 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I'd be grateful for any advice from the assembled wisdom here.
I don't ski often (have young son and wife is a teacher), though plan to keep going from time to time (when we can go in school holidays and it's not exorbitant, or perhaps solo).
Anyway, I have a pair of Atomic B10 ski boots, bought in c.2006, like these but the previous year's model I think: https://www.skionline.eu/ski-equipment/ski-boots,05-06,atomic,b-10-red,1019.html
The plastic in the innerboots (around the back of the cuff) started disintegrating when I was in Austria a few years ago.
My hunch is the boots should probably go to the bin - I won't be able to get replacement inner boots.
And anyway, when I used to climb, there were worries about very old plastic climbing boots (though perhaps this stemmed from old Koflach ones using a plastic that went brittle).
Welcome any thoughts - they've always been fairly comfy for my odd shaped feet (one is flat and longer), and I don't want to create needless landfill, but also suspect they're just too old...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you have any doubts, the safe thing to do is replace them. They are around that age where they are at (or coming to) the end of their life.
Choose your Bootfitter wisely.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Bin 'em.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Bin them.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Definitely bin the boots.
But also, I would bin skiing. It's not something worth doing from "time to time".
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@GWPD, I had a much younger pair crack on me. A friend who no longer skis gave me a couple of old pairs of boots (all younger than yours), both snapped when I did the clips up whilst examining them. So, somewhat unusual plant pots or landfill. Given you ski infrequently, best to hire for now. Easter hols a lot cheaper.
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@GWPD, There's hire shops in small French resorts that rent out stuff much older than those 
I tried X-country during Covid and the shop lent me some old-skool (non-skating) skis and blue leather Salomon boots, which I think were from the 70s.
But if you are one of these health and safety nut-jobs, then for your own peace of mind you should probably retire them.
There's plenty of newer boots available at very good prices.
https://freeglisse.com/en/14-used-ski-boot
To avoid them going into land fill, Technica have a scheme to recycle old boots and turn them into safety mattresses.
https://life-ryb.eu/en
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@GWPD, my boots were produced 2000.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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My husband bought new in resort this year having skied in a pair from 2012 or so one or two weeks a year plus the odd weekend. They looked ok and weren’t yet breaking down, but he feels the new boots have made skiing (in particular turns) so much better, he wishes he’d made the leap earlier.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just to say thanks to all for the helpful advice - much appreciated, and especially as I'm someone who doesn't frequent this board often (as I don't ski often these days, alas). It's obviously entirely right: get rid of them (ideally in an environmentally friendly way) and rent!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I see that the Technica boot recycling scheme now has dropoff points in selected Snow and Rock UK stores including Covent Garden, Hemel Hempstead and Chill Factore.
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They haven't thought that through - would want a skip full of old used ski boots dumped in their flagship Covent Garden store? They'll never get the whiff of yeasty parmesan out of the Bognor!
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You know it makes sense.
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Buy new boots.
Modern boots, from 2023, with modern materials, can be 40-60% lighter than those from the old 2006 season.
Weight difference is like night and day.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Quote: |
Weight difference is like night and day.
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Why? I stand on my boots, I don't carry them anywhere.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A season or 2 ago whilst out on the slopes I saw a woman walking down carrying her skis. It turned out the front of one boot had snapped clean off. That couldn't have been much fun.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Layne wrote: |
Definitely bin the boots.
But also, I would bin skiing. It's not something worth doing from "time to time". |
Rubbish
Once a week per year is time to time
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Gored wrote: |
| Layne wrote: |
Definitely bin the boots.
But also, I would bin skiing. It's not something worth doing from "time to time". |
Rubbish
Once a week per year is time to time |
I assume you mean "One week per year".
"From time to time" means occasionally.....and imv skiing every year is not occasionally. However, I don't agree that going occasionally should necessarily mean giving up skiing - I certainly wouldn't in that position. If it turns out to be very occasionally, I would question the wisdom of buying boots.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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"And imv skiing every year is not occasionally"
What is it then?
Seldom?
Hardly ever?
Infrequently?
If I rode my bike one week every year it would be all of those
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 11-08-23 11:49; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The OP literally said, twice, "I don't ski often".
And their boots "started disintegrating when I was in Austria a few years ago." suggesting it was years since they had skied.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I bear them no ill but to me with the planning, equipment and skills involved, skiing is only worth doing if done regularly. It's not like going for a jog, which I can put on old pair of trainers and walk out the door to do. But it's up to them, it was merely a suggestion/observation.
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@Whitegoldsbrother, IMV. You are making a false equivalence.
Having a bike and easy access to a road - where one can easily and cheaply go out whenever it suits, is very different to going on an expensive holiday to the Alps, that requires serious planning.
