Keep care on Your Northwave boots - light damage of plastics

[Schneewurm]

An Italian gentleman from this forum asked my some weeks ago a verry interesting question. He was worried about plastic aging on hardboots.

Usualy power user change at least their hardboots every 2 or 3 winter. Most people put away their old hardboots to waste after 5-7 season of use. Wearing boots longer then 10 Years, can be critical. Just watch to the queue on skilift, You wouldn't see many skier with skiboots older then 10 Years.

Remember, Northwave hardboots from the Point series like .350 /.900 / .950 are now between 10 Years (1998/99) and 12 Years (1996/97) old. Perhaps there was a view amount produced for 1999/2000, but there was no official presentation of them.

For boots different plastics are used, like e.g. TPU, Polaymide and others.

Raichle/DeeLuxe use for the SB- und AF-shell TPU.

Northwave uses for Point 950 boots: Nylon 12
Northwave uses for Point 900 boots: Nylon 6
Northwave uses for Point 350 boots: PU

Snowboarding is done usualy on free air on mountains, where You are exposed to strong light and high UV radiation with additional reflection from snow. Everyone knows what happens when he goes out there, without wearing some good sunglasses and without using some protective layer against sunburn for skin.

Ultra violet light has minor effect to tensil of TPU, but it needs some stabilizers for them (for transparent and light colored TPU) against discoloration.

Polyamide / Nylon, like PA 6 or PA 12 will undergo severe light damage if exposed to light, especially UV light. It's posible to improve it by HALS and light absorbers like carbon black. (see grafic below). I have no idea what Northwaves uses 12 Years ago, but they are not coming on dark colours.

This grapics from Ciba Chemicals shows us tensil loss after exposure to daylight.
The value kLy is the amount of exposure.
Annual sunlight radiation in Germany, Austria and Switzerland is about 80 kLy. In France an Italy it's at 120 kLy. Remember, on the alpes sunlight, UV-light radiation and reflections are factors more higher, then on base! Annual sunlight radiation comes as a result of all days, also rainy days and covered days, but many carvers like to go snowboarding at sunny days!

You should know that for carefull storing and using Your boots. Even peoples who pay a lot of $$$$ asking for used Nortwave Point 900 and Northwave Point 950 stuff, should keep in mind this point of issue.

see also German thread:
viewtopic.php?t=5308

[fivat]

Thanks for this info!
That's why I have spare boots stored in a dark place.

Patrice Fivat

[pokkis]

And that is why i have painted mine to orange, so they look like good old normal Indy's

[The Blitz]

Northwave uses for Point 950 boots: Nylon 12
Northwave uses for Point 900 boots: Nylon 6
Northwave uses for Point 350 boots: PU

Could you explain simply the different for the end-user between this references ?

[Vitaly]

Polyamide / Nylon, like PA 6 or PA 12 will undergo severe light damage if exposed to light, especially UV light.

is it help for us?


"Sonus Total Eclipse is an "SPF-40" level protectant that offers 100% prevention of UV induced slow fade with regular use. The water-based formula works on all rubber, vinyl, fiberglass, plastic and coated leather finishes."

[xyxx]

It's always good to be a little bit paranoid.
However one should not forget that a boot is usually thicker than 1mm and has a shape only vaguely resembling a dumbbell. Furthermore, only very few riders expose their boots to sunlight anywhere close to 365 days a year, the boot gets destroyed much faster from the moving parts' side rather than plastic wear.
Also, one should not forget that finally there is a new boot on the market made of Polyamide as old NWs, and which finally this year can be made as flexible and as comfortable as the old NWs. Woo-Hooo! End of the aftermarket of stupidly priced antique boots!

[mkravo]

Also, one should not forget that finally there is a new boot on the market made of Polyamide as old NWs, and which finally this year can be made as flexible and as comfortable as the old NWs. Woo-Hooo! End of the aftermarket of stupidly priced antique boots!

Which one?

[xyxx]

According to my belief it is white, has a polyamide non-freezing tongue, and an integrated two-spring mechanism

[starikashka]

He is talking about new UPZ boots.