Guide On: How to Buy Ski Boots

I'm gonna ask for some opinions on my boots, because I can't really decide. I've got last years hot doggers in a 26.0, and it's pretty much a race fit. 1/2" max behind the heel in a shell fit, toes can't quite flatten out unless i'm flexing pretty good after heat moulding the liners and skiing on them for a season. So basically this is a complete precision fit. I got great reaction out of the boot in trees and at speed, but if i fucked up a landing the toebang was pretty intense.

now, since i'm the only freeskier at my store and we've got a pretty sizeable freeski section, i've got a hookup for some boots, so i can get this year's doggers for pretty much nothing. does anyone think i should upsize to the new boots (27.0)? I ski aggressively, but i'm not a racer, and i can't decide if i really need this intense fit.
 
Since you can get them on a deal, why not try it? Going to the next shell size up will give you a standard shell fit, so it's not going to be problematic. But whether or not you will personally like it is something we can't answer... For me, I can only ski a half inch shell fit- normal one inch shell fit feels huge on me. But that's my personal preference and when it comes down to half or full inch shell fit, it will be preference in the end.
 
Sounds kinda noob, but how do we know when a boot is TOO big. Obvs its to big if its wiggling around when buckled up, but if you can push your heel up or lift your toes up and such, is it too big?
 
I'm only talking a slight lift to. No more than a cm. I'm likely having preseason paranoia but we all want that perfect fit.
 
Yeah so wearing my boots around the house it's only the right foot that can lift outta the heel abit. The other boot fits extremely tight and will fit fantastic when packed out. I can only liftt the heel when I try to lift it and push up. Any suggestions as what to do to get rid of this?
 
Generally speaking, if you are not racing you want to size your boots to your big foot and then your boot-fitter can take up excess room in the larger fitting boot with pads and shims. What you are describing sounds pretty normal. Feet are always more flexible than rigid hunks of plastic called ski boots- meaning that your foot will move before the boot does. Obviously you want to minimize the amount of movement going on, but if you really try to lift your heel up, it will lift. Under normal flexing around, your heel should still be locked down.
 
Thanks guys. +k. There arent any trained bootfitters where I lived (it was all the info I got from this thread to make the choice on the boots) so I was sketching a little, being only 3 years into this sport, and lucking out on buying my first boots forever ago.
 
Am I crazy to consider buying boots online? They have a reallly detailed sizing chart and a friend has these boots in another size and loves them. Anyone know a good shop to do this at?
 
Thanks. This guide is perfect. Who would have thunk that there is this much thought that's supposed to be put into the ourchase
 
Yes. With several different boots on the market, each one provides its own unique fit. You need to physically try boots on until you find one that fits well, otherwise, you could severly damage your feet. That sounds extreme, but I've seen many claims of it on here, and other sites.
 
Hi 2 all,

After I came home from ski-shop, I have found that my perfect fitted Fischer X-100 are actually freeski boots and as I am not even close to freeskier (I ski on piste only) and as I have ELAN Amphibio 12 skis which are for harpacked snow carving, I am asking myself did I buy too soft boots? I am average skier, I weight 205 pounds and I am high 6.1 feet.

BR,

Mondos

 
There is nothing about those boot that is freeski specific, only the marketing you read on their website.

If the boot fits, you wear it, and you have a fun time skiing.

Now, if you are over-flexing your boot because of your weight or strength as a skier, then you have a legitimate concern. If you feel the boot has a good fit but is too soft to support you or power your ski, then try to get a stiffer model in the same last.
 
onenerdykid thanks for a quick reply. I was able to ski with my last boots which had flex 60, so I think this new ones with flex 100 will be just fine for few next years.

