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At least it's not a what tyres thread!
Possibly due to the end of dry January I've impulse booked a ski boot fitting for tomorrow.
I have no idea what I'm doing though, I've always hired everything and dealt with the discomfort of not great fitting boots. I figure even if I just get the cheapest ones in the shop (Ellis Brigham) having a decent fitting will mean they'll be better than hire boots but is there anything specific I should look for in a boot?
I basically ski blues and reds in the alps once a year for a week if I'm lucky, plus the very occasional day out in the Scottish mountains round here if the stars align (which they haven't so far this season). I do tend to ski with people better and faster than me, which I really enjoy the challenge of. But otherwise I'm a very average skier.
If everyone tells me it's not worth it for the expense + loss of suitcase space then...well I'll just have to put up with hurty feet.
Mods please move this into the ski and snowboard thread if we're not allowed anywhere else.
Where you getting them fitted? From my limited experience, go in with no preconceived ideas on what you want or like, be honest with the fitter about what you want to ski in them and take your time wearing each boot you try on for a while.
It turned out I’ve got particularly wide feet for my size, and a pronounced heel spur as well so took a fair bit of work to get a pair which worked for me. It’s only after I settled on a pair which were, and still are, incredibly comfortable, that I asked the price.
Oh, and it’s worth every penny IMO. My feet haven’t hurt since after a day of skiing. Never looked back.
is there anything specific I should look for in a boot?
The one that fits your foot shape best. You might be lucky at EB and get a fitter who knows what they're doing, or you may get the Saturday person who knows where the ski boots are kept
Yes, having your own bits will make a difference and it's definitely worth it, but it's DEFINITELY worth seeing a specialist bootfitter
Buying from EB is akin to buying a bike from Halfords: they sell good stuff and you might find staff who know what they're doing, but it's not the same as going to a reputable bike shop who will ensure the bike fits you and is fit for purpose
Sorry, should have spotted what @nbt says, if it’s EB it is pot luck who you get. I’d rather go to a specialist fitter. Mine took me about 90 minutes to find a pair and fit them. If they start trying to rush you then I’d get suspicious. Maybe even ask them how long they’ve been fitting.
Yeah, echo what has been said about EB. My brother had a bad experience where he came away with boots too big under their recommendation. He's been back several times, as additional work is "free", but they're either not bothered or can't sort it.
I went to an actual boot fitter, who glanced at my feet and pretty much told me the boot I needed. They still got me to try a load of others, but I bought the initial recommendation, which was the best. They've been bob-on.
New boots will be very cosy, as they pack down and wear in significantly after a week of so of skiing.
Yes it’s worth getting your own ski boots if you’re anything but an occasional skier.
No, Ellis Brigham is not the place to get them. You’ll likely end up with boots that are too big for you, so they’ll fit you well for a week before they pack down and are too sloppy on your feet.
Boot fitting takes a couple of hours at least.
Also this is not the time to buy ski boots, October/November is, when they’ve still got all models in all sizes available.
Damn, I thought EB was legit! I really know nothing 🤦
Any recommendations for where to go then? Ideally in Aviemore.
Don't go for the stiffest you can get "cos it's manly". If you are on blues/reds get something with a relaxed forward flex to help you get your weight forward. Admittedly it's difficult to gauge in the shop though. Oh and if you get a pair which make you want to put them on the morning they are very much worth it. Consider aftermarket insoles. It's been a long, long time since I skied due to dodgy knees but I wore Lange's softest on blues/reds/blacks.
As above really...
I actually got told off for asking the price of Cochise + Declivity 102s + Shifts in one shop in StAnton.
The dude basically said that I don't come in asking for a specific boot. He measures my feet, tells me which ones to try on then I buy them...
I’ve walked into a shop, they’ve looked at my feet and told me that they’ve nothing in stock to fit me, either try another shop or come back earlier next season.
Any recommendations for decent boot fitters from the morning crew?
Have a look on here;
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=5075137&highlight=boot+fitter+aviemore#5075137
Looks like Tiso or Aviemore Mountain Sports might be worth a try.
Any recommendations for where to go then? Ideally in Aviemore
Cairngorm Mountain Sports would be my pick (have had boots fitted there in past but I don't have fussy feet) but not sure how much alpine stock they carry.
