Boot Liner Replacement

I have a pair of Nordica Grand Prix boots that are about 12 years old. The liners are wrinkled and packed out. I love these boots and I dread the thought of trying to fit into a new pair. Is there some way I can just replace the liners and if so where can I find replacement liners? Thanks.

I would just upgrade to a new pair. The technology and comfort have changed a lot in the last 12 years.

Ditto.

Factory liners are almost impossible to find and not cost effective.

Aftermarket liners can be a good alternative to new boots, but only if the boot model is of top quality & recent.

Michael

X3, you will prolly get more out of a newer boot.

I am of the opinion that if the shoe (boot) fits, (continue to) wear it.

I know some very good skiers who swear the Nordica GP was the best boot ever made (but they skied on the original version made in '77). I guess Nordica agreed when they re-released the GP a few years back, which must be what you are skiing on.

There are aftermarket boot liners that can be bought. These are typically the thermo-fit liners, which can be heated to give you a custom fit. It may actually improve the fit of your old GPs.

Given the subjectivity of boot fit and boot preferences, I say find a good bootfitter (try www.bootfitters.com) and replace your liners. It certainly is cheaper and you may be happier.

Yes, but be careful. After 12 years the plastic can start to degrade (from UV exposure, general use, etc.) and your boots can literally fall apart on the slopes.

Thanks. I went to my local ski shop and not surprisingly they said that they could not make or find new liners. Like many of you suggested, they also said that new boots would have much better liners. I live in Baltimore, MD so I don't have much choice when it comes to boot footers and there is no certified boot footers as Fudman suggested. It looks like I'm headed for new boots. Ugh.

You might want to check out Ski Center, in DC. If you're in Baltimore proper, you're probably not looking at more than an hour's drive, and if you're in "metro" Baltimore, you may be closer. The guys there are great, and if something can be done, they can do it...

www.skicenter.com (I think I'm allowed to post that, right?)


aaron

PS - NAYY...

I feel your pain. I'm in Baltimore too, and there definitely isn't much of a selection around here. Princeton Sports seems to know they don't have much competition and sets their prices accordingly. I couldn't find my shell size (24 mondo) locally, so I decided to order online. I'm also buying a set of intuition liners through the group-buy on TGR and will be heading to a boot fitter in the Philly area (Billy Kaplan) to have my boots fitted.

I've also seen some positive comments about Pro-Fit Ski & Skate in Leesburg, VA.

Scootertig, you're right about Ski Center, they're pretty good. In fact, I still use the boot orthotics they created for me 25 years ago! Princeton is way overpriced without the service or expertise to match. I may have to make the drive to DC. Nick, what are intuition liners and what is the TGR group buy? Thanks.

http://www.intuitionsports.com/

They're heat moldable liners that a lot of people seem to swear by. There's a lot of info here about them. One of the guys on the tetongravity.com forums organized a group buy where you can buy them direct from the manufacturer for $116 shipped. A search over there should find the thread with all the details and contact info. I think it was in the Gear Swap forum

Curious, I have seen a couple of threads regarding after market liners (bladers), but not much has been mentioned in regards to Zip Fits. I bought a pair of zip fits 2 years ago for my Raichle boots and just love them!

Probably the warmest and lightest after-market liners are Intuition and Thermo-Flex. Zip-Fits will stiffen many boots but not be as toasty, if that is a concern.

All marketing efforts efforts aside, boot development has been very evolutionary as composed to revolutionary in terms of technology. Quite a number of excellent skiers, including racers, stay in the same shells for many seasons. That having been said, as BLUE OX notes, plastic does degrade with time and exposure to the elements. This can be hastened by the plastic formulation used for the shells, shell thickness and the demands placed on the boot. You should probably closely inspect your boot shells before making your decision to buy an after-market liner or a new set of boots.

Nick, it looks like the Intuition liners need to be molded by a shop. Do you know of any shops in the Baltimore/Washington area that do that? Thanks.

Sorry, I don't know if any of the local places will do it. I'm just having Billy Kaplan do it. There's a pretty good tutorial on TGR (A search for "intuition liners" in the tech talk forum will give you a ton of info) for doing it yourself if you're feeling adventurous.

http://www.skicenter.com/ in DC. They carry Dalbello boots so you can expect that they do Intuition liners. Go to their site map and look for "contact us" or call them to confirm. They've received high marks from Epic members here for some time.

