Custom fitted boots....but on a budget!

Rossf wrote:

I don't own slippers

My ski boots are like slippers, and have been since the day I bought them. Let's hear it for rear entry boots! 8)


Bandit wrote:

My feet feel like they belong in the boot. Everything touches, but there is no cramping feeling.

That's a nice description to give someone on how a boot should feel.

You mentioned Ellis Brigham. I used to hang around his shop in Cathedral street, when I was a hard up skier/mountain walker. Skied on his dry ski slope, about 20ft long, under a railway arch!

Ellis is a kind man. I look after the grave of a Manchester guy that died skiing in Niederau, early 70's. The chap was a friend of Ellis, and when it came to an expensive grave restoration a couple of years ago, Ellis was very helpful.

bandit wrote:Superduke_Chris, remember, if a boot is really comfy straight out of the box, then it's likely to be too big. Once the lining compacts down, from about 5 weeks use onwards, the fit can go all sloppy. It's possible for a fitter to "blow" a shell out to suit your foot, but much harder to make an oversize boot smaller. Most folks give up and purchase more boots.

I cannot endorse what Bandit has just said enough. I bought my boots 2 years ago, and have skied 6 weeks in them. I bought them because they were the most comfortable boots I tried on, with the advice from the shop assistant in Austria. I was not offered a custom fitting or even had it discussed, but the boots felt perfect. They also felt amazing the first 4 weeks I skied in them. Then, coincidently, I bought some more advanced skis, and suddenly I was spending all day adjusting the boots, taking them off at lunchtime and starting again, but never quite enjoying the fit I had the 4 previous weeks. I put it down to the new skis, my improved technique, and the fact that the boots were packing the linings more. Probably a combination of all 3.
I have been in to Snow & Rock and asked for their advice, and they have packed the boots out with some foam, which I am yet to test, but the guy reckoned it might get me 1 decent weeks skiing out of them. I have also bought some insoles to put under the linings to see if this makes the difference, as basically the boots now feel loose on my foot, and I end up doing them up on to the tightest fastening early in the day, giving me nowhere to go as the day goes on.
Assuming neither of these quick and cheap fixes work, the advice I was given was to buy some new boots, and make sure I have a custom fitting.

Buying in resort is all well and good, in terms of cheap boots, but I would agree that the cost for a custom fitting, with the option to return with any problems included, would be well worth it in the long run. Otherwise, expect to buy new boots every couple of years, as I may yet find myself doing this season.

Tony_H wrote:

Otherwise, expect to buy new boots every couple of years, as I may yet find myself doing this season.

Tony, I have had my Raichle for 16 years, they still handle perfectly well. And that is with multiple weeks skiing each year, so approaching 60 weeks.

I had my previous pair of San Marcos for about the same length of time, until they cracked.

I am not a boot expert, Ise and bandit are the knowledgable folk. But thinking from first principles, if the boots did fit well, what has changed? (I suspect in your case it may be something to do with the binding/binding location)

Capabilities have moved on, and if I did develop a boot issue, I would go for a boot set-up. However, I would caw canny on how this is done. My observations are that you may go to a place with a good reputation, and still receive a bad fitting. My belief is that you need to go the the recommended individual.

Dave Mac wrote:

Tony, I have had my Raichle for 16 years, they still handle perfectly well. And that is with multiple weeks skiing each year, so approaching 60 weeks.

Dave Mac, ISTR that the liner foam on your Raichle boots are of a different compound to most modern ski boot liners. Less likely to compress.

Dave Mac wrote:
I am not a boot expert, Ise and bandit are the knowledgable folk. But thinking from first principles, if the boots did fit well, what has changed? (I suspect in your case it may be something to do with the binding/binding location)

I'm not a boot expert, actually I only know what works for me and my OH, and can't claim any expertise connected with ski gear. Some of it is common sense, some I have learned the hard way with mistakes costing £££

For me, what has probably changed for Tony, is that he's skiing harder, with better skill and needs his boots to be an extension of his legs. Modern piste skis require precision to make them really carve well, and any sloppiness in a boot gets magnified when it reaches the ski. Then, because the foot is moving in the boot, you get friction/toe bang/blisters all of which are bad.

Tony, if the Snow & Rock foam padding is insufficient, then it may be worth emailing cem for advice, as there is a product which might help called a "boot bra" (no jokes please). I know of them but I have never seen them in the ski shops. I bet the dealers hide them away as it's much easier if we all buy new boots.

Dave Mac wrote:

Tony, I have had my Raichle for 16 years, they still handle perfectly well. And that is with multiple weeks skiing each year, so approaching 60 weeks.

For most of the winters that I worked in the alps I was skiing in Raichle Flexon Comps and I regularly got 2 seasons (40/45 weeks)out of a pair. Great boots, tempted to get a pair of the relaunched Full Tilt boots. Funny how a 20 year old design hasn't been surpassed.
Boots with heat moldable liners seem to only give 15/20 weeks before packing out to an unacceptable level.

Dave Mac wrote:
My observations are that you may go to a place with a good reputation, and still receive a bad fitting. My belief is that you need to go the the recommended individual.

I would definitely agree.

There is another reason for uncomfortable boots which I believe (but can rarely prove) that I come across from time to time.

I often see people on the slopes who rarely, if ever, bend their ankles whilst skiing. They don't balance but rather are held up by the back of their boots and a straight leg. This results in their toes and/or the nerves on the lower shin being 'squashed' and their calf muscle being constricted.

I dont care how well your boots fit, if you ski like this you will get sore feet.

edit: I'm not suggesting this has anything to do with anything posted above. Its just something I come across from time to time.

bandit wrote

How many weeks skiing do you get from a pair of boots?

My last pair, I had for twelve years and I still use them on the dry slope. There is a lot of over priced ski gear out there which in my opinion will not make me into a better skier, I look at the price of ski's abroad and at home 400, 500 600 euro totally over priced. By the way I forgot you asked how many weeks of use out of my ski boots, about thirty weeks in the twelve years.

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Ian Wickham wrote: There is a lot of over priced ski gear out there which in my opinion will not make me into a better skier, I look at the price of ski's abroad and at home 400, 500 600 euro totally over priced.

I cant argue with that, but if you look at the historical price of gear it hasn't gone up much.

A pair of Salomon Impact 10s for example are about £230 ish. Twenty Five years ago a pair of Salomon SX 90s were about £190. (going from memory but I'm pretty sure thats accurate) or is senility finally catching up with me )

Neiltoo wrote:

I often see people on the slopes who rarely, if ever, bend their ankles whilst skiing. They don't balance but rather are held up by the back of their boots and a straight leg. This results in their toes and/or the nerves on the lower shin being 'squashed' and their calf muscle being constricted.

That's a perceptive point Neil, it ties up with bandit's note about gain of experience/increase in speed. Should also apply to increasing steepness. It is the old "natural reaction" that starts at the beginner stage.

I am still of the opinion that thre is a technical reason for Tony's issue. The change seemed to be marked by a change in ski, and possibly binding, although Tony didn't make that clear.