Replying to Real ski boot talk - beyond "go to a Bootfitter"

Hey, so I don't know about yall, but my local bootfitter wants like a grand. I am not spending more than $300 on boots, and watch - I'll get good ones.

Every boot thread I've read on here is mostly people jumping in to say "you will never understand boots, go to a bootfitter you fucking simpleton, there is no way you could possibly comprehend the shape of your own feet, so just give up and fork over the cash." I know some of yall broke. Can we talk about boots or what?

I agree that it's stupid to just search online for the "best boot" without taking your own feet into consideration, but are we really too stupid to measure and analyze our own shit?

Now - if you got the bread/clout/connect to get bootfitted, don't take this as an insult or anything. But some of us are out here buying $280 skis on the springs sales (still brand new Helix 98s tho dick) with some $75 used attack 13s, which means you can't tell us that it's time to drop $850-$1200 to a bootfitter or kill ourselves.

OK, cue the 10 people who gotta say "buy full tilts" cuz it's still so fucking hilarious. I get it breh. But my point is simply this: shout out to everyone on here who talks about boots from their own experience, to help people who are out here looking to find our own best boot because we already spent bread, and we don't have access a bootfitter-size bag.

Ok, so what's my boot plan, you ask? Well, it's off season and the deals are right, so here's what you do, broke bois listen up: start with companies that sell through REI. For example, I'm considering Dalbello Pantera 120 IDs. REI doesn't have the ID version, but I just dropped $400 and ordered the regular Pantera 120 on their site. I'm gonna try them on, and whether they fit or not, I'm gonna return them to the local REI and get my $400 back. If I love em, I can get em for like $275 shipped through other sites, and that's while already knowing I'm ordering the right size (cuz I tried those REI ones on before I returned em). Don't sleep on Amazon either, if you can find something with free Prime return shipping, try that shit on for free. This especially applies to anyone who doesn't live near a ski area, cuz you aren't just missing out on bootfitters, you're missing out on any store at all where you can try on boots. Find some gems during this time of year, try on different shit in different sizes until you find something you love, and then buy it online on clearance.

And that's why I post this shit. Because we could all be talking about foot sizes and shapes and narrowing it down for each other until, but instead we're all like "Theodore, tell father to throw a rack at the man in the back of the ski lodge who serves us boots".

Love yall.