I think it's fair to say, that most holiday skiers go for just one week per year - so that is the norm (unlike having a bike). Going every year, makes it a regular event ie. That makes them a regular (holiday) skier. For a holiday skier that goes occasionally - that would make it a lot less than a regular holiday skier.
If you live in the Alps during the winter - you will have similar access to the sport as someone with a bike - so 1 week per year would be seldom.
My post should be seen within the context that I was making it.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Fri 11-08-23 13:36; edited 1 time in total
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| Layne wrote: |
| I bear them no ill but to me with the planning, equipment and skills involved, skiing is only worth doing if done regularly. It's not like going for a jog, which I can put on old pair of trainers and walk out the door to do. But it's up to them, it was merely a suggestion/observation. |
Your view is just as valid as mine - and I get where you are coming from. The better I get, the more I enjoy the skiing element.
For me, a skiing holiday is about way more than just the skiing element (which can be enjoyed by floating about on easy runs) ie. The atmosphere/ambience, the mountains, the mountain restaurants, the après and the sociability.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Well, I'd definitely look at modern boots, which as pointed out have half the weight of the old stuff. It's night and day in terms of carrying them around the airport, which as boots have to go in the cabin is a major benefit.
Some people argue that weight makes no difference to the way boots work. Maybe those people ride heavy skis and bikes too, they're cheaper after all. Each to their own, I'll have the lightest stuff I can get.
At least as important though is what the boots are made of and how the flex works - and again, modern materials like Grilamid (polyamide) and carbon fibre are in my experience much better in terms of stuff like temperature stability.
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On the "frequency" thing, different people are different. The caving slang for the once a year folk is "dabbler" - people who dabble in a sport but don't really take it up. It's not really a pejorative unless applied to someone who wants to be regarded as more engaged than that. I used to be a very serious windsurfer, these days I'm a dabbler, renting stuff and playing when the opportunity arises, but I'm not living and breathing it any more. I do think rentals work better for dabbling, as it's quite hard to maintain and carry current gear in everything you dabble in.
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Goodness, the OP was only asking about his old boots, which I think has been answered and not to have their commitment to skiing questioned.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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"The caving slang for the once a year folk is "dabbler" - people who dabble in a sport but don't really take it up. It's not really a pejorative unless applied to someone who wants to be regarded as more engaged "
Summed up perfectly, particularly the second sentence
I prefer the term 'google skiier'
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Fri 11-08-23 17:06; edited 1 time in total
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| ster wrote: |
| Goodness, the OP was only asking about his old boots, which I think has been answered and not to have their commitment to skiing questioned. |
Their question was answered back in February but for some reason you resurrected it with something barely related. And now you complain.
Anyhow, threads on SH's often veer off topic. I was once told to "F*ck off" when I suggested we should try to keep on topic.
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| ster wrote: |
| Goodness, the OP was only asking about his old boots, which I think has been answered and not to have their commitment to skiing questioned. |
I'm just wating for them to ask about their old ski helmet...
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You know it makes sense.
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@Layne, hardly off topic in elaborating on what could be done with old boots in the UK in a more environmentally fashion than landfill, once it had been determined that OPs boots were for the bin and I’d just seen on the S+R website that this was now available in the UK but hadn't seen anyone on SH mention it, or is that too off topic for you?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@GWPD,As others have said, get rid of them. I'm guessing you're not as young as you used to be and a catastrophic failure of boots while skiing could result in serious injury. Rent for next season and see which ones you like. Only then consider new buying new boots.
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Poster: A snowHead
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For me - there is a question of how many/few trips are going to be made in the lifetime of the boots. If that is only going to be 3 or 4.....is the outlay worth it? The answer to that question, may well depend on how the OP gets on in hired boots. This makes the suggestion by @RedandWhiteFlachau very sensible.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@GWPD, Sell your boots on ebay. Never keep your ski boots longer than 3 seasons. Never buy at full price. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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If you have fairly standard feet, just hire.
I recently got a pair of thermally moulded boots for my daughter ~£300
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| ster wrote: |
| @Layne, hardly off topic in elaborating on what could be done with old boots in the UK in a more environmentally fashion than landfill, once it had been determined that OPs boots were for the bin and I’d just seen on the S+R website that this was now available in the UK but hadn't seen anyone on SH mention it, or is that too off topic for you? |
You should have just started a new thread.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Layne, no need. It followed fine from this. You’ll note the scheme was mentioned in an earlier post.
No doubt you’ll point out you stricture about needing a new thread to them as you haven’t yet?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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stricture
/ˈstrɪktʃə/
noun
1.
a restriction on a person or activity.
2.
a sternly critical or censorious remark or instruction.
Just in case anyone was wondering
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FAQ
