Salomon Carbon Pro Skate Boot - Men's - 2003 BCS

It is not often that one puts on ski boots of any kind to find they fit like a pair of slippers. These are just such boots! Everything abut the Carbon Pro Skate says performance and responsiveness. They are lightweight, incredibly comfortable (even on the first lap around the track), and easily adjusted to counter a foot that has some odd dimensions. I found that these were better suited to my average feet than were the high end Rossi boots. If you do end up with these they'll fit so well that might want to wear them out to dinner.

Spending the extra cash on the Carbon Pro is money well spent. The responsiveness in power from the foot to the ski is unbelievable. I tried a friend's pair of Skate 9's prior to purchasing the Carbon Pro's and could tell the difference in the performance right away. I personally won't go back to a lower performance boot. The only problem I've heard about is to keep an eye on the zipper since it tends to split or fray. Most of the guys that I've talked to simply have it reinforced by a local shoe repairman. Otherwise, "ski-on!"

Overall, these are a good boot. However, I think they are SERIOUSLY for those who have money burning a hole in their pockets.

Salomon makes another boot (Pro Skate S9 I believe?) that is identical as far as comfort, stiffness, and performance goes, but where the Carbons win is in weight. The Carbons weigh about 1.5 - 2 pounds less between the two of them. That can make a difference if you're a hardcore athlete who is in races that are won by the milliseconds, but for so much less someone who doesn't compete, or isn't so well off could get the same boot and get a little bit more exercise skiing in them.