Good Boot Fitter in Northern NJ (USA)?

If anyone knows a good boot fitter around Paramus area of NJ would
appreciate a pointer. Thanks.

There's no such animal. At the very least, it's most rare.

You'll likely have to go to a shop near a large mountain -- only there do
bootfitters actually do enough bootfitting, and get enough instantaneous
feedback from their clientel, to become practiced in properly fitting boots.
Keep in mind that what feels good in a store in New Jersey won't necessarily
work out too well when you are actually skiing 200 miles away in VT!

Next time you go on a ski vacation, find a high-quality boot shop at the
base of the mountain. Plan on making a few visits for tweaks during the
course of a morning that you actually set aside for boot fitting. Ski a
run, and then visit your bootfitter! Repeat until done!

If you are purchasing boots, it's actually worth paying near-retail/retail
for a boot at a shop with experienced bootfitters that will guaranty fit!
The alternative is saving a few bucks, and then paying for bootfit time at
rates up to $45/hr.

There is nothing I enjoyed more as a bootfitter working in a top-notch boot
shop at a distination ski resort than charging $45/hr plus parts to fit
boots that a customer bought at a shop in Chicago or NYC. Often, these
boots were so misfit right out of the box that no amount of boot fitting
would make them fit properly.




"line123" wrote in message
...
If anyone knows a good boot fitter around Paramus area of NJ would
appreciate a pointer. Thanks.

Doug,

Great points! I understand what you're saying. Here's a related
question/concern:

We're actually heading to Mont Tremblant, Canada for a week-long ski
vacation in two weeks. There are certainly ski shops there that have boots
and I'm assuming fitters. Their prices are somewhat reasonable due to the
fact that it's Canada and the exchange rate. My question is am I OK going to
a shop on Monday morning, getting fitted and doing the try/repeat cycle
without knowing anything about the skill of the people there? Also, assuming
the boots there feel good, etc, what's the chance that something will need
to be done to them next month when I'm back home, 400 miles away?

The latter point is why I was looking for someone local...


"Doug" wrote in message
.net...
There's no such animal. At the very least, it's most rare.

You'll likely have to go to a shop near a large mountain -- only there do
bootfitters actually do enough bootfitting, and get enough instantaneous
feedback from their clientel, to become practiced in properly fitting
boots.
Keep in mind that what feels good in a store in New Jersey won't
necessarily
work out too well when you are actually skiing 200 miles away in VT!

Next time you go on a ski vacation, find a high-quality boot shop at the
base of the mountain. Plan on making a few visits for tweaks during the
course of a morning that you actually set aside for boot fitting. Ski a
run, and then visit your bootfitter! Repeat until done!

If you are purchasing boots, it's actually worth paying near-retail/retail
for a boot at a shop with experienced bootfitters that will guaranty fit!
The alternative is saving a few bucks, and then paying for bootfit time at
rates up to $45/hr.

There is nothing I enjoyed more as a bootfitter working in a top-notch
boot
shop at a distination ski resort than charging $45/hr plus parts to fit
boots that a customer bought at a shop in Chicago or NYC. Often, these
boots were so misfit right out of the box that no amount of boot fitting
would make them fit properly.




"line123" wrote in message
...
If anyone knows a good boot fitter around Paramus area of NJ would
appreciate a pointer. Thanks.

Call around. Ask some locals. If you are taking lessons, ask the
instructor. You'll soon get hooked up with a shop and bootfitter.

Then, go to a few shops and try on various boots -- different shops carry
different lines, and certain lines of boot better fit certain shapes of
feet. Once you zero in a particular boot, ask the question -- "Will you
guarantee your fit if I purchase boots from you?" The bootfitter might ask
what you mean. Ask whether he/she is confident enough that he/she can
properly fit the boot that he/she will refund your money if, after a solid
effort on your and his/her part, the boot still doesn't work for you.

A couple of points.

1. Unless you already have one, purchase a custom insole with the boot.
They will help to solve most, if not all of your fit problems, and they will
improve your skiing. If you buy a boot, they may be offered at a somewhat
discounted price.

2. Don't argue size. If the bootfitter is good, the boot will feel almost
too tight, and you'll want to go up in size unless you are used to being in
skiboots. (This does not apply in discount ski shops that sell inventory
rather than ski boots). These things will break in, and increase in volume
up to 10%. It better to start too small than too big!

