Timo wrote:
Getting a custom fit is reasonable advice, whether from Dale or Surefoot,
and I'd take that advice in a second without thinking twice, but I'm going
broke, you see, so custom fitting isn't really an option: one of my kids is
a senior in college and the second one's going in year. So I was hoping to
find at least one maker of ski boots that would have an HVL model that would
fit me off-the-shelf, and more importantly, at off-the-shelf prices. After
all, there are a number of street shoe makers that serve those of us with
wider forefeet and/or higher insteps (New Balance, Dunham, Sebago, Converse,
Propet, ...). But HVL seems to be E or 2E at the most. The irony is that
when I do finally find a toebox made to accommodate my foot (the Tecnica 7
Senses) it turns out to have been designed for people with skinny calves!
They're tight at the calf even when the buckle is unfastened.

The only reason I've been shopping by brand is because I've been told here
on r.s.a, or have read in reviews, that specific models have more volume.
I'm a recreational skier and my feature demands are minimal: bloodflow.
Timo

Timo, most of here reply to posts at the bottom of the post we are
addressing. This keeps the thought process consistent and logical. My
reply to you is at the end, but it looks like I'm replying to myself.

Also to address strongly your first sentence. A custom fit is a
necessity. A custom boot is not a necessity.


"VtSkier" wrote in message
...

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



Go back to the original advice and have the boots fitted properly. Find
the bootfitter in the shop which has leftover boots from last year.
Ensure that their fitting is guaranteed. They will fit you to last
year's boots as accommodatingly as they will fit you to this year's boot
and give you a substantial discount.

Most boots can be made to have increased volume in the forefoot by
taking out the bottom bed and grinding off some material. Most boots can
be made wider by stretching.

Now you have enough money left over to buy the custom inner soles which
you will need. Probably the store you eventually buy the boots from can
make these at a somewhat lower price than surefoot.

Dale Boots. Their prices are very competitive with off the shelf boots
and will give you the custom fit. You just won't get a discount for last
year's model.

Another tack might be to find out what fits closely, then finding it on
ebay and taking it to SureFoot or some other reputable fitter.

My Raichle's cost $65, yes $65 and add the $195 that the SureFoot
footbed and fitting service cost, I have a great pair of boots for $260.
The Raichle's are not being imported any more, so the model is 2-3 years
old but the boots were new with tags. Raichle considers the model I
bought to be racing boots. I've skied in stiffer boots, but not by much.
I'm told the boots retailed for about $450.

Please don't cheap out on your feet.

VtSkier