Location: Keystone, CO
Snow Conditions: Snowing with hard groomed to packed powder conditions on the runs.
Setup: I rode the Rome vamp boots with the Rome Blue snowboard and Rome Madison bindings.
First Impression: I had the chance to try these on at SIA since the display models are size 8. I was stoked to see that they fit me and were quite comfortable.
Weight: Relatively light to average weight
Lacing System: The Vamp have the boa focus system offering separate upper and lower cables to tighten the boots.
Appearance: I tried on the black vamps which were black with some cool blue highlights. I really liked the look of them at SIA but even with me…I prefer black boots that can get dirty, muddy and overall not look bad after a season of riding.
Flex: When I tried them on at SIA, I only flexed my ankles to the toes of the boots…but did not flex side to side in the boot. The flex forward was fine and comfortable for me. When I got on snow with the boots, the side flex was softer that I thought. I remember thinking it was so soft that I was relying a lot on the bindings.
Comfort: The conformist 3L liner was super soft to try on and on snow, it was warm and very comfortable with the top lining. I didn’t have any pressure points and the boot itself was sturdy for holding up my board on the chairlift without causing fatigue or pressure.
Features: Not everyone is a fan of the boa system but I have been using it since it was released and love it so much that I only consider boots with the boa system. The vamp offers the dual boa giving you separate tightening on your lower and upper regions of the boot. Heel lift wasn’t an issue with this boot because of a good fit and also the grip patch in the boot which allows the heel to stay firmly placed in the heel pocket of the boot.
Overall Impression: I’ve rode the Vans Omni boots since 2002 so this was a huge adjustment for me to go from the Vans Omni Focus to the Rome Vamp in terms of flex on the day that I demo’d the boots. I found out that I do prefer a stiffer boot with a softer binding. However the fit of the boot was there with my foot, I’m just not sure if I would be comfortable with a softer boot.
The best part about this boot was that it is designed as a Rome boot to fit best in Rome bindings which I noticed right away when strapping into the binding.
Overall it was great to actually demo next years Rome boots. Boot demo’s are harder to come by and you have to worry about a boot being molded to someone else’s foot if used enough.
Update: I ended up buying these boots for such a great price and wearing them during the 08-09 season as my main boot. The fit and comfort was there, I got used to the softer flex but I also the boots softened up noticeable after 20 days on them and in the rear of the boot, softened up too much which made it hard for me to put the boot on without the rear heel flexing on me. Overall I liked the boots but didn’t last as long as I would have liked.
Rome Vamp Description
