New Salomon S/Max and S/Pro Boots

[Muggydude]

Searched, didn't see anything.

Salomon updated the X-Max lineup this for 2018-19 to the S/Max, which is about 200g lighter. S/Max 130 Carbon is even lighter still.

https://blisterreview.com/gear-revie...max-130-carbon

https://www.salomon.com/en-int/shop-...html#848=14249

Curious if anyone has had these boots or skied them? Curious on your thoughts vs the old X-Max. Are they stiffer? Ski and colder due to the thinner shell? Overall fit and volume about the same?

I have wide high-instep feet so I'd be looking at the S/Pro next year, but I figure the changes from X-Max to S/Max will be similar to X-Pro to S/Pro change next year.

Trying to decide if waiting for the S/Pro is worth paying near retail next season over buying a really cheap pair of 2018 X-Pro 130s this year.

[couchsending]

If you have high insteps you’d should be looking elsewhere...

[XXX-er]

but they are blue ?

[Muggydude]

If you have high insteps you’d should be looking elsewhere...

Or not, considering I’ve skied the x-pros for almost 5 years... fit like a glove. Not going to buy the x-max, if you read the thread...

[mtskibum16]

Just get the cheap x-pro if you know they fit. I don’t think the price difference is worth 200g for an inbounds boot.

[jmars]

I had the previous XMax 130s and now have the current S/Max carbon 130 (I like the blue vs. white....guilty of vanity). I found both shells cold so I’m a heater guy now bc of it. Also the 130 flex is soft IMO but the XMax 120 I folded years ago so I went up in flex upon year 1 release of the Max series. The current 130 doesn’t seem stiffer then the previous one I had (white/yellow).

The one area I found nice on the current gen was the liner, just fit nicer and seems to hold my ankle better but as for durability we will see. I have more carnage on my XMax then any other boot I’ve owned including the gen 1 Mtn Lab. I attribute this to the custom shell. If you walk a bunch (parking lot/ through a village) expect a bunch of lug wear.

[jmars]

On the SMax carbon I added these head vibram soles. I have a lot of sole planing due to pronation and flat feet so work always is heavy for me. This should help in the wear and tear I previously noted.

[undertow2]

Muggy, to say I am a fan of the XMax 130 would be an understatement... I just retired my first pair with over 150 days and just started using my 2nd backup pair with a 3rd pair waiting in the wings... I did get to ski a new pair of the 130 SMax and it is a great boot and to me the only real difference I could find was in the weight... I never found my XMax heavy, but I could def tell the weight difference when skiing the SMax...

I cannot comment on the warmth of the new SMax as the times I got to ski it it was not bitterly cold or any new snow... What I can say and is my only gripe of my XMax is that it is by far the coldest boot I have owned... I have made some changes to my socks that have helped, but they still get cold every now and again...

I did add a booster strap to my 130s and to address the wearing of the toe and heel I now rock CatTracks... I did this after I ruined my first pair by not protecting them and my shop gave me a free pair of the CatTracks... They are now protected and offer really good grip when walking...

So the short of it is if you can find the current model of the X Pro on sale go for it... The changes to the new models do not warrant the price diff if you can find the older model in sale... My first XMax the first year they came out cost me $549 (shop hook up)... My second pair cost $298 and my 3rd backup pair bought this last summer was $249...



Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[mono]

are shells the reason one boot is colder than the next? i skied the xmax 130 and with the stock liner it was beyond cold. I put an intuition wrap in mine and never had an issue after, that boot does a very nice job of keeping out water/ snow - the rubber stopper at the toe in that boot is actually really well thought out - sounds silly but it's really nice design - the coldest boot i ever had was a nordica doberman - had the toes punched for a little room and couldnt keep out snow/ which turned to water/ which turned to ice - the rubber stopper at the toe was poorly thought out

great mod on the blue one

sorry OP - no opinion - i've looked at the old xmax offered $250-300 and thought i should pick up a pair

[gregL]

Haven't skied it, but the S/Max Carbon feels frickin' stiff on my foot. Instep is actually a little taller than X/Max IMO. New liner without seams at the little toe is a nice touch.