BR and TX,

Mondos

 
I disagree with a lot of this. Asking for a customers shoe size can be helpful when you're looking to decide whether they will prefer a performance fit or something a little more on the comfort side. The mondo point system is not standardized, just like street shoe sizing is not standardized. Of course we are already looking at your foot before we ask these questions. Also - you don't need to try on a bunch of boots to figure out what boot is right for you. If you go to a ski shop and use a mondo point sizer, even before you talk to a boot fitter (although I heavily recommend you do) you can generally get an idea of your foot's width and length. A boot fitter may interpret this differently than you, which is why it is important to talk to one. From there its a matter of researching the product and finding a boot that matches your instep height, forefoot width and ankle/heel size. Then you can eliminate based on flex index. Which is not standardized either. As a boot fitter, if I fit a customer in more than 3 boots in a sitting without finding a good fit, its a fail. Different shops have different mentalities about how ski boots should fit. Know that its way easier to sell a comfy boot out of the shop that will pack out in 30 days or less and ski sloppy than it is to sell an aggressive, snug boot (which is always to your advantage).
 
But in my experience, most people wear either the wrong shoe size or at the very least their street shoe size does not correspond to a shell fit- which is always the ultimate determining factor with how to fit ski boots. You can always start with a shoe size or a Brannock device, but you never know how the boot will fit until you see how their specific foot interacts with the shell. And this shell fit should be done for length and width and dependent on the skier's expectations of comfort vs performance while never going large enough to create a sloppy fit.
 
im currently in second hand krpton rampage shells form about 3 seasons ago and the guy i bought em off had them punched out in places i dont need with my old salomon shogun liners.

the fit is perfect but they are a getting packed out now (liners have about 300 days in em) and they are a bit soft. i am getting my tax return soon so i have some spare cash

Do it just buy new intuition liners or should i get the krypon pro? ( i assume they fit exactly the same and i want a stiffer boot) also dont bootfitter me, i will be getting these from fanatyko in whistler

im just not sure if theres a point only getting new liners coz the shells arent in the best condition, and im in ski boots 8am - 5pm like 9 months a year
 
Your shells are probably on the their last leg.. Are the toes and heels worn down at all?

Honestly, with that many days on the boot, the plastic is pretty stressed. If you drop $200 on a new liner and the shell cracks later that season, you'll be kicking yourself.
 
@onenerdykid

I noticed you seemed to be a rep for atomic. I tried on the overload reactors today and about came they were so comfy. But, they seemed way too soft for me (im not exactly light set) and saw that atomic makes a 120 LF boot that could be much better for me (even tho its 100 bucks more, ouch). How similar are the overload reactors and the LF 120? I currently ski a spk pro, i believe they're 110 flex. They work for me for pow skiing, all mountain skiing and park skiing, they're packed out as fuck and my shell is warping so im considering dropping bank on a boot that will last me 3 season. Halp?
 
i´ve got the dalbello krypton rampage, and they bring different things to customize your boot. Regarding the forward lean control i can choose between two "wedges", whats better for park skiing? more forward inclination or more upright stance?
 
More or less forward lean comes down to what fits you best and what feels more comfortable, not so much what kind of skiing you do. For example, Jossi skis a boot with lots of forward lean, while Andreas skis a boot with less. Similar skiers, different preferences. Ride which one feels best to you, not what someone thinks is more park or all mountain.
 
Alright guys I'm going to need some boot fit help here.

Hopefully I don't sound like a gaper or something like that because I'm not, it's just I've never skied so hard and been on skis so many days out of the year so boots weren't the most important thing ever. BEFORE if a boot didn't fit perfect, I didn't ski on it too much to make it hurt. Since I ski basically every day now though I find they're one of the most important things in my ski set-up.

Alright, well first off I'll try to keep this short, even though I know it will turn out to be pretty extensive.

Ok, so back in August I was looking around to get some new ski boots, but I was on a low budget. (not the best time to buy new ski boots I know). Well, me not thinking, I bought boots online. I wore them around my house a little and they felt fine. Then I skied on them about 5-10 times and I got the most horrendous shin-bang ever. It literally felt like someone just ripped all the muscle off the bone in my shins. Later then I did some quick sizing tests that were stated in the OP and I realized that these boots were HUGE on my feet.

I decided that since I'm going skiing basically every day that I'm really going to need to invest and pick up some good solid fitting boots.

