lal_truckee wrote:
Timo wrote:

I've got a pair of Tecnica 7 Senses ski boots, which were reviewed as
being
well suited for a wider foot. Tecnica were also recommended to me here on
r.s.a. These boots actually accommodate my wide forefoot better than any
others I've tried but they're painfully tight at the calf. Will this
upper
area of the boot loosen up with use or is this a reason to return them
and
keep looking?


Check at a full service boot shop for longer bails for the top buckle.
Should open the cuff enough to relieve your calf pressure.


Another boot I've tried, which worked out very well for the high
instep, was
the Nordica SMARTech, though it was not as roomy in the toebox as I
need it
to be. A hybrid of the Nordica SMARTech and the Tecnica 7 Senses would be
ideal.


Take it as a challenge and start cutting and welding the plastic - let
us know how it comes out...

Har!

Got a new pair of Raichle Flexons and did a little of that in spots I
knew would need it. Hand grinders are a wonderful thing. I then took
them to Sure Foot for custom inserts and additional fitting. The boots I
bought were Mondo 28 when I should have had Mondo 28.5 (a little wider).

Sure Foot did a great job on these AND my Lowa AT boots. When I was
there, I checked out what Sure Foot had to offer. They do a complete
foamed custom shell and liner right there in the shop. They should be
able to do almost anything for anybody.

Now, Sure Foot is probably only as good as its manager/staff. It is
something of a chain and the owner probably isn't there. The shop here
at Killington is currently run by a true believer in the system. He's
opened and run Sure Foot shops in various parts of the country and is
VERY good at what he does.

The prices they charge are comparable to other shops in the area.

Another good place to look is Dale Boot in SLC (www.dalebootusa.com)
also a complete custom fit which is comparable in price to other
national brands of ski boots.

I would rely on a GOOD professional boot fitter to get what you require
in ski boots. Now, who is GOOD and who isn't. Sure Foot will get almost
any boot fitting correctly for the price of a pair of custom inner soles
which you should have anyway. This, of course, doesn't count if you
bought a shell which was way too big. If I had to buy a boot at some
shop, I go for the tighter fit and then have it pushed and pulled to fit
my feet. Don't count on a hard plastic boot EVER "breaking in" to your
foot. Won't happen. Make it fit.

Why the tighter fit? That's so that I don't need to buckle the boot very
tight at all. Once I learned this and to buy a custom inner sole, I've
had comfortable feet skiing for a lot of years now.

Various ski shops get good reputations for boot fitting. Seek them out.
Here in the east, the very best is Greg Hoffman at Green Mountain
Orthopedics at Stratton. Not only can he fit your boots correctly, he
can and will correct your stance to make you the very best skier you can
possibly be. I know a couple of people who have gone to him and are much
more than delighted with the result. My stance is good and I'm in the
right place over my skis, so I have never gone to him. There is another
of such exulted reputation, I think at Aspen.

By the way, It is almost never OK to by ski boots by brand. Buy the boot
that fits you best with the features you want. I've always had almost
racing boots for a long time now, and am just starting to go with softer
boots. My AT boots are way soft and I find I can ski them in almost any
conditions the area has to offer. Then I can walk around comfortably
when I need to.

There, that's a lot of writing. I hope some of it helps. If not, go with
LAL's suggestion of saws, grinders and plastic welders.

VtSkier