Stepping Into New Ski Boots

Ready for a new pair of boots this winter?

First thing to remember: Feet are as variable as snowflakes. So when you go looking for new boots, your quest is for the ultimate fit that marries both comfort and performance FOR YOU.

Obviously, the ratio of comfort to performance changes from skier to skier. If you're a novice, you probably want pure comfort. But if you're bashing gates, busting bumps or thrashing trees, performance becomes paramount. There's a reason racers raise their arms in victory at the finish line and then immediately bend down to unbuckle their boots: They hurt!

 

Boot-buying tips: Assess old boots for comfort and performance and make a list of their pluses and minuses. Take your time and make sure the boot fitter takes time with you, too. Take along the appropriate socks to try on boots. Generally speaking, the thinner the better. At the very least, get shell fit for correct length,. Don't be fooled by all the gadgets designed to make a boot "fit" every foot that walks through the door.

For comfort, boots should hold the foot without excessive motion, but allow some toe-wiggle room. That often conflicts with performance, which is largely based on the degree of resistance the boot has to the motions of skiing. Since the advent of shaped skis, experts look for more flex front to back than they once did, and more stiffness side to side to quickly transfer lateral motions directly to the ski.

So, having an idea of what you want and armed with the latest boot test results and cross referencing it with your buddy the ski-wiz, you set out to find that perfect boot to make you an instant celebrity on snow. But wait!

Before you go shopping for boots take a few moments to assess your old boots for both comfort and performance. Make a list of their pluses and minuses. If the pluses outweigh the minuses, your old boots may just need modifying - much cheaper than buying new boots.

If you do need new boots (the duct tape doesn't keep out water any more, for example), take that list of what's right and wrong with your old boots with you when you go shopping.

List the obvious things like overall comfort, how well they hold your foot, if you develop pressure points, and whether your toes get cold.

Also pay attention to some second-tier issues: problems with putting the boots on or taking them off, more difficulty turning in one direction than the other, problems pressuring the fronts of your skis, or chronic muscle or joint fatigue or pain.

Good boot fitters will ask you about these and other issues. If they won't spend the time with you to assess your needs and help get you into the right boots, go to another shop.

The one thing a sales person in a ski shop can do is help you get the right size ski boots. Sadly, however, I've been earning a living by solving boot fit problems for more than 25 years, and I can say with confidence that at least 75 percent of all the boots people have brought to me were too big for them. Compounding that problem are the facts that feet often shrink in the cold, the toe boxes of liners stretch and the padding in heel pockets "pack out," or compress.

If your boot is too big in the shop, it will be even worse on the slopes.

Paul Richelson is the owner of Feet First, a certified pedorthist and custom boot fitter based in Plymouth, NH; 1-800-371-3447.