"Varanasi Benares" wrote in message
hlink.net...
[snip]


I simply don't buy enough boots (and will never buy enough boots) to
know just how tight boots should feel in the store. Bootfitters, even
experienced ones, aren't very helpful on this point. They naturally
need to ask things like: "Does it feel tight enough?" or "Is it snug
around the ankle?" I have to answer - assuming the boot is in the ball
park, "I guess so." I can also say things like "It's tighter than the
last one" but I can't really tell if the boot is tight enough that once
it packs out, it will fit.


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Here's my quibble with lal's advice: nearly everyone who sells boots
thinks they are good bootfitters.

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_ You have never been to a "real" bootfitter. They are very rare
to find and you will never find one further than about a 10
minute drive from a ski resort. Most ski towns have one, ask the
locals. It's not easy, but it's well worth it if you're having
problems. Lal is lucky, he lives close to Cosmo's[1].

_ A real bootfitter will spend the time with you to get it right
and not ask the stupid questions above. The questions asked will
be specific and useful. A real bootfitter wants to see you again
in a month to check the fit. He'll tell you exactly how the liner
will pack out based on the manufacturer. It's like night and day
from the typical boot buying experience.

What questions does a good bootfitter ask? Seriously.

Its not so much what happens when you put a boot on as what happens BEFORE
you put a boot on.

First things first, they should look at your feet, without socks, as you
stand, then get in a ski stance (dynamically), and decide if you need
orthotics (which are more expensive but make a HUGE difference in skiing if
you need them) or not. A GOOD bootfitter won't sell you something you don't
need, so don't think they're just trying to get more cash out of you.
Sometime in here they'll ask what kind of skiing you do, what you're looking
for, and so on.

Next they'll measure your foot, both in length, and from the heel around the
front of your ankle. This is where a ski boot needs to grab you to have
control, so its an important measurement. They then decide what boot model
they want to put you in. Note that THEY decide, not you - there may be
boots on a wall, but they won't even bring you over to look, they'll just go
get a model or two from the back room.

Usually, they'll grab two sizes, one for each foot. This allows a side by
side comparison. They SHOULD pull the liner completely out of the boot and
put your bare foot in the shell, to make sure that the SHELL fits. This is
your important fit - liners pack out, but if the shell is the right size,
it'll still fit. They look for about 1-2cm space around the heel with your
toes touching the front. This is either done barefoot or in super thin
socks, so it fits you, not your foot with sock.

Then they'll throw you in two different sizes, tighten them up for you, and
ask you if it feels comfortable, where it's tight, and so on. If they're
concerned about a certain area, they'll ask specifically - "Does it feel
like its tight around the bottom of your ankle/top of your foot?". Some
things they can change - got spots, points where the shell is a tiny bit too
close to your boot, a little bit of toe room - but they can't change
everything.

Then they'll work with you from there to make the boot fit you best. This
is where they'll build orthotics, shave boot shell, and so on.

My experience, even though I haven't walked away with boots yet, totally
convinced me bootfitting is worth it. Despite spending well over 45 minutes
with me just on the boot finding stage, he wouldn't sell me boots. Even the
$800 Rossi Race room boots that fit best. He said no off the wall boots
would fit me ... ever. I might get kinda close, but I'll never be totally
happy, and he wouldn't have me walk out with a pair of boots that didn't fit
well. He suggested foaming, or another liner, which he didn't have. He
knew I had come up a ways to get there, so he offered to get a list of
places in boston that did foaming or had decent techs that could get the
liners from me. Remember, I hadn't given him a dime for all his time. Of
course, I opted to take another trip up once he could get liners (which I
ended up having to get from a store in colorado he knew had them, because he
couldn't get any from the company - so he didn't even make any money on the
expensive flow liners!) He even looked at my OLD boots to see if we could
throw the liner in them and make them fit, so he could save me some money.
(they wouldn't work, they're HUGE on me).

That is good boot fitting.

Jon Bond