Comments on: Garmont (Radium) Backcountry Skiing Boots — Parker’s Beta

By: Mark Worley

Mark Worley — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:55:23 +0000

Geoff,
People do like the real thermoformables, and I’d be pretty surprised if Spirit 4 or Radium normally come with anything else. 25 mm gap from heel to shell is too much, as far as I am concerned. Both are great boots, by the way.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:40:15 +0000

Hi all,

after spending 4 frustrating hours trying on boots today and getting very contradictory info from 2 salesmen (including “shell fit doesn’t tell you a single thing about a boot”!), I am turning to the collective wisdom of Wildsnow for help.

My situation: I am looking for a “beefier” boot to complement my Scarpa Lasers, but need something warm as I have had bad frostbite in the past. I have six toes (not figuratively, I actually have 6 on each foot), but otherwise a narrow heel.

My questions:

– Radiums fit me, but I only get enough width with the 27.0 shell, which has 25 mm of space in the “shell test”. Even though the fit is snug with the liner, will this be way too big after the liner is cooked and packs out?

- Spirit 4s fit well at 26.5 and 27.0, but my big toe touches the front slightly. I was told that punching it out even a little would ruin the shell, but I recall reading here that this should be possible?

- Both the Spirits and the Radiums were shown with non-thermoformable liners (eg., Padlock from Garmont), and when asked I was told that “no one likes the real thermoformables,” and therefore they only offer them on demand. Does anyone really agree with this?

Sorry for such a long post, but if anyone can make any suggestions the beer’s on me next time you’re in SW Germany.

Geoff

By: Paul Parker

Paul Parker — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:53:37 +0000

Hi folks,
Sorry that I didn’t get to your questions sooner. I haven’t been on the blog for some time. Thanks for your interest in Radiums.
Dustin: to adjust the cuff alignment: loosen the center bolt with a 4mm hex. Rotate the outer ring using something sharp-ish that fits into the ring’s indent. When the indent is on the bottom, the cuff is alighted to its outward maximum, the most common position. When the indent is at the top, it is tipped to the inside to its minimum. Choose your position and tighten the center bolt securely.
Olive, re: liners, this season we added a thinner, softer, stretch toe cap to the Radium liner, which is probably the difference that you see. It makes the toe area a bit easier to thermoform. We also simplified the cuff area a bit to standardize our liner models. There isn’t any performance difference in the 2008 and 2009 liners. Regarding forward lean, to get the most out of the shell, be sure that the lower cuff buckle, the second buckle down, is buckled tightly. This positions the overlap against your lower leg to get the most forward lean.
Dan, regarding thermoforming, we say three times but that isn’t a hard and fast rule. You can cook the liners up to 6 times as long as you do it properly with a convection oven and don’t burn them. Regarding cooking before buying, it’s the dealer’s call and we can only give advice here. That said, my advice is that if you really aren’t sure, cooking first is a good idea. It won’t hurt the liner and will certainly make you feel better about your purchase.

Olive also asked about sizing: Scarpa’s and Garmont’s shell sizes break differently. All bootmakers build shells in full sizes and use a thicker footbed or liner in the in-between sizes. Scarpa’s 26.5 and 27.0 are out of the same mold, while our 27.0 and 27.5 are out of the same mold, as you’ve observed. You are right, there isn’t as much difference in a 27.0 and 27.5 because the shells are the same. Comparing your Spirits and Radiums, because of the shell break, if you were to choose a 27.0 Radium it would be approximately 5mm longer than your 27.0 Spirits.
I hope this is helpful.
Paul

By: Olive

Olive — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:15:30 +0000

I’m looking for a pair of Radium but still have some doubts regarding the size. I spent 1 hour trying the boots yesterday evening but I’m still not convinced. May be you can help me ?
I currently use a pair of Scarpa Spirit 3 in 27. I’ve tried the Radium in 27 and 27.5 and I cannot decide what is the best for me. I am oriented on the 27.5 because I need extra space for my toes but I don’t want to move in the boot in the future. I have seen that the shell is the same for 27 and 27.5 some may be it is not a big deal, only a difference of liner if I’m right ?
Last but not least, regarding the heating of the liner, is it something specific to Gfit liner or is it possible to heat them with any machine for thermofitting ?
Thanks in advance
Olivier

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:14:34 +0000

Re: Thermo fitting Radium Liners:

I am aware of Lou’s opinion regarding heating liners to check the fit for new boots before purchasing the boots. FYI: This is not the opinion of the shops that I have talked to here in western Washington recently. I queried several shops in the Bellingham to Seattle area about heating Radium liners when checking out the fit. They all flat out refused to heat the liner unless one has made the decision to purchase the Radiums. I was told by two shops that Garmont claims the Radium liners can only be heated 3 times. One “boot fitter” even went so far as to tell me that he wouldn’t want a pair of liners that had been heated previously for someone else’s foot.

BTW: I was fed a similar line about Dynafit and Intuition liners. However, last March, I was fitted for new liners at Intuition in Vancouver, B.C. They heated 3 different sets of liners for me until we found the best fit.

Paul, if you are reading this, what is Garmont’s recommendation to retail shops regarding heating of liners?