Well done and well explained. I've been a fitter for 25+ years and have trained/taught fitting throughout the US, EU, and Australia and have worked with product designers from most of the major brands as well as skiers from beginner to the world cup. This is one of the most misunderstood concepts and in my experience one of the hardest to get across even to very knowledgeable instructors and coaches. I would add that it is crucial for the boots to fit well first and foremost and that the boot geometry be complementary to an overall centered athletic stance. I totally agree that flex is for the most part a matter of preference and taste and that one has to gage their flex choice on preferred terrain, and skiing style...size and weight are also influencing factors. There is the common misconception that the better the skier the stiffer boots or the less skilled the skier the softer the boots. The reality is that if the boot fit and geometry promote and allow a balanced flex in the ankle, knee, hip, and lower spine in a given individual they should be able to ski in almost any flex boot. I like to look at the boot like a suspension system in a car. There is high performance suspension that is very specific to driving on a perfectly prepared race track for instance....sensitive, highly responsive, excellent feedback, efficient energy transference and power. Then you have the sedan or limousine type of suspension which is designed to quiet the ride and absorb or attenuate energy. Bottom line is that fit and geometry are paramount in order to make use of whatever inherent flex the boots have to offer.

I agree, especially with the last 30 seconds. I'm not disagreeing with you, but I'd like to add some perspective. I think for most skier's, boots these days are stiffer than necessary and have more forward lean than is required. In order to absorb irregularities, bumps, etc. you have to flex at at least two hinge points. On very stiff boots, that will be the hips and the knees with very little at the ankles. Because most skiers can't generate the power you do, they won't be able to hinge at the ankle as well. That means that as they absorb and flex, by necessity, the CG moves aft - because the knees can't drive forward - and tends to load the tails. With a softer boot, being able to get more forward flex at the ankle eases up on the amount of flex that occurs at the hips, and that allows the CG to remain more centered. The other problem that arises is excessive forward lean. Again, for normal humans - not you! - as a boot moves toward less forward lean, less weight is carried by muscle, and with slightly straighter legs, more weight is carried by bone. It's like doing squats. The first half coming up is much harder than the last half because of the leverage advantage as you get more straight legged. For serious racing, even Master's, forward lean and stiffness are good qualities that can be harnessed. For the advanced intermediate that wants to get in a full day of skiing 15 days a year, it may be counter productive. With that degree of knee bend, they get tired standing in line! Also, for a skier who is not as advanced, loosening the buckles to relieve stiffness also allows the sides of the boot to be in looser contact, reducing edge hold authority. For a really good skier, this is no big deal. For a skier at lower skill levels it can feel like he's lost contact with the sides of the boot. With a softer boot, buckled up snugly, the intermediate skier may actually get better fore/aft flex while counter-intuitively getting better edge hold as well. I see people tightening and loosening buckles getting on and off the chair all the time. They just don't have to be that tight all the time. Use of a good quality footbed can do wonders in stabilizing foot position and making super tight buckling unnecessary. About 15 years ago, here in Utah, I transitioned from alpine to telemark skiing. I always did use a more upright stance and softer boots alpine skiing. I'm 68 years old now getting in around 80 days a year and I have always had a preference for skiing bumps, even now on tele gear. The point isn't whether I'm good or not (I can always just say I am), but that at 68, after getting in close to 2000 days of skiing in the last 30 years here in Utah and an unknown number over the previous 25 before that, I don't have any knee or back issues. That's why I'm doing the "old guy" thing and sharing my thoughts. I want everyone to enjoy bump skiing into their 70's at least.

I never thought of doing my boots up differently. This is a great idea, thank you!

Kinda ensuring reading this. I discovered by chance. My friend was in a big hurry to ski some fresh powder. My top buckles were just tight enough for the walk to the lift. So skied all morning this way. Finally got a chance to adjust to what I thought was my normal tightness. Only made one run and didn’t like. My boots are a 130 flex, I’m 140lbs, and 69 years old. Only skied 31 times this winter, really bad conditions early on. Thanks for your advice!

Very interesting. Thanks. You are a top skier, but you find the time to answer to the comments. I do appreciate!

This is a good explanation. People focus too much on the numbers though. First and foremost, a boot has to fit - and they rarely do out of the box. People should be more willing to mod their boots themselves. I can understand the fear, but even the best bootfitter cannot feel for you. Beyond this, a stiff boot is going to give you better feedback, and this makes you a better skier. I have never understood the desire to put beginners into soft boots. They benefit more than pros from stiff boots that transfer their weaker angularity into motion!