A few days ago I went up to my local shop (Zimmermans, for anyone that knows it) and got my foot fitted for a boot. I had my foot measured and the employee went out back and brought out a pair of Dalbello Krypton's. Last years Kingston ones. He had me put them on, and after reading stuff about people having their boots fitted for the first time, I knew they were going to feel tight in comparison to my jumbo boots that I had before. So the worker had me wear them around the shop for about 5 minutes and they felt great! I told them they felt perfect.

So I bought the boots and he told me to wear them around for 5-10 minutes at my house the day before I go skiing again. So I did that, then the next day I went, and could only ski for about an hour because I had stuff to do later. The boots felt really good for about a half hour and then for the next half hour my feet felt kinda tingly.

I went back to the mountain today and after about 2 runs I couldn't feel my feet. So I tried everything out adjustment wise. I tightened them as tight as they could go, still was losing circulation. Next I loosened them all the way and was still feeling numb.

My local mountains shop was open, and since it was Christmas I knew that I wouldn't be able to make it up to Zimmermans until tomorrow. I told the boot fitter at my mountains shop, my story and he looked at my feet and noticed that my feet are on the wider side and that the kryptons have a more narrow footbed. He then put in an insert and told me to wear it around for 5 minutes to see if I felt any difference. Well it felt fine, but so didn't the boots at first when I walked around in them. He was saying that either the worker at Zimmermans just wanted to sell me that pair of boots because he'd had them sitting around, or he didn't have wider feet so he didn't really even pay attention to the width. If I'm going to be spending upwards of $400 on boots I would expect him to pay attention to the width though...

Well other than those inserts what other options do you think I have?

I'm going up to Zimmermans tomorrow and am going to see what they say they can do for me. I'm just wondering how I should go into the shop too. Should I be expecting them to do something for free because they didn't fit me correctly in the first place? Or is it somehow my own fault? Is there any other solutions that a ski shop can do to fix a boot? I bought the boots around 3 days ago and have skied in them twice so there's no way they can give me a refund or get me a different pair of boots right? I wouldn't expect them to do that, but I feel like if that's what it has to come to then isn't it their fault in the beginning for not fitting me right? Am I wrong or am I right? I'll keep you guys updated when I go up there tomorrow morning.

Any help whatsoever will be greatly appreciated. I'll always give out +K too. Thanks a ton guys!
 
^go back to your shop and ask what their fit guarantee policy is (they should have one or something like in place). They should be able to take the boot back and get you in the right width or if it is just a small area, modify the shell so it fits your foot exactly. Having the the right footbed for your foot is totally crucial, make sure that is figured out too.

So, 1. Proper footbed, 2. Proper boot / shell modification.
 
Thanks man! I'll definitely check on their guarantee policy too. I'm going up there first thing tomorrow morning so hopefully I can ski in the afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
hey guys.So I bought my FullTilt drop kicks a few weeks ago and at the shop they felt great.My toes just touched the end in the 27.5 and they were super comfy so I got them heat molded then I have been riding them for a few weeks with no trouble at all and today I went out and first run I did a 360 over a little jump and over shot and I got some shin bang which was the worst shin bang I had ever had in these boots but I was fine after.Then the same thing happened but I got some of the worst shin bang I have ever had with any boot I have owned.So I went in the chalet and took my boots off and the left liner feels really hard on the front where the pain came from.Any one know what I should do?My heels can lift up a bit less than a cm in the boot but that's really the only loose part of the boot that I have found.I really don't know what to do I am pretty bummed out after spending close to $500 on a pair of boots I thought were excellent and now are causing me pain.I have had this problem with my other boots before but I am really upset that it is happening with these boots considering I thought it was the end of shin bang and pain for me.I also got alot of pain on the back of my right leg.If any one can give me some suggestions that would be great.
 
For starters, do you have footbeds? Not having footbeds will allow your ankle to rotate and therefore your shin will rotate into the front of that liner. That would be step one.

Step 2 is making sure you have enough cushioning between you and the tongue of the boot. The liners in Drop Kicks aren't as thick as say the Hot Dogger and being thinner in this area & not having a footbed are probably the 2 main causes of it.

Go back to the shop for a nice footbed and see if they can add some foam or other padding to the front of the liner.
 
