Going to the shop to get new boots tomorrow, need advice

kj_hud

kj_hud

Member
So before anyone starts hatin on me and saying "omg go to the boot store you noob you suck at life", i am going to my ski shop tomorrow and i am gonna try on boots and i am gonna find which one fits best. however, seeing as this is a site full of very knowledgable skiers, i was hoping your guys advice could reduce the time of the trip to my shop tomorrow so im not there all day.

so i've been wearing the Rossignol Soft boot which i know did not receive the most love from the skiing industry, but for me, i really loved them and hate to part with them, but i have to cause they're just beat to shit now. So what i want to know is this: i'd like a boot thats not gonna be something completely new for me and will give me a performance similar to the soft boot. I ski mostly all mountain as I live out west and get privelaged to ski some sweet snow, but i also like to lap the park and hit big kickers and tables, some rails tho, i mostly eat shit when i try to do much beyond a straight rail slide. Anyways I've compiled a list of boots I have my eye on and would like to try on so tell me what you think, and PLEASE give me as much advice/more boot suggestions as possible! The boots I have my eye on in order are:

Salomon Foil

Rossignol Scratch

Salomon SPK

Oh and also I have a pretty wide foot i know i need to fit for myself, but i guess these boots generally speaking fit the wider footed a bit better

last question: are the salomon foil and salomon teneighty boot the same? sorry for all the questions and sounding like a noob i just want the most knowledge i can get!
 
Impact = Xwave - good all mountain boot - medium width

As nomen said, The Beast 10 is a great boot and the Lange Fliud 80 is also worth a look..Both quite wide and the Lange has a really high instep so is good if you have a medium/high arch or if you often get pressure over the top of your foot.

It was a long time ago, but I remember trying on a pair of the Rossi Soft's and thought were quite narrow?

As you knwo, only the bootfitter can see your feet so tell him what you told us and i'm sure he'll sort you out!
 
SPK is designed to be an all mountain boot. The forward lean is set more up right for a freestyle position as opposed to the boots of past where the forward lean was more designed for banging out gates. I've put a dozen days in this winter on them and the only issue I have with them is that I have a narrow forefoot and the toe box has more room for a wider foot. They pack out quite a bit so be sure to get into the smallest shell possible (if your foot has stopped growing).

The Salomon Impact 10 is a great boot. Good all mountain boot but it's going to be stiffer than what you're used to if you are used to soft boots as you say.

Another boot to try on would be the Tecnica Agent 100. Tecnica has their boots dialed in for fit and comfort.

Dalbello makes a great boot and it comes with 2 flex patterns for the tongue if you want it to be stiff or soft and it interchanges quickly and easily. One of the most comfortable boots I've ridden in.

Best thing to do is try as many boots as you can and see what fits you the best. The reviewers can say all they want but no one has the same foot as you.

Hope it helps,

MR
 
They are cheap and they seem to fit big feet, plus you get a decent liner for the $
 
id reccomend foils for all mountain i love mine they are very comfy and preform great
 
your like my favorite n00b, that was a good post. but if you are looking for a all mountain boot, the foil is a good choice.
 
I as well have a wide foot and i picked up a pair of the rossignol scratch blasts not to long ago. Let me tell you, they are amazing, they packed out really realyl quick and they are just amazing, you can adjust teh flex of the boot to ur riding needs, they look fing amazing, and the soles are really comfy and warm, i could walk around in the mall day long, the scraths are amazing and i only picked mine up for $299 from my local shop which is always pricy so its a good deal dude.
 
if you can find some of last yrs beast 10/12 do it. otherwise the supercharger ignitions are this yrs best boot esentially. Remember that a tight boot is what you want cause its only going to get bigger.
 
i went from a soft light 3 to this years foil.

i love the change.

the boot fitter also made me try on the nordica sparks and ignitions(the green ones).

so, probably one of those boots depending on your foot shape.
 
i have a wide foot too and i just picke up some supercharger ignitions they fit like a glove well they fit like a boot but whatever yea try those since u have a wide foot
 
wow thanks for all the great and prompt responses. i really appreciate it and am super stoked to go to the store and see whatsup! thanks again guys
 
Go to a good shop and let the guy do his job. Who do you trust more? Someone who fits boots for a living and has years of expeirence or a bunch of 15 year olds online?
 
yeah thats why im headed to the store right now but sometimes it depends...have the 15 year olds hit puberty yet? cause if not the adolescent quality of speaking the truth rather than what people want to hear is something i value greatly hah. off to the store hopefully will come back with some sick space boots!

