# From Salomon F22 to......



## bseracka (Nov 14, 2011)

Just curious hy you're looking at boa only? For your riding style the f22s and the malamutes really are great options if they fit. Boas seem to be love, or hate and preferred by the lazy and those that aren't discerning. ymmv


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

I'm lazy... Lol. Any amount of time I can shave from parking to strapping in is good. 

I liked the salomon, but theyre packed out. Time for new boots and I'm all about convenience. 

I will say though, the f22 lace system was solid. Never had to adjust once suited up, and I like my boots tight.


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## TLN (Sep 7, 2010)

Malamutes are sick! Really love it. Got two pairs.
But they're stiff, and you gotta be ready for this. This is for high-speed freeriders who want to get super responsive.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

bseracka said:


> Just curious hy you're looking at boa only? For your riding style the f22s and the malamutes really are great options if they fit. Boas seem to be love, or hate and preferred by the lazy and those that aren't discerning. ymmv


Boa Focus is unmatched in performance.
Those that aren't discerning? What are you claiming is better than BOA then? And then why is every manufacturer that uses BOA using it on their top end boots (except Salomon apparently, though I'd bet it wont be long before Malamutes get a dial) if the target is for the customer who isn't discerning? The people that are buying top of the line boots are nearly always performance whores. You are not making sense.

If F22 fit great look into the F2.0 or Synapse. Though as always, your foot, your fit. Try shit on and pick for yourself. Then buy after market insoles as even the slightly built Salomons are still pretty much useless.


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

Nivek said:


> Boa Focus is unmatched in performance.
> Those that aren't discerning? What are you claiming is better than BOA then? And then why is every manufacturer that uses BOA using it on their top end boots if the target is for the customer who isn't discerning? The people that are buying top of the line boots are nearly always performance whores. You are not making sense.



Nivek,

What would some BOA boots be that are comparable to the F22 or Malamute?


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

pdxrealtor said:


> Nivek,
> 
> What would some BOA boots be that are comparable to the F22 or Malamute?


In fit... Synapse Focus. Try some stuff on and see what works, but for similar feel look at the Flow Hylite, Ride Insano, K2 Maysis or UFO (UFO's have Endo which means the back stays are now urethane, they will last at least twice as long as anything else except Rides with Phytop).

If you happen to be a size 8.5 in your Salomons I have my last years Flow Hylites with fully remoldable liners and footbed with maybe 20 days on them for I think $120... Its in my sig which I can't see. After molding they won't even remember my foot was in them, and you wont even be able to tell they've been ridden. It's a solid boot, I'll be riding this years again.


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## bseracka (Nov 14, 2011)

Nivek said:


> Boa Focus is unmatched in performance.
> Those that aren't discerning? What are you claiming is better than BOA then? And then why is every manufacturer that uses BOA using it on their top end boots (except Salomon apparently, though I'd bet it wont be long before Malamutes get a dial) if the target is for the customer who isn't discerning? The people that are buying top of the line boots are nearly always performance whores. You are not making sense.
> 
> If F22 fit great look into the F2.0 or Synapse. Though as always, your foot, your fit. Try shit on and pick for yourself. Then buy after market insoles as even the slightly built Salomons are still pretty much useless.


My comment was in jest. They're boots, regardless of the lacing system they'll fit everyone different and I know you know that. Personlly even with the dual zone boa system I've had pressure point issues. So maybe my comment is just becaus Boa won't work for me and I'm jealous.


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

Plan on trying some on... I know your knowledgeable so instead of researching all boots that are as stiff as the F22 or Malamute I thought I'd ask.


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

bseracka said:


> My comment was in jest. They're boots, regardless of the lacing system they'll fit everyone different and I know you know that. Personlly even with the dual zone boa system I've had pressure point issues. So maybe my comment is just becaus Boa won't work for me and I'm jealous.


