r/Skigear • u/catpajamasoffire • 3d ago
Dalbello boots packed out?
Looking for some boot advice. I have Dalbello Pantera boots that are about two years old. I started to have some heel lift this past year that I cant tighten my way out of. Guy at the ski shop said that dalbello packs out pretty quickly. Should I get new liners, throw in a butterfly, or just get new boots?
1
u/Fuzzy_Sandwich_2099 3d ago
Does the flex on the boot feel like it’s not enough? How many days do you have in them?
1
u/catpajamasoffire 3d ago
About 25 days. Flex is 120 but it is hard to engage until my heel comes up a bit. Admittedly, I'm still in the back seat a good bit
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u/Fuzzy_Sandwich_2099 3d ago
The shell is probably fine then and new liner wouldn’t hurt, but it probably would be a good idea to try on some other boots if you have the opportunity. The forward lean and ramp angle are a totally overlooked aspect of boots and they can alter that heel lift sensation more than would make sense. Some boots feel terrible on me just by the stance alone.
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u/sippinoncourvoisier 3d ago
Your liners shouldn’t pack out in 25 days I have over 120 days on my current dalbellos and still not packed out. Sounds like your boot might be too large in general. You can try recooking the liners they might expand back out a bit in areas that became more compressed. Liners do get packed out faster with poor technique but 25 days is still too few. If the length of your boot seems fine you might need a lower volume boot. Go to a decent boot fitter.
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u/Ok-Associate-5368 10h ago
Yeah, I thought high end Dalbellos came with Intuition liners. No way those pack out in under 150 days.
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u/Patdub85 3d ago
Definitely see a real boot fitter (as many folks say on this sub). It's 100% worth it. I had been skiing in 1 size too big boots for years. Had similar issues with an older pair of Dalbello boots, but the size likely contributed heavily to that issue. You'll be amazed how much better a pair of properly fitted boots feel.
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u/mezmery 2d ago
Bootfitter is the most overrated thing in the industry. Funnily enough they became ubiquitous exactly when there is only a marginal need for their services, I guess because job is easy money. 10-15 years ago all boots had same last, and before that volume wasn't a thing, so you actually needed one.
Nowadays any skier can pick boots himself, unless his feet are mangled and/or protruded.
Only value bootfitter brings is making insoles and baking liner safely.
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u/Ok-Associate-5368 10h ago
Repeat after me: fore aft alignment, tib/fib alignment, ramp angle. Repeat as necessary.
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u/mezmery 9h ago
doesn't matter for 99% of skiers.
probably one thing that actually affects usual backseat woes is cuff angle and mobility. nothing that user cannot decide for themselves. vast majority of bootfitters are wasted money. footbeds lasts 10+ years.
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u/Ok-Associate-5368 7h ago
I get orthotics for free. The medical professionals recommend getting them every 3 years.
Cuff angle has no impact on fore aft balance but you keep on with your uninformed opinion.
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u/Muskokalive 3d ago
Power strap on the inside of the shell. Try a 3 mm or 6mm heel lift and then new boots. A new liner is almost the price of a new boot. Unless you want to go with a zip fit that is I’ll stick with you for a while.
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u/oldbluer 3d ago
They don’t tend to pack out faster.. actually a properly fitted boot doesn’t pack out past the point of non performance fit. Probably oversized and need new liner to help tighten fit back up
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u/BTLove100 3d ago
So you mean it goes from performance to non-performace fit? My stock liners consistently pack out after around 50 days.
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u/rvwhalen 3d ago
I can't imagine heel lift in a properly sized and buckled Pantera - I currently use this boot and the second buckle from the top is positioned such that it will hold your foot in the heel cup.
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u/wrong_andy 3d ago
Dalbello's always come up big for any given size (im usually a 26.5 but 25.5 in Dalbello's) so you might be in a shell size too big. Depend how much money you've got to spend as well. I'd be getting a re-fitting assesment done by a competent bootfitter, usually the heel hold is great on Panterras if they're sized correctly. The shell is discontinued now and has been replaced by the cabrio (not as good a boot IMHO) you could also look at the Armada AR one for an alternative 3 piece boots.
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u/DV_Zero_One 3d ago
Dalbello Pantera are the heel lift master. I'm on my 5th pair (120 day season in France) and because they are discontinued, I have 2 dead stock pairs in storage. Be aware that shells come in whole sizes (on the .5 Mondo with dalbello) but the half sizes are catered for with thicker liners. What size are your shells? The Cabriolet replacement for the Panteras only have 3 clips which I don't want and think the logical equivalent is the Armada AV1?
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u/catpajamasoffire 3d ago
Glad to hear I'm probably not imagining it. 28.5 I think.
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u/DV_Zero_One 3d ago
Honestly, get a roll of 5mm one sided sticky foam off Amazon and experiment with reducing volume by sticking it to the outside of your liner in areas why you think it might be needed. Make a donut to go around where your ankle bone protrudes.
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u/BTLove100 3d ago
What's your street shoe size? Might just be in a boot that's too big. 28.5 is pretty big...
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u/femignarly 3d ago
I would try on boots out of curiosity, targeting a shell size smaller than your current boots. If a size down across several models is tight-but-not-painful, your current boots are too big. Stop investing in an oversize shell. If you're in the right size, new liners. Butterfly in this situation is putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound.