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Which boot companies have the highest quality liner?

#1
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7/1/09 at 11:46pm
  • Joined: November 2006
  • Post Count: 120
Hi,

I have had the Nordica Beast 12 for about 5 years now and the liner is beyond totally packed out..i looked into liners, but since i live in Florida there is little oppurtunity.  The boots are completely fine (to my untrained eye).  I am looking to upgrade to another boot.  It seems how companies categorize their boots varies quite a bit.  Historically, I have been able to fit into almost any Nordica, and some Tecnica's, and Atomics.  What companies offer the highest quality/durable liner as I would still be using my boots if they still had a usable liner.  (I understand 100 days is probably a lot to expect from a factory liner). 

I am a pretty good skier, I like to push myself.  The flex index of the Beat's were 90, but I have heard that is different for each manufacturer as there is no standard....so what would a 90 flex index in the beast equate to atomic and tec?  I could go a tad bit higher, but not to much i think.  I guess i am looking for a performance high end boot that is really comfy (oxymoron?)  How do you think the following models compare to what i have:

Nordica supercharger enforcer

Tecnicha vento 95

Atomic....I am not sure if i would fit into high performance or big mountain...

god i hate buying boots..snow gods bless
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#2
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7/2/09 at 8:25am
  • Joined: November 2006
  • Post Count: 456
If you still like your old boots, you should seriously consider saving some money and buying some Intuition liners to replace your old liners.  Any reason you wouldn't do that?  

http://www.intuitionliners.com/
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#3
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7/2/09 at 10:47am
  • Joined: April 2008
  • Location: NY State
  • Post Count: 148
Another after-market liner with a long lifetime is the zipfit family of liners.  They mold well to your feet and are probably best characterized as performance recreational liners.  If your shells are in good shape and have been tweaked to fit your feet, then an after-market replacement liner is a good option.

There are several threads comparing zipfits to intuition liners (see above) and foam racing liners.  Spend a little time looking through those threads.  Some of the boot guys on the forum may be able to sell you a pair of intuitions or zipfits from last year's leftover stock.
finesse + balance + a big grin  =  skiing
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#4
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7/2/09 at 11:45am
  • Joined: November 2006
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i like the idea of a new liner...but they are relatively expenisve...there is not a place near me that sells them but i guess i could order them online and return them if i dont like...hmm
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#5
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7/2/09 at 12:02pm
  • Joined: April 2005
  • Location: WV
  • Post Count: 199
Bingers, Intuitions are $125 more or less. I'll throw the factory liners away and use my old Intuitions when i buy a new pair of boots, they're that much better
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#6
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7/2/09 at 12:11pm
  • Joined: November 2006
  • Post Count: 456
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingers View Post

i like the idea of a new liner...but they are relatively expenisve...

Pretty inexpensive compared to the cost of new boots with high-quality liners.  And comfortable, custom fitting, warm boots: priceless.  

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingers View Post

...there is not a place near me that sells them but i guess i could order them online and return them if i dont like...hmm

And it's possible to bake them yourself at home, assuming you don't have any particularly difficult foot problems.  There are tons of folks on TelemarkTips and TGR that have done that.  There are tutorials around and I could help walk you through it if you're interested in that.  

Or if you prefer, the next time you go skiing you could pick up new liners at a bootfitting shop or take in the ones you've bought for molding.  If you're in Florida you're probably not in any hurry.  
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#7
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7/2/09 at 2:37pm
  • Joined: August 2006
  • Location: Squamish, BC
  • Post Count: 70
I would second the recommendation to wait until you are next in resort and to go for a custom liner provided your boot shells are still in good working order, which it sounds they are.  A good custom pair of foot beds is also well worth the expense if you don't already have them.

At least in resort you can go back to the store if they need adjustment.  I would stay away from the Comformable foam liners as they are really intended for a race tight fit and not for your regular recreational skier ... even the "softer" fit is still pretty tight for most people.  I have Comformables myself (my 4th pair) and they work well for me as I have super narrow feet ... as the boot fitter said to me, I was the only person he had seen try on a Nordica Doberman to find them still needing padding ;-)  I had the Zipfits when they first came out ... hopefully they have improved somewhat as they lasted about 20 days then the padding started moving around.  In Whistler a lot of the pros rave about the Intuition liners.

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#8
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7/2/09 at 3:02pm
  • Joined: March 2005
  • Location: Mid-South
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Be advised there is more than one level of performance with Intuition. The Powerwrap model will stiffen the flex of your boot and may take a day or two for your foot and leg to adjust to the firm fit. If you want something more like the feel of your original liner but heat molded for a better fit they have that too, both with and without tongue.
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#9
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7/2/09 at 3:22pm
  • Joined: June 2005
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonzai View Post

I would second the recommendation to wait until you are next in resort and to go for a custom liner provided your boot shells are still in good working order, which it sounds they are.  A good custom pair of foot beds is also well worth the expense if you don't already have them.

At least in resort you can go back to the store if they need adjustment.  I would stay away from the Comformable foam liners as they are really intended for a race tight fit and not for your regular recreational skier ... even the "softer" fit is still pretty tight for most people.  I have Comformables myself (my 4th pair) and they work well for me as I have super narrow feet ... as the boot fitter said to me, I was the only person he had seen try on a Nordica Doberman to find them still needing padding ;-)  I had the Zipfits when they first came out ... hopefully they have improved somewhat as they lasted about 20 days then the padding started moving around.  In Whistler a lot of the pros rave about the Intuition liners.
 
I too am a skinny foot and have Doberman jr. race boots (i'm a small person) that still needed more padding. I went with zipfit and i bought them direct from zipfit online. they walked me through molding them and i did it myself just fine. One advantage of zipfits is that you can re-mold them infinate times so if you don't get it right the first time,  you just do it again. They also come in a variety of performance levels and indices. I've skied on them over 100 days now and they feel exactly the same as they did the first time i tried them. When i need new boots, i'm going to throw away their liners and put in the zip fits. also, since the liners mold not just to your foot, but also to your boot, if you plan to use them in subsequent boots, the ability to remold as many times as needed is a nice feature.

I second the advice to read the threads on aftermarket liners. Some people really prefer one over the other (as you can probably tell already) and it might give you some insight as to which is better for you.

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#10
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7/4/09 at 3:08pm
  • Joined: July 2002
  • Location: Banff
  • Post Count: 2,543

just first check the shell fit of the boot,   sometimes, as peoples skiing improves, and as a boot liner naturall stretches out, there demands on the boot are more, so they notice that the boot is looser,   (as it is always was looser, but they are just starting to notice it)

 

So if the shell fit is 15cm or more, start with a smaller boot,  any new liner, in a boot shell that is too big, the liner will become too big as well.

if the shell fit is OK, and the liner is just done (100-200 days is about normal) then look at the intuition (warmer, lighter) or zip products (more performance, stiffer)

Also if the boot that you have is too wide, to soft, or too far forward then that is a good time to get the right boot (and again in the right/smaller size)

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