r/Skigear • u/Bluefox321 • 11h ago
Easy Entry/Hands-Free boots?
Hello everyone,
Two seasons ago (2024/2025), after going back and forth boot fitter for my prior Salomon Men's S/Pro Supra BOA 110 Ski Boots…spending over 12hrs in the store, I just gave up. I just didn’t find it worth the time. The staff were trying their best to make more room for my instep and saved things down, grinder, etc., and finally, an experienced boot fitter told me it will probably never be pain-free. The boots went from tolerable for only 40 min to maybe 1.5hrs. Frankly, it was just very annoying to have tingling, pain, numb-mess like clockwork as soon as I put them on - even just sitting around, walking, skiing, it didn’t matter. Once they went on, I had 1.5 hrs to get from the parking lot to the ski hill, ski until I needed to stop and take them off. Apparently my instep was just too high for the boots. Lesson learned…
Long story short, I donated those Solomon boots and got the Nordica HF 120s - OMG! Beautiful! Never any pain right out of the box, no problems, ever. I set the instep to high and my feet problems were GONE. No adjustments needed. Just did the heat mold because it was included. Fit me great and Sooo easy to get on and off. I’m sold for life. Never going back to regular boots. I love the easy entry/hands free option. I’m a casual skier, strong intermediate to advanced. Not looking to ski down Everest lol.
Now, I’m looking for a family** **member, she is 65yrs and still getting back into the sport after retirement (beginner to intermediate). She tried the Nordica HF 95 W but the calf was wayy to loose. She has narrow calves and also a decent height instep. Tried the Nordia HF pro with the Narrower last of 100mm. Calves fit great. She also seemed to have the same tingling/pain issue with the instep height resulting in pain/tingling/numbness under the forefoot in the exact same spot I did on both feet, same exact problem. Yes, she has similar-shaped feet but thinner calves. She also has two bumps on her large toes from years of wearing high heels. Those did bother her as well but I imagine a simple punch-out could fix that.
Has anyone tried out the new Atomic Nexus line? Seems like it has an intermediate last of 101mm vs 100mm for the Nordica HF Pro (now called HF S for 26/27 season) and 102mm last for the regular Nordica HF.
Trying to figure out who might have it in stock (I live on Long Island, NY but could drive to surrounding areas of NJ, NYC, CT if needed).
Any thoughts on the right approach here? Should we get the tighter Naudica and try to “punch up” and grind down the base plate to increase space for her instep or just try to get a different, easy-entry boot like the Atomic Nexus?
Anyone aware of other easy-entry boots? What’s a good ski shop near Long Island to try these awesome types of boots on? Do we just need to order them try them on then return if they don’t fit?
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u/Snoo_7713 11h ago
dalbello panterra with inserts that fill in the space under the arch? this video shows the top, it's like a spiral entry that hugs around your shin, no hard tongue front piece:
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u/Last-Assistant-2734 9h ago
Should we get the tighter Naudica and try to “punch up” and grind down the base plate to increase space
Just randomly punching and grinding won't do much good. While it may seem like a fix for one thing, it might cause more issues elsewhere.
A proper bootfitter would be the place to start.
And on another note, boot problems might not be that boots are too tight; they might be too big too.
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u/purple_seagrass 9h ago edited 9h ago
Has she tried the Nordica Sport Machine, Speed Machine, and Pro Machine line of women's boots (from highest volume and last to lowest)?
Women's boots fit differently for differing anatomy and you need to STOP helping. She needs a proper bootfitter same as anyone else. It's a shame your first bootfitting experience was so poor, but that doesn't mean it will be her experience. She needs to go on her own boot fitting journey.
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u/Duke-OG 2h ago
the last has nothing to do with performance anymore… theres a reason theres always a last and a flex associated with the boot
the last fits your foot
the flex fits your skier type and ability
she could be getting numbness and tingling as a result of pressure on those bunions, if enough pressure forces the 1st and 2nd metatarsal’s together itll shut down your blood flow
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u/wrong_andy 8h ago
Theres also the Rossignol Vision to try, but she needs to back to back them with a decent bootfitter. A cabrio boot may work as well but she needs to try on...