For newcomers to cross country (XC) skiing, deciding on the best skis can be intimidating, especially if you don’t want to rely entirely on retail sales people or on-line outlets for advice. The following guidance about selecting and using XC gear is general and intended to help you be an informed consumer. Note that as a rule of thumb, standard[Read More…]
Originally published in the 2020-21 Masterfit Buyer’s Guide and realskiers.com How long your gear remains in tiptop condition depends entirely on how well it’s maintained. At least once a season, it’s good to get skis tuned by a specialty shop, where tuning machines can reproduce a factory finish on the skis so they perform like new. Here are some tips[Read More…]
Isn’t it remarkable how electric vehicles are taking over the automotive industry? By 2035, virtually all General Motors vehicles will be battery powered. Our grandkids will look back and tell their kids about a time when combustion engines ruled. I think a similar new frontier is being established with the Dahu ski boot. The company has parted ways[Read More…]
Last winter XC ski gear was in demand like never before and all segments of cross country ski equipment sold out, with few or no options for retailers to reorder. There also was an uptick for backcountry gear and snowshoes. Retailers are still experiencing demand and supply issues. Coupled with global supply chain challenges, everything from the components that complete[Read More…]
It’s the skier’s truism. Boots are our single most important piece of equipment. While many consider their main function to be comfort and warmth, their primary role is the efficient transfer of energy and movement from skier to skis. A SeniorsSkiing.com reader survey conducted a few years ago showed that in a given season, 25% of you purchase new boots.[Read More…]
Cozy Feet. Happy Skier. That’s the headline for the APEX Ski Boot System advertisement at the right of this article. It’s worth taking notice…especially with the unusual, limited time 20% discount to SeniorsSkiing.com readers. In a reader survey from a few years ago, we asked which new equipment you intended to purchase in the coming season. 25% of you responded[Read More…]
History Suggests That Designing A New Boot Is A Multi-Million Dollar Gamble. Just the molds for a plastic shell boot cost a million dollars, and that doesn’t include engineering costs and other expenses. Then there is the need to make it profitable when annual manufacturing runs are in the thousands, not hundreds of thousands or millions. These and other factors[Read More…]
As a SeniorsSkiing.com reader, you may remember how much plastic inserts increased the lateral stiffness of your boots. Back in those days, if you were really cool, your boots were further stiffened when wrapped with a six-foot long thong. Then the plastic boot shell arrived, along with innovative designs from Rosemount, Scott and Hanson. The[Read More…]
Finding a comfortable and good-fitting ski boot is an elusive goal for many older skiers. Finding a comfortable and good-fitting ski boot is an elusive goal for many older skiers. According to responses to our reader surveys, 25% of you plan to purchase new boots in any given season. Reading the comments is revealing: “Want to find a painfree pair.”[Read More…]
I’d Be Surprised If Someone Else Didn’t Come Up With This Simple Trick Soon After The Printed Trail Map Made Its Debut. But, necessity being the mother of invention, in a moment of need, I folded the first map I found, tucked it into the shaft, and, with surprising ease, slipped my foot inside. Here’s how to do it on[Read More…]
Rear Entry Boots For Comfort And Convenience. If you bring up the subject of ski boots among senior skiers, you’re bound to hear someone lament the demise of rear-entry boots or praise the old Raichle Full Flex boots (AKA Flexon Comps). Today when some oldsters need boot horns to get into their ski boots and boot jacks to remove them,[Read More…]
An Expert Provides Advice On Right Fit for Hiking Boots. As hiking season gets in full swing you may be considering new boots for your upcoming adventures. In the thirteen years I’ve been helping people choose hiking footwear, I’ve gathered four critical tips to share: Length Width Volume Shape Length – Two lengths are important. A) the heel to toe[Read More…]
How the Magazines Get Their Boot Evaluations. Since the mid-80’s a group of serious skiers has convened at Mt Bachelor, in Bend, Oregon, to evaluate the boots store buyers have purchased for the coming season. This year the show, which is organized by MasterFit Enterprises, moved to Solitude in Utah. I was invited to participate. The collective impressions of the[Read More…]
Rugged, Waterproof Snow Boots E-Z On/Off. My wife and I just returned from a pleasant hike in the snow, among cliffs and monoliths; sagebrush and Ponderosa pine. She wore sturdy hiking boots and gaiters. I wore the Muck Boot Arctic Commuter, a high-rise (mid-calf) fleece-lined neoprene boot. They were an ideal choice. For a hike on snow-covered, uneven, though generally[Read More…]
Older people have messed up feet, says Steve Cohen philosophically. Cohen is CEO of Masterfit Enterprises, a company that specializes in training ski shop salespeople to fit boots properly. The company also tests boots, makes insoles and boot fit aids and runs America’s Best Bootfitters, an organization of top bootfitting shops. “Think how many miles senior feet have trod. They’re[Read More…]
Clever new “portable” boot makes feet happy. We’ve been padding around SeniorsSkiing.com’s New England office for the past few days wear-testing our new Pakems boots that we picked up at the Boston Ski and Snowboard Show last month. The real trial will come in a couple of weeks on some ski hill in New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine after the final[Read More…]
Hey there, Senior Skier: Time for a moment of honest reflection. While ski boots have come a long, long way from the old days, comfort-wise, they still suck, right? But, what if ski boots didn’t hurt after three hours of riding hard pack? What if you could walk around the lodge or to your car in comfort, without the cadence[Read More…]
