Guide On: How to Buy Ski Boots

A competent boot-fitter will be able to assess your foot shape, foot volume, and ankle flexibility and arrive at a few options that will most likely work very well for you. From there, your foot will tell you what it likes the best. A boot-fitter can/will make adjustments to the fit to dial the boot in to your unique foot shape.

If your boots fit you perfectly and are not worn out (toe & heel thickness are at the DIN norm), wear them. Boots typically last between 100-120 days of skiing, not calendar days but actual days on the slopes. So if you ski 20 times a year, the principles of mathematics say that your boot will roughly last 5-6 years if you don't abuse or beat the hell out of them. If you ski 100 days a year, you are probably buying new boots every year or so. Either way, by then your boots will look and feel pretty beat.
 
Hi! I have a question about Salomon Kaos, are they heat moldable/Custom fit?

2011-salomon-kaos-freeski-boots.jpg
 
Only certain parts of the liner (I believe only tongue and ankle area) are moldable, so it would be a good idea still to have them heat molded at your local shop.
 
No you didn't. The effect of 'heat molding' them will give you the same effect as skiing in them for a day. The foam used is not the same as that used in true 'heat moldable' liners. Fuck it, your shells are heat moldable too while we are at it.
 
Not all A/T boots work in DIN bindings. Some boots like the Mobe only accept bindings that have an adjustable toe height, which is usually an A/T binding (this is due to the rockered toe design for walking and a rubber sole). A Mobe will not fit into an FKS or Jester binding for example. So it depends on what binding you will be using.

Boots like the Quest, Atomic Tracker (DIN only), Black Diamond Factor, Garmont Delirium have interchangeable toe and heel pads that go from DIN bindings to A/T.

What binding will you be using?
 
I have had good luck with my Quest 12's, others not so much... They ski decently enough, but lack the true progressive flex of my Lange's. The walk mode is nice, and provides good mobility if you undue the top buckle and loosen the power strap.

The Scarpa Mobe lacks range of motion for touring, My Quest's have more range of motion then the Scarpa Mobe. The Mobe is a hybrid shell, part over lap, part three piece. I personally detest 3 piece boot designs. There is a great write up on wildsnow about it.

Other options to think about:

Dynafit Titan: A low volume, stiff boot. Very burley, good range of motion for touring, interchangeable soles.

Technica Cochise: Medium Volume, great fit (for me), nice range of motion, and decently light. Interchangeable soles.

Garmont Freeride series: Great if you toss the liner and put in something else, interchangable soles.

There are plenty of other options out there. Search the interwebs, TGR has some good info, as well as wild snow.

 
ill be using Dukes! i also have a pair of skis that have barons on it, so would that work because it has the moving toe piece on the binding?
 
Quoting myself here.

How come theres no lacing systems with ski boots that would pull the shell around the top of your foot? Is that not rigid enough? I need to find an old pair of boots at a garage sale or something and screw around with (probably not ski with though) and see if any of this stuff I keep saying makes sense.

come the end of this semester, I'll be buying insoles for sure.
 
Well, sometimes companies put laces on the liner, usually on race boots but on our freestyle boot The Volt we do the same. That is just done to improve foot/ankle hold.

Laces on the cuff are a bit dicey. Rossi had a boot about 10 years ago called the Soft Boot and Salomon with the Verse which both used laces. They were entry level designs that failed pretty hard (they were not easy to use nor did they ski well). These boots left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths so, a lot of people/dealers are wary of boots that have laces on the shell/cuff. Part of the problem is that they don't think it will provide enough support while skiing, which as of right now is generally true.

Does not mean that people won't change their minds in the future, but buckles are generally the way to go when it comes to closing up your boots.
 
After several times giving up the idea of buying boots online ) I went through all our shops and narrowed down my choice to three boots: Rossignol Exalt, Nordica Hot Rod 75, Atomic LF80. Rossi's are used and are the cheapest. The heel, instep, ankle and middle part of my foot feels great in it, but the toes kinda feel a bit squashed up, I've weared them in a shop for about 10 minutes and that feeling was gone, but still a kinda wrong feeling about it. As it is used they only had one size 27, so may be it is just small for my feet. Nordica's are new, the liner is real nice and soft and warm, but when I hold the shell and try to lift the foot the heel lifts up in the boot to almost 1.5 or 2 inches. This was with size 27, I've tried 26 the heel still lifts but not as much, I'd say to around 1-1.5 inch and while my left foot feels alright, toes on my right foot jam into the toeside of the boot. However other than that I felt very comfortable in this boots (size 27). And then the Atomic LF80 size 26. I liked them the most - the looks, the fit, the flex, the feel, however when I've put them on it felt like there was a pressure point on the outside of the ankle. It was gone after around 15 minutes of wearing them, probably cause they are heat moldable, but when I leant forward only standing on one boot it pushed the ankle at the same place, not that it caused pain but I felt it.