That was me too, I'd bet its the boots not the BOA.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

pdxrealtor said:


> If you've used F22's and made the move to another boot what was it and how did you like it?
> 
> I want the BOA lacing system if possible...
> 
> No freestyle riding all mountain, tree, and steep.


I've ridden Salomon F20s the past couple of years and absolutely loved them. Then I tried on the new Salomon F4.0s late last year. The new wrap lacing system is an excellent evolution from Salomon's speed lacing.

However I, like you, wanted to go Boa, for both the convenience to adjust on the fly as well as getting the lace as tight as I'd like.

After researching boa focus boots, I ended up recently buying DC Judges. They are as low profile as Salomon's F series, which I like (no moon boots for me please!).
They're relatively stiff like the F22, so I would recommend them. If you want to go Malamute stiff, then move up to the DC Status.

Good luck!


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

GreyDragon said:


> I've ridden Salomon F20s the past couple of years and absolutely loved them. Then I tried on the new Salomon F4.0s late last year. The new wrap lacing system is an excellent evolution from Salomon's speed lacing.
> 
> However I, like you, wanted to go Boa, for both the convenience to adjust on the fly as well as getting the lace as tight as I'd like.
> 
> ...


Hey thanks bro, for the info. I'll look into them for sure. 

Enjoy your new boots.


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## atr3yu (Feb 15, 2012)

For what it's worth I was looking for new boots this year as well and will be riding all mtn, pow, and trees.... so similar. I did try some BOA boots, but always went back to the speed lace. The BOA just never felt right to me, never quite snug or tight enough without digging in. Anyways, I settle on the Ride RFL's. No idea how they compared to your old boots, but they are light as hell, super comfy, and I think the speed lace is pretty close to as fast as the BOA.


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

Grey Dragon, 

How's that liner in the Judge feel? I believe it's the same as the status liner, and there are no laces. Thought that was weird. 

Any input?


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

pdxrealtor said:


> Grey Dragon,
> 
> How's that liner in the Judge feel? I believe it's the same as the status liner, and there are no laces. Thought that was weird.
> 
> Any input?


The liner has a lace. It runs about halfway up the the ankle portion of the boot and is closed by sliding a cinch down to tighten. Then there is a wrap strap at the top to secure that portion snugly around your ankle at the very top of the liner.

FYI, I was at the Toronto Ski Show last night and compared the Judge and the Status side by side. I definitely prefer the Judge. The Judge seemed to strike a good balance between responsive stiffness and comfortable flex. The Status seemed, well, overbuilt to me.

Also, I saw other brands' boots with Boa lacing. If you want low profile (like me), these two DC boots are the way to go IMO. The closest after that would be Flow Hylites. Everything else seemed bulky.

Hope this helps.


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## TorpedoVegas (Dec 25, 2011)

I was shopping for new boots this week and tried the Judges and the new T.Rice Status boots.

I liked the feel of the Status a lot more myself but found a flaw in the liners. The footbeds I think are too big for the liners and they have creases in them near the heels because of it, and when you put your foot into it you feel a sharp point on both sides of the foot. I thought it might be a one time issue but I went to another store in town and tried on a pair of Status and it was exactly the same in 2 different pairs from that store as well. For the price of those boots that small manufacturing defect was a deal breaker for me. 

I ended by buying the K2 Thraxis boots in the end after trying on pretty much every type of Boa boot on the market, and few of the Nikes with traditional laces as well.


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

GreyDragon said:


> The liner has a lace. It runs about halfway up the the ankle portion of the boot and is closed by sliding a cinch down to tighten. Then there is a wrap strap at the top to secure that portion snugly around your ankle at the very top of the liner.
> 
> FYI, I was at the Toronto Ski Show last night and compared the Judge and the Status side by side. I definitely prefer the Judge. The Judge seemed to strike a good balance between responsive stiffness and comfortable flex. The Status seemed, well, overbuilt to me.
> 
> ...


