Snow and ski - Help! Salomon Active Pilots a good choice? Size?

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Help! Salomon Active Pilots a good choice? Size?

These will be my first ski boots ever.
I found an online source in germany for Active Pilot skate boots, €89.95
They sell SNS Pilot Equipe Skate bindings with them for €44.95

I'm sure the prices are fine, but are the boots a good choice for an athletic (mtb racer)beginner that will be using them for rollerski training first (Jenez Aero 150's), and race-oriented skiing later?

I always wear 48 cycling shoes : Shimano, Lake, 661, Answer, etc. Just Time's were once too narrow. what size would you advise?

If I want to fit ski boots first, I'm likely going to spend twice and have to wait many weeks plus buy a train ticket to find a ski shop, not even considering that I need an uncommon boot size...

This online source doesn't have other nice skate boots for Pilot bindings (which I'm committing for, just to commit for something), at least not in my size. I wanted Race Skate 9's, but can't find those for less than a fortune, again, in my approx. size.

Thanks for your help!

Jan Gerrit

Help! Salomon Active Pilots a good choice? Size?

"will be using them for rollerski
training first (Jenez Aero 150's), and race-oriented skiing later? "

I imagine they would be OK for roller skiing, but there are boots that
are far superior for racing.....

Jim

Help! Salomon Active Pilots a good choice? Size?

schreef in bericht
ups.com...

"will be using them for rollerski
training first (Jenez Aero 150's), and race-oriented skiing later? "

I imagine they would be OK for roller skiing, but there are boots that
are far superior for racing.....
Thanks for replying Jim.
Availability, short-term demand and budget being main concerns, I wonder
whether I should go for Racing skate 9's that cost me double, or even nicer
(newer?) carbon stuff for nearly triple (cost today).
Damn, I with I could get the Racing Skate 9's for the ?120 deal they're
offering, but they're out of size that might fit me.
Perhaps I should just get theshe price is great, me currently a beginner
only, and in the winter in some snow country I may walk into a shop while
richer, where I can fit and feel the product that's going to set me back
200-400 including custom soles...

If anyone have last-minute tips for SNS Pilot skate boots in size ~48/12.5
in Europe...

Thanks,

J

Help! Salomon Active Pilots a good choice? Size?

Jan -

Look on German ebay, there always seems to be nordic gear be posted...

http://listings.ebay.de/Skisport_Lan...istingItemList

Jan Gerrit Klok wrote:

schreef in bericht
ups.com...

"will be using them for rollerski
training first (Jenez Aero 150's), and race-oriented skiing later? "

I imagine they would be OK for roller skiing, but there are boots that
are far superior for racing.....
Thanks for replying Jim.
Availability, short-term demand and budget being main concerns, I wonder
whether I should go for Racing skate 9's that cost me double, or even nicer
(newer?) carbon stuff for nearly triple (cost today).
Damn, I with I could get the Racing Skate 9's for the ?120 deal they're
offering, but they're out of size that might fit me.
Perhaps I should just get theshe price is great, me currently a beginner
only, and in the winter in some snow country I may walk into a shop while
richer, where I can fit and feel the product that's going to set me back
200-400 including custom soles...

If anyone have last-minute tips for SNS Pilot skate boots in size ~48/12.5
in Europe...

Thanks,

J

Help! Salomon Active Pilots a good choice? Size?

Jan Gerrit Klok wrote:
These will be my first ski boots ever.
I found an online source in germany for Active Pilot skate boots,
€89.95
They sell SNS Pilot Equipe Skate bindings with them for €44.95

I'm sure the prices are fine, but are the boots a good choice for an
athletic (mtb racer)beginner that will be using them for rollerski
training first (Jenez Aero 150's), and race-oriented skiing later?

I always wear 48 cycling shoes : Shimano, Lake, 661, Answer, etc. Just
Time's were once too narrow. what size would you advise?

