Nordica Foam Liners: Review

[jbotti]

Harald Harb and Diana Rogers have been skiing in these for the past few years. I had a sense that I should get them but I was always a little turned off by the pain that occurs in foaming and the pain I had heard about breaking them in. Having said that I was experiencing a little give in my Head Radtor 130 boots in Montana on really cold days when my feet will shrink some. After 50 days in the original liner it had packed out some and I felt it was time to try the Nordica Foam liners.

These things flat out rock!!! My ability to edge, pressure the skis and most importantly pressure the tips feels like it has increased two fold. My ability to tip has shown a large increaase as well. I am bending skis much further than I ever have before and I am able to tighten the turn radius to a degree that I wasn't sure was possible for me.

I will also say that after 6 days on them (perhaps not fully broken in as they say it takes 10-15 days) it is the most comfortable liner/boot that I have ever been in. It is a very snugg fit but it is molded exactly to my foot and my feet are amazingly comfortable all day. As well, I have sensitive feet and when I would tip agressively in any other boot I always felt the hard plastic through the liner on the outside of my foot and it was uncomfortable. I just accepted it as part of skiing well. With these liners all that discomfort is gone. It really shows up in my one legged skiing where I can really tip with no pain or discomfort and get and keep the skis on the inside edge.

Is there pain in the foaming process: YES. It lasts for 15 minutes and the last 5 hurt, but not too bad. The first day skiing in them hurt and I stopped after 3 hours. The next day there was mild discomfort but I skied all day on them. The third day they fellt pretty darn good. By the fifth day they were the most comortable I have ever skied in.

I think these liners can take someone to the next level. They have for me. I highly recommend them!!

[Gary]

JB...did you put the new liners in your existing Head Raptor shells?

What was the cost of the liner and the fitting?

Can they be remolded as or if your feet change?

As your feet shrink during the day in cold weather and maybe swell in warmer, does the liner adjust?

THanks,
G

[midwif]

MY FELLOW REALSKIERS

FYI, that's what I have in my boots. Ya know, the ones that make me groan with.......effort.
Once I have worn them a bit they are softer (though by no means soft) to get in/out of.
They seem to "reconstitute" over the summer. That is, I must have a couple of days to "break them in" before they feel like they are once again molded to my foot.
I also know that my momumental effort at getting in and out of these is because of the boot shell being shaped to my foot. I have a right angle to negotiate. And the liners have less give than tradition liners, hence the.......noise
Nice to hear another experience with these. I do have a very good fit with these liners. Starting season three and no sign of "pack out".
Lynn

[Gary]

Ah yes...the moan and groan "R" rated put them gently on my feet or anyway you can get them in....


Yes....I recall well.....

Be interested in hearing JB tell us who follows him around putting on his boots.

Yes...More info is needed.


G

[midwif]

JB
Do you have your own personal "Boot Boy"?
Who is there to assist you with the 'on and off' of your boots?
I had to stand on a street corner begging for assistance getting the boots off.
Well, not quite, but it was quite the scene in the lobby the first few days of the liners.
Lynn

[jbotti]

Funny that you both ask about the on and off phenomenon. These liners are a traditional lace up liner. In the shop they laced me up and then helped me into the boot and the felt amazingly powerful. Both Harald and Diana ski the liner this way and they are getting into the Raptor 150's not my 130's. So I went home and laced up my liners and spent the next 20 minutes attempting to get them and my foot into the shell with zero success!! I tried again the next night and still could not do it by myself, but with my iwfe helping I was able to. For me this does not cut it. I need to be able to get in and out of my boots solo!! I think we all can relate.

So I have been using the liners without the laces and I can get in pretty easily and getting out hurts some, but I can do it without too much difficulty. Lynn, my approch is to pull the tongue forward hard, and then hold down the back cuff of the liner untiil my heel releases some, and then I set the boot on it's heel with the toes pointing up and quickly take the rest of my foot out.

In answer to your question Gary, yes these liners work fine with my Raptor boots and they work fine with many non Nordica boots.

The cost was $350 which included the fitting.

I am pretty sure that once molded they cannot be remolded.

No they do not breathe with the changes in the size of my feet. They do pack out some over the first 10-15 days of wear. I am about 7-8 days now and they seem about packed out and very comfortable.

Lastly, I spoke with Harald and Diana about how they get in and they spary the inside of the shells with silicone spary. I have not tried this yet, but I iwll in the next few days. It seems like a pretty neat trick!!

