 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi so I went to Rivington Alpine. They took their time and seemed very helpful but I didn't manage to buy anything as I wasn't confident the ski boot was right for me. I was quite impressed he recommended for me to have a think and come back rather than pushing a sale as he could see I wasn't sure. I haven't bought a ski boot before so was not exactly sure what to expect.
1) Should I be considering a race boot as my first boot for BASI 1 & 2 and instructing all day in?
2) How should a Ski Boot feel exactly when trying them on? Is it normal to have no movement apart from a slight toe wiggle up and down being possible? Is it reasonable to expect pins and needles before ski boots are broken in or the shell customised? Do boots give 1/2 a size anyway so a too tight fit could transform into a perfect one?
Given I want to do BASI 1 + 2 or the Anwarter and become an instructor this winter they recommended me a race boot which was a surprise. I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not. Based on my measurements I was given the Lange RS 130 Wide - 100 last 26.5. My foot is 98 wide, low volume, between 26.5 - 27 long with a reasonably high arch, good mobility / dexterity .
I was expecting with all this professional fitting and customisation that I would walk out with an exceptionally comfortable boot that offered high performance and I would wear all day without discomfort and really enjoy the skiing and forget about the boot. After wearing the Lange RS for over an hour they felt dreadfully uncomfortable and some pins and needles / numbness in my toes. I was really needing to get them off. There was absolutely no room to move forward, backwards or sideways or lift the heel. Maybe this is what I want and need but I was expecting to spend £500 on something I was really confident would be perfect for me. I figured an instructor would choose a very comfortable boot given they will be wearing them all day everyday rather than a race boot especially as I don't imagine i'd be teaching a very high level of client starting out. However, they do need to have enough performance to get me through the tests and exams. They recommended the thinnest drop in sidas footbeds not custom because there was so little space left in the boot and a heel lifter. Whist this seemed to help draw my toes away from the front in seemed to increase the pressure on top of my foot and my toes still went numb / pins and needles. I did try on some more intermediate boots the Atomic Waymaker 110s which seemed to feel equally snug and not much different in size although I didn't wear them for the same extended period of time. That had a 101 lass. As I can gather Atomic no longer make or sell the Waymaker though.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Powder Pete, there are a few things in your post which are not making much sense to me as a boot fitter and some that do
the term "race boot" is banded about a lot by companies, there is a difference between a consumer race boot and a real race boot... the RS 130 wide is the same boot as the RX 130 (the all mountain version) barring the liner being a slightly firmer material the the shell colour, but the word "race" gets in the way... as for the flex selection it very much depends on your body weight, frequently i find myself putting skiers with only a few weeks skiing experience into 120/1230 flex boots as they are 120Kg +
boots WILL give by a fair amount and there are lots of things which can be done to make those adjustments, they aren't always where you expect that they should be, but in answer to point 2 of your e mail yes it is normal for a performance boot fit to have NO movement except a little toe wiggle, you have stated that your foot is 98mm wide so a 100mm lasted boot should be no problem for the foot if there is no funky biomechanical stuff going on... how is your ankle joint range of motion? this is the single biggest cause of problems i see in ski boots on the daily basis
ski boot fitting is a process, not a one hit and its done thing, honestly if you think it should be then i am afraid you are sadly wrong, liners pack feet change and you need to adapt things depending on the individuals tolerance to fit tension (compression)... some people like a firm handshake some people don't if you get lucky you might have a boot molded, footbeds built and never need to see the fitter gain, but everyone is different some people need minor adjustment, some major, and 9 times out of 7 it is not that the boot is wrong, just it needs minor work, the differences between brands and models whilst in some cases is big, is mostly very subtle
what were you doing for the hour you were wearing the boot? standing flexing working the boot? or sitting down? if the later then i would definitely expect some pins and needles/ numbness, if standing flexing working the boot then still possibly some but less so than if sat around.
all in all difficult for me to say if it was the right boot for you, as i have not seen your feet it was probably very close and just needed some space released in the liner somewhere
hope some of the explanation helps a little, good luck in your quest to get a boot
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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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Thanks for the reply CEM. That does help me know what I should be expecting. Ah so it's a marketing thing and if i wanted a 'comfort version' of the RS130 I should go with the RX130? I'm certainly not 120kg - 82kg at the moment and 180cm. I do workout so might be a little stronger than normal but i'm not a hulk! He seemed to think I could flex and deform the shell just fine though. Despite my lack of experience I like to take on black runs and possibly ski quite aggressively for my level.
If i'm not able to really have a custom footbed and go for the thinnest drop in does that not mean the boot is probably too tight in volume?
I spend most of the time sitting down in the boot occasionally standing up and flexing. I also felt some pressure on the top of my foot towards the ankle. He did test my ankle movement by getting me to lift my feet up but keeping my heel on the floor. He seemed to think it was good.
Andy joked if it was you fitting my boots I wouldn't have had a choice - You're having the RS130 and that final!
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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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@Powder Pete, a thin custom insert will be as thin if not thinner than an off the shelf product... it will also give a little more support.... as for the pins and needles, my guess is probably the foam in the tongue needs to be compressed
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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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I think it was a stock sidas carbon he put in. I got the impression from him that a custom insole would be thicker and reduce volume. Does just wearing them in compress the foam in the tongue? There was a bit of a pressure point in a bone on top of my foot near my big toe of my foot and maybe a bit on side of my foot near the little toe.
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