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the first thing that I will tell you is that your boots are the
single most important piece of your equipment. We all ski for fun
right? Well you can have a fun day of skiing with bad skis but you can
not have a fun day of skiing if your feet are killing you 5 minutes
after you put your boots on. So you need to spend money on good boots
that fit your foot well. This brings me to the second part of this
thread.
Buy boots based on fit not performance or what they are made for. Not
only is a boot that does not fit you well going to make your feet feal
like they just got hit repedily by a sledge hamer, but it can also
cause serous injoury to them and the rest of your leg. All different
boot makers have a different foot shape they are working off of,
Salomons won't fit like a Nordica or a head or a Lang boot, and then
again Each manufacture makes boots that fit differently then other
boots they make, the Salomon falcon series fits differntly then the
x-waves, the Technica Diablos fit differently then the Vientos and Race
boots, Both the Nordica Beast and the Salomon Ten80 can be called wide
boots, but where these boots are wide is different. Another thing is
that all foot shapes, are differnt, just becuase someone says that the
Lang boots cram their foot does not mean it will have to narrow a last
for you, or if some one says they float around in their ten80's, your
foot might fit it a little tight.
When it comes to fitting your boots there are two things that you
should know you need to get a shell fit and a full boot fit. the shell
fit is when you place your foot in just the shell and the boot fitter
checks to see if the shell will support your foot after the liner packs
out, If your boot fitter puts your foot into a boot with out doing a
shell fit you need to politely tell him he should have done a shell
fit, and then get a new boot fitter. The shell fit is crucial, becuase
liners do pack out. Which means... buy small, when you put the boot
(w/liner) on and buckle it up it should fit your foot tightly all
around with out any pressure points. When you stand up straight your
tows should touch the end of the liner. Then when you flex the boot
your tows will come off. If you are growing and your parents want to
buy you a boot that will still fit you in a year, tell them it is
important to buy what fits you then, We (boot fitters) can later
stretch a boot out almost a full size. This cost about $20, ankle
surgery costs well over $5,000. Also if you have just one problem with
a boot like your bunions or you huge big tow, a boot fiter can streatch
or grind the shell out to fit your foot.
In terms of performance, you will want a boot that will support your
skiing, you don't need a supper stiff boot for park skiing, but if you
plane on charging you will need a stiffer more responisve boot, however
more important is the ammount of support , side to side, a boot gives
you. In terms of stifnes there is no industry standerd in flex ratting.
This means a Solamon 80 will be differnt the a Technica 80, Another
factor to remeber is boots are softer in the shop then they are out on
the cold mountain, and a boot fitter can make a boot softer but not
stiffer. Another important thing to remmember is custom foot beds,
stock ones suck. All of you with sollys pull that stock foot bed out
and ask your slef if you want that to support your foot. Custom foot
bed get shaped to your foot and they cost $60-$150, and are well worth
it. a cheaper option are supper feet.
I think that is about it but remember your primary reason in chossing a
boot is fit, not which pro says it is great, or what the company says
it is for, So don't try to fit your own boots, go to a bootfitter who
will get your the perfect boot for your.
