I’m not bashing anyone. I’m just frustrated it’s taking so long for someone to get it right. I applaud Deeluxe for addressing the issue but give them poor marks for their execution on what a lot of riders are looking for. Sorry if you take that as bashing. I guess expressing opinions about inanimate objects that I have to pay $300 for is a touchy feely subject. There’s a good chance I may buy their new boot next year so I’m not criticizing them just to be a dick. I’m not a boot maker nor do I have the desire to be but if I did they’d kick ass. I want a good boot and don’t want to compromise after I shell out $300-$400.

Don’t get so butt hurt and defensive at someone talking about a piece of rubber and leather. If it bugs you that bad maybe you should turn off the internet. It’s just a boot. Not talking about abortion or gay marriage here.

How can a stiff sole affect your riding? Soft boots soles while flexible don’t move or flex in the bindings. They stay flat to the board. If there is a bit of difference in feel I still don’t think that’s where you should be sacrificing when you’re making a mountaineering specific model. If you want feel use a malamute, driverX, etc.. I think Nick might like his boots better with a stiffer sole and slightly more flexible ankles. Not saying the sole has to be completely rigid either.

You guys do realize DEELUXE makes these boots right? I think the name “Spark” is getting you Montana guys confused and defensive about me bashing something from the state you live in. They’re made in Austria, not Montana.

One terminal problem for a good hard boot/soft boot fusion: From what I have gathered so far, a nice hard pebax lower with a soft upper on it, and maybe a built in highback will cost as much or more as a hard boot to make/sell and will soften and wear out as quick as a soft boot will. Best of both worlds on feel and climbing ability, worst of both worlds in terms of price and longevity. I think this might keep such a boot in the realm of the garage cobbler, not on the retail show display shelf.

Brooks, you’ve certainly climbed more hard snow and ice than I have (you know I’m a sucker for pow) and I do respect your opinion, but your argument makes no sense to me. I just don’t see how a stiff sole can keep your calves from burning and make you more efficient. The leverage created when your ankle flexes forward is what works the calf so much. I know when I was climbing Shasta a few weeks ago, I was wishing I was wearing my old Northwave Rivals (I think that was the model) which had a plastic insert that could be attached to the tongue to stiffen the forward flex. I don’t know how much your boots soles flex, I know mine have a nylon shank, and they are not the stiffest boots Northwave makes, but I don’t think any well-built snowboard boot is going to have enough flex in the sole to make much difference.
If I were building a boot, I’d keep the sole but swap out the rubber for deep-lugged vibram, beef up the toes and have a rigid cap for kicking steps, and stiffen the tongue and forward flex while leaving most of the lateral flex.

I’ve used last year model the whole season. I’m usually on Salomon malamutes.

Don’t forget that the sole is pretty thick for snowboard boots, it can become problematic with your bindings/straps…

While it was a real pain to break them, those are the best snowboard boots I’ve ever had for walking – they feel like (real) mountain shoes with vibram sole

They’re also great for splitboarding (stiff laterally but not really stiff on flex).

I’ve used crampons (Petzl Vasak) a few times and while it was ok for what I was doing (no ice climbing here), I felt the Salomon malamutes (that are much stiffer!) were better at this, especially going straight up in an icy couloir.

Overall, I love them for the backcountry but I still use my malamutes at the resort.

A good point is that after a huge season, they seem to properly handle the abuse and look barely used – that was not the case with the malamutes or driver x that were to be replaced nearly each season if I used them in the backcountry…

This year I got a new pair of the XV model – the real improvement is the crampons Heel Welt – beside that the boot is pretty similar – if you don’t need the Heel Welt and can still get last year model for 1/2 price, go for it… This year model price went up and is nearly 400 EUR in Europe – it starts to be really expensive for a pair of snowboard boots…

I’ve been using the Grivel G12s without any issues. Climbed vertical ice in them as well.

These boots are as good as it gets without switching to a hard boot setup.

They fit really weird. I have the Spark TF, so they should be comparable to the XV. I normally wear 8.5 (K2 or Burton), and ended up with size 9 (or 27) for the Spark. But I still didn’t like Deeluxe’s liners, so I swapped them out with my old liners from K2. Anyway, it’s a mess. If you ever be in Bozeman, you should try them on at World Board. But I know it’s a long drive from Missoula.

I wouldn’t buy these without trying them on first. I needed a larger size than I normally do. Also, the issue of fit with regards to your binding is significant. My size 12s only fit in my Spark Burners after some modifications. It is a very large boot, meaning that it takes up more space than any others you may use. Don’t expect to jump right onto your board w/o modifying your bindings. This is annoying if you like the option of using different boots with your split set up.

They are indeed a superior mountain boot however and crampons mount just fine.