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Boots not fitting right

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skisteep
Posts: 201 - Karma: 1,057
hey guys, so i just got a pair of booters this year cuz my old boots were p.o.s.,  and im havin some trouble gettin em to fit right. either i tighten them down to the point where my feet start to fall asleep or my heel lifts a lot. Any suggestions on how to make them fit better? or am i doin something wrong?
Dec 23 2010 11:20PM
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nkmo.
Posts: 3994 - Karma: 285
You didn't get them fitted, thats whats wrong.
Dec 23 2010 11:34PM
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rudager
Posts: 11335 - Karma: 4,624
Did you get them properly fitted to make sure they were the boot for you before you bought them?
You might also just have to break them in, it can be a difficult and sometimes painful process. But they should eventually feel better after a couple days.
Dec 23 2010 11:37PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
So your problem is that one notch is to tight but the next is too loose? A lot of boots have micro-adjustable buckles to help with this problem. Twist around the buckle like you are threading a screw and it will make the buckle itself a little shorter/longer. Foot beds also help eliminate movement in a boot.
Dec 23 2010 11:40PM
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skisteep
Posts: 201 - Karma: 1,057

the nearest boot fitter is about a state and a half away, my local shop won't get a good bootfitter because the owner has some foot phobia or somethin

and i've messed withe the micro adjustment, i can buckle them up just fine, its just that they're either ridiculously tight or really loose, not a whole lot of in-between

Dec 23 2010 11:43PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
Try thinner/thicker socks mabeye?
Dec 23 2010 11:47PM
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rudager
Posts: 11335 - Karma: 4,624
Also try head molding your liner if you can.
You might just have to pack them in though, I recently just suffered 2 days of breaking in new boots. It sucks
Dec 23 2010 11:49PM
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skisteep
Posts: 201 - Karma: 1,057

i've tried big ol thick wool socks, only ankle socks, dress socks (which i like best), thats about it, and some smartwool skiing socks

i don't think my shop will do heat molding, if they don't have a bootfitter. i thuoght intuition liners used body heat to mold?

Dec 23 2010 11:51PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
As far as I know, most heat-moldable liners/footbeds will mold to your foot after a couple days of riding. It just won't be quite as precise as an actual head mold would be.
Dec 24 2010 9:20AM
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andrew95
Posts: 2090 - Karma: 124
im having the same problems with my booters....
when ever i do nose presses the liner lifts up and this happens no matter what i do
like you i do not have any bootfitting in my area however i did make sure the shell fit my foot
my next step is to try foot beds i dont know if this will work but i would say its worth a try
Dec 24 2010 9:29AM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 10,905
sounds like your boot is too big. do this test for us: remove the liner from the shell, put your foot (with thin sock) into the shell and slide your toes until they just barely touch the front. check the space behind your heel- if you have more than 1 inch (two fingers), they are too big. how much space do you have?
Dec 24 2010 12:01PM
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shel__
Posts: 25 - Karma: 10
try...

1. heat molding the liner
2. adjusting the location of the buckles
3. taking them to not just a fellow skier but to someone who actually can make some major edits to the buckles.
4. try punching out the shell
Dec 24 2010 12:10PM
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -7
These boots sound like they are at least a size or 2 too big. The ft being a relatively low instep boot, if your heel is lifting, you're in trouble.
Dec 24 2010 12:18PM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 10,905
this is not going to help him out if the boot is too big. His pain/tingling came from buckling the boot too tightly
Dec 24 2010 12:20PM
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -7
I like how you suggest taking the boot "to someone who actually can make some major edit," but punching is cool to do by yourself.
Dec 24 2010 12:28PM
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andrew95
Posts: 2090 - Karma: 124
well i can fit 2.5 to 3 fingers so i guess they are a little big but not by very much
they feel good when i ride them but even when i have them unbuckled and walk around in them the liners lift out all the time
Dec 24 2010 12:41PM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 10,905
dude, they are a full shell size too big. sorry man, that's your problem
Dec 24 2010 12:42PM
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -7
They are 2 sizes too big. Seriously. You liners pop in and out while you walk? That should have put up a red flag, or 9.
Dec 24 2010 12:43PM
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andrew95
Posts: 2090 - Karma: 124
i really dont think they are... i tried on 25's and my toes were crunched .. these may be a little too big but any size down that i tried on was way too small even without the liners in
Dec 24 2010 12:47PM
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -7
You come here looking for advice, you are getting it from people who are paid to fit boots, and you tell us we are wrong.

Dont worry, man youre right. They fit fine. Pain is part of the game.
Dec 24 2010 12:49PM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 10,905
in a brand new boot, with the buckles done up, your toes should be touching the front of the boot. when you flex forward your toes come off the front. a footbed also helps shorten your foot because it keeps it supported.

trust me when I say your boot is too big. I do this for a living.
Dec 24 2010 12:50PM
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andrew95
Posts: 2090 - Karma: 124
i dident mean what i said like that im just saying a 25 was too small and a 25.5 fulltilt as you say was too big so im windering if there are anythings i could do to them to make them feel like they fit better
Dec 24 2010 12:51PM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 10,905
also, this is the problem with Booters- they use 1 shell for 3 sizes (every other boot is 1 shell for 2 sizes, 26 = 26.5), so when you go down to a 25, you probably do jump more than 10mm in BSL.

it could very well just not be the boot for you.
Dec 24 2010 12:52PM
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -7
Did it ever occur to you that maybe full-tilt in general does not fit you?
Dec 24 2010 12:53PM
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -7
Go to a ski shop, get a real bootfit, sell the FT's on here to some other naive kid, so we can have this exact same thread in a few days.
Dec 24 2010 12:55PM
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andrew95
Posts: 2090 - Karma: 124
okay thanks for the help
Dec 24 2010 12:55PM
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andrew95
Posts: 2090 - Karma: 124
no need to be negative about this... i guess i messed up and the only boot fitter is 4 hours away when i got them i was told to have at least 3 fingers for growing room... between the boots not fitting and my shop mounting my ski backwards im not going to go there anymore
but thanks for the help you provided
Dec 24 2010 12:58PM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 10,905
you can always tell a good shop because they will either not let you get a boot that big or at the very least explain to you the problems you will face with a boot that big. good luck with your next round
Dec 24 2010 1:00PM
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -7
I'm not being negative. It's just the reality of the situation.

For future reference: There is a lot more to fitting a boot than length. Whoever told you 3 fingers was normal, do not take boot advice from them, ever again.

It is frustrating, primarily because every boot problem thread is 75% Full-tilt issues based on poor fitting.
Dec 24 2010 1:02PM
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smilingchris
Posts: 317 - Karma: 72
Even though I got mine fitted, I was still having trouble with my ancle lifting slightly which i believe is your problem... Just take them back to your local shop and tell them your problem and they will sort it out. 
 With mine they packed it with foam around my ancle and now there perfect... Dont try and sort it yourself, speak to them.
Dec 24 2010 1:04PM
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MEGAZORD
Posts: 4531 - Karma: -7
Do you have a footbed? Packing foam between the liner and shell is sort of last resort.
Dec 24 2010 1:06PM
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smilingchris
Posts: 317 - Karma: 72
Yeah Ive always had footbeds, wouldn't ski without them.   The foam is litrally a 'C' shape around each ancle on the boot, very thin foam but stoped that anoying lift when doin nose press's .
Dec 24 2010 1:15PM
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skisteep
Posts: 201 - Karma: 1,057
i think thats what i might do, go to the shop and see if they can do anything for it, thnx for all the advice, ill put it to use
Dec 24 2010 9:01PM
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