 Poster: A snowHead
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I skiied all day yesterday, and by the end of the day it felt like my feet needed amputating. My feet aren't unusually wide or anything like that.
I reckon I'm going to have to buy some boots.
Which are the best brands for allround comfort? Will proper boot socks help? (I currently use my football socks!)
Any other suggestions?
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 4-03-06 15:04; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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moot_point, Go to Lockwoods, come to me? 
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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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SMALLZOOKEEPER, Is that your sales pitch?
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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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moot_point, I wouldn't bother - don't forget your skiing days are numbered now. Save your money and buy an iron and ironing board instead 
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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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moot_point, No, short answer to a complex and subjective question, show me your feet and i'll give you answers. Otherwise work it out yourself, seems you need help?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, Where is Lockwoods?
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moot_point, pssst . . . Snowboarding (big comfy slippers)
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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obelix67, That wins you a prize, one day. You may like to try another number. I'll p.m. you. However Deputy?
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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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for some reason I have the theme for "the good the bad and the ugly" going on off in my head 
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obelix67, I love being Bad so , i'm not keen on the good, i'm assuming your real ugly?
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You know it makes sense.
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obelix67, Funnly enough, with all the talk of muppets it's no wonder. The guy responsable for 'MANAMANA' was also responable for the 'Good the Bad and the Ugly' theme.
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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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| moot_point wrote: |
| Will proper boot socks help? (I currently use my football socks!) |
Yes. I had real problems with my boots, and the bootfitter ook one look at my socks (thick ski socks) and told me that was the problem. He sold me a pair of thin ski socks that have selscted padding (ie shins/heel) and that made a world of difference.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Let us start with the function of the foot, orthotics, volume/flex/shell selection, liner selection and finally the sock, without all before it i'd be surprised if socks changed too much.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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moot_point, a boot that fits your foot will be comfortable all day. A boot that fits your foot means that the shell (the plastic part) approximates the shape of your foot closely, so that the liner (the soft part) only serves as a bit of a cushion between the shell and your foot. A real bootfitter will pull out the liner and find a boot that very closely approximates your foot (the good ones look at your feet with socks off, ask you questions about your skiing and preferences, and tell you the two or three boots that will fit you that they carry). A little bit of grinding may be necessary to make them perfect.
If you are extremely fortunate, the fitter may also be an expert in balancing the boots for you (that is, getting you into real physiological neutral while standing in the boots on skis). This takes more work for most folks (usually including a custom footbed, perhaps some more grinding, and perhaps planing of the boots and otherwise changing the angles of the sole relative to your foot).
But, when they're done, not only are you comfortable all day, you will have the maximum enjoyment possible for you together with the minimal required energy for your skill level.
Of course, you don't need to do any of this to have fun skiing. But, the more of it you do, the better your overall experience will be.
As for socks, get ones that wick well (wool or poly, usually). I like the thinnest possible. It turns out that perspiration is one of the greatest causes of cold/wet feet, and most folks think that their boots are leaking, when they're not!
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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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| Quote: |
I skiied all day yesterday, and by the end of the day it felt like my feet needed amputating. My feet aren't unusually wide or anything like that.
I reckon I'm going to have to buy some boots.
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Bare feet strapped directly to skis? No wonder your feet hurt
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I was told by somone in Courchevel that most of the instructors there wore Salomon X waves because you could wear them all day without noticing. Mind you, he was trying to sell me a pair at the time. He succeeded, and they have been very comfortable for me so far.
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richmond, that may be true, but I wonder how much work had to be done to each instructors' boots to get them to fit - it's very rare that in a large group of people everyone will have the same foot shape (perhaps if they are all inter-bred it may occur).
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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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richmond, Definitely NOT true here! It was the X wave + the podiatrist that gave me all the problems that have been plaguing me for the last 4 years!!!! A huge variety of boots on instructors feet - most bought throught the same shop though!
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richmond, Salomons can be very comfortable for many folks because the liners tend to be fairly thick. However, over time, they tend to pack out and cause the fit to get a bit "roomy". But, again, if the shell fits your foot well, it will all work out. If it doesn't, nothing will really work over time.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I merely pass on what I was told, with the caveat that I gave. They seem to suit me, so far. They are a tight fit without being as uncomfortable as I would expect. The flex seems to be right for me, as well; I find it much easier to control the skis than I did with my (ludicrously stiff) Langes. It was true that X Waves seemed to be the most popular boot among the instructors (they're quite easy to spot), so far as I could see, but there could be other reasons for that, not least of which may be that the bloke who flogged them to me enjoys a very good reputation as a boot fitter and sells only Salomans and and another brand (Atomic?) (and if I was marketing a boot, I'd make sure that instructors got a decent discount, especially in my 'home' country).