I find that elastic Booster straps are much better than the original straps. You can loosen the buckles without getting any slack.

I'm 1.70 too and 130 lbs (58 kilos) I've skied (and suffered through) the whole range-- 135 Redster race boots and down. I've finally settled on a 90-flex Junior Lange RS race boot. Once you find the right flex for you, it's glorious. I always fiddle and adjust the power strap and the top buckle adjusting for conditions...

Great info. Makes complete sense. Glad to have found this as I was debating for the first time to step down from 130 to 120. My thinking was I am older (56) and maybe don't need the stiffness. Have always done stiffer even as a youngster (anyone remember Koflach Super Comps?) I am sticking to 130. Bueno.

Also temperature variations. -10C and +3C make my Salomon boots very different & buckling accomodates. Sometimes suspicious of the thermal mold fit making the plastic more temp sensitive.

Probably one of the most worthdy and experienced words. I found the Roxa R3 130 been stiffer than Dalbello DRS 130......

Thanks for the always great videos. It was timely for me, having switched from the Dalvello 130 to the 150 Flex this season.

So great and important infos Reilly ! I totally agree 😉

Great explanation. I had been skiing a too big boot in 110 flex, and just got fitted for a new pair a size down. While I'm waiting on the 24 hours heat mold to test them out, I came to this video because I was nervous I didn't choose the right flex. I wasn't sure between 120 or 130. I went with 130 and am glad I did - I didn't think about just loosening it if it I wanted to make it more like a 120. Seems so obvious haha.

Great video! Clear and to the point. Thanks! I'm coming into a season where I'll be getting back to skiing after over 10 years of snowboarding, and your explanation made it much easier to choose the right boot. :)

Mygilr friend always seamed to ask that question. But she was always on the phone,which always made me happy..

I'm an advanced intermediate and just bought a pair of Technica Mach 1 MV120's to replace my ancient Salamon Equipes and will be able to try them out in a few days. I'm confidant a 120 flex is a good match for me as I'll still have the option of tightening them up a little more whenever needed. These have the desirable test ratings regarding performance, comfort and warmth geared towards a lot of skiers like me. On the negative side, they cost a little more than middle of the road boots. Boots in this price range will end up being a budgetary decision for most skiers. I hope I got my money's worth.

Very clear Reilly!👍👌

As a beginner I skied Ross 130 and enjoyed it a lot, now buying Dalbello 130 and hope that they'd be similar.

Nice video, clear and simple explanations👍

I weigh around 70kgs and stand 190cm, i chose a stiffer boot ( Rossi Hero ZB ) because i can leverage it. Great video

This is really Excellent!

Great info as always

Great presentation! A perfect and timely topic for me. It makes a lot of sense. Loosening the top two buckles has been working for me, but I was not sure if that is a good way to adjust the stiffness. Now, I know it is. Thank you Reilly!

Second. Thanks, Riley. Awesome, instructive video

I do my boots differently depending on the task the same as you. I think most people think always cranked is best...

Excellent! Tha best explanation ever.

4:09 "In reality it is a made up number. Just to confuse." Lol love that description!

У Рейли очень динамичный и красивый стиль катания.

Interesting feed back and got me standing over a rabbit hole once again looking down LOL. I have Atomic Hawx Ultra 130's that are very very forgiving. More like a relaxed old school 120. I love them because they are *so light* and I am a US13 so a mondo 29.5. Reflecting on your video makes me seriously want to consider the Atomic CS130 with the mimic pro partially blown in liner. I have always had a loose ankle lower leg on the right side. 106mm left forefoot width & 109 right very neutral foot on wet paper test and medium arch and averge instep. I am thinking a club sport boot punched accordingly could create something I have never experienced before but the problem remains that in my size that CS boot is going to weigh *6lb's* like my old Raptors or the Rossi Elites(which were sloppy-relatively speaking to my foot and my hawx 130's). Any feedback is appreciated! I certainly agree with you that removing bolts from the spine and utilizing buckle adjustment has it's benefits-however, I have always utilized a Booster Strap and it doesn't provide end of wall support so much as progression of flex feel when bending. Your skiing is great! Second question:what do you think of Harald Harb's techniques?

