Guide On: How to Buy Ski Boots

Just buckled so the shell keeps it's shape - don't crank them, but first-second notch is fine
 
huh.. I have to crank them all the way even when I'm skiing and then they always seem to loosen up midday.

about the loosening though, do you think that would just be me getting used to them after a couple of runs? I know it happens with snowboard boots because from what I've been told the tightness of the laces in different sections averages out after a couple of runs, but logically it seems like with buckles and a plastic shell boot, that shouldn't happen..

sorry for all the questions
 
well unless you have custom liners(or maybe even with custom liners, i dont know i dont have custom liners) the boot will always pack out a bit throughout the day and then once theyre back off they unpack to a certain extent. or at least thats what ive noticed in my boots
 
well hate to say this but if your boots pack out by midday and become loose on your feet, your boots are too big. now i would suggest seeing a good boot fitter to see if anything can be done to reduce the room you have, with possibly custom footbeds, trim and fits are inexpensive and will help a lot.
 
If thats in responce to my description- thats not what I meant.

"The boot should feel snug. Remember, that all boots will pack out, sometimes after a few runs. You can gain up to 1 cm or so in room after this occurs." That is in reference to when you go out and buy a new boot- it should feel vcery firm and snug, because after a few runs in your new boot, the liner will pack out. Once its packed out, its packed out. It should still fit, because you bought it snug.
 
1cm? not a chance in hell unless you're picking up some serious entry level beginner boots. you'll gain maybe 5mm and that's at the absolute max but in this business, a milimeter is a mile and can make all the difference between a good fit and a painful fit.

my boots (Atomic RT-130 w/CS liner) packed out maybe 2mm since the liner is very minimal.

Ema, if you're having to crank that boot down to the max, go get a new pair of boots. this may mean foregoing new skis next season but believe me it is more than worth it.

 
Ok I've had some new boots for maybe 3 wks now. Naturally at first they were odd, then for about 2 weeks they were perfect, now in the last few skiing days they've been a bit strange. I would describe it as feeling like there's space above the front of my ankle. Where the 4 buckles are is all normal, but it feels like my heel lifts up which it really shouldn't do. Any suggestions as to what I could do in the arch area above the foot to make it a little more secure in the boot?

Many thanks,

Tim
 
basically they sold you the wrong boot.

go back and have them put "J" pads in the ankle and an achillies wrap on the heel of the liner. that should take care of the problem.

 
Are there any other things to watch out when talking with a boot fitter. Like if they just ask you how the boot feels instead of measuring your foot is that a red flag to leave the shop?
 
can a bootfitter/shop stretch the width of my boot right around where the toe buckle is? for dalbello kryptons btw
 
^ Yes.

Before stretching boots, I would ALWAYS recommend custom footbeds, see how that goes. Your foot may be moving around in the boot, whereas custom footbeds will keep it stationary.
 
Good guide. Something I didn't do when I bought my boots...

So I have a question/situation. My scratch boots were kinda weird right off the bat. They cut off my circulation (too low of an instep). Got that kinda figured out, but now I got a real bad problem.

My big toe i basically perminantly sprained, as is my little toe on my other foot. It's a really tight fit in the toebox horizontally. But, it is a pretty big fit vertically, so my toes seem to be able to bend quite a bit upwards. These boots are obviously horrible for me (by the end of the day I can barely walk in them back to the car). Any quick advice/suggestions for other boots, or what my problem really is?
 
your main problem is that you're in a rossi boot. narrow forefoot and wide heel

sounds to me like you should be in a technica or salomon.

if new boots aren't in the budget, go to a bootfitter and have the 5th and 1st metotarcils punched. this will give you some extra room and not kill your feet. next time, don't buy a boot because it's a "freestyle boot" buy it because it fits properly

 
Yeah, the boot fitter recommended Technicas, but there weren't any in the shop...

And I actually didn't buy them for being a park boot, they were just the closest fit that was in the shop (they obviously had low stock). Dumb impulse buy on my part. Shoulda read this thread first...
 
Just off the top of my head, Check the Nordica Beast or Speedmachine 10/12 as well as Tecnica/Sally
 
this was so long that i got bored and stopped reading it, but yeah it was incredibly helpfull, at least for the part i read
 
With my boots it feels loose around my ankles and my heel, but when I tighten them down my foot starts to hurt. What's up with it? And also, can you stress out a boot over time?
 
TIghtening a boot wont improve heel/ankle hold - it will just put excess pressure over your instep.

A) Try custom footbeds first

B) Get a bootfitter to put some padding on the outside of your liner to fill out the space around the ankle

Did you mean 'Can you STRETCH out a boot over time?'

The shell won't stretch itself, generally made out of pretty heavy density polyether - Once again a shop that does good bootfitting can stretch them though - the fact that you aren't complaining about them being too tight says to me that you don't need them stretched..it sounds like if anything there is too much space?
 
thats way too vague of a question. how much do you weigh, what skis, where do you ski, and any general answer we can give from that is useless because we don't have your foot.
 
