Poster: A snowHead
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OK, so I know there are at least a couple of famous ski boot fitters in Chamonix who have been praised on this forum in the past. We've been to one of them.
BUT, here's the thing.....we are not great skiers. We are lucky to be able to ski frequently; but are 50 somethings with dodgy knees and incipient bunions. We like to ski well, but our main priority these days is comfort, fun and nothing too extreme.
TBH we feel well out of our comfort zone in one of the boot fitting meccas with the walls plastered with photos of grateful clients and the medals they have won/extreme routes they have conquered.
What we want is someone who'll be happy to sell us some mid-range boots and take the time to customise the shell and linings for our increasingly weird feet without making us feel, however slightly, that they really have better things to do with their time.
Are we alone in this? Can anyone suggest a suitable shop?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'd still recommend SOLE in Chamonix, but other than that, I've had a really good experience at Lanches in Annemasse - very close to Geneva.
http://ville-la-grand.lanches.fr/
They fitted my first pair of boots, and after 100+ days in them, the fit is still great (very snug, no pain) - I'm only replacing them as I'm no longer a beginner, and need more aggressive boots. I had their lead bootfitter though, so do ask carefully who is available. Decent prices, good range, definitely not intimidating, and they offer the SIDAS custom fitting options.
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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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@gvj, I'd recommend SOLE first too, but I suspect that's where you've been already. Not sure why it would have been intimidating though, I suspect that's in your own head.
You could also try Jules at Sanglard (also Cham) if he's still working there.
Or talk to Jaimie at Beanies in Morzine (it looks like a coffee shop but that's just a disguise). He also runs All Mountain Rental. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beanies-ski-shop-and-coffee-bar/317191698296759
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Actually, I can well understand feeling intimidated - I have a friend with an apartment in Chamonix, a long-time skier, and a good one (well, better than me, anyway) but she is getting older, has some knee and hip problems, and put comfort top of her wish list. When she went back because her boots were still uncomfortable (I don't know which shop, might well have been SOLE) she was told firmly that ski boots aren't meant to be comfortable. She wasn't too pleased. I think that's one of the good thing about CEM - he doesn't make you feel silly if you're not gnarly and he has to make room in the boots for your bunions.
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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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@gvj, I'd give Sole or Jules a go too. They may plaster their walls with pics of pros, but that's marketing, not a statement that they only deal with pros. Apart from anything else there are far fewer pros than ordinary punters, and pros rarely pay full whack for their kit, so it doesn't make much business sense to exclude ordinary paying punters like you or me.
I have had good experiences with Sole and because you are local you can visit between now and when the Xmas hordes arrive - ie by far the best time to get the full range of kit and have a bootfitter who isn't too rushed off his feet
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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nah, not us, that would have been the Fall-line idiots of old, right out of their text book.
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CH2O wrote: |
nah, not us, that would have been the Fall-line idiots of old, right out of their text book. |
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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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I don't feel that SOLE were intimidating and my race boots that they fitted are comfortable.
There is a new bootfitter that opened this winter near Geneva Total Feet. I have no idea what they are like, just read an article in Ski Chrono about them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just for the record I haven't been to SOLE, no slight intended.... Maybe I should go...
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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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@gvj, you should!
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