Rossi Carve Z boots - info wanted

I am an intermediate skier (feel comfortable on blues, dare the
occasional blacks, but fall often) and decided to purchase my own boots
as a first step towards building my own ski gear set.

I explained my situation to the guy in the local ski shop and asked him
to show me some boots that match my skill level, yet would allow me to
improve. I ended up purchasing the Rossignol Carve Z. The price was
great - only $200, and the guy explained that these are good
intermediate boots, they're just a slighlty old model (he claimed they
are from around 2003). They also fit pretty well - I feel comfortable.
However, the salesman didn't seem to know much about them and I am
still a bit concerned whether I've purchased the right boots. I have
the option to take them back before I use them for the first time.

Information on the Carve Z seems to be scarce on the Internet (which I
consider a bad sign). If anyone could share any info, experience or an
assessment of whether these are the right boots for me, I would very
much appreciate it.

Andy Euroman

Originally Posted by

I am an intermediate skier (feel comfortable on blues, dare the
occasional blacks, but fall often) and decided to purchase my own boots
as a first step towards building my own ski gear set.

I explained my situation to the guy in the local ski shop and asked him
to show me some boots that match my skill level, yet would allow me to
improve. I ended up purchasing the Rossignol Carve Z. The price was
great - only $200, and the guy explained that these are good
intermediate boots, they're just a slighlty old model (he claimed they
are from around 2003). They also fit pretty well - I feel comfortable.
However, the salesman didn't seem to know much about them and I am
still a bit concerned whether I've purchased the right boots. I have
the option to take them back before I use them for the first time.

Information on the Carve Z seems to be scarce on the Internet (which I
consider a bad sign). If anyone could share any info, experience or an
assessment of whether these are the right boots for me, I would very
much appreciate it.

Andy Euroman

I don't know anything about that particular boot, but I have purchased boots that were very comfortable at home but only because they were too big.One thing about boots is that you can grind away hot spots that are too tight , but you can't make a bigger boot smaller.Wearing a boot that turns out to be too big can lead to all kinds of problems.And the bladder inside the boot compresses a fair amount after the first few times out.It sounds like you've only rented boots , which would already be broken in.The best pair of boots I've ever bought had to be brought into the ski shop where I bought them several times to have hot spots grinded down. Now they are broken in they feel great.Best bet is to buy them at the ski shop either at or right near the mountain you typically ski, this way it is no inconvenience to pop in and have them tweaked. Hope that helps a bit.

On 2006-02-28, skidj70 penned:

I don't know anything about that particular boot, but I have
purchased boots that were very comfortable at home but only because
they were too big.One thing about boots is that you can grind away
hot spots that are too tight , but you can't make a bigger boot
smaller.

Here's my "but" ...

BUT some people have very wide feet, or sensitive, and buying ski
boots according to conventional wisdom is a recipe for disaster. I
did it several times, and the boot shops were never able to widen the
boot enough to relieve the terrible pain and numbness.

When I put my foot into my current boot, I said, "I think this is too
big; it's actually comfortable." The boot guy, having heard my sad
history of boot fitting, suggested that maybe I give it a chance. Long
story short: best fitting boot I've ever had. I *still* have a couple
of problems, but nothing like the past. And I have a feeling a
metatarsal pad may help with the big one (my old boots had a metatarsal
pad, but there was so little room in the toe that the pad just caused
other circulation issues).

--
monique
Longmont, CO

Andy good moveon buying your own personal ski boots. What you need to do
is go to a reputable boot fitter and take the boots and a pair of the ski
socks with you and be ready to spend a few hours with him/her. By the way
if you aren't aware the proper fitting boot your toes will touch the front
of the boot when standing erect but as soon as you pressure your boot the
toes will leave contact with the boot front. Make sure you buckle the boot
first but do not over tighen them, they should be loosely snug. Overly
tighten boots will cause all kinds of problems and foot pain. Before you go
to the boot fitter put the boots on in your house with your ski socks on and
a good pair of footbeds or orthodics (very important). Now with them on
walk, stand, hop moving around for 30 minutes minimum any shorter you will
not be able to get a true feeling for the boot. Remeber you will be skiing
for 2 - 6 hours in these boots and the pains don't start right away. As you
are doing this keep a running check on how they feel, any hot spots,
pressure points that causes pain or discomfort write down where these spots
are. This will be valuable information for the bootfitter to help adjust
the boot to your feet. Have the boot fitter first check to see if you
purchased the correct size boot, next have them check to see if it the
correct boot for your particular feet. If all this is good then you are on
your way. If the bot is designed for an intermediate then you will be fine,
if designed for advance and above it may present a problem of being to stiff
but if that is the case just loosen up the upper two buckles a bit.
Hope this helps,

JQ
Dancing on the edge

Thanks everyone for the replies and great suggestions!!!