Ski boots

Steve,
If you're comfortable on reds I wouldn't call you a beginner. According to the lesson groups I've been in, if you can pole plant and parallel turn on reds and go down blacks (not on your backside I mean) then you're upper intermediate, if you can't quite manage this then you're lower intermediate, and if you can carve down reds and parallel turn on blacks and do a bit of off-piste and moguls then you count as advanced. I rather think experts can ski like James Bond and the ski instructors :D

But everyone seems to have a different way of defining ski ability levels.

Anyway, I just told the boot technician what I could and couldn't do on the ski slopes and he gave me a flex of 90. I'd done 6 weeks of ski-ing as an adult by then, including 4 weeks of lessons. So if you do the same I would think you'll be fine.

Ally

I'm on pair of boots number 3 after having them "properly" fitted at Ellis Brigham. first 2 pairs were too big, but when you are a novice you aren't sure what boots should feel like and seems as soon as you get to the resort, lower temperatures, everything is different with the boot.

I now have the right size, as in length of boot,but the rest of the fit seems wrong.

Having a correct fit for any sport footware is important and only experience/time lets you know what that feels like for you. The only thing I can relate it too is football boots and trainers after playing footy and running for many years you soon knew when trying new footware on what was right and what was not.

For me I think I will be contacting a certain J2skier to get mine looked at, as he is only 15 mins down the road, could be the best money I spend as the first hour of every day in my boots is a nightmare.

Bizarely, one of our group this year decided it was time he purchased some boots and what better place to do it, in a resort with people who have dealt with this sort of thing for years. All that happened for him was foot measurement, a quick check on fit and that was it, he has now worn them for 10 days skiing no problems!

So I'm more confused than ever!!!!

Yeah, maybe it will be better to get boots on your next ski trip as there is normally at least one good bootfitter in a resort. Try to research in advance as they can be busy and you will need an appointment. And you can go straight there from the slopes if you need further adjustments. I wouldn't worry too much about the flex unless you are particularly lightweight or unfit. It's more of a problem for women than for men. In any case the bootfitter will address this too.

TC wrote:

For me I think I will be contacting a certain J2skier to get mine looked at, as he is only 15 mins down the road, could be the best money I spend as the first hour of every day in my boots is a nightmare.

He's taking his bootfitting kit mobile and heading to the British Champs in Meribel on Fri AFAIR, so won't be in the office for a week or longer.

If he's only 15 mins down the road, why on earth did you go to EB's :?:

AllyG wrote:Steve,
If you're comfortable on reds I wouldn't call you a beginner. According to the lesson groups I've been in, if you can pole plant and parallel turn on reds and go down blacks (not on your backside I mean) then you're upper intermediate, if you can't quite manage this then you're lower intermediate, and if you can carve down reds and parallel turn on blacks and do a bit of off-piste and moguls then you count as advanced.

Not quite sure which book or magazine you got this out of, but you've made my day as according to the Ally G scale of skiing ability, I am an advanced skier. I'd have called myself a decent intermediate personally, as I don't really like moguls, can do a bit of off piste quite badly but love to have a go at it, I can parallel down a black no problem (the Hara Kiri with hard packed "sandpaper" confirms this for me) and can carve my Neo's quite nicely on a nice wide open red.

According to the scale in the EB and S&R catalogues, I've been putting myself at something around a 7ish.

Anyway, back to the boots issue, and all I can say is:

First pair of boots I bought (in resort with some limited advice from the bod in the shop) were very comfy.....for the first couple of weeks, and then they started to feel to big.

I am on my 2nd pair now, and dropped down 1.5 sizes, which confirms the first pair were too big.

I think all I can say is that it is so important to have boots that fit correctly, as the difference you notice on the skis is huge. I'd recommend that someone should not buy on budget, but buy what is advised and seek some kind of money back or replacement guarantee from the retailer in case the fit is painful or turns out to be incorrect.

I went from Atomics to Salomons, and down 1.5 sizes. Initially I thought the new boots felt too tight, and day on the slopes I did a lot of adjusting, but I now put them on and very often don't change the adjustments all day, unless we venture off piste in which case they tend to work a little looser anyway.

But please, do seek good advice, and don't end up buying something that feels right when you try it on, as the chances are it won't be.

If he's only 15 mins down the road, why on earth did you go to EB's

Spending some time at MK on the slope learning and recreational preactice it seemed logical to go to EB as they seemed to know what they were doing and then get help as required.

Basically, didn't know any better, but do now thanks to all the threads on here!!!

TC wrote:

If he's only 15 mins down the road, why on earth did you go to EB's

Spending some time at MK on the slope learning and recreational preactice it seemed logical to go to EB as they seemed to know what they were doing and then get help as required.

Basically, didn't know any better, but do now thanks to all the threads on here!!!

I too have been seduced by the bright lights of the ski chain stores for boots, and more than once, it's easy to do. Some of the stores do have good fitters, so it's not fair for me to suggest that they do a bad job for everyone, it's just that Colin does it way better 8)

I was made to ski with my straps undone when I did a course with Warren Smith. The instructor said that your boots should above all be comfortable and it is imperative to be able to flex your ankle. The theory being that if you are balanced correctly over your skis (cos you can move your ankle to position yourself forward), you don't need your boots done up so tight that your toes drop off! Doing up your boots until the blood stops pumping (ala the French ski instructors way) is counterproductive.

He made sure the top strap was done up, so that they didn't fall off if I wiped out but apart from that they were left loose and undone! And I was made to set off down the slope like that, much to the amusement of the rest of the class, who having seen me improve straight away, then undid their boots too!

I admit I was sceptical and a little scared at first but actually, he was right. My skiing improved no end and I found that I was using a different set of leg muscles. No more thigh burn for me :D

I now ski with them just done up enough that they don't catch on anything and I concentrate on being properly positioned over my skis by bending my ankles. I have gone from timid blues to reds as a result.

I recommend Warren Smith but beware, its more Boot Camp than day out.