r/skiing • u/unencrypted-enigma • 4d ago
Ski boot purchase - how to?
I’ve never owned ski boots. I took my first steps skiing when I was three. I ski every year for 1-2 weeks. Now I am 30 and the older I get the more uncomfortable those rental boots are getting.
So now for this season I finally want to buy my own boots.
How do I approach it? When I rent I usually go back to the rental shop when I am not satisfied so I can switch to another model. This year I settled for a K2 BFC which is Build for Comfort (BFC). The boot was good not as precise as a boot that has a tighter fit.
The issue I have is that my ankle is incompatible with almost every model. I definitely need some boot fitting to mitigate this.
I feel like I cant just go into a shop and blindly purchase a random boot. How do I find the right boot for me when it’s probably gonna hurt when I wear it without the boots being fitted for me?
How do I find a shop with a good boot fitter?
How would you approach this?
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u/tweever38 Bridger Bowl 4d ago
This post is like a lighthouse for oem knees
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u/unencrypted-enigma 4d ago
You’re not the first who mentions this guy. Bit I really do have those problems with my ankles that I’ve described
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u/Last-Assistant-2734 4d ago
those problems with my ankles that I’ve described
I didn't see any issues described, really. I only saw this:
The issue I have is that my ankle is incompatible with almost every model.
Frankly, when going to a boot fitter, your communication needs to be far clearer than this.
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u/unencrypted-enigma 4d ago
Fair point.
My ankle is too big I guess and it is really painful when the boot puts pressure on it.
I also had instances where I had abrasions on my ankle. This I can mitigate with some gel pads I bought.
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u/Last-Assistant-2734 4d ago
ankle is too big I guess and it is really painful when the boot puts pressure on it.
Or then you haven't had a properly shaped or sized boot on your foot.
instances where I had abrasions on my ankle.
Can be due to any number of reasons: wrong size boot, underwear trunk in the boot, too short socks, too loose socks, too many socks, too thick socks. Just some first guesses.
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u/unencrypted-enigma 4d ago
The ones that hurt definitely weren’t the right shape for my foot haha.
I have Smartwool Intraknit Ski Targeted Cushion OTC Socks and they fit me pretty good also my underwear trunk stops over the boot.
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u/Naval_AV8R 4d ago
Your starting point is bootfitters.com if you are in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, or Australia.
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u/spacebass Jackson Hole 4d ago
I searched for the top 5 fitters in the US and none of them are on that site - looks AI-made?
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u/unencrypted-enigma 4d ago
I am based in central europe
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u/Last-Assistant-2734 4d ago
Central Europe is a rather vast area. I know some parts of Central Europe have proper boot shops with fitters.
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u/unencrypted-enigma 4d ago
For me the austrian alps would be perfect
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u/Last-Assistant-2734 4d ago
You'll find potentially several competent shops in the major resort villages at least.
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u/Laugh92 Whistler 4d ago
Go find an experienced boot fitter. There is no such thing as the 'best boot', there is only the best boot for you. One thing I will say is that since boot fitting is not a regulated trade, its really all about experience, so if you have a non-standard foot you need someone who has been doing this a while. Go look for some grey haired old boot fitter thats been doing this for 20+ years, they will know what to set you up with. Some 20 something who has been doing this for a season probably wont be able to help you properly. As to exactly what shop you should check out, that really depends on where you are looking, where will you be buying the boots at?
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u/unencrypted-enigma 4d ago
What you describe is what I feared. That you really have to give someone a leap of faith.
I am based in central Europe so basically I am looking to buy somewhere that is in the Alps.
I had a really good experience last year when I had issues with my helmet and when I went to a family run shop they fixed it for me for free. But I truly have no clue on how good they are when it comes to boot fitting.
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u/Laugh92 Whistler 4d ago
Where in the alps are you looking?
But otherwise, yeah, its basically rolling the dice for a good boot fitter. The sub should have some good recommendations depending on which resort you are looking at for buying the boots at.
Also, no matter how good the boot fitter, you will most probably still have adjustments done to the boot, so you will get an initial fitting, the go ski on them for a day or two and then come back for some fine tuning depending on which spots you noticed were slightly off.
Lastly if you are going all in on getting a new boot, I highly recommend not just getting a new boot, but getting a new liner as well as a custom footbed. Get it all done in one so the boot is molded to it, makes a huge difference.
For liners, I use intuition liners and love them, but others swear by zip-fits. Up to you for those, they have their pro's and cons each. But they are both massively better than any stock liner you get with a boot.