Thanks. Did you look at the Status liner enough to confirm laces or no laces? I found this picture (finally) and it is the same as a sketched picture on DC's website for last years Status. It's the alpha liner, which according to DC's website is the same liner the Judge has. 

I find it odd that there are no laces and am curious on how it feels. 



TorpedoVegas said:


> I was shopping for new boots this week and tried the Judges and the new T.Rice Status boots.
> 
> I liked the feel of the Status a lot more myself but found a flaw in the liners. The footbeds I think are too big for the liners and they have creases in them near the heels because of it, and when you put your foot into it you feel a sharp point on both sides of the foot. I thought it might be a one time issue but I went to another store in town and tried on a pair of Status and it was exactly the same in 2 different pairs from that store as well. For the price of those boots that small manufacturing defect was a deal breaker for me.
> 
> I ended by buying the K2 Thraxis boots in the end after trying on pretty much every type of Boa boot on the market, and few of the Nikes with traditional laces as well.


Are you sure it wasn't the J bars? There are supposed to be 2 removable bars on each side. 


I'm at the mercy of ordering and trying shit on via Dogfunk or the like. I want the option to return if, after a few days on the hill, they end up not working for me. 

I can't even go try shit on locally because all of the shops around don't have full stock yet and/or aren't getting in all the boots I'm looking at trying. 

I did order some Synapse.... they turned out to be too big so they're going back. They don't have any more in my size ( I went down to REI and got sized properly then tried on boots to confirm size) and I'm kind of glad because I felt like I was settling with the Synapse. I really want something stiffer than the F22s and that would be Malamute/Status/Driver X/Thraxis

If the Status don't work out my next move will be towards the Thraxis but that's a damn expensive boot. I just haven't seen the praise on longevity or comfort with that boot. Maybe it's because I really haven't had it in the running. :dunno:


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## TorpedoVegas (Dec 25, 2011)

pdxrealtor said:


> Thanks. Did you look at the Status liner enough to confirm laces or no laces? I found this picture (finally) and it is the same as a sketched picture on DC's website for last years Status. It's the alpha liner, which according to DC's website is the same liner the Judge has.
> 
> I find it odd that there are no laces and am curious on how it feels.
> 
> ...


Positive it wasn't J bars, we pulled out the liners and removed the footbeds and the footbed itself was kinking on the sides due to being slightly too long for the liners. Not sure if that problem would work itself out but I wasn't about to take the chance and ride with the pain for a while after spending over 400 bucks on boots. When a boot of that price seems to have a small manufacturing defect it just makes me wonder about the other quality control issues that might come up throughout the season. If it was a one pair anomoly I would have overlooked it, but it was 3 pairs at 2 different shops. It might not be an issue with every size though, who knows. I was trying on size 10s


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## Nivek (Jan 24, 2008)

pdxrealtor said:


> If the Status don't work out my next move will be towards the Thraxis but that's a damn expensive boot. I just haven't seen the praise on longevity or comfort with that boot. Maybe it's because I really haven't had it in the running. :dunno:


There aren't even enough people out there riding the Traxis to give a feel of how durable they are... That said, I put over 200 days on a pair of T1's over 2 years and other than the spine they're in great condition. K2's last. And with Endo the back stays will last twice as long.



TorpedoVegas said:


> Positive it wasn't J bars, we pulled out the liners and removed the footbeds and the footbed itself was kinking on the sides due to being slightly too long for the liners. Not sure if that problem would work itself out but I wasn't about to take the chance and ride with the pain for a while after spending over 400 bucks on boots. When a boot of that price seems to have a small manufacturing defect it just makes me wonder about the other quality control issues that might come up throughout the season. If it was a one pair anomoly I would have overlooked it, but it was 3 pairs at 2 different shops. It might not be an issue with every size though, who knows. I was trying on size 10s


Its footbeds are too long. Happened 2 years ago too with the Judge. DC came in with new footbeds and switched them all. And if they're Outlast in the DC then they aren't made in the same factory as the liners or shells. While this might be something people would be turned off by, you should be buying aftermarket insoles anyway so who gives a poop if the insole feels bad. Ultimately DC makes shitty boots so it fine if you don't go with them.


