How are boots supposed to fit?

chazz.

chazz.

Active member
I know this is a long read but any real and good advice would be beyond appreciated, thanks in advance!

How are boots supposed to fit? I know this sounds like a stupid question, but I’m being totally serious. I come from a racing background, where my plugs were about as painful as possible in order to have “complete control”. I never really bought into that, and thought personally that a better fitting boot would perform better than a cold-plastic-shell-nightmare-boot. Before those boots (Technica Diablo 130s) I had some Salomon X-Wave 10’s and before that some gaper Nordica’s. Neither of those I liked as well. So since I was done racing this season, I needed new boots and assumed I needed a stiffer boot since I was used to a high flex and like control over my skis no matter where I go. Also I assumed the common last of 98mm, which my plugs were, would also be fine for my next pair. I went to a shop, to a bootfitter, and was fitted and molded for a pair of Full Tilt Konflicts. No trend following here, that’s what fit the best out of the shop’s selection. Here’s the problem, I have stupidly wide feet. I’ve also always assumed that since most boots out there are 98mm last, there must be some unspoken rule that a tight-squeeze fit is optimal for control and is the best overall last. Lately though in my Konflicts it is extremely apparent that I need a wider boot not only because of some pain that I am experiencing, but also because I am no longer primarily concerned with control but instead being able to stay in my boot comfortably all day long. HERE’S THE MAIN QUESTION (yay for caps lock) Are boots supposed to fit like the squeeze of death, in terms of width? Are they supposed to smash your toes together and into each other? Do the majority of people have feet that comfortably fit into a 98mm last? I know boots are supposed to fit “snugly” but what does that actually mean? Can most people stay in their boots all day long, without any discomfort? How many people have to unbuckle their boots every run? I want a boot that I can stay in all day long, fits “snug” so I can still control my skis obviously, but doesn’t hurt so bad because it’s squeezing my toes together. Besides making another 3 hour trip to my closest bootfitter, what can I do? Should I just see if a bootfitter could mold out the shell (which is really thin) where I’m having width problems? Any advice from any shop techs or bootfitters? Advice from 14 year olds is probably not needed, thanks…I just want to know if it is normal for your toes to be smashed together or if I am clearly in too narrow of a last(98mm). To add, when my bare foot is spread out over a ruler the width is about 120mm at the widest point.

 
allways gets boots 2 sizes bigger than your show, so then you can layer up on socks and be warm and it makes hard landings insta soft :)

well certain boot brands have different characteristics (sp?) from what ive herd salomon has a wider shell, and fulltilt and dalbello have narower shells, but dalbello has a higher volume/taller shell. there are more boot stats in this thread.https://www.newschoolers.com/web/forums/readthread/thread_id/311248/ its in like the tenth paragraph.
 
Well to answer one of your questions No the majority of people dont have 98 mm width foots. A 98 last foot is relatively narrow, Two from what i have learned is that the Heel needs to be locked down in order to control skis. This however does not mean that you shouldn't be able to wiggle your toes or have any comfort at all. Actually If you go to a boot fitter that really knows what hes doing you can get a nice compromise between the two. I was recently fitted for some Full tilts and know im not a trend whore but While i was there I asked as many questions as i could. To me it seems that the fit of boots is completely dependent on the person and it really takes much research and effort to get a good compromise between comfort and control. For me i prefer control but in my fulltilts I have wiggle room in the toes. I searched for a long time before i decided on those. I don't know if that helps at all but i tried.
 
you've got a few options. you could go back to a boot fitter that knows what they're doing and have them blow out the forefoot of the full tilt to give you a little more room, or, if you bought them from a reputable shop, they should have a fit guarantee. clearly, the boot as it stands is too narrow. if you're looking for a high performance boot that's a bit wider, you might want to check out the tecnica agent or nordica speed machines. the lange fluid shell could work for you too, but i can't really say without seeing your feet. clearly, anything based off a race boot is not gonna work for you with a wider foot, so that rules out full tilts (sorry), lange banshees, salomon falcons, and the higher end head freeride boot.
 