[Muggydude]

Found some cheap 2019 x pro 130s which are supposed to be slightly different from the 2018s (different plastic mix). Figure I mine as well ski those for a couple years then grab the s/pro when it’s on sale for 50% off.

Wondering if intuitions are worth a try. I like the stock liners, but maybe a touch cold at times. Not sure if the pro wraps would fit, pretty tight shell fit (one finger). Maybe if I mold the liners and shells together?

[iriponsnow]

I have 2019 XPros w intuition power wraps & the fit awesome except- I need a spoiler, for my skinny calves.

My hope is S makes GripWalk replacement toes/heels as the did WTR soon.

[morphintoskittle]

Anyone have reccomendations on a liner for an smax 120? Looking to retain stock stiffness if not stiffer. Thanks

[Muggydude]

Good to hear about the intuitions. Will explore that route. What is your shell fit like? I definitely don’t have skinny claves so won’t need a spoiler haha.

Never really understood the need for wtr/gripwalk soles though. My soles have barely worn in 4 years, easy enough to walk in. If it’s really slipper or far on pavement I have the rubber cat tracks that pull over.

I can see the benefit for boot packing, but at that point I’d be in a touring boot

[Nevada29er]

I tried on a s/max 100 (all that was in stock) and it felt pretty good fit wise. Coming from Scorpions, I wonder how these would ski in the 130? Heel was pretty tight, they're supposed to be 13.5 FL, and I need a pretty upright stance for balance.

[Flexon Phil]

Here is my review: https://www.pugski.com/threads/long-...max-130.12737/

I have been in this boot along with two others this season, Pink Panthers and Recon 130's and while it took me some work to get it dialed. As far as warmth, the S/Max is the warmest of the three and if you have a chicken leg, the back half of the boot is amazing. As far as stance, I prefer a bit more forward lean and I was able to get that during the mold process.

[Muggydude]

Went into a sports store very nearby today, tried on a variety of boots. Lange sx had too big of a heel pocket. Nordica speedmachine just felt bad. Rossignol alltrack decent but heel was loose. Tried a couple others I can’t remember.

Head Vector RS was actually pretty good, great heel hold. Felt a little too small all around, definitely on instep. Could be good with molding.

Panthers 120 ID was decent too, in a 25.5 (my current Salomon size) tight everywhere, seemed too small but after molding shells and liners might be good. 26.5 felt great all around, but heel a little loose. My boot prior to the Salomon x-pro was a 26.5 panterra with zip fits though (1/2 a season) which was horrible (too large heel, painful forefoot, too long). Would like to look at the panterra 130 ID now, although I’ve been told I shouldn’t be in a fabric boot due to low ankle flexion.

I put the 25.5 dalbello ID Now wrap liner in the 26.5 Salomon x pro 130 and it felt really good. Instep felt decent, heel actually hurt cause it was too narrow. I think with molding the shells and liners together that combo could be money.

Tried the 25.5 intuition ID liner in the 25.5 Salomon shell, was definitely too tight, specifically length-wise.

Not sure how the Dalbello ID Now liner compares with the normal Intuition Power Wrap? Or the Pro wrap? I’m hoping the dalbello might be higher volume, because I’m not sure I could get the liner to work with 25.5 X-Pro shells. The liner I tried from the Panterra has medium and soft ultra long foam, which is different than the liners in say the kryptons, which is the “ID Pro” which has high density foam.

Maybe size 24 or 25 intuition pro-wrap with 25.5 Salomon X-Pro shell? Mold together, double toe cap, padding outside of foot, and a little over the instep. Buckles maxed out (I could partly buckle them with the power wraps in).

I’d really like to keep the same shell size. If not I’d have to remount two pairs of my skis with pivots, although all the rest would be fine.

Might go in to a real bootfitter tomorrow to discuss options and try a couple more boots

[gretch6364]

I was up for new boots and had been skiing in a 2013 Lange RX 130 LV the last 5 or so years with Intuition liners. I was definitely too aggressive in my sizing and was one size too small for anything but very aggressive days with no standing around. Since I bought those boots I have been skiing more with the kids and wife and after a couple hours of slow skiing and standing around, I typically don't have much feeling left in my feet (I am a 10.5 and was in a 26/26.5), so I wanted to go up a size.

