Snow and ski - Pilot Boots with Classic Skis? What binding?

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Hi Mark-
Well, the good news is that the Pilot setup *would* probably be faster than a backcountry ski setup. However, objectively speaking, the Pilot system doesn't work very well for classic for two reasons: first, the binding system pulls the heel of the ski up, so as you extend your unweighted leg behind you during the glide phase, the tip of the ski will tend to dig into the snow. Secondly, the soles of Pilot boots are very stiff along the length of the boot. The inability of the boot to flex puts a hitch in your kick, in addition to not being very comfortable after a while.

You will have to buy another pair of bindings for your classic skis anyway, so the only real cost increase is for another pair of boots. And, since classic bindings are cheaper than Pilot bindings, you will save some money there. If you're looking to save money, "combi" boots tend to work pretty well for classic (especially if you remove the cuff), and mid-line boots of this type are probably half the price of a Pilot boot. So between the less expensive binding and boot, your additional price might not be all that great.

Hope this line of logic helps in the discussion!
Chris Cline
Salt Lake City, UT
5 ft of snow in the mountains, area XC trails opening this weekend, and I've got the flu! Arghhh!

Mark Frost wrote:
Hi All,
I have a pair of Salomon Active 9 Pilot skate boots, and Pilot bindings for
my skate skis.

Question. If I am too cheap (read: spouse won't go for another XC Ski boot
purchase) to buy a second pair of boots... and I want to buy some racing
classic skis... how well does the pilot boot work for classic? I am not so
worried about the height of the cuff, just the Pilot system. Would I use a
Profil binding (will the boot fit?), or would I use the Pilot system on a
classic ski (I'm guessing no).

(I do have some heavyweight metal edged backcountry skis, with heavy Alpina
boots... but I am looking for a faster classic setup.)

Thanks in advance.
--
Mark Frost
Bedford, NH, USA

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DIVHi Mark-/DIV
DIVWell, the good news is that the Pilot setup *would* probably be faster than a backcountry ski setup.  However, objectively speaking, the Pilot system doesn't work very well for classic for two reasons: first, the binding system pulls the heel of the ski up, so as you extend your unweighted leg behind you during the glide phase, the tip of the ski will tend to dig into the snow.  Secondly, the soles of Pilot boots are very stiff along the length of the boot.  The inability of the boot to flex puts a hitch in your kick, in addition to not being very comfortable after a while./DIV
DIV /DIV
DIVYou will have to buy another pair of bindings for your classic skis anyway, so the only real cost increase is for another pair of boots.  And, since classic bindings are cheaper than Pilot bindings, you will save some money there.  If you're looking to save money, "combi" boots tend to work pretty well for classic (especially if you remove the cuff), and mid-line boots of this type are probably half the price of a Pilot boot.  So between the less expensive binding and boot, your additional price might not be all that great./DIV
DIV /DIV
DIVHope this line of logic helps in the discussion!/DIV
DIVChris Cline/DIV
DIVSalt Lake City, UT/DIV
DIV5 ft of snow in the mountains, area XC trails opening this weekend, and I've got the flu!  Arghhh!/DIV
DIVBRBIMark Frost >/I/B wrote:/DIV
BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"Hi All,BRI have a pair of Salomon Active 9 Pilot skate boots, and Pilot bindings forBRmy skate skis.BRBRQuestion. If I am too cheap (read: spouse won't go for another XC Ski bootBRpurchase) to buy a second pair of boots... and I want to buy some racingBRclassic skis... how well does the pilot boot work for classic? I am not soBRworried about the height of the cuff, just the Pilot system. Would I use aBRProfil binding (will the boot fit?), or would I use the Pilot system on aBRclassic ski (I'm guessing no).BRBR(I do have some heavyweight metal edged backcountry skis, with heavy AlpinaBRboots... but I am looking for a faster classic setup.)BRBRThanks in advance.BR-- BRMark FrostBRBedford, NH, USABRBRBRBRBRBR/BLOCKQUOTEphr SIZE=1
Do you Yahoo!?br
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