Booster Straps

The manufacturer says this about the Booster Straps:

The strap worn by Bode Miller is now used by a great many athletes of all skill levels ... for instant ski response. Many will have noticed the strap appearing out of the suit of many athletes, including Bode Miller. The article in question is Booster, an essential accessory for optimising ski boot performance. When used correctly, it guarantees maximum ski boot performance and therefore extraordinary ski control, improving comfort and completely eliminating the empty space between the boot tongue and shin, thus serving a shock-absorber function and aiding the prevention of shin bang and other boot maladies. The Booster Strap is made of high strenght elastomeric webbing with an anti-slip micro-adjustable cam buckle. The elastomer allows flexibility, vibration and shock damping. The cam buckle assures a better fit and more comfort. The Booster Strap elastically fastens together the leg and the ski boot and provides direct ski control so the skis will start turning sooner and and will end the turn faster. The graded elasticity of the product allows skiers to choose the reaction speeds that best suit their technical and physical characteristics and skiing ability.

L'Espace Killy November 2007!

Check out France for snow!

Unbelievable amounts of snow are falling across the Alps. With a forecasted 1m of snow to come this Monday 2007 could be a vintage winter in the making. Tignes, France opened today, Verbier, Switzerland this weekend and many Austrian resorts are starting to turn their lifts.

Skiing today in L'Espace Killy (Tignes/ Val d'Isere) was stunning in every respect - cold, minus 17 with wind chill raising the bar to a frost-nippy -25 degrees, fresh powder around knee deep (at least 40 cm has fallen in the last 36 hrs) and stunning blue skies.

It really did feel like the middle of January and yet the slopes were quiet, the main run all the way back to town (Tignes Val Claret) was open and winter definitely felt like it is here!

With cold weather, low wind and lots of snow forecast there seems few autumns in recent memory that would stand up against a start like this weeks snow falls. Hope to see you on the slopes soon. Chris

Salomon X3 Race Boot

Chris Haworth talks of his time testing the new X3 race boot -

The new Salomon X3 race boot is perhaps the most technologically advanced race boot on the market. After several seasons of testing Salomon have created a boot suited to the most modern racing technique.

The clog (lower part of the boot) measures a skimpy 93 mm across the forefoot - this is an average of 2mm narrower than many of the competitor race boots - the big difference here though is the X3's sublime last. The form of the boot and how it is shaped to the skiers morphology is excellent and demands much less grinding or stretching in comparison to previous models - comfort without the hassle.

The cuff is also several centimetres snugger around the calf for extreme lateral accuracy and the boot feels infinitely stiffer and tauter than the outgoing X2. With four bolts running through cuff and clog plus dual canting there is plenty of room to tailor the flex and angles of the X3 - something that we haven't had from Salomon's top-line boot for a while.

The liner is one you may have seen around to some extent - it is the leatherette-lined cork and oil liner that Salomon has used this last couple of years - but with some tweaks such as the added use of Neoprene over the majority of the foot for a snugger fit. The tongue is also exceptional and provides great feel plus a comfortable support for your shins.

All-in-all the X3 is perhaps the finest race boot on the market for the racer. For the expert skier they are almost too much for general skiing as they are so "direct". Think about edging on an X3 and it is done for you, they are incredibly precise, rather intolerant but a fantastic ride in the correct conditions - i.e when you've blue ice, some red and blue gates to hammer through and your feeling on top of your game.

5/ 5