Salomon Ghost Review

Me: 37 yrd old, level 8 skier

Other boots that I like: Lange Freeride Series...have a pair of FR 110s that fit me quite well

Skis I ski (in case this has any impact on your perception of the kind of skis I ride and how it relates to boots and peformance): Volkl Bridge 185, Volkl Gotamas 183 and Praxis POW RX 189

Conditions: Copper and Vail...packed powder and soft spots in places of a couple of inches..lots of good bumps

 

The review:

Did a fit test in the ski store a few months ago and really liked how these boots stacked up to similar offerings from other manufacturers.  Thought the flex was much smoother than the Lange Banshee Pro and was a more snug fit than the Rossigonol offering (can't recall the exact model).  The boot also felt a bit lower to the deck than my Langes.  I saw them on sale and Evogear and decided to pick up a pair and try them for myself.

 

First and foremost...these boots are a BITCH to get on your feet!  The lace up liner is great...except for the fact that they made the leash lenght about 2 inches too short.  Its very difficult to get the upper cuff and throat of the boot to open wide enough to jam your foot in there.  You need good leverage and to be able to pull on the lower part of the upper cuff to get your foot in.  I read where someone else described this as similar to a "birthing experience".  I am going to have to agree.  This really sucks and is very frustrating..I tried everything I could think of and pulling these on outside of the car in the parking lot is near impossible.  I can't believe Solly didn't figure this out while testing the boots pre-production.

 

That said, once you actually manage to get them on your feet, they are probably the most responsive and smoothest flexing boot I've ever hard.  The two buckle system (plus the powerstrap) gives you every bit as snug a fit as the traditional, 4 buckle Lange design.  The angled buckle on the top of the foot really does a nice job snugging the boot over that area.  The heel pocket is quite snug and I get virtually no wiggle from my heel.  The flex really allows you to be in a powerful, but comfortable, ski neutral position where you are perfectly balanced over the skis and able to react to any terrain the mountain throws at you.  When there is now POW, I ski as many bumps as I can find.  This boot was great in the bumps and the smooth flex was super nice in the fairly deep and carved out bumps I encountered.  There are plenty stiff enough to handle anything the mountain can throw at you...but not so stiff that they are like cement boots.  I skied plenty of crud along with bumps and some time on the groomers, and I found them every confidence inspiring.  

 

I plan to ski them back to back with my Lange's to try to more specifically describe the differences in feel and performance.  For now, the best I can say is the Langes feel like a more traditional race design that has been tweaked for freeride (rubber footboard for impact absorption on jumps) but, other than that, not much different from their race models.  I still like my Lange's quite a bit and will probably use both boots, but I like the flex pattern of the Ghosts significantly more and that might make me lean that way.  However, getting into the Ghosts is such a pain in the ass, I'm wondering if that could become a dealbreaker long term.  I'd really love to know if anyone else on the board has these boots and has had the same experience. 

 

That's all I've got for now..other than I'm growing depressed that the weather is warming up and the season seems to be slipping by way too fast!

 if you think the 08-09 models are bad you should see the early ones that salomon released at the end of the 07-08 season...the lace was a few inches shorter than even this years. you had to be a gymnast to get them on

Damn, Broad...I can't even imagine how someone could get them on.  Seriously, how could Salomon's testers not notice this.  I skiied in mine for 3 straight days...I literally have bruises on the top of my foot (where it meets the lower leg) from pulling them on and off.  I would love to have some kind of spreader that could pull the cuff apart when I'm trying to get into them.  To me, it really is a design flaw.  I like the boots enough that I'll probably keep using them but I may write to Salomon to complain.  

I agree with everybody that this is the worst boot I have ever had to get on and off my foot. It's tolerable getting out of the car when its warm but at the end of the ski day when the boots cold it's an absolute bitch. Thought I broke the little bone on the top of my instep the other day getting them off. Very snug overall fit even though I had them stretch the instep twice and grind some of the material away on top of the instep area of my left boot. Excellent response and performance, feels like a race boot.  I even strapped a Booster to it because I missed it from my old Nordica's so much and also put a spoiler in the back to take up some room(tiny calves or calfs). I have played with the cuff rivets to soften the boot a bit but can't really tell a huge difference with or without them. Still can't say I love them yet, feet falling asleep, and getting them on and off is a real joke. Salomon should know better than this. Performance is awesome but not sure if it's worth the downsides to them yet. I had 5+ great years in a Nordica Beast with no complaints, just wanted to try a smaller overall fit but not sure if it was the right choice. Love the two buckles though!!!

Having skied in the boots for a bit now, I would say they are easier to put on and take off than Nordica Hot Rod's or Lange Comp Pro's.  The trick is to get your hands down onto the lower (black) cuff and spreading those wide, moving tongue to outside of boot and sliding in gently.  Removing them, same thing.  Push toungue forward to spread lower, grip lower cuff, spread and remove.

Can anyone comment on how they fit compared to Solly X-Wave 9's?

 Someone on Backcountry.com gave me the idea of leaving my foot inside the liner, lacing it up tight and pulling the whole thing out together. IT WORKS at home easily with hardly any pain and can't wait to try it on the hill. I've already been out looking at other boots because I'm sick of almost drawing blood on the top of my foot getting them off. But I will try this guys solution first. Love the performance of the boot other than fighting some cold toe issues so really want to make them work. But again, HUUUGE design flaw for people who don't have flat feet. Also anybody had any luck in getting the new Salomon Ghost powerstrap for the 09/10 models?? It's more like a booster strap vs last years. These companies make me sick on how stupid they can be with things like that. How difficult could it have been to put that booster strap on in the first place. Once you get used to the elasticized big straps it's hard to go without. Good luck Ghost users, awesome performance with serious on and off pain!