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OK, heres the deal, started boarding just before Christmas just walking up hills back home in Wales. Got a board/boots/bindings of my mate.
Boots are size 13 ThirtyTwos. Im a size 10.
Back at Edinburgh Uni now, and have been up to Cairngorms twice, as well as Hillend (local dry ski slope covered in snow).
Last time up North I hired some boots, was £11 for the day, size 11 Salomons and fit really nice, and felt way better boarding in them.
So, want to get some new boots.
My mate has a pair of Salomon F22s. Theyre an older model, but only worn once. I tried the current versions on, and the size my mate has fits me, so hopefully the fit hasnt changed.
Theyre the same as these;
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110477023572&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
And he wants around/less than a hundred for them.
So my question is, how much does stuff get cheaper by at the end of the season? I think those boots will be quite a good deal (hopefully get them cheaper).
But can you get good boots really cheap at the end of the season (dont mind second hand, just as long as theyre in OK condition/not too worn in)?
Cos the other option is to keep on hireing boots until end of season, and then get some boots then. But, hireing is £11 a day, so would add up (hopefully get out a few more times), so end of season boots would have to be pretty cheap to justify that?
Any thoughts/recommendations?
Ta, Duane
Buy my boots! See you tomorrow. As said before, haggling is expected.
Haha 😛
Decided if you're selling your bindings?
Don't keep hiring. Getting your own boots will improve your riding and comfort more than any other thing I reckon.
And it is far less minging.
You don't have to wait till the end of the season. Some shops still have 08/09 stuff on sale:
http://www.snowboard-asylum.com/snowboard-boots.htm
http://www.bargainboards.co.uk/ProductList.aspx?Order=BiggestPoundSaving&Cat=2
definitely try before you buy though as fit and comfort is everything!
Do not buy second-hand, or at least without trying-on. I have a pair of Salomon Dialogues which are comfier than an old flame after 8 pints 😛
you can get stuff cheap at the end of season no probs. But any discount is unlikely to pay for the season's hit, so invest in a good fitting pair ASAP.
Think I got 40% off my Salomons at the shop in Lady Lawson St.
You can usually get last year's stuff online if you look around.
I got a set of Burton Ruler boots after having a crappy 2nd hand set and the difference was unreal. No foot chaff, pressure points, easy to do up and awesome feel.
Still, it'll probably never snow again after this year so if it were me... I'd keep renting. 😀
The cheapest way to buy is off e-bay in June. All the now impoverished students are desperate to offload snowboard kit to buy more beer and the retailers are desperate to not have boots next to shorts on the racks! Having said all that if you are renting you will soon spend more than you'll save so go out and get some now.
Most important piece of kit IMO. Boot fit can the difference between responsive riding where you're in tune with everything and a miserable day where you can't stop thinking how much your foot hurts and where every movement is an effort.
ThirtyTwos size up small, but not that much - mine are a size bigger than my 'normal' shoe size.
Spend as much as you can stretch to, good ones last for ages and it is money well spent. Nothing to stop you going to try a load of different boots on in shops to identify a couple that fit well then try ebay or wherever if you want to save some money.
Also, it seemed gimmicky when they first appeared, but the boots with the thermal fit inners work really well if you take the time to mould them properly, makes a big difference I find.
Buy new, but get them properly fitted. Try on lots of pairs, walk around the shop, make sure there are no hot spots and buy the pair that fits best. If you can get to a proper ski/snowboard shop (rather than Snow and Rock or Ellis Brigham) they will make sure you get the best possible boot for you. Have a look on snowheads.com for some ideas on where to go.
as some posters have already said fit is everything
imho there are 2 things that ruin days on the hill
Cold Hands - mitts solve that
Sore Feet - Good boots / footbeds solve this
i've got 2008/9 malamutes and i like them, i did try the F22's which are a single skin boot ... ie no inner boot, just all in one
if they fit [b]do it now[/b], most shops won't have the sizes come end of season and you'll miss out on all the enjoyment of good boots
and the other bit is that you no longer have to q in the hire shop, just rock upo, get ticket and play, that is worth the £100 on its own
good luck
## forgot to add, get some comformable footbeds done too, will help with the dreaded end of day fatigue ..well worth it imho ##
If you can get to a proper ski/snowboard shop (rather than Snow and Rock or Ellis Brigham) they will make sure you get the best possible boot for you.
I've had much better service in Snow+Rock and Snowboard Asylum (aka Ellis Brigham) than I've encountered in "proper" ski/snowboard shops, whatever they might be.
GrahamS, fair enough, i was going on my experiences, though I do accept that was with ski boots. S&R sold me a pair that was WAY to big, felt great in the shop and horrible to use. Next pair were bought from a "proper shop" (Lockwoods) and actually fit and feel fine to ski in. I'm not the only person who i ski with who has experiecned this either.
Yeah, I'll qualify my statement that I've only used S&R in Gateshead and TSA at Braehead. But both offered good service and knowledgeable staff who ride a fair bit.
Most small board shops are also helpful, though I have occasionally encountered the same kind of snooty eliteness that you sometimes get in certain bike shops.
