Hi everybody,
first time poster, long-time site visitor here. I ski every year, but I am not a power skiier, it is just a winter activitiy that I enjoy tremendously. I can get down the montain on all slopes, somehow, but not always in the most elegant way (never had formal instruction; I learned skiiing way back then from a Japanese girlfriend). Never been into the whole throwaway society concept, so I tend to use my gear until it falls apart (which literally happened with my last ski bindings...).
Which brings me to my question. We were in Niseko last weekend; I´d left my (antediluvian) own skis at home and just brought my boots. The guy the in rental shop freaked out when he saw them. He told me they were so antique they were actually dangerous, because the soles would fall off. He really pushed me into renting some of his boots, but I held my ground, so he gave up, adjusted his skis for my boots, and I had a glorious 3 days in Hirafu powder.
Now, I am wondering: Do old ski boots really disintegrate? I get that plastic gets brittle after a while, but these things look really solid, and I have never heard this warning before. Fwiw, the brand is Salomon SX61 rear entry (which I love, I´d hate to fasten all these multiple straps on the modern boots). I think they must about, umm... 20 years old now.
Ironically, on the same trip, my son managed to break a buckle on his "modern" boots, which are only about 10 years old.
So, what is the story? Do disintegrating boots really happen? At the temperatures in Hirafu, that would have been a scary situation... they has me spooked a little.
Thanks for any advice.
first time poster, long-time site visitor here. I ski every year, but I am not a power skiier, it is just a winter activitiy that I enjoy tremendously. I can get down the montain on all slopes, somehow, but not always in the most elegant way (never had formal instruction; I learned skiiing way back then from a Japanese girlfriend). Never been into the whole throwaway society concept, so I tend to use my gear until it falls apart (which literally happened with my last ski bindings...).
Which brings me to my question. We were in Niseko last weekend; I´d left my (antediluvian) own skis at home and just brought my boots. The guy the in rental shop freaked out when he saw them. He told me they were so antique they were actually dangerous, because the soles would fall off. He really pushed me into renting some of his boots, but I held my ground, so he gave up, adjusted his skis for my boots, and I had a glorious 3 days in Hirafu powder.
Now, I am wondering: Do old ski boots really disintegrate? I get that plastic gets brittle after a while, but these things look really solid, and I have never heard this warning before. Fwiw, the brand is Salomon SX61 rear entry (which I love, I´d hate to fasten all these multiple straps on the modern boots). I think they must about, umm... 20 years old now.
Ironically, on the same trip, my son managed to break a buckle on his "modern" boots, which are only about 10 years old.
So, what is the story? Do disintegrating boots really happen? At the temperatures in Hirafu, that would have been a scary situation... they has me spooked a little.
Thanks for any advice.