This is an awesome tip. I got a set of Salomon X Pro 130s last spring, and will be using them for the first time this season. I've feared they might be too stiff for me, but that's a great tip on simply just not locking them up as tight as I can. Will definitely try that out in different conditions. By the way, are those Volkl Kendo 88's in your video around 2:50? I also got those in the spring after demo-ing them last season. Can't wait to be able to get out again!

Hi Reilly, thanks for the informative and honest video. I'm a 100 kg intermediate. I have bought 130 Atomic boots one size smaller than my recommended size. Anyhow, I have a really hard time getting in and out of the boot. Maybe I shouldn't have bought the smaller size but it has much better support around the foot compared to recommended size (still has some slack on top of my foot though). It would be awesome if you explain these things on another video. I hope your hip is recovering fine.

Do you think you'd ever make a video about your thoughts on how much forward lean (and ramp) you prefer in a ski boot, and if there any parameters you use to make this selection when fitting someone or setting up your own boots? Obviously forward lean requirements are highly predicated on skier anatomy, but as a whole, there does seem to be distinct benefits from both a more forward setup and a more upright setup. Thanks!

Great topic, I agree, but proceed with caution. Hard-core skiers, go for it. The rewards can be immense when dialed in. But for advanced intermediate and lower abilities, clocking in maybe 10 days a year, overly stiff equipment can make for a long season.

Great message bro!

great video I basically found this out for myself .I ski with Tecnica Firebird 140 but like you say in your video if I have them 80 percent tightened then they are a 120 boot should I need more performance steeper slopes more response then I just tighten.120 boot can't be made any more responsive.

If you had racing boots would you be able to take them into moguls and powder or would they act differently because of the narrow last?

I ski 130 Scorpions for coaching racing and 130 Krypton pros for bumps/freeride. The flex is totally different. Btw we tried the DRS boots but the toe box was too big for all of us

Thanks for another really helpful set of videos! I was wondering if you could share details about your canting set up (e.g. whether you're at 0 - knee center over center of boot tip or slightly inside of that) and tips on how to dial in fore-aft (spoiler, ramp angle etc.) when you're dialing in new boots. If you have any comments regarding tall skiers 190 and over that would be helpful too! :) Thanks again for being such a great resource!

I have been releasing a little bit for the bumps. Now that I know the boots are taking away kinetic energy, I'm going to point my tips straight down.

Where can we find the all white Reilly pro model boot?

Hi, I don't know if I buy myself the Nordica promachine 130 or the Nordica promachine 110 for my weight of 56kg. In the case that I bought the 130 i were too hard, could I remove flex by removing the screws from behind of th boot?

How stiff should your ski boots be is a relative question. Stiffer is NOT always better. Loosening buckles will definitely soften the "feel" of the boot but will greatly diminish the performance and edge control on even a blue square hill. Any expert skier will know this. Note: even though modern boots today display a stiffness factor they can be so much different from one manufacturer to another because of the composition of the shell. I was on a 100 stiffness boot that felt as stiff as a 130. Boot shell composition means alot. They have to be demoed on the hill. Keep in mind heavier skiers will also prefer a stiffer boot because they will buckle under the higher loads they put on them. Everything has to come together from the length and stiffness of the ski to the type of skiing you do (powder to hard pack) to the skier type that you are. Buying super stiff boots and loosening buckles is not the answer.

Thanks Reilly, this video was very helpful! I'm still teaching at Snowbird. Do you ever plan on making your way back to UT?

Make a video of canting shim

Ты самый крутой лыжник!

That was kind of interesting, at 130 lbs I always wonder if I really need a 130 boot, but that's all I've ever skied and I tend to be pretty aggressive. Now I wonder if I should try a stiffer boot, and where can I demo one?

Hi Reilly, great video! I have a question, I'm ready to get some new boots and want them professionally fitted. I have a person in mind that comes highly recommended. However, I'm a little unclear on what level skier I am and therefore what flex rating I should aim for. I've been skiing since I was 3 and now I'm 28, I'm a level 2 NZSIA qualified ski instructor, I used to do some racing at school and uni (nothing massive). I love to carve on my slalom skis down groomers and want to get to the level of technical carving shown in your videos. I'm very competent at carving on greens, blues and some reds and can turn on the ski very sharply. Down blacks I get nervous and opt for short turns to control my speed. I also love a powder day, I'm very comfortable skiing down steep terrain in powder even on slalom skis... From your point of view what level of skier would you say I am and so what flex to aim for. Any ideas or tips?

hey question could you use 3 piece boots for mountain skiing like carving and blues/blacks? i have heard they are very comfortable

But one more question>>> how do you ski with the boots undone? buckle off? and strap off?

