When Salomon first introduced the SPK in 2006 it was something really new in the world of park boots.
It became a favourite with park riders who enjoyed the cushioning and padding not available in other boots.
Last season when Salomon announced they were replacing the SPK with a new boot, reactions were mixed.
One of the things which made the SPK popular was the relatively wide last of the boot at 104mm.
Something surprising was the intial length in the shell check.
All this was good news in the absence of the soft toe.
Whilst shell checking the boots side by side it’s easy to notice the different buckle placment.
The foot buckle is similar, but the cuff buckle is around 15mm lower on the ghost.
The final area of the fit I looked at was the instep, ankle and heel.
Instep-wise the actual height is pretty similar, however it is much more ‘foot shaped’ on the Ghost.
The heel and ankle are similar, with the Ghost being just slightly narower.
More importantly though; how do they ski?
To say the fit was tight would be an understatment.
I headed up the red and did a couple of laps under the green chair.
I put the liners on the blowers and the shells in the oven for a couple of minutes.
I padded my feet up, forced the boots on and stood outside in the cold for five minutes.
I went for quite a bit of instep padding and a large Toe cap.
After moulding, I headed up Blackcomb to see had been achieved.
I headed back down to take a look at the boot board.
I started off doing some groomer laps, popping off side hits and generally messing about.
Laterally they were a bit softer than I expected and there was some give in the cuff.
Not a lot, but it was noticeable after skiing a stiffer boot for a while.
The Blackcomb park is still growing but there’s pretty good selection of jibs and jumps.
This was really useful for slower jibs and rails where you really need to pop.
The redesigned foot shape offered great control with no internal movement.
It really felt like you were leaning against something.
In comparison the Ghost felt supportive and really natural on the shin.
This got worse as the cuff flexed and pressed down on the clog.
This is probably just my foot, but the Ghost’s instep is certainly a better overall fit.
One thing I was interested in comparing was the impact protection and I got the chance pretty quickly.
I put this partly down to the added forward lean.
This was the moment I was completely sold on the new boot.
There was a big difference in general skiing too.
Overall, the Ghost really is a big improvement.
Conclusion
Going into this review I really did not know what the outcome would be.
But I think the Ghost has done it, actually far exceeding what the SPK ever offered.
I do think there is room for improvement though.
I would also like to see a stiffer version added in the future, maybe a Ghost FS Pro.
So that is what I think of the boots but do you agree?
We want to hear what you think about the gear you ride.
Click here to go to the Ghost FS 90 in the review section and add your review.
