If you are keen on skiing you’ve most likely been there before… That anxious moment where you need to go and find that precious gem at your local ski shop… That piece of equipment that will make our break you day. That one piece of plastic that for some reasons seams so hard to get right.
This piece is the perfect ski boot.
If you haven’t had a proper boot fit before, that boot will give you comfort, support, performance and in the end will enable you to unlock a new level of confidence on your skis while changing your mind on the preconceived idea that ski boots are meant to be uncomfortable. If you’ve had a properly fitted ski boot before, you are well aware that this piece of equipment will allow you the keep shredding at the best of your ability.
At Racers Edge (and most likely in any boot fitting shop) we strongly believe that you should consult a boot fitter before making any purchase. This being said, here are a few tips and step that we believe should be considered before buying a ski boot.
Who are you as a skier?
Before digging too deep into the technical stuff, an initial discussion should be had. Your skiing goals, the type of skiing you’re doing, how aggressive you are, are all thing that will be considered. This will lead up to picking the type of boots you are looking for and the ideal flex for you. Here are a few options that could come into play:
- Alpine ski boots
- Hybrid ski boots
- Touring ski boots
- Ski Mountaineering ski boots
- Racing ski boots
- Flex from 70 to 130 for most adult skiers
Assessing your foot
At this stage the boot fitter will take some measurements of your foot. The most common ones that we will be looking for are:
- Size of your foot in Mondo. The Mondo sizing chart is the most commonly used from ski boot manufacturer. It refers to the length of your foot in centimetres.
- Width of your foot. This is usually a measurement in millimetres that will help determine the last we should go for.
- The last of your foot will help determine is the general volume of the boot. Most ski manufacturer now work with low, medium, and high-volume ski boots. The volume can be influenced by things like arch and instep height. Assuming that you should go for a specific brand for a wide foot or another specific brand for a narrow foot is a common mistake made when shopping for a new ski boot.
- The height of the instep will in some cases determine the boot size. This is a case-by-case scenario.
While assessing your foot the boot fitter will also determine if there was any previous injuries, the flexibility of your foot, the difference between your supported or unsupported foot, if you are pronating or supinating, etc.
Boot pick & Shell check (boot pick confirmation)
And now, here we are… at this point we know what boots we are looking for!
Weve got all the variable of the equation for a boot fitter to compute which boot should be picked. This usually comes down to no more than 2 or 3 options. More often the not one boot will really stand out in a boot fitter mind.
Now we want to do a shell check to confirm that the measurement we took are good. The shell check is when we put the foot of the skier without the liner in the shell. This will confirm if in the end we will get the fit that we want. This is probably the most important part to help a boot fitter determine if he has pick the right boot for you. This will also help the boot fitter know which step will need to be done at a later stage to finalise the fit.
Trying the boot on
We can finally try the boot on!
Trying the boot on is not as important as the shell check. At this stage the boot will not feel like it will actually feel when we are done fitting it. Without a footbed the foot will not sit at his ideal position in the ski boot and without a liner mould the boot will most likely feel too small.
Trying the boot will help determine what work needs to be done to make the boot perfect but it is normal to not be totally comfortable in the boot just yet.
Custom footbed
Every foot is different, therefor every footbed will be different! The thing about footbeds is that almost everyone can benefit from putting them in their ski boot. Having such is a great foundation for a great fitting ski boot.
If the boot is the most important part of equipment, the footbed is the most important part of the ski boot.
The footbed provide some key advantage:
- Provide stability to your foot
- Provide support to the foot
- Bring the foot into a neutral position in the boot
Mould (liner and/or shell)
Ski boot liners can be made from various materials, each offering different levels of comfort, insulation, and customization options. Thermo-moldable liners, for example, can be molded to the shape of your feet for a more personalized fit.
Liner mould are not necessary for most liner as the liner will take the shape of a foot within 7 to 10 days of ski. On the other hand, they to tend to make the boot more comfortable just out of the box.
Other customizations
Finally, there is an infinite amount of modification that can be done to a ski boots. These include but are not limited to: Boot stretch, calf alignment, flex alteration, calf adjustment, liner alteration, boot board grind, footbed post. It all depends on the shape of your foot, and how it is fitting in the shell. These customizations are exactly why it’s best to see a boot fitter in person, so they can look out for these customizations and work on the boot before the problems arise.
In the end the best ski boot is the one that will provide the perfect balance between comfort and performance. Come and see us and we will take care of the techy stuff so you can focus on HAVING FUN!