 Poster: A snowHead
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| Levi215 wrote: |
| I agree with the sentiment, although not everyone in will research what boots they need and surly half of the UK are skiing in boots that won't work for them? |
Maybe they are happy, in which case no problem. However, I've lost count of the number of people who have mentioned to me one problem or another with their boots. Painful boots is a very quick way to ruin a ski holiday so I think it's worth spending a bit more time researching that decision than it is thinking about skis, clothing, resort choice, etc, etc.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Levi215, but you can't really change the shape and fit of golf shoes can you?
The real point here is that a good boot fitter will provide a limited set of options which give a good base for her/him to work from. In some cases, some people might fit a boot straight out of the box (I know no-one who has properly fitted boots that just went on their feet as they came out of the box). Particularly as people age/get injured/etc. that becomes even less likely.
From the best base fit, the boot fitter then tunes the boot to the foot. That may take more than one step (snigger). Some boots are recommended less often because they are physically harder to fit (e.g. made with carbon fibre).
Unless a boot is too (and sometimes way too) big a good boot fitter can probably get a decent fit. But boot A. may require nightly visits for a week whereas boot B. requires no attention at all after the initial fitting.
I can't see how that would work with golf shoes. Similarly, every year I bought the same brand & model of running shoe for 10 years as they just worked so much better than anything else until they eventually suffered excessive last creep and I had to go back to square one. 
In the running shoe case it's a question more of determining what your foot needs (ideally with experienced, expert help) then trying various broadly suitable models until you're happy.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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under a new name, my analogy was more one of trying on lots of different pairs e.g. Adidas Tour 360's are a wide fit generally, FootJoy Dryjoys are a narrow fit, but the Dryjoys have i think 5 widths with each size.
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Levi215, As said above, on both of my last two pairs of boots I required a couple of fine tunes, either grinding or blowing out slightly. This was only apparent after a day or two of skiing in them. I only go by personal recommendation for boot fitters, I know know of three whom I have had great experiences with, two in Chamonix and one in Altenmarkt.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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TBH Scarpa, i never thought / considered buying whilst out there, logically it makes sense.
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| Levi215 wrote: |
| TBH Scarpa, i never thought / considered buying whilst out there, logically it makes sense. |
It does, until you call on any guarantee after your first week's skiing. If any adjustment is needed, it could become a bit of a drag.
However, the benefit of being able to really try out a new pair and get them adjusted, if needs be, might outweigh that risk.
#bleedinobvious 
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If you know you will also be skiing around that region the next winter it really does 
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Levi215, ah, I see what you mean. The fact that one model has 5 fitting widths rather confirms my argument, non?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Scarpa, Cacciatore, (without intending to simply state the obvious.. )
It's surely also a little dependent on just how big a problem you have after first fit and first adjustment. 2 seasons ago I thought at least once every morning that I really should go back into SOLE to get those tiny, little, final adjustments made and never got round to it until just before the start of the next season.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| Levi215, ah, I see what you mean. The fact that one model has 5 fitting widths rather confirms my argument, non? |
Perhaps  But it appears to be less of a science (having read all these threads), i am wondering whether a trip to Bicester is in order, rather not waste a further 3 figure sum....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'm curious about the theory that boot sizes are suffering from inflation. The last four pairs I have had have all been the same size (27,5 shells) and my foot measures....275mm. A shell fit gives me about 15mm room, plus or minus a couple of mm, at least in the boots I have had. I could probably fit in a 26,5 but only with quite extensive modification. Since I can achieve a good performance fit in a 27,5 (in the right boot of course) it seems pointless to start in a smaller boot which will require a ton of work. So for me, mondo size corresponds pretty well to my actual foot size as measured in mm.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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hyperkub, it really depends how accurately your foot has been measured, if on a standard shop measure then chances are they measure a bit long and all is good, if an accurate mondo measure like a brannock device is used then you would probably measure longer than the 27.5 which is why you have this 15mm shell check in that size of boot, the internal length of the boot in that size can vary from 29.0 cm to 30.5cm depending on brand and model
my left foot measures just on 29, in the salomon X Max the 27.5 shell gives me a 12mm shell check! there is no science behind it, only that 15mm feels a bit short to the casual purchaser buying a pair in blue because they like blue, the manufacturers want that person to put on their measured size and say "wow these are great i will take them" they don't care when you are out the door and being as most people buy this way then what else can they do other than to generate sales to make them profit
if you have a 15mm shell check then great keep using it, it will be just fine...most important rule, forget the written numbers focus on how much space there is in the boot
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Maybe it depends partly on how much your foot collapses and seems longer when you stand bare footed. My foot arch seems to be very strong, so it doesn't seem to get get significantly longer (it hardly differs measuring it standing and sitting). The corollary of that is that installing a custom insole doesn't make my foot significantly shorter, although it's obviously more comfortable. Other people I know found that they went down a size when they had a custom insole made.
FYI the boots I will be in this coming season are Lange RS130 Wide. Another thought is that maybe the sizes are more "honest" on some makes than others?
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You know it makes sense.
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hyperkub, the lange does come up pretty long compared to some, but certainly not as long as some of the salomons!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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A tourers trick if even thin liner socks add too much bulk is to use nylon pop socks, no bulk but decreases friction.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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An Update.
So i went back to S&R and the guy there was helpful, did some measuring and indeed there is more than the 20mm gap on a shell test. He added some butterfly heel grabs (http://www.skiequipmentuk.co.uk/images/spares/ski-boot-heel-grab-butterfly2.jpg) around the back of the liner which made the heel more snug, however i'm still getting cramping in my feet, numb toes and rubbing on the ankle. This was after 90 mins in Chillfactore.
Another trip to S&R in order but no doubt just delaying the inevitable new boots.... 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Final Update
So i went back to S&R to discuss options and explained the situation, we tried a 27 in the X-Pro 100 which gave me less moment but still movement in the heel. then we tried a Lange RX 100 in a 28 which was more huggy and felt much better. Trying the 27 in each the Lange was too tight but the X-Pro felt ok, at this point i was looking to get some confidence in the final choice, the guys were good but it was a bit of trial and error. Having run out of time i disappeared and said i'd come back when i had a bit more time, in the mean time S&R said they would look around for an X-Max 100 returned by another customer which i could just swap straight for my X-Pro at no cost.
On returning to S&R this weekend before the ski test they couldn't get the X-Max 100 but found a new X-Max 120 from last year in a 28 it was much better across the top of the foot but still loose in the heel. Going to Austria in Jan and having a session booked with CEM i opted for the S&R buy back on the boost. It's cost me about £80 in all, but then again i did have 3 ski trips out of them so S&R offering to buy the X-Pro's back at 70% of the original value i don't think i've lost much in the way of £. Taking my footbeds to see CEM in a couple of weeks so we'll see what i eventually end up with. Have to say great service from S&R though, shame i had to do the ski test in hired (horrendous) boots but still enjoyable.
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After my visit to CEM, some measurements taken boots selected, fitted like gloves.... even the colour of them is ok! Happy camper and to be fair not that much out of pocket.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Levi215, You'll have to let us know how you get on with your new boots. 
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@GeorgeVII, not long to go now
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@Levi215, So what boots did you end up with ??
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Atomic Hawx 110 @albob
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FAQ