Probably a combination of luck (or good selection of boot for me by the salesman), perhaps aided by the heat moulding of the inner (which wasn't a particularly pleasant experience) and the thick liners. Presumably if the liners do pack down, I can replace them.
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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've got a very wide forefoot and it took 4 pairs of boots before I found the right ones. I've had X-Screams for 5 years now and have always been able to wear them all day without undoing them, even for lunch. The buckles can be closed and opened with one finger and I can feel them hugging my foot uniformly all round - bliss! I've not noticed any sign of the liners packing down - still have the pretty much the same buckle settings as when I they were new.
The X-waves are the successor the to X-Scream, I believe.
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| ssh wrote: |
| richmond, Salomons can be very comfortable for many folks because the liners tend to be fairly thick. However, over time, they tend to pack out and cause the fit to get a bit "roomy". |
I wouldn't say my old Salomon boots were roomy at the end of their life, but I had an estate agent round who measured them up for selling them, and he changed his initial description from "compact and bijous" to "spacious, well proportioned, with high ceilings"...
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You know it makes sense.
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My feet are pretty wide, and I also find that I can get the support and restraint I need without doing the buckles up very tight. Maybe X waves are a good choice for the wider footed among us (although you don't see many ducks wearing them, so maybe not).
I came across a shop in Kitzbuhel selling 'bespoke' boots; I can't remember the name and although they have a website, I can't find it. I think they are a US company with a Germanic sort of name. They offer a couple of models. It was clear from the price (about $6-800) and their blurb that the boots are not really bespoke at all. They seem to take one of a range of shell sizes and mould an inner to your feet, which doesn't seem to me to be very (any?) different from custom liners or even what Salomon do with their X-waves. Anyone know anything about bespoke ski boots?
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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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richmond, was it Dalbello that they were selling?
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Poster: A snowHead
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richmond, Strolz?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Wear The Fox Hat, hmmm, possibly. I think that the name began with 'D', but they were only offering 2 models in the shop I saw, and I think that they had wire buckles (like old Salomons) at least on the cuff.
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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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I'm now into my second pair of Xwaves and agree that the fit out of the box is very good, I've never had problems with aches/pains/numbness etc. and only undo the boots at lunch. I don't think it's because the shell is too big, as my personal tech Spyderjon confirmed that the shells are sized about right for my feet.
If the shell size is right, then the liners can't be too thick or I'd not be able to get my feet in  . However they do pack out quite quickly. I ski with my boots fairly tight, a bit more than "finger tight" on the top two especially and have put a booster strap on as well. I used them for about two hours per week for three months at Castleford without having to crank up the buckles very much, but after a full week in resort the packing out became more apparent. After a second week, I'm thinking about trying some Zipfit liners in the near future.
So nice shells, shame about the liners.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Cedric, no, not Strolz, although looks like a similar idea.
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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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richmond, Cedric, The Dale Boot, same thing, drop the guy's at Lockwoods a line, speak to Lee.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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moot_point,
I am meant to be on a week's self-enforced 'no snowheads, no caffeine, no alchol' so shouldn't have been even looking, let alone posting BUT just quickly wanted to say that Rossignol Soft 3 work for me with addition of individual heat-moulded footbeds and technical ski socks.
I learnt the hard way by losing my big toe nail a couple of months after my first trip and a similarly agonising boot experience to yours. Go on, treat yourself - you know you want to!
And I've just finished drinking a coffee 
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SkiBod, As long as it wasn't Irish...
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
| richmond, Cedric, The Dale Boot, same thing, drop the guy's at Lockwoods a line, speak to Lee. |
That's the chap, thanks. I knew it was a distinctly Germanic name (Adolf Hitler's middle name was Dale, you know).
I'm not after a pair, just interested to know if they're worth the cash and if they are really much different to ordinary boots with custom liners.
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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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Well, only a very wee dram - do you think that counts?
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SkiBod, if it was a dram, then it was Scottish, and they can't make proper Whiskey... 
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