Poster: A snowHead
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@JeffJeff, Boots in the town where you are holidaying might be the best place to buy if you really want to buy. But I still say rent - yes rent can be seen as throw-away cash, but, if you get this purchase wrong - it is throw away a lot more cash! What ever you choose to do - have a fab ski holiday. Ange
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yeah, at this stage renting probs best option.
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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 wrote: |
On comparative sizing, I usually wear UK 6, although closer to EU39, my road shoes are 41.5, trail shoes 42.5, ski boots 25.5 iirc, and they all fit! |
definitely something wrong there.
flangesax wrote: |
@JeffJeff,... |
He's gone, out of here, no longer listening.
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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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davidof wrote: |
He's gone, out of here, no longer listening. |
Did he ever listen?
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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On the subject of bootfitting...
I bought my boots 11 years ago in St Gervais from a nice chap in an independent ski shop. They are lovely things with heat-moulded liners and I don't recall any pain or discomfort or having to crowbar them onto my feet. I do recall standing in a couple of heated footholes while wearing the liners to get them moulded. Some of my companions - slightly more experienced skiers than me at the time and with their own boots already - took the opportunity to get their own liners remoulded at the time too.
It was all the rage then, back in the mid-00s, but is it still "a thing", or has it gone the way of mini-discs and myspace? My boots, though still very comfortable are rather more spacious and less warm around the toes than they used to be and don't function particularly well with thin socks any more. I was wondering if many (indeed any) ski shops still have those heater machines and whether they would sufficiently rejuvenate my 11-year-old liners (probably about 80 days' use over that time). Can anyone with experience of the modern ways advise?
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I think the main thing with the heat moulded liners was that the heat softened up the foam liner to make it easier to compress at any pressure points thereby providing more even pressure and a better all round fit. I'm not really sure you'll ever get the foam to come back once it's been compressed.
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@olderscot - You're probably right, but as I remember it the idea was definitely that you could "refresh" the fit periodically by repeating the heat process - hence friends getting their own liners remoulded while I was buying. I suppose it's just whether they'll be too far gone after eleven years (probably, I fear) and whether this boot technology is still used very much, as I haven't heard about it for ages.
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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 would have thought 80 days skiing would mould the liner perfectly. Re heating won't bring the volume back. New liner could be the answer.
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Rebaking might fluff the liner a bit allowing some temporary relief from some of the packing out problems. Certainly worked that way with snowboard liners but decreasing returns.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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JeffJeff wrote: |
Size 11 according to most sources online translates as anywhere between 28.5 to 29.5 with one site saying 30 for comfort. Yet when I went into a shop that offers professional boot fitting (at a cost) he measured my foot without a sock at exactly 27 saying 27.5 for comfort maybe. They were booked up for these fittings so we just went to Decathlon and tried on some boots. Their foot measuring slidy thing also said size 27 or UK size 9. Could not even fit my foot into a size 27 ski boot even with very thin ski socks on and there's no chance a size 9 shoe would fit. 28.5 was tough and only 29 or 29.5 was remotely comfortable.
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I don't get this. I wear a size 9uk shoe and I have just measured my mondo by drawing round my foot and that comes out at just under 28 which is roughly the equivalent. So unless I'm doing it all wrong it would mean if the boot fitter said your foot was 27 your feet must be sloping around inside your combat boots coz you is wearing boots 2 sizes too big.
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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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I wouldn't trust any 'army' boot to be the same size as a street boot, never mind walking or ski/board boot, never mind German ones (usually huge IME). Tactical boots have shrunk over the last few years from several manufacturers, doubtless others have grown and some stayed the same. UK stock generally sizes about 1 size up for my feet, though now that they make 3 width fittings it gets more interesting...
Surely this is why snowsports boots are sized in Mondo, being the actual length of the foot. Then, of course, you adjust for comfort vs performance, foot shape and so on. Never 100% perfect, but should be accurate enough - the most annoying is when you fall just between 2 shell sizes.
The mistake is ever to try and equate Mondo to shoe size (military or civilian, UK, European, US, female, male or otherwise). The latter is never standardised; the former at least should be.
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80 days isn’t a lot, I reckon you should get 120-160 days out of kit.
My foamed liners are at least over 250 days and other than the smell are fine.
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You know it makes sense.
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I was working it out yesterday. My boots aren't quite 4 years old and have done nearly 300 days. Shells and liners still fine.
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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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I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the number of days you get out of a foam liner before the boot feels a bit loose is related to how tight a fit your boot is to start off with. If you start with a ‘comfort’ fit boot then chances are it will feel loose quicker than a boot that starts off as a performance fit.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@olderscot, Yup, I have a pretty performance tailored fit on foam liners and I find that after 120 - 130 days I end up feeling as if I am cranking the buckles too hard to compensate for foot movement within the boot (something I just don't get along with). After about 150 days I am booking a session in for new liners, will be on my 3rd set soon for my current boots.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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olderscot wrote: |
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the number of days you get out of a foam liner before the boot feels a bit loose is related to how tight a fit your boot is to start off with. If you start with a ‘comfort’ fit boot then chances are it will feel loose quicker than a boot that starts off as a performance fit. |
I agree with this. My previous boots were definitely too big and packed down within 10 weeks of use and I binned them soon after as they were getting way too sloppy. My current boots, fitted by a different shop in 2009, are night and day better and must now have well over 300 days use. Still using the same light buckle settings as day 1, although I feel like the shells are now getting too soft. My wife has Zip-fit liners, which I think is the ultimate solution as they don't pack down like foam and pretty much last forever. I'm going to consider those myself on next fit, but will do whatever the fitter suggests.
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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 wrote: |
Yeah, at this stage renting probs best option. |
I think renting is a good idea for a beginner to get a feeling for what a ski boot actually feels like and what is obviously too big or small in practice. But I would definitely consider it a short term solution.
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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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Claude B wrote: |
davidof wrote: |
He's gone, out of here, no longer listening. |
Did he ever listen? |
I can confirm that @JeffJeff has indeed left the building - a n d... flounceo!
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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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We haven’t had one of those for a whileo!! Wonder if they fitted?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Quote: |
Try being a small- footed female
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One of the more leftfield pieces of advice offered by a snowHead
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