New skis and old boots

Had my first week on my new skis (Blizzard X Cross 10) in Sauze/Sestriere/Montgenevre last week, and have to say the difference was noticeable right from the off. I was able to really throw myself around on these, and my mate (Skidaddle) even commented one morning in Sestriere after one nice long red that I looked "spot on" going down it, which believe me, from him is praise indeed!

However, having found the perfect skis for me now, my boots (had approx 4 weeks skiing out of them) now feel bigger than they were, and I am tightening them almost as far as they will go. I assume this is normal, and nothing to do with my feet shrinking, but is there something I can do, apart from buying some new boots? I rather like the ones I have got, but I do need to do something.

Skidaddle suggested a simple insole.....any other suggestions, or is this the way forward?

Cheers

It's quite a normal experience if your boots were not fitted properly to start with :mrgreen:

I bet they felt quite comfy in the shop :D Depending on how sloppy they are, a decent bootfitter might be able to salvage them.
There has been plenty of discussion about boots on here recently.

bandit wrote:There has been plenty of discussion about boots on here recently.

Just search for "deviant"

Trencher

Seriously.

Take the liners out and remove the insoles that came with the boot.

Get a cheap pair (all you are looking to do is reduce the boot's volume) and put them in first, followed by the original ones.

Worked an absolute treat for me and the fit was as good as new.

Cheap as.

I may even have something you can use.

Do as I did and listen to yer man skiddadle!

Bandit is right, new boots that fit for life will feel far too small for the first week of skiing and hurt like hell too.
I bought a pair of boots last season (Salmon Falcon 9's) from Footworks in Chamonix and they killed my feet for about 5 or 6 days skiing, but then next day after a hard days skiing they felt great and have ever since.
If anyone is going to Chamonix I can not recommend footworks any higher.

I know this is no help now but...... )

skidaddle wrote:Seriously.

Take the liners out and remove the insoles that came with the boot.

Get a cheap pair (all you are looking to do is reduce the boot's volume) and put them in first, followed by the original ones.

.

It can help, but if the shell is too long for your foot, they will never feel solid without a lot of pressure from the buckles (nearly always uncomfortable). Also if you use a shim, make sure it is not too spongy as this will allow some rotational play of your foot.

Try a shell test. Put your foot in to the empty shell. Slide your toes to the front and see how much room there is behind your heel. With most boots 13mm to 25mm would be good depending on the liner (was it a whole size or 1/2 size eg 28.0 or 28.5)

I find about 13mm to 15mm works for me.

Trencher

Your boots were good in previous four week usage, they should be good now.

In my humble, but reletavely experienced view:

You should not have to overtighten the clips

You need not go through a week of pain in order for the boots to fit for life, they should fit from the outset.

Clips do stretch slightly, and inners do compress slightly, but not normally in a way that sounds to be significant.

Something may be different this time from previous trips. Different snow or slopes, you have made a step change in speed/ability, you have developed a back/knee problem that is changing pronation.

A knowledgable boot fitter, with good measuring equipment should be able to assist. You will have your under-foot shape checked, and an internal inner sole made to measure.

I confess to the odd diy measure, eg the application of patches of "Second Skin" fitted to the outside of the liner, where required.

A much bigger confession follows..... and this is the first time to be related outside of a pub..

During my second full season in Niederau, the liner in my Kastinger boots, (lord, I may be giving my age away), starting to get compressed. I thought about this for a while, and then my engineering training came to the fore.

What I need is a pair of inner soles, says I, not the namby pamby supermarket stuff, but real inner soles, made from authentic Austrian carpet.

I often wondered after the end of the season, at what stage did the Haus Frau spot the carpet tile under the bed, with a left and right size 10 foot shape missing.......