Advice on best brand ski boots for women with Narrow feet

I know this question must keep cropping up, and I've searched old threads to see if there is anything on here, but not found any answers. As I've arrived at yet another birthday, I thought I'd treat myself to new ski boots. The ones I bought last year caused my toe nails to go black; were so painful I had to hire some on holiday (it's a long story). The nails came off a few weeks ago; the new ones have firmed up, so thought now was the time to start searching again. I have a really narrow foot, only 90mm wide, 23.5 length, average instep, and nothing else unusual about my feet. But when I ski, I prefer a more upright stance than normal, due to hip/knee problems, and because I use very short skis... I also use a Snowbike! I'm a timid intermediate when skiing, but pretty bold on a Snowbike (4 points of contact with the snow, low centre of gravity and a seat are great confidence boosters!) I use tiny footskis with the Snowbike, there is very little pressure on the shins when riding, and as long as my toes don't hit the front, I've not had a problem. But skiing is another matter.

I know I need to buy from a reputable boot fitter (as I thought I had last time) but does anyone out there know which boot manufacturers lean towards a narrower last, without being a stiff racing boot, so I can start to eliminate some of the choice, as there are so many!

Thanks

Have a look at Rossingnol boots, from personal experience I found them to be narrow fitting especially around the calf, Switched to Salomon now & found this brand to be the best all round fit.

Finn

Welcome to J2ski :D You do have quite a narrow foot, though there must be boots out there for you. Don't worry about being offered a stiff racing boot, as a proper bootfitter has sneaky ways of making the flex softer and more friendly. A Juniors Race boot might do the trick, as long as you are fitted properly. Get the right shell shape 1st, then let them work their magic.

Perhaps send an email to fellow J2skier and bootfitting wizard, CEM, for advice on reputable fitters local to you. I think he knows pretty well every one. Find him here.....

http://www.solutions4feet.com/index.php

I have almost identical foot size to you by the sound of it and have Dalbello boots.

Thanks everyone, much appreciated. At least I have a few names now. I've seen some pictures that show the width of the boot with an arrow going diagonally from the widest point on the inside to the widest on the outside, (the Lange booklet was like this). If I do it that way then the template measures 95mm, but standing between two parallel lines like the measuring device in the shop, it is just 90 mm. My worry about racing boots is that it might force me stay in bent position, as though skiing when stood in lift queues and on cable cars, that's when the uncontrollable leg trembling starts and I look as though I'm having a fit. I need to be able to straighten my legs up to relieve the tension. I'm wondering if buying boots in the resort is an option, there always seems to be lots of makes we don't have in the UK and at least then I can go back to the shop at the end of each day if needs be.

not sure how many forums i have to answer this on but ...here we go again......

the last measurements in ski boots start life in size 26/26.5 the boots reduce in width as you go down in size...now as for which boot will suit you ..impossible to say without seeing your feet but there are a few in 99mm (lange exclusive) 98mm, (lange super exclusive, atomic Renu, Atomic CS80, salomon instinct dalbello krypton) anything below that is 100% race boot

now the biggest problem is what you want to do with them... all these boot shave a forward lean of between 14 and 17 degrees, this means they are designed to hold you in a flexed forward position...now there are two things which could be going on to cause a problem with this

1 you are using it for ski biking (call it what you will) this requires an upright boot so that your toes do not ram into the front of the boot due to the very nature of how you use the boots (AS A BRAKE FOR ONE) at this point do not buy a fitted ski boot, just get soemthing your feet are comfortable in.

or

2 you have a limited flexion at the ankle, this will require the assistance of a fitter who understands biomechanics of the foot and ankle, you will need a footbed and probably need a heel lift and possibly the cuff ofg the boot made more upright (pretty major job)

all this written on line is...well purely subjective as i have said without seeing your feet i am guessing as to what will work

good luck

Thanks CEM ....for your patience!

We don't actually use the feet as brakes on the bikes, as the heels of the short skis would carve holes in the piste, which would spoil it for everyone else, it's something beginners do, but once you have used them for a couple of hours, you hardly use your feet at all - you stop the same way skiers do. But yes, there are times when the angle at the ankle is that of someone standing upright in their boots, conversely there are times when the angle is far more acute than that of a skier, especially on moguls when the suspension creates a more extreme flexion in all angles, as your weight increases. As you say, as long as the boot is comfortable and it fits well enough to skate, job done. It's skiing where the problems begin, even an hour at our local indoor snow centre is now off limits as the Salomon hire boots their don't fit, 23.5 too small, 24.5 too big.

The Dalbello site is showing 3 models with a last of 98mm, Storm, Lotus, and Kryzma, but 2 are high performance boots. I'll check the others you mention, but price will also have to be a consideration; otherwise I'll have great boots, but no holiday!

It may be an idea to consider different boots for the snowbike. Some alpine snowboard boots have a wide range of forward lean options and a soft forward flex, ideal for the application. These are raichle (now called Deelux) boots. you could use three or four buckle, but would need the type of lean adjuster shown. Hard to find in the UK, but easily purchased cheaply on the German ebay. I have set this boot lean to upright with the flick of a lever. This would mean two pairs of boots, but if you spend a lot of time on the snowbike, I think you would find it worthwhile.






Trencher