So, I finally got to ski them today. My only frame of reference is about 10 years of skiing Dobermann Softs, 150s and Aggressors. First things first, they are a little bigger than the Dobermans in terms of BSL and internal length for the same size boot. Just a few mm. A welcome few mm I think. In terms of fit, wow, so narrow, but then so are the Nordis they list a 92mm last and my foot is a good bit wider than 100mm. PJ Dewey did a beautiful job of stretching them for width, they really don't look like they've been messed with. The instep area is higher. I can actually use both buckles on the clog. I haven't buckled the instep buckle in years. I think the boot seems narrower and closer above the ankle. Zappa angle seems flatter on the Podium, I measure 2 degrees vs. 4 on the Dobie. I'm not sure how to measure this, but I think that the Podium has significantly less forward lean at the cuff than the Dobermann. My rough measurement is about 5 degrees less. Not sure if that is good or bad or how it can be changed. The cuff can be removed and rotated internally or externally. I'll add a picture that shows the hardware for that, and I think I may try it on my boots (but probably not until next season). There is tons of room for cuff alignment adjustment too. In the picture above you can see how the ankle star thingy on the right boot is silver vs. black on the other boot. Those are replaceable on both sides so you can move one side up and the other down, and in varying increments depending on which star thing you use.
I initially tried them on using my old broken in Dobermann liners and they seemed to fit pretty well. Usually I will ski a new boot with old liners so I can get the shell fit right before breaking in new liners. It was feeling pretty tight and PJ asked me to try it with the Fischer liners. These liners are so supple I'm not sure how to describe it. When I put on my Dobermann liners I feel like I am wearing a ski boot, I have to pull pretty hard to get my feet in and past the heel pocket. The Podium liners just glide on and they feel like a leather sock. The tongue feels really stiff and so does the upper cuff which looks like it could be carbon fiber. The new Podium liner takes up significantly less volume than the Dobie liner.
Skiing it for three runs, I'm not sure how much I can say. It was really slushy and they felt "fine" My quads may have been burning because of the different ramp and cuff angle, or maybe they were burning because I was skiing slush bumps on steep trails. I don't really know. I look forward to skiing them on some hard snow then I might have more to say about it. I do need to get a few hot spots addressed, and I may try turning the cuffs as well as doing a Dobie vs. Podium comparo on the slab.