So taking into account all these issues what would be the best option? Which of these issues would be easier to fix, by going to a bootfitter?
 
That's a big problem right there as well. Boots go from narrow to medium with just a 2mm width difference- that's it. Your sock choice obviously plays a huge role in the fit.

Also, if you try to lift your heel up, it will lift (your flexible foot is always going to move before the rigid boot does). See how the heel feels by just flexing forward (like you when you ski). If you get heel lift just when you flex, then you have an issue.

But the ultimate way to secure your foot is getting an aftermarket footbed (arch support). Tons of kinds exist but get one that works for your foot. It will reduce the natural movement in your flexible foot reducing ankle rub and toe bang. By far the best thing you can do for your new boot is get a footbed as well.

And in all honesty the Atomic sounds like it is the best fit for you. If a boot feels wrong, never buy it.
 
I'm not going to tell anyone which boot they should or should not buy on here.

here are some things to consider when trying and buying boots:

There is more then one school of thought on how boots should fit and work with the foot/leg, this does not mean that any one of them is wrong.

The liner of the boot will compress when you ski in it. Some of the foam will expand back out a bit when you are not skiing in it.

Plastic and metal are effected by temperature, both shrink when they get cold, and expand when they warm up. A boot at 20 F will fit differently then the same boot at 70 F. Cold plastic is usually less forgiving then warm plastic.

The only boot reviews worth taking to heart are the ones that discuss durability, and take all of those with a grain of salt.

Everything can be broken. Everything will break, eventually.

Your feet are not clones of each other, neither are ski boots.

Numbers are usually just there to confuse people. A ski boot is what it is, regardless of what numbers are used to market it.
 
When I'll go to buy boots I'll try them on with skiing socks again. Thanks for all that info. I've narrowed down my choice to two boots (I've visited one more shop today): Atomic LF and Lange (don't know the model, just regular 70 flex 4-buckle black and white boot). Lange's felt good, but the first 5 minutes that I've worn them they were pushing on the instep a bit, after was ok. Both of these boots felt like described in some articles - like a firm handshake. Difference between them is that Langes feel a bit stiffer than Atomics. The flex in Atomic boots feels kinda more natural, I even thought that may be it is too forgiving, but in Langes when I flex them I feel that most of pressure is applied to top part of the shin, like where the velcro strap is. I still prefer Atomic LF 80 more than Lange, cause I liked the flex more, the 2-buckle design and the way they look. But couple more questions to onenerdykid about Atomic:

1. Some guy wrote on recreational skiing site that LF boots are like a completely non perfomance boot, the one that is for people with a big belly that sit in a cafe on the slope most of the time and skis once in an hour and gets back to cafe again. Like the 2-buckle design is to spend less time in a bent position to buckle boots and the flex design is more for walking than skiing. I know it is kinda ridicolous, and I'm 100% sure that this guy never hit a park jump before, but it made me think - wouldn't be LF80 too soft for park skiing? (I prefer soft boot, but just want to be sure that they are fine for park skiing)

2. Is there a big difference between Atomic LF 80 (or any other LF boot) and Atomic Overload? Cause if the shell and liner are very similar I might order overload online. Or it's not good idea?
 
Good point! I'm actually planning to ask the shop to give me one day to wear the boot at home, may be I'll even put them in the freeze ). If there will be no problems with them, I'll keep them.
 
In terms of the concept in general, Live Fit was designed for skiers looking for comfort and convenience. However, once you make a boot out of PU (race plastic), a 120 flex, and top end liner the marketing story vanishes and you are left with simply a wide, stiff, high end boot (Live Fit 120). So it depends which model he is talking about. The 80 is right in the middle and whether or not the flex is "good" is dependent on how big/strong of a skier is wearing it. A 100 pound jr might have difficulty with it, whereas a 180 pound racer will crush it.

The Overload Reactor is built like as if it were a 100 model- nicer plastic and liner than the 80. But same exact shell dimensions/geometry. The liner of the Overload has a silicon insert behind the heel to offer more cushioning on switch landings and is only found in the Overload, no other LF boot has it. So that might be of interest to you.
 
I'm in need of some new boots and saw some "Lange Infernos" for about $200 and thought it was good deal but then it says Flex:115, I'm intermediate and do All Mountain/Park(Mostly jumps) and I ski a lot, 1 or more times a week.

I don't know if I should go with them, what do you all think.
 
Well do they fit?

The Inferno is the RL11 if I am not mistaken, if not it is a slightly modified version of that shell.

Flex is a personal issue, some people like stiff boots, some like soft. Generally a softer flex is more forgiving (not as precise) but this is not always the case.
 
When I rollerblade, Like a stiffer boot not sure if that matters.

But its either the Lange, Rossignol SAS or the Tecnica agent 80's.

I'm leaning towards the agents because of the softness like you said but not sure.