3. Any good bootfitter will put you in the shell without the liner (and
perhaps the liner without the shell). If he doesn't, ask that he do so.
You should have about 1/2" between your heel and the shell, with your toes
at the front of the boot. Most shops use a 1/2" wooden dowel to test this.
In a pinch, use your finger (if not too big).

4. Full and half size boot shells are made on the same size last. If
possible, always select the smaller of the two sizes that are equipped with
the same shell (i.e., take the 7, not the 7 1/2). The difference often will
be a thicker liner, that will compress as you ski. Again, your mantra should
be "better too tight than too loose!"

Once your boots are fit properly, you shouldn't need much in terms of
bootfitting from your local shop!













"line123" wrote in message
...
Doug,

Great points! I understand what you're saying. Here's a related
question/concern:

We're actually heading to Mont Tremblant, Canada for a week-long ski
vacation in two weeks. There are certainly ski shops there that have boots
and I'm assuming fitters. Their prices are somewhat reasonable due to the
fact that it's Canada and the exchange rate. My question is am I OK going
to
a shop on Monday morning, getting fitted and doing the try/repeat cycle
without knowing anything about the skill of the people there? Also,
assuming
the boots there feel good, etc, what's the chance that something will need
to be done to them next month when I'm back home, 400 miles away?

The latter point is why I was looking for someone local...


"Doug" wrote in message
.net...
There's no such animal. At the very least, it's most rare.

You'll likely have to go to a shop near a large mountain -- only there
do
bootfitters actually do enough bootfitting, and get enough instantaneous
feedback from their clientel, to become practiced in properly fitting
boots.
Keep in mind that what feels good in a store in New Jersey won't
necessarily
work out too well when you are actually skiing 200 miles away in VT!

Next time you go on a ski vacation, find a high-quality boot shop at the
base of the mountain. Plan on making a few visits for tweaks during the
course of a morning that you actually set aside for boot fitting. Ski a
run, and then visit your bootfitter! Repeat until done!

If you are purchasing boots, it's actually worth paying
near-retail/retail
for a boot at a shop with experienced bootfitters that will guaranty
fit!
The alternative is saving a few bucks, and then paying for bootfit time
at
rates up to $45/hr.

There is nothing I enjoyed more as a bootfitter working in a top-notch
boot
shop at a distination ski resort than charging $45/hr plus parts to fit
boots that a customer bought at a shop in Chicago or NYC. Often, these
boots were so misfit right out of the box that no amount of boot fitting
would make them fit properly.




"line123" wrote in message
...
If anyone knows a good boot fitter around Paramus area of NJ would
appreciate a pointer. Thanks.

Doug wrote:

Call around. Ask some locals. If you are taking lessons, ask the
instructor. You'll soon get hooked up with a shop and bootfitter.

Then, go to a few shops and try on various boots -- different shops carry
different lines, and certain lines of boot better fit certain shapes of
feet.
CLIP

Careful. Shopping around supermarket operations is a sure way to get
conflicting information and claims; and even with the so-called fit
guarentee you might get from these sporting goods operations, they are
counting on you assuming that "boots are supposed to feel like that" and
not returning, or only coming back a couple of times.

The kind of really good bootfitter/boot shop all skiers need to find
will deliberately carry a several brandnames/lines selected to
accommodate a broad range of differently shaped feet. A good bootfitter
can look at your naked feet, select the appropriate line of boots, and
proceed from there to make final adjustments (at this level, high
performance boots are expected and need not even be specified.)

IMO, it's amazing how many good skiers have boots that don't fit - just
watch people un-buckle their boots when they stop for lunch, or even on
the lift. Cold feet, pressure points, bad circulation, slop - you name
it, they've got it, and they think it's part of skiing. Except for
racers, who sometimes wear boots several sizes too small, a properly
fitted boot is warm and comfortable as a glove while still giving
excellant control and performance with no slop or mushiness.

If you are still interested in a boot fitter in your area, there is a
SureFoot in Manhattan - a very qualified and able shop who had fitted
my last pair. CHeck them out on the web. It shouldn't be more than
about thirty minutes from Paramus. Happy skiing.

