Post by smackboy1 on Dec 21, 2013 9:41:48 GMT -7
Rather than junk up the HSS Camp thread it looked like there was enough interest to start a new one. Me and Meput both just bought a pair of the 2012/2013 MY boots on closeout from Harb Ski Systems. I'm sure he'll add his experiences which were very different than mine. The slightly upgraded 2013/2014 MY boots are only available direct from Dodge or via a special order through an authorized Dodge fitter, of which there are only 4 (including HSS and SkiSynergy). The other authorized fitters (like Bill Kaplan in PA aka Cantman) have been reduced to only providing punching and fitting services. The retail price is $1,500. HSS is selling them for $749 including the fitting labor. Once I add in the Intuition Pro Tongue liner, custom footbed, sole plates, Booster Strap, and tax, it comes to almost $1,300. For comparison the Head Raptor boots (130 flex) cost $829 so the discounted Dodges (~140 flex) are very comparable in price and stiffness. The Heads are noticeably heavier. For me the deciding factor was the similar price and stiffness to the Heads but at significantly less weight. For me I don't anticipate putting huge loads on the boot like Harald or high level skiers. But I like quickness and reduced fatigue from skiing with a few pounds less weight. The big "if" with the Dodges is your foot shape. According to Chris Brown at HSS (who has probably fit more Dodge boots than almost anyone) the shell is designed to fit someone with a wider forefoot and narrower heel. It's not a low volume boot. I'm lucky I guess, I have feet like a duck and Chris said my feet were the perfect shape for the Dodges. Even so, in my boots the front around the toes were fine, but I was initially getting crushed from the midfoot back. The rear half of my boots have been punched so many times it looks like the Elephant Man's face. Meput commented on how ugly and beaten up my new boots looked. I was back in the shop in the afternoon for the first 3 days for adjustments. The carbon fiber is tricky to work with. It's not as ductile as plastic. One of the shells cracked while being punched. Luckily there was another replacement boot available. I noted that Harald and Diana wear Head B2s and none of the coaches present wore Dodges. Chris said that Harald and Diana like the Dodge performance, but try as they might, they could not get them to fit their feet. I think the problem is that for some feet, in order to fit into the heel, there is too much room up front which cannot be filled in.
Not sure about what Dodge's motivations are behind the new factory direct sales. I think at least part of the issue is that the manufacturing is labor intensive and the cost is high. Also it's a very specialized boutique product that almost nobody knows about. Dodge really has no advertising or exposure to the public except through word of mouth compared to the big equipment companies. Dodge has no sponsorship program and no sponsored athlete is going to wear them. It's probably pretty expensive to keep all these different fitters stocked with different sizes of boots which may not be sold. I'm not sure about the online Remote Fitting Kit. I photographed my feet and sent in tracings. Dodge told me my size would be 26.5. Initially Chris (who I also sent the PDFs to) thought I would be a 26.5 too, but it turned out a 26 shell would have been too big. It also took a lot of fiddling around with my alignment to finally get it optimized. Harald was still adjusting my canting and cuff angle on Day 5. Dodge really can't do that remotely and the 30 day guarantee is meaningless unless someone can physically measure your feet and legs - or better still, watch you ski in the boots.
LP, the Nordica's were definitely roomy. I filled in the space with Intuition Overlap liners which helped, but the difference between the Dodges is night and day. You might be right about the Amazon business model.
Jim, if you're interested Chris should have a single pair of Dodges in a 26 shell. It's an older demo model (no kevlar cuff) that has been skied a couple of times but for the average skier I don't know if you will notice a difference. Plus Chris says that the cuff can always be replaced later if it fails. He was holding them for me while we thought they were the correct size. $500. I tried them on and they look virtually brand new. The deal of the century if it works for you. On the Brannock I am a size 9D. Shell 26 fit I have ~ 3 cm behind the heel. The 25 shell is ~ 2 cm shorter so I would imagine the 27 ~2 cm longer. HSS is mostly out of the larger sizes (26+). They still have 25 and smaller (his and her's matching Dodge boots in your future?).
Not sure about what Dodge's motivations are behind the new factory direct sales. I think at least part of the issue is that the manufacturing is labor intensive and the cost is high. Also it's a very specialized boutique product that almost nobody knows about. Dodge really has no advertising or exposure to the public except through word of mouth compared to the big equipment companies. Dodge has no sponsorship program and no sponsored athlete is going to wear them. It's probably pretty expensive to keep all these different fitters stocked with different sizes of boots which may not be sold. I'm not sure about the online Remote Fitting Kit. I photographed my feet and sent in tracings. Dodge told me my size would be 26.5. Initially Chris (who I also sent the PDFs to) thought I would be a 26.5 too, but it turned out a 26 shell would have been too big. It also took a lot of fiddling around with my alignment to finally get it optimized. Harald was still adjusting my canting and cuff angle on Day 5. Dodge really can't do that remotely and the 30 day guarantee is meaningless unless someone can physically measure your feet and legs - or better still, watch you ski in the boots.
LP, the Nordica's were definitely roomy. I filled in the space with Intuition Overlap liners which helped, but the difference between the Dodges is night and day. You might be right about the Amazon business model.
Jim, if you're interested Chris should have a single pair of Dodges in a 26 shell. It's an older demo model (no kevlar cuff) that has been skied a couple of times but for the average skier I don't know if you will notice a difference. Plus Chris says that the cuff can always be replaced later if it fails. He was holding them for me while we thought they were the correct size. $500. I tried them on and they look virtually brand new. The deal of the century if it works for you. On the Brannock I am a size 9D. Shell 26 fit I have ~ 3 cm behind the heel. The 25 shell is ~ 2 cm shorter so I would imagine the 27 ~2 cm longer. HSS is mostly out of the larger sizes (26+). They still have 25 and smaller (his and her's matching Dodge boots in your future?).