Your boots should fit snug. Your toes should not be squeezed together. There should be a little room for movement, but not too much room. Your toes should, ideally, just barely touch the toe of the boot. Not squeezed toward the toe of the boot, but, if you slam the heel of the boot on the ground, your toes should be just barely touching the end. Just enough that you can tell that the end of the boot is there, but not so much that your toes are squeezed at the end. I don't know if that makes sense/if I explained that well enough.

Your only real option is to see a bootfitter. If your boots are squeezing your toes together, that's never a good sign. A bootfitter can specialize the fit beyond heat molding. Just go to a bootfitter. Trust me.
 
How much difference does 4mm make? Seems like it would be almost unnoticeable, but ive hear rumors about full tilt releasing a wide boot next season with a last of 102mm, and everyone is like YEA finally a full tilt i can fit into!!! Really? Im being serious, is 4mm noticeable? Like with my width problems would that 4mm help me out and still be able to stay in the 3-piece design?
 
you've probably considered this but i've been told that as foootbeds alters the way your foot sits and with their added support they can have a slimming effect upon feet, unlike an unsupported foot which has a tendency to splay out. and yea 98mm is narrow apparently but that's what i have, a bit of little toe numbness after a few hours but nothing major and that's in a lange which has a pretty low volume fit overall.
 
i have customs that i saved from my race boots and they dont even fit in my konflicts, like they take up too much space and i cant even get my foot in. plus my bootfitter said intuitions are supposed to be ski in without a footbed.
 
They shouldnt be that uncomfortable. I do know that Full Tilt's boots seem skinnier than some others, and I have also heard that SPKs are wider, so you might check out the SPKs
 
You want a boot that locks in your heel, that's where your control comes from. I ride in 98 mm last boots and they fit amazing on me, but I have narrow feet. In the toes you want to be able to feel the end of the boot but not be crammed into it, as for the width, it's pretty much the same deal. Feel but not be crammed into it. The sides of your foot should be snug but not painfully pressing. I crank my boots all the way tight, and they fit snug as fuck but they don't hurt me. They just give my feet an extended bear hug. I never have to unbuckle on the lift or between runs either. If you have a good custom footbed and a boot that fits your foot then you should be comfy all day while having complete control over your skis.

I find good fitting ski boots for people all day when I'm at work so I know quite a bit about fit and comfort (or lack of) in ski boots.. you can pm me if you have any questions. My best guess would be to go to a bootfitter who knows what they are doing, have them check your feet out (width, shape, arch height, etc), and have them put you into a boot they think will work well for you.. it sounds like you tried this but your fitter put you into a boot that is too narrow.

But really the most important thing is having your heel locked in and foot locked down so it can't move. This doesn't necessarily mean you want your shit all crammed in there though.
 
you can ski the intuition liner with a footbed. The important thing is that once you put your foot in the boot stomp down as hard as you can on the ground a few times. That liner wants to expand both ways, meaning that it will try to push the footbed up. If you stomp down, you make the bottom of the liner as thin as possible allowing for more room to accommodate the footbed. You must remold your liner though if you want to use a footbed!!
Also, you can try having the boot blown out, that might help. I've also found that in FT boots, where the buckles are attached there is a lip on the inside that can be ground down with a dremel tool. That will help eliminate a few pressure points that I have found to be common with a FT boot.
 
Dumb question, and someone off topic, but here goes.
My current boots, dalbello raves, appear to fit improperly (too loose), but I don't have enough experience with boot fit to really know.
1) if I try to tip stand, or anything involving leaning forward on my skis, my heel lifts up significantly and the only thing really holding my foot in is my overly tight upper straps and my power strap.
2) as I said above, I have to have my top two straps painfully tight in order to have a modicum of control (I find that my muscles around this area become very tender after a long day of skiing, and to me it seems that this is as a result of overly tight straps, and not tired muscles. i've skiied 25 or so days this season)
3) my bottom two straps are on the tightest setting and they tend to fall off while I ski
4) my toes never touch the front of my liner, ever
It seems obvious that I need smaller boots, but I guess i'm just looking for a definite answer.
 
It's not a lot on a ruler, but it makes a huge difference in terms of space all around your foot. A boot jumps up a size after 10mm in length, so 4mm of width is really huge difference.
 
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