90% of people buy boots that are too stiff

[fleaches]

Oh hell yes. I'm in. But you need a really stiff boot. Obviously.

I have a friend who did this once for a Gaper Day and it was amazing. He skied circles around everyone.

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[klauss]

Bought some likely too stiff boots for the young lad that have powerwraps so even stiffer flex than stock liner. I saw some forum posts/youtubes that said you can remove one or both the rear spine bolts on Lange RX to increase flex, then other posts that said it's not good to remove both bolts. What's the latest?

[onenerdykid]

Bought some likely too stiff boots for the young lad that have powerwraps so even stiffer flex than stock liner. I saw some forum posts/youtubes that said you can remove one or both the rear spine bolts on Lange RX to increase flex, then other posts that said it's not good to remove both bolts. What's the latest?

Here is what rear spine screws do:
1. The bottom screw fixes the cuff to the shell, thereby providing progressive flex, and should always be in. Removing this screw is a bad idea because now the cuff can float fore/aft and can lead to Achilles injuries.
2. Adding the top (2nd) screw creates a more direct, more responsive feel to the boot. If you want a less direct, less aggressive boot then remove the top screw.
3. In race & race-oriented boots, adding the top (2nd) screw also usually locks your cuff alignment and forward lean settings in place. You won't be able to change your cuff alignment or forward lean setting if a second screw is drilled & installed. So drill/add the top screw only when your cuff alignment and forward lean is figured out.

Here is what rear spine screws do not do:
1. Change a boot's flex rating by +/- 10 flex points. This is marketing BS. Sounds great, doesn't happen. If you had a 120 flex boot with two screws in the back and the same model 130 with one screw, they will not feel the same. This is because adding a second screw does nothing to change lower shell stability.
2. Turn the wrong flex into the right flex. Again, these screws do nothing to change how the lower shell behaves. If the shell is too stiff, it needs to be cut/softened. If the shell is too soft, well there isn't a whole lot that can be done to fix that.

[gregL]

Bought some likely too stiff boots for the young lad that have powerwraps so even stiffer flex than stock liner. I saw some forum posts/youtubes that said you can remove one or both the rear spine bolts on Lange RX to increase flex, then other posts that said it's not good to remove both bolts. What's the latest?

You don't want the boot to be softer or have less integrity in any direction but forward. Leave one or more bolts in, for sure. In order of ease of execution, try a narrower power strap or no power strap at all, a tongue liner rather than overlap, lowering the cuff and/or the buckle straps, and removing the cuff and slotting the "V" in the shell deeper. All have an effect, but the last one is the way to retain the progressive nature of the flex (it's not rocket science, but you will want to go slowly and ski the boot as you go deeper - since it's your kid's boot, you will be guessing). Sound like a pain in the ass? You're right, it may be cheaper in the long run to find a pair of softer used boots.

[Qilimanjaro]

Gonna share my discovery from this seasonI ofter got shinbang, most lately - in Lange XT3s. It got me thinking and trying.
Ended up in Tecnica Firebird 140s. And that 140 flex didn't matter. I can't flex them and it's fine by me. They position my feet correctly at the right angles with a spoiler (i believe its 16 or 17 without, and 18 with it). I can unlock my foot in a transition and don't need to flex them to initiate a turn from the tip of SL FIS skis. I just have to get some shin contact.
Turns out my previous shin bang came from when I wanter to get into correct foot angle when in upright boot.
Do I want to ski slush bumps in 140 boots? Probably not, I would rather have some soft wiggle room for an occasional mistake. If I was a better skier I wouldn't care about that, and stiffness wouldn't matter at all.