If I want to fit ski boots first, I'm likely going to spend twice and
have to wait many weeks plus buy a train ticket to find a ski shop, not
even considering that I need an uncommon boot size...

This online source doesn't have other nice skate boots for Pilot
bindings (which I'm committing for, just to commit for something), at
least not in my size. I wanted Race Skate 9's, but can't find those for
less than a fortune, again, in my approx. size.

Thanks for your help!

Jan - I've never worn or skied in the Active boot.

I'm fairly familiar with "first and second tier" boots from other
manufacturers (e.g. Alpina and Rossignol - because my wife and
daughters have owned both top of the line and second tier boots from
Alpina and Rossy).

From my experience with those boots, your Active boot will be a little
heavier than the Race 9. More importantly, they just aren't built as
tough as the racing boots. They are made for a more casual skier, more
for comfort (e.g. softer and roomier) rather than performance (e.g.
more solid and more exact fitting). My assumption would be that these
differences are also in the Active vs. the Solomon racing boots - and
this appears to be the case from what I can tell looking at them.

Would you notice the difference? Obviously not since they are your
first boot. If they are comfortable, you will enjoy them and they'll
probably work just fine. What you might experience is that for a big
and athletic person like you, you might not have as efficient transfer
of your power to the ski because they aren't as strong as the racing
boots.

They also might break down faster for the same reason. My guess is
that you might not notice any of this since they are your first boots.
They might (probably?) be just fine for training and racing until you
can afford a better boot. If/when you buy a true racing boot, my guess
is that you will definitely notice the difference, and you'll never
again be happy with a second tier boot. But that will be later after
you've skied a bunch and when you actually have a better boot to
compare to. On the other hand, you might also decide the Actives are
just fine to keep for bad weather training or such. Or you may be
perfectly happy with them until they wear out.

My opinion? if that's what you can afford, and they are available, buy
them. From what I've read of your postings YOU NEED TO START ROLLER
SKIING!! (you'll really dig it I'm sure!). Salomon has a reputation
for making good quality products even in their lower end stuff.

Just as a thought, for the price of these "second tier" Salomons, you
might be able to find a top of the line in Alpina, Rossignol, Atomic,
Hartjes, etc. All of these are excellent boots, I would say better
than a lowe tier Salomon. Choice generally is based on fit and
availability, not quality.

Help! Salomon Active Pilots a good choice? Size?

Camilo wrote
What you might experience is that for a big athletic person
like you, you might not have as efficient transfer of your power to the
ski

Yes, I think for the obvious "piston push" paradigm of leg-push, having a
great boot is not critical.

But it you want to start playing games with "out-sweep-from-underneath"
push, and maybe with pushing thru the outside edge -- then having a really
good boot which can directly transmit side-force, makes a difference.

And if you're going to try to play games with "double-push" stroking on snow
.. . . of course that's really pushing the limits. For that you need also
effective quick transmission an "inward-sweep-from-underneath" push -- and a
quick _transition_ from transmitting "inward-sweep" force to "outward-sweep"
force -- and also the capability to directly "steer" or pivot or "rotate the
ski about vertical access".

For that goal, it wouldn't hurt to have that custom-molded carbon boot with
klap-skate binding, which Andrey pointed out some national team sprint racer
using last year.

If you can't arrange that, seems to me you'd want to start with the
best-fitting high-end boot you could find -- and then replace the stock
footbed with your own favorite. I'd assume you'll spend at least 30 Euros on
a replacement footbed (e.g. I've got Superfeet in my Salomon Carbon Pilot
boots) if you're at all serious about the "double-push on snow" game.

Ken

Help! Salomon Active Pilots a good choice? Size?

On 27 Sep 2006 21:33:01 -0700, "Camilo" wrote:

From my experience with those boots, your Active boot will be a little
heavier than the Race 9.

About four years ago someone in this group who'd weighed them said the
Actives (at that time) were lighter than the boot above them (Race 9
Bumblebee?) though heavier than the Carbons.
--
JT
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