I did zero research on boots so as to not have any preconceived notions (as much as possible). My last 5 pairs of boots have been Lange or Salomon, and the Lange's have always been the best for me....but again, I tried to be open minded. I wanted to leave as much to the bootfitter as I could and made an appointment with Kevin at BOOTech at the base of Highlands.

I tried on Nordica, Technica, Lange and the S/Max 130 Carbon. In the end, it was between the Promachine and the S/Max, with the S/Max just feeling more consistent snugness along the entire length of my foot. The RS felt a little loose in the mid-foot and the Technica had a couple pressure points around my lower foot just in front of my heal and then around the ankle.

Jim and Kevin did a really good job of not telling me anything about the boots (including price) and just letting me go purely on feel. I appreciated this part of the process a lot. Luckily, my custom insoles from my last boots were still in great shape, so I saved that money, but I must say, I had a little sticker shock when they told me the price of the boots. However, boots are one thing that I always by brand new from a good fitter and their price is inline with what it would cost to buy the boot online.

I am 5'11" and weigh 185lbs. The RX 130s were never too stiff, so we will see how this boot does. Flex felt smooth at shop temps...pretty linear and not too much deformation at full flex.

I will give a review after I ski them a bit and see how the liner holds up. The main reason to bump this thread though is for people looking for new boots for the coming season. The weight numbers don't seem like a lot, but with a Promachine on one foot and the S/Max 130 Carbon on the other, it felt sooo different. This boot feels like you could go play basketball in it. If you have the right foot shape for it, you really need to try it on. Even if it didn't feel amazing on my foot, I would of been tempted to try and make it work.

They are gonna be nice for hiking up the bowl and in general I am excited to get a lighter ski setup then I currently have to pair with the boots. After making my decision on buying them, I found out Jim had a hand in the design and working with the team at Salomon. I guess they made some trips out to Highlands and he went to France, etc. Kind of cool to learn how they developed the boot and are working on the next generation currently with Jim again.

[EWG]

I have a few days on the s/max 130 non-carbon model this season. Still pretty light (I think about 8oz heavier per pair than the carbon model). I'm messing with the stiffener in the back between the two positions and haven't figured out which position I prefer yet. I'm about 5'11.5" and 190. Having a little trouble finding the stance sweet spot but it's getting closer. Nice power and good vibe thus far, but only spinning early season groomers so hard to tell. Need some steeps. Did find the flex stiffens up ok landing off airs which is nice - it doesn't let you dive forward. I feel more upright than I did in my old boots at times, but I also feel like I'm needing more support out of the tongues sometimes too, which is schizo, so I'm clearly an idiot.

I'll be interested in your thoughts as you wear them since we are similar sized. Even have the same sized 10.5 shoe but I stayed in the 26.5 due to a smaller right foot. Left foot is currently pretty unhappy in the 26.5, so I might go get the toe punched a little more.

[slcdawg]

I'm in the same boat. Found a decent deal on the X-Max, but can get last year's S-Max 130 for about $150 more. I called Salomon and they confirmed the mold for the shells is identical. Wondering if the improvements (lighter shell, seamless liner) are worth it? Any comments on if the new liner is warmer? Sounds like that is a common complaint.

And, curious how the flex of the SMax 130 would compare to a lange rx 130?

[Self Jupiter]

New Xmax 130 25.5 200$ shipped:

https://theskimonster.com/products/salomon-x-max-130/

[HukuTa_KydecHuk]

no recent boot thread for Salomon so decided to ask here. Can somebody school me on Salomon boots - is S/Pro Supra Boa basically same mold/fit as Shift Pro/Shift Alpha?

[El Chupacabra]

On the topic of the older S/Max - - after reading up on the reviews of how low the instep is on these, I thought this might be my boot, so I ordered these:

https://skipro.com/products/s-max-13...42815401427121

Haven't arrived yet, but after doing more googling, I read on Pugski that the "race" version of this boot is different from the ones not labeled as such. I can't find anything more on that though - - anyone here know if there's a difference, and if so, what it is?

If these don't fit my foot shape, it's an easy return to the local Ski Pro store in Reno.

[Bunion 2020]

It is my understanding that the Supra and the Alpha are for different width feet with the Supra being a medium width (which makes no sense) and the Alpha is for narrow feet.