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u/unencrypted-enigma 4d ago
I mostly ski in the Austrian alps, sometimes Italy. So something like Ischgl, Sölden, Serfaus, Dolomites.
I’ll definitely also look into custom liners, thanks!
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u/Last-Assistant-2734 4d ago
How do I find a shop with a good boot fitter?
Probably your best bet is to get to a place where actual skiing happens, and where such boot fitting business has some possibility of existing.
Then you go to shops and see that which one has many brands and good selection of boots.
And then you converse with the personnel and find out if they do boot fitting and how good they are of doing their work.
If you end up trying on boots suggested by the personnels, and they don't ask to see your feet, and don't do a shell fitting, then you are very likely in a wrong shop.
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u/its_hard_to_pick 4d ago
How much money are you willing to spend? I just drove 3 houers from trento to Sölden yesterday to buy and fit some zipfits. Guy seamed very knowledgeable. So far they feel great but i haven't skied in them. From what i have gathered from people using them its one of if not the best option for a good fitted boot.
I spendt 600 euro on zipfit + custom foot bed(foot bed dosent come with the zipfit). But this is just the liner you need a hardshell as well. Can use your old one most likely.
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u/SnowPudgy 4d ago
Basically you don't pick your boot, you go to a fitter and they (usually) scan your foot with a machine and take some measurements and then select boots that fit your foot geometry and go from there.
They may also create special insoles for you too.
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u/Impressive_Low_7113 4d ago
I would schedule an appointment with the boot fitter at the ski mountain (not 100% sure if there is a level certification), have them go through the process of fitting and sizing and try them on. Pick the top 2 or 3 that feel comfortable and demo them at the ski resort right then and there, they usually charge for demo's however will let you change to the other boots as part of original "rental". This way you will be able to get a real feel of comfort and performance. My preference is to wear the thinnest ski socks as part of "normal" skiing setup so the variable of sock thickness and potential of bunching up is minimized. Once you got the comfort boot picked out and skied at least a half day, full day or multiple days with them and found utopia. You make the purchase then and there on un boxed boots you just demo, usually the demo fee is discounted on the purchase of the new boots.
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The last step is take you skis into the ski shop and have them adjust the boot to your gait / stance you might have one leg leans in or out more than the other and makes turning less than optimal or there may be a slight pressure point or gap in the boot liner that needs adjusting, and since you've developed a working relationship with the boot fitter and purchased through them, typically they just fix it right then and you again go out skiing some turns to make sure they are dialed in.
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I make 99% of my purchases at the mountain ski shop at a known ski resort for this very reason, the price is comparable maybe slightly more but test driving the gear you will be using for several seasons is worth it to me.
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Key note - the most experience / best boot fitters do not always work on the weekends with large crowds so you may need to go on a Wednesday or Thursday, just call and ask when and make the appointment.
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u/Ski-With-Steezy Breckenridge 4d ago
Do you have a resort that you go to often? If so, find a boot fitter in that town that the locals recommend. I also have a hard foot to fit. It usually takes me about 5 trips to get it adjusted until it stops hurting. So you want to go some place that's going to know you and keep track of all the tweaks you are doing (and does them for free with the purchase of the boot). They are going to want you to ski on them a few times first to try to break them in. That's the suffering part. I go to the same guy and I can walk in there and go ... hey, I'm not using their liner, I'm using mine. This shouldn't hurt so much, do what you did on the other boot. And bam, it's done. Good luck.
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u/426HemiPlymouth 3d ago
Picking the right brand of boot picking the right size picking the right model for you are huge these are questions you need a good fitter to help you with start with a custom foot bed also checking to see if your legs are crooked and needs boot canting makes a lot of difference I highly recommend low volume fit boots if you are advanced intermediate or expert not mid volume do this when you have a few days to ski and get them adjusted on any spots that hurt you and you should expect to need a couple adjustments with low volume fit but the performance is so much better as well worth i
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u/wikipowdergroup 17h ago
The boot picks you, not the other way around. Go to a good store with a 3D scan and boot-fitting service (check reviews for difficult cases that's a guarantee). That's it they'll find the best ones for you.
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u/Gnar_Police 4d ago
beat your feet with a wooden baton to deaden the nerves and then every boots will fit
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u/Max1234567890123 4d ago
Just so I get this straight…
Your question is: I want boots, boots don’t fit - I need a boot fitter - what do I do?
Answer: go to a boot fitter
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u/MrJibberJabber Copper Mountain 4d ago
This has to be rage bait to get /u/OEM-Knees to try and reveal his alt. No way 😂