Colin at Solutions for feet . Makes custom orthotics for ski boots and sells you the ones that you need.
I got my insoles , he recommended a pair of boots at around £300. Atomic Hawx 90's . Found a pair of Hawx in the correct size in 80 flex on eBay , unworn for £80.
The difference between these and every other ski boots was huge. Basically no pain , even skiing hard doing big miles in the 3 valleys out from 9 - 4 feet still in good shape
Solutions for Feet is quite a way from aviemore
Can't comment on fitters up your way sorry, definitely worth checking on snowheads though
a pair of boots at around £300. Atomic Hawx 90’s . Found a pair of Hawx in the correct size in 80 flex on eBay , unworn for £80.
Which did you buy?
80 flex ones off eBay . Did have a 50 mile drive to collect them tho . I'm not a racer and with cycling hamstrings need a bit of soft boot. Helps I'm only 74kg too. Done about 12 trips with them and they have a split across the top next to one of the buckles . Needs plasty welding really. if I even ski again.
My advice, is buy from a shop in the ski resort.
No matter how long you spend in the shop, they will need tweaking, may be more than once. The shop where you buy them from should/will do all that for free
If you are Scotland based some of the time could I suggest touring boots not pure alpine boots. Firstly having walking mode is great even if you stay on piste all the time. Secondly, skiing on piste in Scotland sometimes means walking. And thirdly, touring is way cooler than piste skiing and provided you are sensible you don't need to be a ski god to have fun. Plenty of touring boots fit in alpine bindings too so it's a win win unless you demand the latest and greatest in boot stiffness.
On boot fit.......it is amazing what getting your inners moulded can do for comfort. And that's before getting your shells punched or stretched. When I bought my boots I knew even less than I know now and bought what was tolerable out of the box and they were still painful in places. Now the inners have been heat moulded they are eerily comfortable and I could probably make the case they are too big/wide. Sadly, especially as a total know nothing Muppet, I'm not sure you know what boot is right when you try them on unmolested in the shop. It's only after they receive some heat treatment that the truth is apparent.
I would go to at least 2 shops that sell different brands . A shop is only ever going to sell you a brand they have in stock
Boot fitting is not a dark art. If it doesn’t feel comfortable when you put it on it never will
Wear the boot for at least 30 mins
If it doesn’t feel comfortable when you put it on it never will
Perhaps, if you are blessed with regular feet, boots feel comfy from the get go.
I'm cursed with skinny bony bumpy buggers that need fairly extensive work and no boots are ever comfy when I put it on.
After many pairs of boots and a few mistakes I know how to work with a fitter to get what I want, but it takes time, and a decent fitter.
Also, for novice boot buyers beware, if it feels comfortable initially there's a good chance they will be too big.
To be fair to Ellis Brigham, the Castleford branch did a pretty good job on mine. Although I did buy midweek in the middle of summer. The process took about 3 hours all in, including a fair bit of shell stretching and custom insoles to cope with my massively high arches. That was in 2018. I’ve literally just finished 8 days of skiing and have had zero problems with my feet. I was fairly specific that I wasn’t after the ultimate raciest, tightest, fit, but I did want to be able to wear them first lift to last every day for a week without pain. The desire for comfort hasn’t stopped me dabbling around off piste or blundering down black mogul runs either.
I don’t think it’s rocket science, but I do think it takes time and attention, so a mid season weekend is possibly not the best time, and I’d also want to understand myself what I’m after and what constitutes a “good” fit.
It's like buying any other footware. You go into a shop, try on various boots in various sizes and if there's are pair that feel very snug without being painfull, your heel doesn't lift at all (you'll need a ski to test this properly) when you press on the tongues with your tibia and the flex/angle suit your weight and skiing style you buy. If not you try another shop. I'm lucky enough to get into the ESF pro days in which all the major manufacturers have all their mid to up market boots to try on. There's always a pair that feels right somewhere without messing with stretching devices, 150e footbeds or whatever. I never take a blind bit of notice what the measuring devices or numbers on the boot say other than to say things like "this feels a bit tight in 28, have you got a 28.5".
Most boots use the same shell for two sizes, for example 28 and 28.5 use the same shell with different inners but 29 is a bigger shell. If your toes are touching in a 28 there's no point trying a 28.5 but if you just need a bit more volume there is.