Stash


lal_truckee wrote in message ...
Doug wrote:

Call around. Ask some locals. If you are taking lessons, ask the
instructor. You'll soon get hooked up with a shop and bootfitter.

Then, go to a few shops and try on various boots -- different shops carry
different lines, and certain lines of boot better fit certain shapes of
feet.
CLIP

Careful. Shopping around supermarket operations is a sure way to get
conflicting information and claims; and even with the so-called fit
guarentee you might get from these sporting goods operations, they are
counting on you assuming that "boots are supposed to feel like that" and
not returning, or only coming back a couple of times.

The kind of really good bootfitter/boot shop all skiers need to find
will deliberately carry a several brandnames/lines selected to
accommodate a broad range of differently shaped feet. A good bootfitter
can look at your naked feet, select the appropriate line of boots, and
proceed from there to make final adjustments (at this level, high
performance boots are expected and need not even be specified.)

IMO, it's amazing how many good skiers have boots that don't fit - just
watch people un-buckle their boots when they stop for lunch, or even on
the lift. Cold feet, pressure points, bad circulation, slop - you name
it, they've got it, and they think it's part of skiing. Except for
racers, who sometimes wear boots several sizes too small, a properly
fitted boot is warm and comfortable as a glove while still giving
excellant control and performance with no slop or mushiness.

Surefoot is no better or worse than any other shop. It depends on the
bootfitter.

In regard to its insoles, Surefoot's insole machine is very trick, with lots
of bells and whistles. That being said, depending on who's making the
insoles, it still can turn out acceptable insoles, or pure ****!

And LAL_Truckee is right on the money -- he really emphasizes many of the
points I was making. But buying boots in Manhattan is a recipe for disaster
unless you know precisely what you are looking for (you don't!) or you are
extremely lucky. That being said, Surefoot does have shops at many
different resorts, so that if you do encounter problems, you have access to
bootfitters while on vacation.

I've never been to Tremblant. However, most major ski areas have shops in
their villages or within a short distance that have quality bootfitters.
But, as LA_Truckee suggests, it's best to stay away from the sports
supermarkets! Ask the locals for some recommendations, and go visit a few
shopss that carry different lines of boots!

"Headstash" wrote in message
om...
If you are still interested in a boot fitter in your area, there is a
SureFoot in Manhattan - a very qualified and able shop who had fitted
my last pair. CHeck them out on the web. It shouldn't be more than
about thirty minutes from Paramus. Happy skiing.

Stash


lal_truckee wrote in message
...
Doug wrote:

Call around. Ask some locals. If you are taking lessons, ask the
instructor. You'll soon get hooked up with a shop and bootfitter.

Then, go to a few shops and try on various boots -- different shops
carry
different lines, and certain lines of boot better fit certain shapes
of
feet.
CLIP

Careful. Shopping around supermarket operations is a sure way to get
conflicting information and claims; and even with the so-called fit
guarentee you might get from these sporting goods operations, they are
counting on you assuming that "boots are supposed to feel like that" and
not returning, or only coming back a couple of times.

The kind of really good bootfitter/boot shop all skiers need to find
will deliberately carry a several brandnames/lines selected to
accommodate a broad range of differently shaped feet. A good bootfitter
can look at your naked feet, select the appropriate line of boots, and
proceed from there to make final adjustments (at this level, high
performance boots are expected and need not even be specified.)

IMO, it's amazing how many good skiers have boots that don't fit - just
watch people un-buckle their boots when they stop for lunch, or even on
the lift. Cold feet, pressure points, bad circulation, slop - you name
it, they've got it, and they think it's part of skiing. Except for
racers, who sometimes wear boots several sizes too small, a properly
fitted boot is warm and comfortable as a glove while still giving
excellant control and performance with no slop or mushiness.

Try Greg Peir at Heino's Ski & Cycle on Route 23 in Pompton Plains. He's
done a great job with my wife's boots and mine. He was also named one of
the top boot fitters in the US by Ski magazine (or was it Skiing? I
forget).

Heinos shouldn't be more than a half hour from Paramus. Route 208, to
287 South, to Route 23 south.

line123 wrote:
If anyone knows a good boot fitter around Paramus area of NJ would
appreciate a pointer. Thanks.