Blog

US Ski Team member and Start Haus Athlete Travis Ganong got a virtual run on the DH course at Sochi with a simulator in Europe:

After taking the virtual training run, Ganong wrote to us: "This is the closest thing to real DH skiing without actually skiing a World Cup Course! Amazing!"

Making a boot personalized to your foot is the goal of every good boot fit - the difference between a well-fitting pair of boots and poor-fitting pair is enormous, and in my opinion, all expert skiers or aspiring experts should take the time to get a pair of boots that are “custom fit.”

So how do you get your boots “custom fit?”  The best place to start is with a custom footbed.  Custom footbeds make the sole of the boot 100% custom fit to your foot.

Ski Cyber Monday sales are on at the Start Haus, with coupon code CYBER13 taking an additional 10% off anything* in the store!

One day only (12/2/13), online only - if you're a Truckee Tahoe local pick "in-store pickup" when checking out and we'll have it waiting for you - pick it up at your convenience.

Don't miss out on the huge savings, with new skis added to the outlet at deep discounts.

*Code does not apply to package ski deals: Blizzard Bonafide/Binding Package, Blizzard Black Pearl/Binding Package and Rossignol Soul 7/Binding Package.

Interested in shooting your own POV (point of view) video footage while skiing, but don't want to look like a Teletubby with a block on top of your head? The Zeal HD Camera Goggle offers a unique solution.

The Zeal Camera Goggle integrates a wide angle (170 degree field of view) camera that shoots in HD (1080 & 720) into the frame of spherical lens ski goggles, streamlining your set up.

For many years, Salomon has strived to make comfortable boots that ski well. They also try to provide boots the user can wear all day without requiring a lot of boot fitting to get into them.

This year Salomon has introduced a new boot for aggressive women skiers.  Salomon X Max 110 W is a generous 98 mm forefoot ski boot; I’m inclined to put the X Max 110 on the roomier end of the 98 mm boot spectrum, but it still features some nice heel hold.

In fact, the last three fits I’ve had with ladies all had good things to say about the X Max 110 W against some very stiff competition with the other boots they tried on. The heel pocket fits well and offers nice hold, without any nasty biting or pinching, and the toe box is definitely roomy and comfortable.

Squaw is starting to make some decent progress on their snowmaking!

It's been pretty warm the last few days. Not ideal at all for making snow, but still Squaw has some decent piles taking shape.  I went on a mountain bike ride up and across the Western States trail and was able to check out the progress on Squaw Creek, Red Dog, and the beginner area at Snow Ventures.

At the Start Haus there are a couple of different scenarios where we will stretch the toe area of a ski boot.

First, many of our athletes have a big toe that protrudes larger than on the normal foot.  In this instance the athlete will often downsize to get the same control felt by someone with a more squared of toe shape, and most likely a toe stretch will be necessary to make this fit viable many times before they even leave our shop.

We have several toe blocks that we have shaped to match different toe and foot shapes.

Another group who downsize are those with an extremely narrow foot, often feel no matter how low volume the boot is they still have too much room.

Top-level racers and other athletes at the elite level downsize to ensure there is no movement in the foot whatsoever, and hence no lost energy to the ski edge.

In this video Jim Schaffner demonstrates a punch for a Lange World Cup for an athletes who needs more toe room.

Jim makes sure the boot is protected from the toe and

As the Start Haus delves more deeply into the backcountry, we've taken a different tact when it comes to skis - instead of jumping on the latest and greatest ultralight, rando-racing inspired sticks - we've picked backcountry skis that actually ski as well as alpine skis.

That means skis from manufacturers with real experience in ski design - Armada, Atomic, Blizzard, Dynastar, K2, Line, Nordica, Rossignol, Salomon and Volkl - who have shaved weight from alpine skis to give you something that will make the down worth the up.

The truth is, the line between alpine and backcountry skis continues to blur, and just about any ski mounted with a Dynafit binding is going to be light enough, depending on your end goal. But the following skis stand out as great backcountry tools that don't skimp on the fun factor on the way down, each one making for a great in-bounds ski as well.

The Dalbello Lupo SP is a new boot with a burly hike-ski function and all the big mountain accouterments a manufacturer can pack into a ski boot.

Dalbello worked with one of their top athletes, Sean Pettit (hence the initials SP), to come up with a functioning narrow fit boot with durable rubber soles and an unlocking cuff for hiking terrain.

The Lupo is categorized as a 97 mm width ski boot, putting it in the narrow category. However, it’s a little roomier than others in the class once the Intuition liner is cooked to the foot.

Featuring a three-piece cabrio, design, the Lupo offers an alternative to the traditional two-piece four buckle boots which make up the majority of ski boots sold. The Lupo is all about performance on the whole mountain, and mostly for that matter off groomed trail.

Editor's note: We're taking a break from our regularly scheduled programing to take a look at a topic that's generated a lot of questions and some confusion - different aftermarket ski boot liners. James, who has been writing many of the Bootfitter's Notes blog posts, explains the differences between Injected Foam, Zipfit, World Cup and Intuition liners in this video:

Have any questions? Let us know in the comment section below, or send an email to Online@starthaus.com.

The Nordica Dobermann EDT 130 is one of the better boots in the test for the narrow-footed expert.  Nordica has redesigned the Dobermann to be slightly roomier toe box, and with more space along the sixth toe* than in previous versions - but it still has the same Italian power and precision we’ve grown to know and love.

To clarify, there are a couple of Dobermann boots. This post is reviewing the Pro EDT, not to be confused with the World Cup.  The World Cup uses a completely different mold and is for top level racers.

Tecnica has long been manufacturing some excellent expert caliber narrow fitting boots, and the R series is no different. The 9.8 has two flex options with Tecnica R9.8 130 and Tecnica R9.8 110.

The R9.8 can be categorized as a "race" boot - not a true FIS plug boot, but great for young racers and master racers alike - unlike the tighter true race boots with lasts between 93 and 95 mm.

The 130 flex option will be appropriate for expert men and charging women used to stiffer boots.  The 110 flex will be a smart choice for smaller or shorter men, and most expert female skiers.