Wakeboarding shoes
À l’image de la première vidéo sur comment choisir son wakeboard, je vous explique ici les différents critères et type de chausses. Surtout je vous donne les conseils qui pour moi ont été les plu déterminant pour le choix de mes chausses lors des différents achats ainsi que mon retour d’expérience sur le sujet.
So I have listed the 5 systems of shoes that for me are important to know and that need your attention to know how to find yourself in the jungle of offers on the market.
Enfin je vous donne aussi les trucs et astuces (quand il y en a) des systèmes présentés afin que vous puissiez progressé même si vous n’avez pas le matériel adéquat.
The strap-on system
Ce système est important à mentionner pour deux raisons. La première est qu’il est le système par excellence pour éviter de se faire mal. En effet votre pied sort tout seul lorsque vous tombez. Et le deuxième point est que vous pouvez donc l’utiliser pour tester des tricks qui vous font peur afin d’éviter de faire des carres front et back !
Open shoes
These are the most versatile models because you can have 4 to 6 sizes with this system. So if you ride with your family and you have this kind of shoes, it allows you to ride with an entry-level model and to have a good support for the first tricks. Here the level of the rider is variable, from Ollie to rotations on module, blocking and kicker.
Negative point, these shoes are not very precise because the people who are at the low limit of size will have the foot floating in the shoe. Another point is that if you ride in water at 14° you will have frozen toes. You will need Neoprene socks to keep warm.
Closed-toe shoes
These are the shoes that we see most on the parks right now. And the trend is moving towards the new shoe systems that I will mention next.
These are precise systems that for the most part only allow for 2 sizes of feet to fit inside. This is so that the support is done at best. They are precise shoes, that is to say with large supports and often accompanied by scratch system or laces.
The choice between scratch and laces is a principle of taste. Many laces or lace buckles break and that's why brands were created that only sell laces or lace buckles. Those of the manufacturer being fragile most of the time.
For those who are tired of this debate, the scratchs are made for you. The support is good but less otpimum than the laces.
Disadvantage of these shoes when you fall and you come back on foot. If you have a cable park that maintains its banks, no worries, it is a painless return. If it's the other way around.... It stings your feet.
Slipper shoe
New models of socks have arrived on the market in recent years. They propose to have a removable sock to be able to walk on the bank without being hurt. What comes to erase the previous problem.
Only they have added a problem that is nevertheless to be considered. The concern of weight. Because by multiplying the number of containers you make the whole thing heavier.
Pair de chausse plus chausson Poids en gramme : 1300gr que j’ai pu observer sur les marques Slingshot pour une taille 41.
Against
Pair of standard closed shoes: 1050gr for standard closed shoes.
More and more riders are going for the comfortable side. In terms of precision, it doesn't change anything. The system is the same in my eyes.
Fixing shoe + boots
Finally, the last system that I think comes from snowboarding; the system with boots and a system of shell with straps to racks.
Ici le confort est poussé à l’extrême car vous ne venez mettre votre chaussure dans un système et non dans une chausse. Pour moi il n’y a pas vraiment de différence avec le système précédent. je n’ai pas pu tester le poids de ces chausses
For the negative sides, what I could observe on the wake park is that it is fragile. You can easily break small parts or the liner can fall apart after a while because of friction. In most cases, the warranty plays a role but I don't understand why I've seen so many breakages. So if you are looking for this type of model, be sure to check the warranty.
Now how to choose the ideal pair of shoes?
For me, support and comfort are the most important. When you have a shoe in which you float it will make you lack precision in your cuts and you will lose confidence.
Then the second criterion is weight. The lighter the system, the more agile you will be on the water. So pay attention to this criterion. Your style can only be penalized. If you take a system that weighs 1k and you weigh 70kg it is not the same as if you weighed 100kg. If you are heavy you will feel the load less than if you are light.
Also know that the shoes settle with time so a new pair of shoes that fits you is surely good in the long run. The main thing is not to put holes in the shoe with your toes!
Again there is a flex principle as for the wakeboard. Here I cannot decide for you. There are boots that are very stiff and others that are more flexible. Choose accordingly and not according to the beauty of these. You should also know that shoes get softer with time. So a baramine shoe will be more flexible at the end of the season.
