Not only were they rear entry but I believe they were the first rear entry boots that fit well enough that a few racers wore them. I had a friend who was a fellow instructor at Smuggs’ who decided to lighten his SX 91’s by replacing all the screws in the boot soles with nylon screws. On a very cold morning I was walking behind him as we headed for coffee when I began to see parts falling off both boots. He had neglected to consider the difference in expansion/contraction coefficients between the metal and nylon screws which loosened and fell out in the cold. I laughed…he didn’t.
Yes, they were the first high end rear entry boots. I won the first big race on them for Salomon when I won a Womens pro ski race- can’t remember what year.. . I raced on the SX91Equipe – the race model in orange. There are quite a few pictures of me racing and winning on that boot at Inner Bootworks (next to Pinnacle ski and sports). And my actual boot is on display! Salomon was thrilled with the women racers on the pro tour who won on their boot. We were happy to experiment with new ideas and they worked well for us.
As an aside, it is a shame that a good rear entry boot is no longer available. It is a very good boot for those skiers ( male or female) that have large calves. The traditional 4 buckle boot does have its benefits though for most people.
They were high performance rear- entry boots. I worked on the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol in the 1980s and Phil Tomlinson had a pair (which he got for free), so a few of us rank and file patrollers had to have them. I had a pair of SX 91s for about half a season, and not only did they set my skiing back, but I had to endure comments from Ed Hackett about being a “rear entry guy”. I was back in my four- buckle Nordicas by February.
As an aside, it might be interesting to speak to Ed about how his Lange boots, with integrated heaters, caught fire while on an accident. His boots were smoldering while still in his bindings. Hackett was one hell of a patroller. He performed first aid while stomping around in his stocking feet, and somehow got the victim, and himself, to the bottom.
December 28, 2017 at 12:17 pm
I believe these were rear entry boots. I had a white pair of SX 3s which my wife called star wars boots.
December 29, 2017 at 9:20 pm
Not only were they rear entry but I believe they were the first rear entry boots that fit well enough that a few racers wore them. I had a friend who was a fellow instructor at Smuggs’ who decided to lighten his SX 91’s by replacing all the screws in the boot soles with nylon screws. On a very cold morning I was walking behind him as we headed for coffee when I began to see parts falling off both boots. He had neglected to consider the difference in expansion/contraction coefficients between the metal and nylon screws which loosened and fell out in the cold. I laughed…he didn’t.
December 31, 2017 at 1:52 am
Yes, they were the first high end rear entry boots. I won the first big race on them for Salomon when I won a Womens pro ski race- can’t remember what year.. . I raced on the SX91Equipe – the race model in orange. There are quite a few pictures of me racing and winning on that boot at Inner Bootworks (next to Pinnacle ski and sports). And my actual boot is on display! Salomon was thrilled with the women racers on the pro tour who won on their boot. We were happy to experiment with new ideas and they worked well for us.
As an aside, it is a shame that a good rear entry boot is no longer available. It is a very good boot for those skiers ( male or female) that have large calves. The traditional 4 buckle boot does have its benefits though for most people.
January 1, 2018 at 7:17 pm
They were high performance rear- entry boots. I worked on the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol in the 1980s and Phil Tomlinson had a pair (which he got for free), so a few of us rank and file patrollers had to have them. I had a pair of SX 91s for about half a season, and not only did they set my skiing back, but I had to endure comments from Ed Hackett about being a “rear entry guy”. I was back in my four- buckle Nordicas by February.
As an aside, it might be interesting to speak to Ed about how his Lange boots, with integrated heaters, caught fire while on an accident. His boots were smoldering while still in his bindings. Hackett was one hell of a patroller. He performed first aid while stomping around in his stocking feet, and somehow got the victim, and himself, to the bottom.