first race, GG mitt early review, new boots (!)

I had my first race today, with my company team via TeamSki racing.
Naturally, I couldn't catch a wink of sleep last night, but weird dreams
prevailed. Hubby and I were out the door by 5:30, figuring that I-70 would be
packed with folks desperate to get a chance at the snow from Friday. Traffic
really was light; don't know if we overestimated the call of the snow or if
our plan really did work.

The race was at Copper, a resort I haven't visited since I moved to Colorado.
I got a discounted ticket for racing; hubby, of course, had to pay full price.
We got a few runs in before the race. I had huge butterflies before the race,
but I needn't have worried. Both my runs went smoothly, with almost a two
second improvement from the first to the second. I wasn't trying for crazy
speed; for this race, my goal was simply to finish and get a feel for skiing
around gates. Mission accomplished!

Granite Gear mittens: I started out with my new line-up, Marmot wicking gloves
under the mitts. But today really wasn't an appropriate test; way too warm.
I didn't even wear a face mask, which believe you me is rare. After the race,
I ditched the undergloves. Both ways, my hands were toasty warm, but again,
it was too sunny and warm to really credit the handwear. I did notice that
the mitten liners stayed warm even when wet, and when I hung them from my pant
loop to dry, they did so quickly.

Okay, so, the plan was to go to Vail on Tuesday and look at getting new boots.
I already have the day cleared with my boss. But my feet were once again
bothering me at Copper, and there's a Surefoot right at the base. I told Eric
he could keep skiing, but he decided he'd rather be present if I'm considering
shelling out large amounts of green stuff.

I told the Surefoot staff of my problems; they insisted that plastic will
eventually take the shape I want. They ground out the toebox while Eric and I
lunched. Try them on; not so impressed. Okay, then. As I'm waiting around
for my helper guy to finish with another customer, I send Eric off for a few
runs. One of the guys talks to me and decides to punch out the toebox
(again). Did I mention the Salomon shoes they lent me were very comfy?
Mental note: get a pair of those shoes. They say to come back at 1:30; Eric
arrives and I send him off again, telling him to return at the appointed time.
We arrive, but things have gotten backed up, and only one boot is ready.
While I'm waiting for the second, I start nosing around the shop.

Here's the thing: I bought my old boots five years ago, just after graduating
from college and while living in Virginia. My adult life overwhelmed me, and
I ski'd maybe 5 or 6 times until I moved to Colorado. Last season, I ski'd
much more, and I progressed from being nervous on blues to skiing moguls and
tackling my first few double-blacks. Now, when I bought my old boots, I was
very conscious of not wanting to buy a boot too stiff for my ability level.
But my ability level from then to now ... well, quite different, and my rate
of improvement, quite different as well. That, combined with what seem like
infinite boot adjustments ...

Okay then. Asked Adam at Surefoot what level boot he thought my old one might
be. He pegged it at basic intermediate. I described my skiing to him, and he
agreed with me that it wasn't basic intermediate anymore. I asked if he would
help me pick out some wide boots to try. Being the gentleman that he is, he
of course agreed.

First boot was a Nordica. I hated it. He had me wear it for a while, with my
old orthotics. I still hated it. Next was an Atomic. This was slightly
better, but ... eh. No perceptible improvement, fit-wise, from my old boots.
Then the Salomon. Eric arrived just as I was putting them on, and saw my look
of wonder. "Oh my!" said I. "It's as comfortable as a regular shoe! I guess
that means it's way too big, huh?" Adam stopped me there. "Not necessarily;
anyway, after all the foot problems you've had, maybe starting with a
comfortable boot isn't a bad idea." (All quotes here are paraphrased; you get
the drift.) He had me stand in the shells and bend my shin forward, then
describe the movement of my feet. Toes came slightly back; heel came slightly
back; heel did not lift. "But," said I, "I can wiggle my toes, and I don't
feel pressure on the top of my foot. *AND* I can tell that there are small
gaps next to the sides of my feet. Surely they're too big?" Again, Adam
reassured me. And I had to admit, the conventional wisdom of accepting a
tight fit has not treated me well.

Discussion ensued. I sent Eric off to ski for the rest of the day and agreed
to get the custom foam liners, not necessarily in that order. Why foam?
Honestly, after all the years of having pieces added and removed from my
shells and liners, having a liner in the shape of my foot makes a lot of
sense. I'm sick of spending my ski days at a boot fitter's, rather than on
the slopes. While I was at it, I got new orthotics made -- my old ones were
looking pretty sad, and I suspect my feet may have changed.

(Side note: if you get foam liners, be prepared for a lot of discomfort and
some pain. And to have pins and needles in your feet for a very long time
after the boots have been removed.)

There was some confusion about payment. I thought I'd been told at one
point that they would take my old boots in exchange for a new pair.
Later on, that was amended. That *would* be the case if there were a
fit issue, but after all, I was upgrading for performance reasons. They
were sure that they could make my old boot fit just like the new one,
given enough adjustments. I can just imagine that the adjustments would
add up to tens of fitting visits. In a calm, mannerly tone, I agreed
with him that it would be unreasonable to expect a free boot after five
years. However, I felt that the original fitter had done me a disservice in
helping me choose a boot, as I'd described my problems to the original fitter,
and they'd still put me in a boot with no toe wiggle and a tight fit across
the top of the foot. Surely that deserved some amount of price adjustment?

In the end, they did give me a $50 discount on the boot, which was over 10% of
its cost. The custom liners were over half of the cost of the boot, and the
orthotics were just over half the cost of the liners. I spent four digits on
these boots. But frankly, if I can ski pain-free, if I can ski without ending
up in a ****y mood or having to abandon some sweet back bowls to take a "foot
freedom" break in the lodge after two hours, if I can stand there and listen
to an instructor without my feet screaming at me to get moving ... frankly,
it's worth it.

If these boots can't do it for me ... well, you'll hear and feel the tantrum,
wherever on this earth you might live.

Oh, yeah, the boots themselves. Salomon XWave 8.0 Women's. According to
Salomon, "Perfect fit and exact transmission is something that advanced women
skiers with a technically strong, aggressive style don't want to miss. Feel
good in all terrains and experience maximum transmission." All of that sounds
wonderful, but what I really want is a pain-free fit!

PS: Eric skied half a day of powder on Friday, then got a mostly-full day of
skiing today while I sat around at the base village dealing with boots.
*grumble grumble* On the bright side, we've already declared Tuesday a ski
day, and we're going to take it; just haven't decided where, yet.

--
monique
Longmont, CO