random fact i recently learned for those NFL lovers like myself just: Peyton Manning was highly recruited coming out of highschool (duh) but one trait about his play concerned the top scouts that he may not be the best quarterback, this was his ability to move his feet quickly and have even the littlest bit of mobility. To overcome this and prove the scouts they shouldnt be worried, he ran stadium stairs in SKI BOOTS thus making him lighter on his feet when needing to scramble. Pretty badass huh, anyone who does that gets my hats off to them!
 
so the ski shops around my home suck and only boot they had that worked for me was the beast, which i liked, but decided to wait cause i wanted to try on alot of others (no foils, spk, scratch). But i go back to school tomorrow and there are some opportunities to shop since its only 1.5 hr outside of tahoe. And i guess if no luck there then i go to tahoe and see what i can get. Thanks for all the help if you guys hadnt told me to try on everything i probably woulda walked away with the Beasts without trying others, so thanks for making me patient!
 
Trying on everything is the worst thing you can do. Go a a good shop and they'll try 2 or 3 on you, 4 tops. The more you try on, the harder the decision is.
 
When you're working? Yeah well you need to know how they fit. If you give a customer a choice between 6 they get confused. If you give them a choice between 2 or 3, it's easy. For any given foot shape and ability there's really only 2 or 3 boots that are going to work. If the fitter tries you in more than four, he's not confident in what he's doing.
 
ok here's the deal. goto a real good bootfitter and they will ask you all sorts of questions:

what type of skiing you do? how many days a season you will be skiing, etc etc.

If they ask you your shoe size first thing, leave the damn place cuz shoe size has nothing to do with foot size. I wear a size 9 shoe but my foot is actually a 7.5. Shoes do not fit like ski boots.

A good boot fitter will measure not just the length but the width of the foot. They will also get you to stand there and flex a few times to see your arch height, your footceiling height or whatever.

It was amazing that after seeing my flex a few times, she could tell I had a previous problem in my right leg. (knee popped out 3 times)

Then they fit a shell for you. They will get out three or four brands of boot. Don't spaz cuz they took some boot you didn't want cuz most companies have a handfull of shell molds across the whole line and the only differences are in materials and accessories. (eg. almost all mens nordica boots shells come from the same mold or similar.)

They wlii fit your foot without the liner and see what size is good since different brands vary over the same size number sometimes. They will ask if certain parts of the plastic are are touching your foot and where and how much etc. After doing that for all shells, they will put a liner in.

They will then overtighten your boot (prepare for some pain) and of course will remind you never to do them this tight. after about 10 minutes, they take your feet out and see where your feet are the reddest so they know what pressure points to grind if needed.

If they recommend a boot that you didn't have set in your head, first thing you do is slap yourself and ask why the fuck did you goto a bootfitter and do this shit for the last 20 minutes just to veto a specialist's choice of boot? If you still are adamant about the certain model of the SPK Beast SUX 1000 Billion Super Uber model because all the cool kids have them, then ask if you can try that on. The bootfitter will either tell you that the boot you mentioned will not fit your foot whatsoever or if it is close to being decent for your foot, then they will have you try them on and do more tests. At this point don't lie to them about pressure points that exist etc cuz you are only lying to yourself and are gonna get a boot that will hurt your skiing and won't do much then have your friends say "Ooh you have the sick new such and such boot" then they forget about it next week.

*inhale

After all that, they will heat mold the liner and have the boot on and have you stand up and flex for about 10-15 minutes. Again they will ask if you feel any pain and how much etc, and then make a final decision or try little wedges and canting adjustments for a custom fit.

A REALLY good bootfitter will guarantee the fit on purchase of new boots.

My bootfitter let me ski the boot a few times to pack it out and if you still have problems you can come back and make further adjustments until they get it right. If for some odd reason you have a mutant foot that t-1000s over time, they will take back the boot and get you a different boot until thye find one that fits. (of course if the boot is scratched to shit then they won't do that) All of this is included in the price. Further visits to fit your boot are free (unless you need a custom liner which that is the only thing you need to pay for)

So if your bootfitter doesn't at least do the first half of what I said in my essay then just say "thanks for your help but I can't choose an exact boot at this juncture." And by all means go to a different store.

A good boot,if well taken care of, will last you 4 years+ or until the soles are worn out. A boot doesn't really loose flex like a ski so make sure you damn well get it right the first time cuz those babies are gonna be on your feet for a long ass time.
 
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