 
Just because a boot is softer it doesn't mean that it will be better for freestyle. In fact, it could give you shinbang if it is too soft for you.

The ideal amount of flex (for someone who does not have any ankle flexibility issues) allows you to flex forward to the point where your knees are over your toes. Too much flex is just as bad as not enough...
 
Given that you are looking at Tecnica and Full Tilt... no. It makes no sense to buy either of those boots until you go see a boot-fitter who knows how to appropriately find the right match for you.

In terms of saving money, it is a good deal but it might be a horrible idea for your foot if it's not the right match for you.
 
I went and got fit for boots over the weekend, and the Salomon Ghosts were the right boots for me!

However, I am facing a bit of a dilemma, as there are two different flexes of them, the 120 and the 100 I am totally indecisive and would like a little bit of advice.

I am an aggressive skier, and 140lbs. I ski alot of park and urban, but also ski a lot of slackcountry and i love to charge cliffs. I am not sure if the 120 would be too much or not or if i should just go with the 100s
 
If you are really on the fence go with the stiffer boot. It will be easier to slightly soften a stiffer boot than it will be to slightly stiffen a boot that ends up being a bit too soft for you.
 
Well, i dont want to make a thread for this. So i buy some lange rx 130 pro , they are on the way. Got a prodeal on them, my shop was sold out for my size. So im wondering if ots better to heat modeling them or wear them at house to break them? Maybe both ? Just need some opinion on this. They fit my feet perfectly btw, i got fitted.
 
There are a couple of different opinions on what is best- some fitters argue that heat molding reduces the life of the boot, some fitters put every boot on the heat stack before it leaves the store. I am of the opinion that if the boot feels good out of the box you don't HAVE to heat mold it. The fit will refine itself to your foot/ankle as you ski it. But, if you take it out of the box and things feel a little tight in the heel or somewhere and you don't want to break it in, feel free to toss it on the heat stack for 10 minutes. It is not going to reduce the quality of your liner at all.

A ski boot is designed to last between 120-150 days of skiing (not days of ownership but actual ski days on the hill). Whether you do that over the course of 1 year or 5 is up to you. Now, heat molding reduces the break in time of the liner, which would be 5-10 (max) days of the boot's life. You can either grunt it out so you get all of the 120 days out of your liner, where the first 5 of which might not be super comfortable. Or you can heat mold your liner, go ski the first day in greater comfort, and have 115 days left on your liner.

It's up to you, but don't think that heat molding your Lange liner will reduce the quality or life span of it.
 
question for onenerdykid:

I know your an atomic man but ill get the most legit answer from you so... I am currently skiing in dalbello kryton rampages from a few years ago and they fit me really well, only problem is they are soft, i had them stiffened to roughly 110 but they are still pretty soft. is there a difference in the fit between a krypton pro and the rampages or is it just the flex?

also theres not way im getting boots online so dont say bootfitter, im just curious bcoz the rampages fit me so well, not a single preasure point or anything
 
Look at the inside of the tong of your rampages. There will be a letter there. B or C (or for some random fucking reason A or D). My guess is that it is a C. The only differences between the Pro and the Rampage is the Power wrap liner and B tong. The B tong is stiffer, as is the power wrap liner.

Look inside the boot, you will notice that in the back the lower comes up on two sides but not in the middle. Your Kryptons will have come with a kit of mostly worthless pieces of plastic in a zip lock bag. If you have lost these, most shops probably have some lying around. I would either a) give them to you, or b) charge you $5 so I could get some beer that night.

Four (two for each boot) of these are designed to go in the channel (or gap) in the back of the boot between each side of the lower. When installed, they create a block in the flex, forcing you to a) compress the plastic in the insert, and b) stretch the lower plastic, to flex the boot. AKA the boot gets 'stiffer'.

appendixes:

The new 2011.2012 Kryptons have a more squared off toe box then the older ones.

The A tong is a myth. They straight up don't exist in the states. I have been told that they exist in europe land, but I have seen no evidence to indicate this.

It could just be that you are disappointed by the inability of the Krypton boot to properly drive a ski. There is a reason Dalbello brought back a 6 year old Lange boot in the scorpion series...

 
awesome responce thanks heaps +k

i had a look at the inside of the tounge and it appeared to say "A6" or "AG" (i couldnt tell if it was a 6 or a G) so im a but confused. I took them to a shop a few months ago with the bag of plastic bits u mentioned and the guy said he had made them as stiff as possible, so im guessing its between 110 and 120.

i plan to get the intution liners when i get back to whistler so hopefully they'll be able to sort me out there.

now for the bit that im sure people will think im retarded for doing... i have liners out of salomon shoguns in the boots at the moment, does that make a huge differnce to the flex/fit? the liners have roughly 300 days in them so they must be fully packed out but they still fit me great
 
the slopes are soo crowded i hate it ... I started to throw a wood screw between the liner and the shell of every third boot i sold.
 
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