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

I don't know the terminology well enough I guess. I was thinking something completely different when you said foot beds. 

A side from replacing them, why not just cut them to size? 

However, I do understand your point.... if there's one simple oversight like foot beds that are too long, then what else is going to be wrong. That IS a very simple QC oversight and does seem rather sloppy. 

NIVEK- a side from your opinion on DC quality can you shed any light on the liner and if it does not have laces how that feels?

As far as amount of people riding the Thraxis the same could be said for the Status. Now... . try to get info on the Malamute and you could spend all day reading about peoples experience with them.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

pdxrealtor said:


> I don't know the terminology well enough I guess. I was thinking something completely different when you said foot beds.
> 
> A side from replacing them, why not just cut them to size?
> 
> ...


I just tried pulling out the liner from the Judges. Seems that the lace I mentioned is attached to a "sleeve" inside the outer boot. The liner fits into this sleeve and then you cinch up the lace on the sleeve. It feels the same as if the lace was attached directly to the liner IMO. As I mentioned, there is also a "power strap" attached to the liner at the very top which tightens the liner at that area. It all feels as good as my F20s.

Can't comment on the quality of DCs as I'm new to them. I don't see why they would be a crappy product but time will tell. Also, Per Nivek's comment, I replace the footbed in my boots with good quality aftermarket footbeds. They ARE worth the money.


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

GreyDragon said:


> I just tried pulling out the liner from the Judges. Seems that the lace I mentioned is attached to a "sleeve" inside the outer boot. The liner fits into this sleeve and then you cinch up the lace on the sleeve. It feels the same as if the lace was attached directly to the liner IMO. As I mentioned, there is also a "power strap" attached to the liner at the very top which tightens the liner at that area. It all feels as good as my F20s.
> 
> Can't comment on the quality of DCs as I'm new to them. I don't see why they would be a crappy product but time will tell. Also, Per Nivek's comment, I replace the footbed in my boots with good quality aftermarket footbeds. They ARE worth the money.



Thanks for all your info. That pretty much answers the question... there are no missing laces... :thumbsup:

So does your liner, when removed, look like the picture I posted? You mention a strap that wraps around the top of the liner. Would that look like this?


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Exactly!
Your foot is held in quite securely as a result.


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

GreyDragon said:


> Exactly!
> Your foot is held in quite securely as a result.


Awesome! ..... I feel a bit better now knowing there are laces in there. I would have never got the synapse in the first place had I known that. 

Geeze.... I wish a shop near me had all the gear. 

Thank again. Status boots on the way to me now. I'll let you all know how they work out!


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

First day on the slopes with the status boots. Amazingly I had no issues with the boots on my feet. No pressure point or sore spots. I was actually quite surprised. I did put in new foot soles and I broke them (the boots) in around the house, mostly on the treadmill, for a few hours. 

They're stiff, a noticeable difference between my f22s, but not much. One thing I did notice was that walking on ice wasn't as pleasant as it was with my f22s. The sole of the boot is not as agressive. The boa stayed tight all day. I couldn't really judge how warm they we're because it was high 20s and sunny outside. 

I'll need to put a few more days on them but it was better than a good start. 

A perfect match to my diodes and billy goat. 

Thanks for all the info. Hope this thread helps out other potential buyers. Feel free to ask me any questions.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Thanks for the follow up post.
Good to hear that you had no problems with the Status.
I bought them as well after again trying on the Judges I had and thinking I may want a stiffer boot for some days.

And I'm jealous as hell that you're riding already!
Enjoy!


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## pdxrealtor (Jan 23, 2012)

So you got status also.... Cool. 

We had opening day yesterday! Enough super wet powder to keep you down if your fell, and get face shots on a good shred. Pretty stoked. Had a great day. 

The place is shredded to shit now, and it's been raining so......


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