Talk to me about skate ski boots

Ungroomed snow conditions are crappy. Sales are popping up. Might as well take up skating. Can you tell me what all the marketing drivel in red means? I've got Rossi BC7's (backcountry classic) with very similar features listed but I still couldn't tell you what a "heel lifter" is. Due to various foot issues, I'm not a rental equipment kind of gal, so sooner or later I'll need to buy.

I'm looking only at these two brands, so just help me with the pros/cons/factoids of what I need to know to compare functionality and quality.

Rossignol X-9
With the women's last that Rossignol is known for, this boot performs with great ease and comfort in the skating technique. This boot is just as comfortable in a short ski as it is in a long distance tour.
**Cockpit control
**Customised NNN sole
**Micrometric adjuster ratchet
**Polar women's liner - how can you have a liner and an inner boot?
**Specific Lady Fit inner boots
**Upper cuff shaped for feminine feet
**Heel lifter
**Assymetric heel bumper
**Quick drying knitted mesh liner - A 3rd liner?
**Thermo Adjustable FIT
**SOFT FIT GO-STOP lace cover
**Dual Density - um, dual density what? Sole?
**Speed Lock System - I assume this is the lock on the lacing**Lock Down System

Madshus Metis RPS
A Lightweight skate race boot similar to the Athena SKC with an anatomically shaped polyamide cuff for increased torsional stiffness and support. The Metis RPS also features MemBrain® soft shell material to keep your feet warm and dry.
• Light-weight race boot similar to the Athena SKC
• New 100% Breathable MemBrain® soft shell material
• Fiberglass full-width reinforced last board
• Reinforced heel counter
• Forgiving women's last, accommodates foot shapes - I think something was lost in the translation.:p
• Lacing finger system - I get the lacing system, but not the finger part
• Heat moldable
• Warm and comfortable - I should hope so. Cold and uncomfortable wouldn't sell well.
• New Rottefella T-4 PU outsole

Thank you for all your words of wisdom

This might be a bit from the "old" school description. I hope it helps.

Just so you know, I raced Classic and Skating in College when they first started skating. After looking at that boot, it is amazing how far the technology has come. Wow. So from the simplistic side...

It looks like they have made the boot much more like a downhill type boot. I first used a modified classic boot that had the stabalizer up the center of the boot and that was about it. It had a longer lip to cover the ankle too. It looks like everything now is SO much better!.

From reading and looking at the pic, I am thinking you have the liner on the inside, then you have the boot/shoe on the inside (to lace boot up) and it is wrapped with a covering to protect laces. The liner is seperate so that it can be taken out to dry. This way they do not have to put fleece or "warming material" into the inside lining of the actual boot itself. At least that is my thinking.

Cockpit control is written on the boot itself. I am thinking this is something like your cycling shoe with a soild/stiff ankle and then the wraps on the outside to protect and help control your foot as you go through the stroke. This can be tightened with the stap on the top of boot.

specific lady fit inner boot -just means it is a boot to fit women's sizes
Heel lifter- is a part of the boot to help you lift your heel as you go through the stoke.
Assymetric heel bumper-means that it has a bumper or actual heel that is aerodynamic. This way you will know you have placed your foot back onto the ski once you have finished the stoke.
Quick drying knitted mesh liner- Ask someone about this. I have not seen the new technology on the shoes. It might be a second liner. Perhaps you could exchange them. When it is cold use the fleece liner, and when it is warm use the mesh liner? I would inquire more here just so you know.
Duel Density-I would ask on that as well.

I hope this helps answer your questions. I would encourage you to go to a place like REI or a sports store locally and see if they have examples of shoes like this to double check my responses. Like I said, its been a long time since I hit the snow.

Red Rock

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Originally Posted by Red Rock

The liner is seperate so that it can be taken out to dry. This way they do not have to put fleece or "warming material" into the inside lining of the actual boot itself. At least that is my thinking

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Thanks, Red Rock, for all the thought. I've actually worn some rental Rossignol skate boots (that I think were the women's version) that are almost dead ringers for their backcountry classic cousins which I own. There is no removable anything.

Is what you are calling the stabilizer the "exoskeleton"? The frame around the rear foot and lower leg?

I understand all the concepts in the marketing stuff but I'm trying to figure out the pros and cons of those actual boots. Perhaps someone has real life experience with one or both brands in the skating world.

OK, off to do some lace modifications on my BC7s. I hate my right foot. Anyone want to swap? :p

The mind boggles. What is "cockpit control" when it's at home? We're talking about boots here!

Can you try them out before buying? I'd just go for the one that fits best and ignore the jargon. They both look like decent boots.

For the record I have the black and yellow salomon boots that everyone round here seems to have bought a few years ago. I've tried clasic ski-ing in them, but the sole was too stiff for it to be comfortable, so I bough classic boots too.

Well, at least we're getting a good laugh out of the hype.

2 out of the 3 Madshus dealers here don't rent Madshus, only their other brands. The Nordic Ctr may under their higher-priced demo program but I haven't asked about those boots yet - and the likelyhood of a women's 37 . . . . hmm.

Salomon's aren't even in the running due to fit, but thanks.

Yeah, nope, nada on renting Madshus skate boots.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

OK, off to do some lace modifications on my BC7s. I hate my right foot. Anyone want to swap? :p

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Sure.....you can have mine....

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...IMG_0258-1.jpg

Aw, thanks! But we'd just be trading crappy big toes. When your big toe is the only flexible joint below your knee, you got problems.