Buying new ski boots... a necessary evil. Ski boots are designed to last approximately 100 skier days. It may be less or greater. More important is the quality of the fit and making sure that the technology involved matches up with the technology of the skis. Skis are glamorous, boots are required.
When shopping for ski boots, trust your specialty shop boot fitter. It is a fine line between selling a boot that is too small or too large. It is based not only on comfort, but also on performance. Each person has a unique anatomy that requires individualized fitting based on bone structure, muscle, tendons, and previous injuries. The boot fitter must take into account not only length, but width, calf diameter, instep height, ankle flexion, skier aggressiveness as well as a host of other factors. Trying to fit a foot into a hard plastic shell requires a unique insight into anatomy and is a difficult task to do properly.
A ski boot has two primary jobs: the first is to act as a thermos to keep the foot warm, the other is to transmit energy via the legs, through the boot and to the ski in an efficient manner. The former tells us to fit the boot loose, the latter requires a snug fit. Skiers that are purely in the sport for recreational reasons want a looser fit since they are not as concerned with performance. The more aggressively you ski, the more of a snug fit you require in order to transmit energy to the ski. Beginner boots cater to less aggressive skiers as they typically have a wider fit and are stuffed with soft foam that feels cushy. These boots are reasonably priced. When a performance skier tries to purchase a beginner or intermediate boot to save money, they are doing themselves a disservice. The boot won’t be comfortable or perform well in the long run. Higher performance boots are far more anatomically shaped as well as using a firmer foam that holds on to the foot with out the need to over tighten the buckles. All of this is well and good, unless you have a wide foot, right? No. Your specialty boot fitter is capable of reshaping the shell to fit a wider foot as well.
We spend a lot of time making sure that the boots fit well in all of the proper places, but we tend to neglect the bottom of the foot. Take the insole that comes with the boot out and inspect it. It doesn’t have any support. You need to replace it with a footbed that helps support and stabilize the foot to minimize movement. The bottom inside of the boot is flat, no matter how cheap or expensive the boot is. The bottom of your foot is not flat even if you have a loose or ”flat” foot. A custom insole needs to be put in to bridge any gaps as well as minimize a host of other problems that occur throughout the boot due to lack of proper support.
Now is the time to get your old boots out of the closet and give them a thorough inspection and fit review. Bring them in for your boot fitter to help you analyze them. Remember, the bitterness of ill-fitting equipment will long outlast the sweetness of the price.
Chuck Cremer
Buyer Manager / Master Boot Fitter
When shopping for ski boots, trust your specialty shop boot fitter. It is a fine line between selling a boot that is too small or too large. It is based not only on comfort, but also on performance. Each person has a unique anatomy that requires individualized fitting based on bone structure, muscle, tendons, and previous injuries. The boot fitter must take into account not only length, but width, calf diameter, instep height, ankle flexion, skier aggressiveness as well as a host of other factors. Trying to fit a foot into a hard plastic shell requires a unique insight into anatomy and is a difficult task to do properly.
A ski boot has two primary jobs: the first is to act as a thermos to keep the foot warm, the other is to transmit energy via the legs, through the boot and to the ski in an efficient manner. The former tells us to fit the boot loose, the latter requires a snug fit. Skiers that are purely in the sport for recreational reasons want a looser fit since they are not as concerned with performance. The more aggressively you ski, the more of a snug fit you require in order to transmit energy to the ski. Beginner boots cater to less aggressive skiers as they typically have a wider fit and are stuffed with soft foam that feels cushy. These boots are reasonably priced. When a performance skier tries to purchase a beginner or intermediate boot to save money, they are doing themselves a disservice. The boot won’t be comfortable or perform well in the long run. Higher performance boots are far more anatomically shaped as well as using a firmer foam that holds on to the foot with out the need to over tighten the buckles. All of this is well and good, unless you have a wide foot, right? No. Your specialty boot fitter is capable of reshaping the shell to fit a wider foot as well.
We spend a lot of time making sure that the boots fit well in all of the proper places, but we tend to neglect the bottom of the foot. Take the insole that comes with the boot out and inspect it. It doesn’t have any support. You need to replace it with a footbed that helps support and stabilize the foot to minimize movement. The bottom inside of the boot is flat, no matter how cheap or expensive the boot is. The bottom of your foot is not flat even if you have a loose or ”flat” foot. A custom insole needs to be put in to bridge any gaps as well as minimize a host of other problems that occur throughout the boot due to lack of proper support.
Now is the time to get your old boots out of the closet and give them a thorough inspection and fit review. Bring them in for your boot fitter to help you analyze them. Remember, the bitterness of ill-fitting equipment will long outlast the sweetness of the price.
Chuck Cremer
Buyer Manager / Master Boot Fitter