$60-200 depending on what your foot needs for support, which we cannot gauge over the interweb. Someone has to examine your foot & ankle structure then see what best works for you. Sometimes it will cost less, sometimes more but either way they are super important and you will see immediate improvement.
 
Okay I will look into that but what I did for now is I took out my liners and threw them in the dryer and re-moulded them and I had a nice sole in my roller blades that I put it and it feels better but I am still going to look into some foot beds.
 
So for custum footbeds, I've been thinking about getting Dr. Scholls or something like that, but are there specific skiboot footbeds I should look into, and if so, are they worth it over Dr. Scholls, etc. ? Thanks
 
Dr. Scholls' inserts are great for people who sit (or stand) at a desk all day. People who do stuff in real life get something that is actually helpful...

My ski boots have a posted soft foam footbed that was built off a mold from my weighted windless position. Expect to pay $150-$200 for something similar.
 
In a traditional 2 piece overlap boot it is crucial to have some sort of arch support. Its like the foundation for your boot and without it your not getting everything out of your boot. Its like spending $500 on a boot and getting only a portion of the performance out of it. At a minimum a $35 pair of Superfeet will help. Aline footbeds are around $70 and I swear by them. Custom footbeds run $125+ and are great too but they are only as good as the person that's making them. In boots such as Full Tilts footbeds are an entirly different story. Full Tilts have a contoured boot board or Zeppa and have a completely heat mold-able liner. This means that they pretty much dont need extra help. But in the case that you still want to put a footbed in the boot than you cant just throw it in. You need to belt sand the Zeppa down flat. The footbed should then go between the liner and boot board. This is because you always want the footbed to sit on a completely flat surface so it is doing the job that it is intended. If you just throw it in a FT without doing so than you cant even be sure that the footbed is putting you leg and ankle in the right alignment. Thats my take
 
ok so I have drop kicks and my feet have definitely grown since I bought my boot.When I put my foot it I have to push pretty damn hard and when I remove my liner and put my foot in with my toes touching the end there's less than 1cm at my heel.I also get tons of toe bang when I ride...I'm depressed :(
 
Well if your foot has grown that much then its time for new boots, but don't fret just sell your FTs and get a bigger pair. They sell like wild fire and you shouldn't have an issue recouping some of your funds.
 
It's more important to find a boot that fits your foot first, then have a boot-fitter modify/improve the fit of the liner in the calf area. A competent boot-fitter can custom shape foam pads and put them in strategic places on your liner to help remove the slop in the cuff of your boot.
 
You might need to invest in a day to get it sorted out. If you have to spend 3+ hours in the car to get it done right, it will be well worth it. Or perhaps when you go on your next ski vacation, do it then. Definitely research the area and find out where the good shops are and who is the person to see at each shop. I'm sure people on here can point you in the right direction if you need help.
 
This thread is so important in relation to baying boots, that i post a link:https://www.newschoolers.com/ns/forums/readthread/thread_id/679030/

but the essence of that is in this: (By to nice NS-members)

By :

rozboon

Just

thought I'd chuck this in here because I see quite a lot of threads about

people with foot pain and when people suggest footbeds they're like "yeah,

maybe I'll try some".

Pretty much everybody should get footbeds.

The reason for this is that most boots

don't actually come with a proper insole. From my experience the higher-end the

boot, the less of an insole it will come with. For those of you skiing decent

boots without footbeds, go pull the insole out. I bet it's a flat piece of

cardboardy fabric about 3mm thick. The manufacturers just chuck them in there

so you have something to try the boot on with (if you don't take your footbeds

to fittings). I guess they assume you'll get/have a proper insole anyway, if

you're buying expensive boots.

The ones that come in the boots provide nil

support for your arches so when you're putting pressure on your foot it becomes

flatter, longer and wider. This is why your foot feels squashed from the

sides or on the toes when you ski despite the fact that it felt great in

the shop.

Likewise they have almost no heel cup so your

foot can slop around in the back of the boot, reducing control and energy

transfer.

