Footbeds for hire boots?

Might be a good time to point out a common misconception.....you don't get fitted boots because your feet are uncomfortable. That's easily solved by buying oversize boots and gel insoles. Fitted boots should improve your skiing. You can take a weeks worth of lesson every year, for ten years, and still not make the progress you might in a day, in well fitted boot. Once most people hit the intermediate level, the biggest barrier to improving is their boots.

Hi guys thanks for the further comments. I guess the consensus is I need to buy a pair of boots! If only my good lady saw things that way however after bargaining the weeks holiday away from her and kids, the £700 cost of the holiday a few hundred more on après ski and slope side lunches I think if I announce I'm spending a further £400-£500 on a pair of boots it could be the divorce courts for me :(

I have thought about this. Given that when you hire ski boots, you are wearing twentieth hand boots, that will rarely fit properly, why not buy a second hand pair of ski boots?

Visit your ski shop, and get your feet measured ~ you need to establish the shell size, and also any likely areas where a boot shell may need adjusting.

Then go search on ebay, restricting to your local area. You will find a pair for £20/£50. Try them on, if they feel good, and you buy them, then you can choose to have footbeds made. I don't use footbeds, as I have a shaped innersole that I transfer from my day shoes.

Before writing this, I ran this past CEM, our resident ski boot guru. This is his reply:
"not ideal, but better than rental, just a case of getting the right size/shape (ish)"
So, like me, CEM takes a pragmatic view.
You can also buy new boots from Amazon at £150 ish. I would venture that you may find a better quality used pair on ebay.

The money you save on future boot hire can go towards your new ambition ~ which is to ski every year!