You are the same height and weight as me. I’ve gone from a Lange 130 RS to a 120 RX. I’m looking at getting new boots. Maybe I should give the 130 another go. CSIA 3 CSCF 2

150, 170 flex?! Are flex ratings calculated differently in the US? I’ve never heard of a 150, let alone a 170 flex…I don’t care what angles you get- a hippo would have a hard time flexing that boot

I was a competitive ice hockey player when young and continued to play as an adult. Took up skiing regularly 4 years ago and bought a Lange 130 boot - to my surprise, as I got faster, the shell would just buckle when I very got on it - like a collapse fail type bending. Is there a boot that is in the 98-100 last that I can get - I don't want a super narrow race boot? My daily skis are a 170 Racetiger SL and a 179 Enforcer 88. Love your channel Reilly - and thanks in advance.

I’m a low intermediate and was sold an atomic 130 that kills my feet.

Are you using a "plug" lace-up boot? What is the last you prefer?

When mogul skiing, you say almost undone, you talk about the top and power strap? Doesn't that affect your steer and proper direction? (Had lot more fun in mogul with my Full tilt 120-130 flex fully tighten than my lange za-zb with minimal upper support)

I would be interested to know if there are any boots at that stiffness level that are not uber narrow. I ski in a Nordice Doberman Pro 130 @ 98. The 150 flex are World Cup specs @ 92. Too narrow for most mere mortals.

I use to have 150 I loved the feel but it was terrible for my feet it was killing me

is there a difference between 130 and 150? between 110 and 130 it is like sky and earth...

Thank you Reilly. Another part of the boot equation is that a performance boot needs a fitter willing to sell it and work with us. I had problems as a girl and newer skier convincing fitters to sell me a stiff boot. I was relentless and now have a world cup fitter that probably saw my height/weight/muscles/balance when I walked in, listened to my back story, looked at my foot and suggested a stiff boot without me having to beg. Find a good fitter that has skiing and biomechanics knowledge and more importantly listens to the feel you want. "Feel" can be an indicator of what's physiologic for you for that application. It could also be we need to create new movement patterns unrelated to the boot. A good fitter can suggest which of the two it is. A good fitter can give you a frame of reference if you are new to the sport. A good fitter is willing to make mistakes and likes solving problems instead of exerting his ego. They usually go by word of mouth, which is hard if you're new to the sport, so be persistent in asking. Is this similar to your experience Reilly or was that never a problem because you have a reputation in the industry already?

There's a more practical layer to this for most people: Most boot fitters are great at getting a boot to fit the skier's foot and lower leg, but terrible at getting the boot to fit the rest of the body. Actually in most cases boots aren't "fitted" at all - people just try a bunch of them on and pick the one that hurts the least. This leads to Russian roulette regarding alignment. If you have to actively flex the boot just to achieve normal balance, then clearly a softer boot will do less to interfere with your natural biomechanics (all else being equal). Conversely, a perfectly aligned boot may as well be stiffer as long it benefits things you actually care about (high energy turns aren't everyone's goal). In most cases a softer boot is actually a very good recommendation, but mainly for this rather unfortunate reason. I've seen people go from terrible beginner boots to stiffer intermediate boots and have their technique suffer because it screws up their balance so much. It's really easy to say "well of course you need proper fitting and alignment before we even get to the stiffness conversation," but that's simply not reality for most skiers regardless of skill level.

You're more helpful than you realize, want to be youtube friends?

I heard the stiffer your boots, the more women will want you. Can you confirm?

Great video! Tl; dr: What flex range do you recommend for someone just getting into carving? I am comfortable on most groomed runs but can barely get my ski on the edge. I am heading to the mountains for a week and really looking forward to learn to carve better. Weight: 77kg, height 5’10”. Approximately what flex numbers should I look for on a used ski boot?

Jk

1st

what is a Kilo? translate to American pls. It's a joke

Very good info, but poorly presented: too fast text, bad formatting (all caps, tight lines, difficult to read), voice over and text togethesr - you cannot read and listen at the same time, no pauses, etc. Seems that you are trying to shorten the video at all costs. This is not only in this video, but in others too, as well as in your instructional films. You should get a good editor, because the content itself is very good.