[Philpug]

Ah yes...the moan and groan "R" rated put them gently on my feet or anyway you can get them in....


Yes....I recall well.....

Be interested in hearing JB tell us who follows him around putting on his boots.

Yes...More info is needed.


G

R Rated? R with an X-plaination.


Gimme an Intution, warm, comfortable and light.

[Gary]

JB...Phil brings up a point I was going to follow up with...


With all the talk about the Intuition liners lately, moldable, they adjust to your feet throughout their use, can be remolded, easy of ingress and egress...and $180 or so....seems like a great application.

I actually have tried them on and they are very light and can be custom fit to ones foot.

Did you ever consider this liner?

G

[midwif]

Hmmm, I just realized that my liners must be a different brand. They are not lace up. Whatever liner that HH & Co were using in the winter of '07 is what I have.
The Nordica name seemed to fit the bill.
But I don't remember paying $350 either.

Still, nice to hear I am NOT THE ONLY ONE struggling with boot donning!

[jbotti]

I don't know much about the intuition liners. Foam is really a differnt beast to some degree. It is stiffer and more firm than what you will get from a standard or heat moldable lliner.

The on off issue with my boots really has nothing (or little)to do with the liners (although getting in out withe the liner fully laced is a different story). It's a race boot and it is just tight as can be and very hard to get off especially when it's cold. I am willing to pay the price for the performance, which for me (having a very low volume foot, and skiing in a 94mm last boot) is huge vs. a non race/plug boot.

Lynn, you most likley have a Comformable foam liner. That is what Harald and Diana were using a few years back. It's a little biger and bulkier than the Nordica Liner, it's not lace up and it works well with non plug boots (whereas the Nordica does not).

[Philpug]

Lynn's liner has a N on it.

Personally I disagree with the way her boots were set up for her, it's just not what I would have done for her.

[Ron]

my intuition ID Silvers are amazing, perfect custom fit with wrap around front, means better overall fit, the intuition expands as well as contracts to fit properly. They are all day comfortable on the first day. One other feature is the ability to remold many times. I am not in the camp of stiff boots are better so I as long as someone wants a boot that stiff, God bless!  for off-piste skiing, which is what I prefer, I can't be happier with my Il Moro's. The snowboard style upper cuff ratchet is the bomb, crank it up and never touch for the whole day. I also much prefer the over the instep/ankle cable buckle. I have never had a boot that sucks your heel back into the back of the boot so well. It just makes sense.  But as the reviewers say, you just can't carve in it   (joke)

[midwif]

JB
No, as Phil points out, they are the Nordicas. Probably the version before the lace up. Like you, I have a low volume foot.

And am in a Head boot with a narrow last. Which was then heated and bent to conform to my thin ankles.
Yes, the foam is hard, unlike any other liners. But once the heel is firmly in the heel cup, the fit is firm and sense of control, strong.

I was trying to take my boots off too soon. I heard the GUYS!! Drink a beer apres-ski, THEN remove boots. Worked like a charm.

This is season 5 for these boots. I am dreading  :'(the thought of having to replace. Hopefully, another season or two in these. I have about 100 days in them.

[Philpug]

Personlly I do not...

drive  race prepped full blown stock car as a daily driver.

ski in a skin tight race suit to free ski

drink grain alcohol to end a tough day

amongst other things.

I can ski at enough performance and in comfortable warmth as I could ever want in an Intuition and a boot that is ill designed to carve.

[jbotti]

I think it comes down to a matter of presonal preference and also has alot to with feet size and width. Pretty much the only boots that will be tight enough on my feet are race boots. Having said that there are ways to ski a race boot that can give you the forgiveness that most want and need off piste and still have the lateral quickness of a race boot. I use the booster strap and then leave my top buckle quite loose. Thiis gives me huge fore aft flex even in a stiff boot, but again I still have the awesome lateral quickness from a thin last race boot. For me this is the perfect set up, because I can go right to groomed terrain and then tighten the top buckle and rail some carved turns. Withe these new linesr the only thing that I give up vs. a more comfort oriented boot is on/off ease. As far as comfort while I'm in the boot, these are the most comfortable boots I have ever owned and that includes 100mm last boots that I was in years ago.

Now if someone has a foot that is 103mm wide, it's a whole different ballgame!!

Lynn, I know many people that get 200 or more days out of their boot shells. If they aren't cracking and disintegrating, you probably can get at least a few more seasons out of them.