Hi all,

I'm trying to figure out the difference between the Salomon 2010 Falcon Pro CS and the X3 10 CS boots. I'm looking for boots that will work for the whole mountain, not just hard snow front-side speed runs. Do these have the same last geometry? Will both boots ski the same, or are the X3s more of a specialist boot? Is one colder than the other? Is one lighter/less urable than the other? Can the stiffness be adjusted on the X3s?

Any on-snow insights would be greatly appreciated.

Rick, do you by any chance have a Ph.D from Harvard? Okay, now for my answer: The X3 replaced the Falcon line. They have the same 98-104mm last, and the same liner - my custom fit (great liner). There is a screw in the back of the X3 that appears that you can remove and replace with a plastic rivet (or leave empty) or move to a different position. The Salomon Scarlet, Gun, Poison, and Shogun and some other Salomon models have this feature, although there are two screws and there are in a different place. In the X3 it looks similar to what Technica does. This feature usually makes the flex index softer by 10. A bootfitter can also cut the shell to permanently soften the boot. The boot that will work for the entire mountain is the boot that fits properly. The X3 10CS looks like the same shell as the Falcon other than being a different color - it looks like it is from the same mold, as Nick said, "The X3 boots are built off the chasis of the Falcon." It has the same liner, My Custom Fit, which is a great liner, and the boot has the same last width. If you have narrow feet, I highly recommend the X3 10 CS. I work at a ski shop and we carried the Falcon (not CS) two years ago and had a few left over last year. These leftover boots made some narrow-footed men VERY happy - they were on sale and they didn't want to buy pay over $600 for a boot. I know from experience that finding a narrow boot is very hard. If you have narrow feet, or even not narrow because of the custom shell, get the X3 10.

Hey Rick, So bear with me in my rant of differences. All Falcon boots come out of the box with a 98mm last. Custom Shell (CS) offers up to 6mm of expansion in the last so Salomon lists it as a 98/104 mm last. The X3 boots are built off the chasis of the Falcon, so they come with a 98mm last as well, EXCEPT the X3 Lab Soft. This boot comes with a 95mm last and does not offer CS techonology. These X3 boots were developed as a race boot and with the X3 Lab Soft being our closest offering to a pure World Cup boot. Its rated at a 130 flex, compared to the Falcon CS 120. Overall differences, in the X3 Lab Soft you get a World Cup claw strap, World Cup advanced shell technology, which centralizes your body position for greater balance and power transmission, World Cup liner, and non-adjustable forefoot buckles (3D Buckle) In all, the X3 Lab Soft is not for the faint of heart. It is a real deal boot and out of the box, like all race boots, may require some custom boot work. Not many people fit into a 95mm last boot and are ready to charge 50 days/year. If you're looking for a ton of power and pure race fit, this is the pick, otherwise, the Falcon CS might offer you more of a customizeable fit.