How do you know if your boot fitter is legit?

Honestly,
this will sound lame, but look at EpicSki for bootfitter rec's. They may be a bunch of gapers over there. But There are world class fitters among the membership there, and can recommend a good fitter in your area.

Find out how long they've been working on boots and what their background is, and if the fit is guaranteed. Good fitters will guarantee a fit. Bad ones won't.

There is a thread here with a list of good fitters. The main way to evaluate it will be find out there history and experience. Chat to them about the brand they sell an what connections they have to the brands. Ask about the footbeds they make and ask who trained them. If they are not recomending custom footbeds from the very start then they are maybe not that great. Basically try and chat and find someone who has a ton of experience. It's hard though there really are not a lot of good fitters these days unfortunately.

All really good points so far, I would just add: word of mouth. Usually in your area there is a shop that most people will recommend over the others. Check with local coaches, patrolers, and your friends to see who they had good success with in finding their perfect fit. They will at least point you in the right direction and help narrow your search down.

Thank you guys! I ended up going to this shop by my uni and the guys there were great. I tried on a couple boots and ended up getting Mary Janes. I'm really stoked!

SessionHonestly,
this will sound lame, but look at EpicSki for bootfitter rec's. They may be a bunch of gapers over there. But There are world class fitters among the membership there, and can recommend a good fitter in your area.

So they're world class boot fitters...but gapers? Or are they gapers who happen to be world class boot fitters? I'm so confused.

They're a stand alone shop that only sells/fits boots.

No longer terribly relevant as you've bought boots and seem to be happy with them...

But things I look for in a good fitter:
-Measures BOTH your feet, they're often slightly different sizes
-Does a shell fit first
-Brings out a bunch of different boots for you to try
-Gets you to try all of them, even if you're happy with the fit of one pair, so that you know you're getting the best fit available
-Offers a fit guarantee
-Will do after-sale fitment work (punches, grinds etc) on the boots for free

I would also expect them to have a brief discussion about what sort of skis you ride, what kind of skiing you enjoy, and any historical issues you have had with boots or your feet/lower legs (ski related or otherwise)

But that's just me.

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Because sometimes you get someone with a very generic foot who will fit fine in a range of boots, in which case you owe it to the customer to offer them the chance to experience several boots. Or if there's a collection of boots in a range with near-identical fit. For example what if you get someone who fits well in a Full Tilt Classic-type shell - do you just throw some Booters at them and tell them to fuck off or do you encourage them to try several boots from the range to see which feels best?

rozboonFor example what if you get someone who fits well in a Full Tilt Classic-type shell - do you just throw some Booters at them and tell them to fuck off

That's the difference between a boot fitter and a boot salesman.

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Actually laughed at that one, well played.

True, but I'd still expect to try at least a couple of boots around that point.

rozboonBecause sometimes you get someone with a very generic foot who will fit fine in a range of boots, in which case you owe it to the customer to offer them the chance to experience several boots. Or if there's a collection of boots in a range with near-identical fit. For example what if you get someone who fits well in a Full Tilt Classic-type shell - do you just throw some Booters at them and tell them to fuck off or do you encourage them to try several boots from the range to see which feels best?

How many boots are on a typical wall? 20?
Even if someone has the most average feet, its not too difficult to pick 2 or 3 boots that will fit best and usually they will agree. Maybe 4 if they can't decide if they're really man enough for that 130 flex. It seems like the person that insist on trying 10 pairs of boots is the one that walks out with the fit you feel iffy about. Definitely agree that someone who rushes people off the bench is the hack.

rozboonTrue, but I'd still expect to try at least a couple of boots around that point.

And that's the rub.

What's the point of trying on a boot that won't fit until the fitter is done with it?
To see how uncomfortable it is? Of course it's uncomfortable, it doesn't have a proper footbed and the liner hasn't been molded yet.
To see how still it flexes? It doesn't matter how stiff it is in the store, you don't ski in a store. You ski outside where it's cold and plastic boots are stiffer.

The only time a boot fitter needs to put a boot on your foot before you buy it is to check the shell fit. Everything else is irrelevant.

Caucasian_AsianAnd that's the rub.

What's the point of trying on a boot that won't fit until the fitter is done with it?
To see how uncomfortable it is? Of course it's uncomfortable, it doesn't have a proper footbed and the liner hasn't been molded yet.
To see how still it flexes? It doesn't matter how stiff it is in the store, you don't ski in a store. You ski outside where it's cold and plastic boots are stiffer.

The only time a boot fitter needs to put a boot on your foot before you buy it is to check the shell fit. Everything else is irrelevant.

I guess this is where boot-fitting philosophies differ - I think a bunch of fit-related things can be easily determined in a shop, that go way beyond a shell fit. A shell fit tells you very little about the fit across the forefoot (unless the fit is a country mile out) nor does it give you much about the fit vertically, particularly over the arch - you could have 2 people come in with the exact same length and width of foot, but if one has a very high volume foot and the other a very low volume foot then they will fit very different boots, yet both will seem the same in a shell fit (yet to see a fitter pull out a bore-scope and have a look inside the boot with a foot in it).
Plus if you get the fit in this area wrong you're more or less boned, the buckle can only take so much volume out without distorting the shit out of the shell and god forbid getting it too small, if you're lucky you can grind the boot-board to gain some space but that only goes so far.

Also the cuff gets drastically overlooked by a lot of fitters in my opinion, yet performance-wise the fit there is probably more important than the foot area and while it won't be apparent immediately a poor cuff fit will rapidly give you crippling shin-bang. A friend was sold some boots that fit him flawlessly in the foot but by the time enough padding was added to the cuff to cater for his chicken-legs the boots performed about the same as a moist slipper.

Last but not least, I've always had my boots fitted (apart from the first pair I ever bought) with my footbeds...

rozboonI guess this is where boot-fitting philosophies differ - I think a bunch of fit-related things can be easily determined in a shop, that go way beyond a shell fit. A shell fit tells you very little about the fit across the forefoot (unless the fit is a country mile out) nor does it give you much about the fit vertically, particularly over the arch - you could have 2 people come in with the exact same length and width of foot, but if one has a very high volume foot and the other a very low volume foot then they will fit very different boots, yet both will seem the same in a shell fit (yet to see a fitter pull out a bore-scope and have a look inside the boot with a foot in it).
Plus if you get the fit in this area wrong you're more or less boned, the buckle can only take so much volume out without distorting the shit out of the shell and god forbid getting it too small, if you're lucky you can grind the boot-board to gain some space but that only goes so far.

Also the cuff gets drastically overlooked by a lot of fitters in my opinion, yet performance-wise the fit there is probably more important than the foot area and while it won't be apparent immediately a poor cuff fit will rapidly give you crippling shin-bang. A friend was sold some boots that fit him flawlessly in the foot but by the time enough padding was added to the cuff to cater for his chicken-legs the boots performed about the same as a moist slipper.

Last but not least, I've always had my boots fitted (apart from the first pair I ever bought) with my footbeds...

The shell fit is the only way to find out what will work. I do agree with the guy above who says trying the boots on with the customer really tells the fitter very little once he has seen the foot in the shell. I often fit high level skiers and do not let them try the boot until I have done all the work. The shell check tells me everything I need to know. Footbeds and getting the shell correct are the most important factor in any fit.