Just a note to people. Don't get to stoked on a certain boot. I got a wide foot, i wear 4Es, and i went to a shop looking forward to the new SPKs. They were ok, but kinda cramped. After hanging there and trying stuff, i finally walked out of there 2.5 hours later with Rossignol Bandits B12. So far, the only complaint is shin padding, but everything else (especially the bar at the bottom, works amazingly for rails) is perfect.
 
bingo!!

whenever you go shopping for a new boot keep an open mind to just about anything the bootfitter suggests. if you tell him you want an SPK and he says "bad idea" then let it go. work with what will fit you best and you'll be fine. remember, no one makes a shitty boot.

 
anyone know how much new liners cost? my friend's old boots actually fit me correctly fit, but the liners are beat to shit (not to mention they're not packed out to my foot). and i figured this would be way cheaper than new boots (cheapest i found are 230).
 
it really depends on the boot, intuition are going to be up there with the most expensive, but as a guide, the Salomon Custom fit pro liner is US$109, wholesale. So add about a 100% markup and you are over $200 - I'd say better off shelling out for intuitions
 
i bought salomon kreations size 27.5
little to big for me im mad
but i can keep them longer
when a land switch though (only off big kickers) it feels like me feet are going to come out of the boot.
Can i fix this in any way?
or just wait till my foot grows
 
go to a store and ask them to put some pads to stop heel lift on your liner. it will be two kidney shaped pads that will cup your heal and hold it down. This won't solve your problem but it will help. See if you can bring your boots back and get the right size. A decent shop will guarantee stuff.
 
I'm planning on purchasing new boots this summer, and after reading this guide, there is no way in hell I'm going to spend less than an hour in the shop. Ordinarily I'd go to my local shop, but we're in Connecticut and I feel like I would just be a hell of a lot better off getting them fit by someone who reaallly knows their shit. I have friends that are racers that have their boots done by a guy up at Stowe, but that's kind of a far drive. Does anyone know of any really good boot fitters in the Southern New England area? I'll have a decent summer job so price isn't really the issue. Thanks.
 
Il Moro vs. Rampage - which is stiffer? I'm guessing the rapage is, is it enough for all mountain (I'm quite light, 130lbs)...?

 
Il moro is stiffer but I personally prefer the rampage. The ratchet on the ilmoro can strip its teeth very quickly. I also prefer the standard liner over the intuition. I find the intuition more uncomfortable on the shin, it may have something to do with the fact the boot is taller than most.

Beware though dalbello liners pack out real quick, mine felt consdierably more sloppy after around 20 days use, they pack out quicker than a salomon liner for sure.

I have some conformable inner boot straps on mine, which basically adds a lace-up to the liner giving a much much more precise fit. I really like my dalbellos but sometimes I think there are a few flaws.

1) il moro ratchet (can get replacements from dalbello but expect a 4 week turnaround)

2) liners can rip just above the achillies (but they've changed the liners for next year to avoid this)

3) shells can crack (though thy will warantee it so make sure to hold onto your receipt)

You can make the rampage stiffer if you so desire by adding stiffeners which come with the boot or by ordering another tongue from dalbello.
 
if it doesnt say on the boot, then look up the model online or ask someone on here, but theyre gunna be really stiff since theyre racing boots
 
dont worry about what the flex # is. If you want to use that race boot as a comparison, just get the model name and go into the shop and ask them for something similar to it, or softer, or stiffer. Going into a shop and asking for a boot with a flex of 110, or whatever it may be, is useless. A person at a shop should be familiar with most boots and can compare them to other models.
 
Thanks for the thread.

I got a pair of '07/'08 Foils back in August of '08

they were my first pair of descent park boots. i rode them hard for the first few weeks of the season and i packed the shit out of the liner. they pretty much went up like half a size because i worked them in so much. I have a previous history of bad feet because i am flat booted and have hammer toes (when your toes permanately curl up because of walking with shoes not tied). The boots seemed alright. But i had to tweak them so much. First my heel was jamming against the back of the pocket, so my boot fitter got some foam insert to go on the heel of the liner. then i was getting blisters and my toes were slamming the front of the boot so he put in another thing under my footbed to take up volume. now im getting shin bang. im not really sure what to do cus i have tweaked these all season trying to get them right and the season is over and they still arent completely perfect. i still get shin bang sometimes and blisters. im not sure what i should do next season (get new liners, get an eliminator for shin bang, or get a whole new boot). does anyone have any advice?
 
it sounds as if your bootfitter does not have the most resources available or your boots dont fit you at all. if you are padding and shimming and adding things here adn there its not good.

Just a suggestion, it sounds like you might be wearing your boots too loose. Shinbang can occur from that, over flexing the boot and driving your heal into the back of the boot can happen from the boot being looser and therefore softer, and blisters and toes jamming can happen too. make sure your boots are nice and snug, like a firm grip on your foot.

another scenario. your boots are not right for you. They might be too soft causing you to over flex. and there is too much room in the boot. this is because the shell is too big, yes the liner bags out adn doesnt help, but the shell itself should be nicely fit to your foot.

another hint. if your toes only started hurting after he padded for your heel, its probably because that pad is pushing your foot forward. I would never put anything in behind the heel.
 
intuitions are not the most expensive.

from my experiance, conformable foam liners are the most expensive. to have them done you're looking at roughtly $400

intuitions are good if you've got raichle, dalbello or full tilt boots. otherwise they don't have any support on the tongue. i helped make a set for the head fitter at the shop i used to work at and took them out after 2 days because the tongue gave no support

 
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