said that he could barely flex it at room temp?


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get the ramp/forward lean/binding delta dialed and send it.

S/max carbon pros are softer than 130 plugs by quite a bit. More like a 110 plug IMO.

[EWG]

Thanks altacoup and Climber Joe! in my experience I haven't personally noticed a difference in flex from removing a rivet in other boots. Doesn't removing both cause function issues since the spine is no longer rigidly fixed?
Cutting down the cuff is definitely an option I'd consider, just would prefer not to bother with it at a boot shop if I could avoid it.

Anyway, I've reached out to the seller, so hopefully I can have these in hand soon!

I have the 130 non-carbons. According to all reviews I've read and my own expereince I'd say that the standard 130s are stiffer than most boots on the market, and the carbons are among the stiffest. Certainly stiffer than the hawks. Blister calls both models stiffer than a Head Raptor 140, K2 Recon 130 and Lange RX 130. Also says they could be considered 140s. This is a useful review:
https://blisterreview.com/gear-revie...max-130-carbon

Typically, most of the time the advice you will hear is that removing the top bolt will decrease stiffness, but removing both will cause the boot to work incorrectly as it no longer has the upper and lower sections working together.

The biggest difference in the carbon vs non-carbon is that the carbon should rebound slower. Better for ripping, maybe not as good for popping around the mountain.

I'm about 185 lbs and I need the stiffness to catch me when I'm smashing into stuff or really cranking, but I love the pop you get back - adds bounce and fun. But it's a lot of boot for sure. When it's really cold out and they are at their stiffest sometimes I need to remember to let my ankle drop to engage the flex.

If taking one bolt out doesn't get you enough softness, the cuffs can be cut. Most importantly, will they fit you?

Also, they have a very narrow toebox in the liner. It's smaller than the box in the shell. May or may not matter to you, but it's interesting and I ended up switching out the liners so my larger foot was more comfortable side to side (that foot is about a size 11 and I'm in a 26.5 shell fwiw.)

Hope any of that helps.

[Mustonen]

my larger foot was more comfortable side to side (that foot is about a size 11 and I'm in a 26.5 shell fwiw.)

Dear god. I’m a size 9 in a 25.5 and it’s tight.

[EWG]

Dear god. I’m a size 9 in a 25.5 and it’s tight.

Yeah, it sucks. My other foot is a 10 and it's quite happy in a 26.5. Once I get boots dialed I try to ski them as long as I can, cause fitting new ones sucks.

[skier2265]

I have the 130 non-carbons. According to all reviews I've read and my own expereince I'd say that the standard 130s are stiffer than most boots on the market, and the carbons are among the stiffest. Certainly stiffer than the hawks. Blister calls both models stiffer than a Head Raptor 140, K2 Recon 130 and Lange RX 130. Also says they could be considered 140s. This is a useful review:
https://blisterreview.com/gear-revie...max-130-carbon

Typically, most of the time the advice you will hear is that removing the top bolt will decrease stiffness, but removing both will cause the boot to work incorrectly as it no longer has the upper and lower sections working together.

The biggest difference in the carbon vs non-carbon is that the carbon should rebound slower. Better for ripping, maybe not as good for popping around the mountain.

I'm about 185 lbs and I need the stiffness to catch me when I'm smashing into stuff or really cranking, but I love the pop you get back - adds bounce and fun. But it's a lot of boot for sure. When it's really cold out and they are at their stiffest sometimes I need to remember to let my ankle drop to engage the flex.

If taking one bolt out doesn't get you enough softness, the cuffs can be cut. Most importantly, will they fit you?

Also, they have a very narrow toebox in the liner. It's smaller than the box in the shell. May or may not matter to you, but it's interesting and I ended up switching out the liners so my larger foot was more comfortable side to side (that foot is about a size 11 and I'm in a 26.5 shell fwiw.)

Hope any of that helps.

Hey, thanks for sharing! I'll be swapping in ZipFits so I'm not concerned about the toebox.

I usually wear size 9 running shoes, and my feet are both a bit longer than 25.5. I'm going to downsize to 24.5 since I have extremely low instep and very narrow ankles. I've used both the S/Max 120 25.5 and Hawx Ultra 130s 25.5, and needed lots of extra cork and shims to get things tolerable. S/Max seems to be one of the lowest volume boots before plugs, so I think I'm on the right track fit-wise.
I don't really have a good feel for rebound -- I haven't skied enough boots to get a feel for that. I think the stiffness will be adjustment for sure though.

[Kopi_Red]

I skied the S/Max 130 carbons for a few years. I have a high volume foot (107mm last) with a fairly high instep. After getting fitted my foot took up just about all the space in the 26.5 shell. Personally I found the flex too soft off the top. I wanted the boots to stiffen up faster because I lost a bit of mobility in my ankle from an injury a few years ago.

I did a carpet flex test the other day with the S/Max Carbons. The S/Max’s have a softer flex than the old Atomic Hawx 2.0 130s, Dalbello Scorpions 130s, and the Atomic CS 130s.

While skiing the S/Max Carbons I blew through the flex more than a few times. The boot is really light and sometimes I could feel the lower lug twist and flex a bit while pushing into them and skiing them hard. The light nature and the carbon in the boot let them have a really precise feeling on the snow. You can really feel the snow under your edges and through your boots. It took a bit to adjust from the S/Max 130 Carbon boots to the much damper Dalbello Scorpions that picked up to replace them.