I was not happy with the cheap Velcro top calf strap on my Salomom Performa 6.0. Some days I would get shin burn if I did a lot of skating and it seemed like I was always trying to tighten the stock top cuff strap while in the lift line. So I decided to upgrade to The Booster Strap from Skimetrix.
First off they are pricey at $24 to $42 online and double that at local ski shops. For this reason, I have resisted buying them until now. Then I needed to decide which version since there are four from junior, standard, race and world cup. The difference between them is the number of layers of thick elastic at the front of the strap. The more elastic layers; the stiffer the strap. The chart on the order page helped, and I ended up with the Race version for my weight and intermediate ability.
Given the great service I have been receiving from Tognar over the years, they got my order. I highly recommend that you check out their web site if you have not done so already for the most extensive offering of tools, boot fitting aids and instructional information I have found on the web.
Installation was a piece of cake. The most difficulty was to mark where to put the hole in the strap to make sure it would be positioned properly. Do this with your foot in the boot and get someone else to mark the hole location for you unless you are more flexible than I am. Then using an awl (a center punch with a handle) I pierced the narrow nylon portion of the strap that wraps around the back of the boot trying to limit the amount of fibres I cut, and mounted it with the existing hardware. After mounting my straps, I realized that the strap is fairly forgiving as to hole location because of good overlap with the front of the cuff. But remember to keep the adjust cam on the outside of your legs, not between your legs.
On slope review with 120 Spruce longboards:
The flex felt just right and my boot felt very comfortable even when I tensioned them as much as I could. The strap stayed tight requiring no adjustments through the day, and I had absolutely no shin burn. Then when it was time to take the boots off, it only took a light push on a small lever to release the strap.
On the slope, I felt that I had better edge control and a rock solid interface between my foot/legs and my boots. It felt like my boots and skiboards were now part of my body and that I was in total control of my skiboard’s edges.
I would recommend the use of the BoosterStrap to anyone experiencing shin burn or looking for a rock solid interface between boot and their body.
(Rider) Slow – Intermediate Skiboarder
