"Soft" boot questions- right for me??

I have been skiing with boots that just kill my feet for years. I hate
buying boots- would much rather buy skis. Anyway, I need new boots this
year. I have been looking at some good deals on the Rossi Soft boot from
last year. They are the ones with the leather, and are black. Great
looking boot, and they feel awesome on.
My question is about performance, and my skiing type. I am a big guy
(250, 6'1") and skii pretty hard and fast. Not much into moguls anymore,
I like to ski fast, on steep trails. I ski Volant Legend Carver skis at
190 in length. It's a pretty big, fast ski.
So, does anyone have an opnion on buying the Soft? Will it be too soft
for my size/ski style? I really like the idea of the comfort, but I also
want something that will perform, and not crumble from my wieght...

TS wrote:

I have been skiing with boots that just kill my feet for years.

That's the first mistake. If your boots hurt, you should have fixed
them. Rule number one. Right now you're primarily thinking more about
relieving the pain rather than performance, I imagine. There is no
reason at all that a boot can't be high performance AND feel good - good
enough that you never even loosen a buckle during the day. If you go
into a non-speciality shop and mention your boots hurt, they will
immediately push a "soft boot" that doesn't hurt. They have an easy sale.

So, does anyone have an opnion on buying the Soft? Will it be too soft
for my size/ski style? I really like the idea of the comfort, but I also
want something that will perform, and not crumble from my wieght...

Think about it - these soft boots are made to flex easily for an average
size person - plus, they are aimed at intermediate, not to strong,
skiers. You can probably bend them double. I suggest you find a real,
professional boot-fitter at a dedicated ski shop, and go with his
recommendations. He will assure that whatever boot he sales you doesn't
hurt, and does perform.

TS wrote:
I have been skiing with boots that just kill my feet for years. I hate
buying boots- would much rather buy skis.

urgh, I hear you. I hate my boots, did everything right when getting them,
and they still SUCK.

Anyway, I need new boots
this year. I have been looking at some good deals on the Rossi Soft
boot from last year. They are the ones with the leather, and are
black. Great looking boot, and they feel awesome on.

I worked with a lady who had the ladies' version of these, with the cowhide
stuff with fur on, and leather bits. They looked brilliant. However...
She is a technical skiier, heavily built but not fat, tackles any terrain
with finesse. She hated these boots! She thought since she was a fairly lady
like skiier, the soft boots would be OK. But she reckoned she felt very
little contact or control, and it really affected her confidence.

So, does anyone have an opnion on buying the Soft? Will it be too soft
for my size/ski style? I really like the idea of the comfort, but I
also want something that will perform, and not crumble from my
wieght...

From what you said, these boots would be terrible for you. If you were a
skinny, timid fellow who likes to potter gently around on blue groomers,
maybe they'd be OK. But not for a large, aggressive speed bomber.

ant

lal_truckee wrote:
I suggest you find
a real, professional boot-fitter at a dedicated ski shop, and go with
his recommendations. He will assure that whatever boot he sales you
doesn't hurt, and does perform.

Yep, I should add, although my boots SUCK, they don't hurt at all. They just
suck.

ant

Boots are the most important part of your equipment. I once skied in boots
that made me cry by the end of the day. I didn't enjoy myself. The
higher-end boots are for performace. Meaning they lack cushioing and are
usually cut to fit your foot tightly. The other thing you'll find on more
expensive boots is that they have a lot of lean built into the boots. I
actually has to return a pair of boots that kicked my ass. They wouldn't
allow me to stand in the boot at all. I was forced to keep my legs flexed
all day. If your 18 then that might be a problem. My thighs burned real
bad after only 2 runs. My boots now are a great fit. They are made for
comfort, allow me to stand up in the boot, if I want, and I can remove the
boot with no hands. This is a huge plus over my old boots that took a lot
of effort just to get my boot on and off. I also considered the soft boot.
The boots I ended up with were as comfortable and had less flex then the
soft boots. You need to shop around. Definetely check into the Nordica line
of boots. You'll need to find a good boot fitter too.