In my opinion a good footbed is one of the best

investments in your equipment you can make. You'll ski better and in more

comfort. You may get away with some $10 replacement insoles from a shoe store

but really you should be spending the money and getting a pair of custom molded

ones. The difference is just unreal.

Footbeds are

a bit of a dark art in bootfitting. The thorey for footbeds comes from podietry

and this is not somthing your average ski bum boot fitter knows much about. It

takes years to learn and is pretty complex. Because of this your proberbly

going to be best looking for an experienced boot fitter with at least 5+ years

making custom footbeds.

By : tomPietrowski

So I wanted to answer some

common questions about footbeds.

What do Footbeds do?

Footbeds help support the

arches of the foot, keeping the foot in a neutral postion and helps with impact

cushioning. But what does any of that mean. Well lets start with your feet. An

interesting thing I once heard about feet is, every day each foot takes

1,000,000lbs of force just from walking around. With that sort of force every

single day, our feet need to be able to cushion impact effeicently. This is

what the arches do. They act like suspesion for the foot. But if these arches

are left unsurported, they some begin to strech with that much force every day.

This is when feet begin to flaten and pronate.

A good footbed will suport the

arches of the foot, and help them cope with the great forces involved with

skiing. If your foot is unsurpoted, it can feel like your foot streches

underneath, and this can cause cramp. The foot will genrally get longer

underforce, which could push the twos into the front of the boot.

So if you park ski, a footbed

will help support your foot when landing.

What is a neutral postion?

Its best to think of your

boots when thinking about this. Boots flex in a fowards motion but not at all

side to side. This means for your foot and leg to fit the best they have to

match this, ie straight.

When your arches begin to drop

or flaten genrally what happens is your foot begins to lean to the inside. This

can make your foot apear wider then it actually is. This is called a pronated

stance. A neutral stance is simply when the leg is straight. A footbed helps

acheive this by suporting your arches to help the foot maintain this neutral

stance.

What footbed should I get?

Really the only person who can

answer this is someone asses your feet and stance. Unfortunatly this means

Bootfitter.

What are the differnces

between footbeds?

There are 3 main types of

footbeds, below I will list the 3 and the pros and cons:

Trim To Fit

These are your most basic

footbeds. They have a predifined shape, and are designed to go stright into

boots.

Pros:

Cheap

Easily available

Cons:

Not custom to your foot

Limited selection of shapes

Trim to fits should be thought

of as a minimum. They will be better then the stock insole but thats about it.

You will always be better off with a full custom footbed.

Example Brands:

Superfeet, Sidas, Sole

Custom Trim To fit

With these footbeds, a computer

scans the pressures on the base of your foot, and selects a footbed shpae which

best matches you from a data base. This shape is then sent to a milling

machine, and a footbed is produced.

Pros:

Better the Trim to fits

Easily replacable. Your foot

is kept on record so a new footbed can easily be made.

Cons:

Expensive

Often very firm

Still not totally custom.

These footbeds are great for

carving. They support the mid tarsel joint (back of the foot) very well, but

not so much the front of the medial arch. This means in practice they have less

impact protection compared to other custom options.

Example Brands

Surefoot

Full Custom

These will be your best

options. They are usally cheaper the custom Trim to fits but more then standard

trim to fits. There are also 2 types Weighted and Unweighted. The differnce is

in teh production preocess. For weighted footbeds the footbed is produced when

you are standing up. Unweighted are made when sat with no weight on the foot.

In my opion weighted are better, you stand when skiing so its better to make

the footbed standing, rather then sitting.

Pros:

Fully Custom

Totally customisiable,

different flexes, different volumes, custom heel lifts, canting. Pretty much

anything you need.

Foot can be postioned for

optimal fit

Cons:

More expensive then trim to

fits

Need an experienced boot

fitter to make them.

Overall if you can get a good

weighted custom footbed, this will be your best bet. Get them when you get the

boots fitted, it will give you the best fit from day one.

Example Brands:

Sidas, Aline, Superfeet (avoid

the superfeet korks if you can)

So thats about it for now, im

sure i have missed out allot of things but hopefully this sheds some light on

footbeds.

 
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