Thanks for the feedback. Called Intuition's US Distributor, Sun Valley Ski Tools, who put me in touch with the local representative. He strongly recommended Pro Fit ski shop in Leesburg, VA. He also had really good things to say about Ski Center. It will be a little bit of a drive, but I am going to give Pro Fit a try.

Don't forget to drop the thread a line on your feedback from the Intuitions

Are those GPs green and yellow?

....Intuitions

I think I read that it's Intuition that has also produced a "plug-style", thinner thermo liner this year...in addition to their normal "Alpine" liner. ...May be something to check into...I know I will be....as I'm going back to an alpine boot, for now....
I know Dynafit's Thermo liner is a little thinner than most as well....fwiw

$.01

Based on the info I've found, the Plug liner seems to use the materials of the Power Wrap with the thickness of the Comp. Most of the comments I've seen on TGR seem just as happy with the Plugs as with the Power Wraps. Although, one guy commented that the Plugs might not be great for someone with skinny heels/ankles.

They recommended the Plug liner in size 7 (iirc they use US sizes) for my wide feet in my size 24.0 (287mm) Head S12 boots. I'll be sure to post an update after my appointment with Billy Kaplan next Friday (fingers crossed for skiing on Saturday.

They seem to have pretty good customer service, so I wouldn't hesitate to call/email them. Also, the liners can be exchanged (before molding) if they're the wrong size.

The GP's are black. The Intuition rep I spoke to also recommended the plug liner. I called the store and they want to see the condition of my boot shell before we go the Intuition route. So we'll see.

+1 on Ski Center in DC.

"The Brians" (Eardley and Beaumont) are top-notch boot fitters and problem solvers. They know their stuff, and take the time to get things right. They did shell and liner work on my Lange L10s a few years back, and it really made things better. And I'm going back next week to get a full work-up on a new pair of boots (I have problem feet, due in no small part to ski racing in my salad days).

And to confirm: Ski Center does the Intuition liner, as well as other semi-custom and full-custom services.

One thing: call first, and talk with either of the Brians. You'll need to make an appointment if you want a proper assessment and fitting (expect the whole work-up to take around 2 hours).

I live about 3 minutes from Pro-Fit. I have to say that although I've never heard any complaints about the work they do (or their selection), I've never felt 100% "welcome" there. Maybe I just have a knack for showing up at bad times, or maybe I'm just particularly unlikeable, but every time I'm there, I feel try really hard to get noticed or assisted (even if they're busy, it goes without any "we'll be right with you..." sort of attention to let me know that I'm even on their radar). More often than not, I've walked out after 5-10 minutes of waiting without being acknowledged.

I still go in there from time to time if I need something quick/easy (socks, etc), but if I need to be HELPED, I go to Ski Center (or Alpine Ski Shop in Sterling, but they aren't known for their boot work...)

That said, if you're headed to Leesburg from B'more, go out on 70 to 15 south. It's a LOT faster than trying to go via the Beltway...


aaron

I also have a mint GP, the current Dobie liners are very,very close.

Call PJ @ racestocksports.com he has they in stock.

Seriously, do not overlook Zipfit liners. If you are determined to keep your GP shells, think about a Zipfit liner now. Properly fitted, they will improve the skiability of your GP shells. Also, since they last multiple hundreds of ski days, you can take them to new shells when you go there. It seems that new boot lines have been emphasizing cushy liners for the last few years. They are great out of the box but seem to pack out sooner than liners from 10-12 years ago. My answer was the Zips. I put them in a pair of Nordica Beasts that had packed out. Skied them two years then bought new Nordica Hot Rods. Didn't even ski the stock liners. I just heated the shells and put the Zips in the Hot Rods. I have about 70 days on the Hot Rods and about 150 days on the Zips. I put them on in the morning, buckle the boots and only unbuckle them at lunch if the temps are below 20 degrees or lower. I have found them as warm as any stock liner and no longer use the battery packs I had.

Check out the Zipfit website or use the excuse to come out to Snowbird and see Steve Bagley at Superior Ski inside Christy Sports on the plaza.

If you want to try new shells, I recommend the Hot Rods. Ski Mania, in Ogden, Utah had left over Hot Rods for $299.00 in a recent swap.

Good luck!!

Intuition Deal

As mentioned earlier, Intuition has a group purchase for Teton Gravity. You'll need to search the gear swap section. I purchased my power wraps for $120.00 (a few $ more than others, but I'm still ).
Just giving a heads up.