Boot Fitters

Ian Wickham wrote:

bandit wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:Buy your boots in resort much cheaper 8)

In what way Wickers?

We are talking about European skiing here.

Yep much cheaper than in the UK, shop about in resort and a bargain will be had 8)

bandit wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:

bandit wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:Buy your boots in resort much cheaper 8)

In what way Wickers?

We are talking about European skiing here.

Yep much cheaper than in the UK, shop about in resort and a bargain will be had 8)

Have you seen the exchange rate for the Euro recently?

1 example for you. My boots recently purchased in the UK from my fitter.

UK Price £300
Sport Conrad price €399.95

Of course there are always cheap boots available. Old stock, 2nds, ex-hire boots, returns....

Then again, the $64k question is, How can you tell if they fit? Of course they will feel comfy in the shop, but is the shell the correct shape for your foot? then there are Delta angles, Zeppa angles, boot ramp angles (et al) all of which can make or break it being a good boot for 1 person turning into a fitting nightmare for another.

bandit wrote:Wickers, you are suggesting that folks buy abroad but €249, does seems not much of a bargain to me. I purchased my last pair of ski boots (Head S8W) in the UK from a major ski/outdoor retail chain, for £150.

AllyG wrote:I have never bought a pair of boots, I always hire them.

Like last week for example, at the Edge to Edge ski and board camp, they carefully measured my feet and they were both about size 26 with ordinary socks on, so they gave me boots of 26 1/2 to try. They were much too tight and I eventually persuaded them to give me boots which were 27 1/2, and they were perfect. And the same thing happened with my daughter's boots - she ended up with the same type of boots a size bigger than her feet.

I have also discovered that it really matters how you treat the boots when you're using them. You need to put them on slack in the morning, for getting up and down stairs and buses etc. and tighten them a bit for the first run, and then make them tighter again for the second run, and then undo them for lunch and wriggle your toes about, slacken them for long gondola rides etc. And finally, at the end of the day, you need to do them up at night so that they keep their shape.

Ally

AllyG wrote:I have never bought a pair of boots, I always hire them.

The only pair I've hired that actually made my calves hurt were the first pair of beginner boots I got in Zell am See. And I think I just didn't know enough to realize it was the boots and not me, and take them back.

Maybe I'm just lucky, but since then I've been fine. I know now what they should feel like in the shop and if they're a bit tight or a bit slack I ask them to change the size. I've discovered that ski boots are like shoes and you need a different size for a different type of boot, even though your feet haven't changed size.

Like last week for example, at the Edge to Edge ski and board camp, they carefully measured my feet and they were both about size 26 with ordinary socks on, so they gave me boots of 26 1/2 to try. They were much too tight and I eventually persuaded them to give me boots which were 27 1/2, and they were perfect. And the same thing happened with my daughter's boots - she ended up with the same type of boots a size bigger than her feet.

I have also discovered that it really matters how you treat the boots when you're using them. You need to put them on slack in the morning, for getting up and down stairs and buses etc. and tighten them a bit for the first run, and then make them tighter again for the second run, and then undo them for lunch and wriggle your toes about, slacken them for long gondola rides etc. And finally, at the end of the day, you need to do them up at night so that they keep their shape.

However, I do realize I am probably just lucky that I have feet that don't need wedges etc. in my ski boots.

Ally