Boots come from different countries with different foot morphologies. I find Italian brands too narrow, French/Austrian/German are wider and more likely to fit me. There's a pair somewhere to fit you, persist.
boot fitting is not a dark art. If it doesn’t feel comfortable when you put it on it never will
Nah.
I got a bit of a shock at New Year as my ski boots were a bit more knackered that I recall....
https://flic.kr/p/2pwdxEf
😟🥵🙂
You can see the pink bits where each side of my ankle bone wore completely through the inner padding and rubs against the shell.
Had to be careful not to knock the resultant scabs off in the shower each evening. That extra padding was essential next day.
Last two days I had no chance of putting the boots on in one go. Had to try to take out the inner boot, vaguely press the padding into approximately the right place then put the inner on, jiggle it about a bit then try to put the outer shell on without it all collapsing.
God knows what a new stiff pair would feel like, I think these are Flex Index 25 or something. Although having the plastic shell pretty much on my ankle bones does make them responsive.
Whaddaya think. Will they last another 40km week?
Whaddaya think.
Whowever sold you those boots saw you coming. 😉
That photo is so unutterably vile, I felt the need to post the other one.
https://flic.kr/p/2pwcJEH
I just need to psyche myself up to splash for a new pair. These are about 15 years old so I guess it works out cheap per metre....
Especially given that I could probably recoup some of the money by flogging these on eBay 👿😝
Whowever sold you those boots saw you coming. 😉
Gottem in St Anton. Had spent the morning off piste on Bachseite having a whale of a time. Unfortunately there wasn't much of a base in December and as I rounded a corner at high speed I flew down and into the aforementioned Bach. My skis stopped, the bottom of my ski boots stopped and there was a very nasty crunch as something inside the ski boot broke apart.
So I wobbled down and urgently bough these ones which were fine for about ten years and then progressively more and more painful each time I wore them for the last five....
I was a boot fitter for EB, though about 12 years ago. We averaged about 3 hours, sold with no preconceptions on brand, but only on foot shape, and went through plenty of training (no Saturday staff, only trained boot fitters were allowed to fit boots).
Comparing to Halfords is unfair imo - mountain warehouse maybe, but not EB.
The manager at Aviemore knows her stuff (she trained me...) though I'm fairly sure she manages the store rather than fits boots these days. But, I'd be very comfortable buying boots at her store 👌
Nice day mooching around Aviemore. I popped into Tiso & Mountain Sports but they had very little stock other than the high end stuff and frankly I felt a bit intimidated by the price tags (also Tiso didn't seem to have anyone around upstairs other than someone restocking shelves and studiously ignoring me).
I had my appointment in EB and the chaps there were really patient and great at walking through the process. I can understand that an experienced skier would want a more experienced fitter, but no, I don't think the staff at EB in Aviemore have much in common with the saturday lads at Halfords. Good booking system, didn't rush or hard sell, etc.
In the end though I walked out after a good 2 hours without actually purchasing anything - think I would have been another hour if I'd gone through with doing the moulds etc. I now have a much better appreciation of what to look for/think about when I'm next wearing some boots in anger, and then be more prepared for another fitting session. It's a lot of money so no point rushing it.
Thanks for everyone's help and advice.
I fell it's worth mentioning that fitted over hired boots makes a real difference, So well worth spending the money on a good fitted pair. I went to Solutions4feet 9ish years ago and my boots are still going strong at about a week's use a year, maybe 2 when I've been lucky.
I had a pair fitted in the local Alpine idyll that is Peterborough ~25 years ago when I first started skiing. They had a mebbies 3 models all the same brand. I bought a pair and on opening the box at home, had a 27/27.5 left and 28/28.5 right... I thought the fit was OK not knowing any difference and coming from a mountaineering background, a bit big as I was programmed to have room for the toes.
Fast forward, the tongue on one shattered last year so I've just bought another pair. One mondo size smaller and one size narrower. No wonder the old wellies were comfortable.
I had to have the shells fettled a bit away skiing last week as whilst they were OK in the shop, after a few hours charging around - they were purgatory. All good for another 20 years now 😄
Don't skimp on boots, go to a decent shop either in a skiing area or with a good rep and listen to the auld fella sorting you out.