UKH

I pulled my mountain boots out last week and the mid sole had crumbled on one boot. The boots are quite old (c. 18yrs?) although they have had very little use (c. 10 days) and so they are in very good condition and the Vibram soles and uppers look almost brand new. Unfortunately as the sole is hanging off there’s not much I can do with them. I don’t want to bin them if I can help it but I’ve resigned myself that I’ll have to replace them anyway. If I can’t repair them I can drop them in a shoe recycling box but I don’t know if anyone would want them.

Anyone got any similar experience or ideas what I can do? They are a Salomon B2 boot.

Thanks,

Phil

https://lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk/ is probably your first port of call.

If they are beyond repair but still "loved" - Turn them into flower pots for the garden

Bird Houses? 

Grow plants in them. Something like Salomon's seal would do nicely.

Take them to some crag, especially a multi pitch one.  High up on the climb, jamb them into some crack.  Maybe put them in upside down to add interest.

Then keep watching these forums for an interesting post about a mystery boot found.......

They can be repaired! There is a technical name for what you describe but I forget what it's called. It's basically where the material that the midsole is made from reacts with the air over time. It's quite common in mountaineering boots when they are stored for a long time. Most specialist cobblers such as Lancashire sport repair etc can replace the midsole and have the boots as good as new for a fraction of the price of a new pair. 

Thank you. I’ve dropped them a line so will see what they say. I know there are options for mid sole replacement for other boot brands but not Salomon. Fingers crossed!

To the plant pot suggestions, thanks but I’m no more likely to do that than I am to put a ‘Bathe’ sign above my bath or a ‘live laugh love’ sign above the mantelpiece!

Thank you all!

Phil

Yep, that's been a common thing with Salomon and Scarpa boots from that time, the bond in the compound degrades and you get a pile of black powder. Last I tried (10 years ago) nothing could be done, but maybe these days there's a solution as I'm sure a lot of people have found the same thing.

Damn shame as that was also a good era for quality leather uppers (I had some leather lined Scarpas that did this that could never hit the market now), so I hope you find something.

I have a bad experience with repairing boots which fell apart because they were old. In my case, it was shrinkage that caused the problem. It became obvious once they were repaired and turned out too small, just a bit. My general experience is that once things start to come apart due to age, it doesn't make sense to invest in them.

FWI may be W, La Sportiva will do this at the factory.  Was able  to drop off a pair of Nepals Jan 2020 & they were back to an Italian address in a few weeks.  Which of course is where they are still ....

As is my go-to answer to all boot and shoe repair questions: Get in touch with Feet First in Chesterfield. They have worked miracles for me over the years, including resurrecting a pair of Scarpa mountain boots with a very similar problem for me a few years ago. Boots came out of storage and soles remained in the cupboard! They put new mid soles on and new soles, still going strong.