Ski boots - resort or UK?

A snowHead

Hi all, I’m new to the forum so sorry if I’m asking a question that’s been answered previously. I can see there's a post on ski boots but my question is specific: Is it best to buy boots in resort or in the UK?

I'm a very experienced and advanced skier but I haven’t bought boots for about 15 years so I’m out of touch with the best way to buy. BTW, I'll be in Les Arcs (1950) in March 2020.

I can see the pros and cons. If you buy in resort, it's difficult to take them back after the first week but you can try them and get them adjusted in resort in the first week.

What do people think? Any advice? Any experiences of your own to share?

Many thanks

Paul

A snowHead

@Stomps, this question comes up quite often. It's not an easy search but try buy+boots+resort and there will be stuff there ...amongst other stuff.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

resort all day imo.

the staff are fitting boots day in day out and you have the opportunity to test them thoroughly.

the only negative is you might pay a little more

You need to Login to know who's really who.

A few factors to consider:

Is it an experienced bootfitter? This is probably the most important factor, especially if your feet are different from completely average. There are some very experienced and well regarded bootfitters in the UK as there in resorts across the Alps, but how can you guarantee that you end up with an experienced boot fitter rather than someone who only works Saturday shifts or is just there for the season and talked themselves in to a job selling boots?

Does the shop have a good range of boots available for the experienced boot fitter to select the right one for you? This might mean it's more sensible to buy boots at the start of the winter (when the shop will have their full stock) rather than the end of the winter (when they might have already sold out of the boot which is perfect for you.

What's the process if you need to revisit the shop for boot adjustments after you've skied in them for a little while? Depending on your particular circumstances this might be easier to do in the UK or it might be easier to do in resort. No clearly right and wrong answer about this, as everyone's circumstances will vary.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I’ve always bought in the UK but then I’ve never needed much in the way of work needed to my boots.

I did though have a problem with some foot pain for my first week in my current boots which only got sorted on my return with some grinding down of my custom footbeds.

So there’s pro’s and con’s for both. If you can get to a good fitter in resort and don’t mind losing the ski time then it might well make sense. If it ever turns out that you need more work doing after leaving then you always have the option to get it sorted in the UK, you’d just have to pay for it.

You'll need to Register first of course.

I don't tend to have time free for fitting when I'm on holiday, so I always buy in the UK. There are good fitters here but you may have to travel, I use the guys in Bicester https://www.solutions4feet.com/ who are excellent. I wouldn't rely on getting a good fit at a major retailer - you might get lucky (I did once) or you might not (twice in my case - with the second pair I ended up taking them to Bicester for more work).

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

You never really know for sure how well the boots will work until you ski in them. If bought in the resort, then obviously it is easy to pop back in for a tweak or 2.

Tough choice if you bought from town. Pay a resort boot fitter to fix the issue or put up with it.

After all it is free

I think the quality of the Bootfitter is what counts, along with somewhere to try them out and get tweaks, if necessary.

I had mine fitted in resort, during a very stormy week.....most of the work was done after the lifts closed. The rest of the work was done when the lifts were closed (due to the storm).

Living in NI, the 2 main shops closed and there are no Snowdomes to try them out.

I've seen this question being asked many times. Each time, the answer is always "it depends..."

Depends on what?

Depends on where you can find a good boot fitter!

A good fitter in town should have you sorted pretty close to ideal. And in the event something is slightly uncomfortable and you can't wait to have it sorted before the end of your ski week, you still have the option to pay a little bit to have that minor bit of work done in resort.

A good fitter in resort will have you sorted by you skiing it everyday and doing whatever minor adjustments at the end of the day. By the end of the week, you would have be all good.

Either way works. You just need to find a GOOD boot fitter!

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

^ what they said!

The points however that really resonated with me (and I have bought many pairs both in the UK and in resort) were:
@robrar: "Is it an experienced bootfitter?"
@Old_Fartbag: "I think the quality of the Bootfitter is what counts, along with somewhere to try them out and get tweaks, if necessary."
@abc: "Depends on where you can find a good boot fitter!"

I would personally ask the question, especially if you are not a very regular visitor to a specific resort, "how do you find out who is the best boot fitter?"

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@Stomps, like others have said it’s the quality of the boot fitter that matters. Where in the U.K. do you live? If in SW London then I’d consider pro-feet who are excellent. You pay a premium for the fitting service and pay RRP for the boots but to me that is not a big issue if you are keeping boots for 10+ years and/or have dodgy feet like me. They provide ongoing support and adjustment at no extra cost.

snow reports

UK.

And get custom-fitted inserts and molded soles.

Boots must fit like a glove.

Experienced, advanced skier, but new to buying boots?

Shocked

Unless you have problem feet (hammer toes, etc.) buy in the UK and get thermofit liners - or better.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

Definitely in resort. Look for a shop which has the laser scanning setup and a large stock of boots.

It will cost a bit more than the UK but they do it all day long, and you can take them skiing and come straight back in the afternoon if there are some sore spots. The shops tend to shut about 7pm depending on where.

I was told in one UK shop that he can make as much money on a ski jacket in 5 mins as on boots in a couple of hours, so why should he bother? I bought my first boots in the UK, Salomon, 250 quid, and much later when I had some problems skiing they turned out to be 1cm too wide for my feet. They felt comfortable, of course Wink

Boots which fit "just right" transform your skiing.

Don't go for the cheapest option. It will cost more in the long run. Go for a "custom" liner, which is heated up and formed around your feet.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I would qualify my opinion above by agreeing that ready-to-wear ski boots may well be fine bought in resort, but if you go for heat/foam moulded liners, you might as well spend the day doing it at a well-qualified establishment in the UK (rather than wasteing time in resort). You are also assured of fluent English communication and UK consumer protection/law, etc.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Chris Tomlinson he of skiing with Demons has just written a good piece about boots sort of buying his boots in the UK

Over the last 35yrs or so I've had numerous foot issues, basically not helped by having one leg shorter (2.5cm) than the other, so my running shoes had built up soles and I was using custom footbeds in both my running shoes and ski boots.

Last five or so years I have the issues of bunions and a large ankle bone (your feet change with age dropped arches etc), so I have to get by shells blown out, and all the above is even more important for me as I probably spend more hours in a season climbing up in my boots than skiing down, and I've never thought about that before in those terms Puzzled

Back in December, I came across a very good in resort boot fitting service, the sort of service that normally you would have to go to a qualified boot fitter for, and it's a system that numerous ski shops have bought.

By scanning your feet it measures a series of points and then you're shown on a tablet a 3d scan of your feet, and then they put that into a 3d printer and then produce new feet for you, the last bit was a joke Laughing

I was then given various boots to try based on the above data, and this is where an in resort store might score over a UK one in that they might have way more stock to call upon, and then there are all the advantages that have already been mentioned, such as blowing out the shell etc on repeat visits to get it right in that you drop the shell off in the evening and collect in the morning etc

Obviously as well as the above foot scan to determine the best boot based on volume etc a Sidas type insole and any other mods would be a sensible option as well!

The fitting system is https://www.boot-doc.com/en/index.html however it will not show any muscular-skeletal issues such as shorter legs etc

I've googled Bootdoc boot fitting Les Arcs and no results, but results for La Plagne show up, though also Googled just Bootfitting Les Arcs and these two came up so touch base with them prior to you going?

www.sport2000-lesarcs.fr and http://www.arc-1600-location-ski-christina-sports.com/boot-fitting/

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Yes this system is fairly common, though out of say 10 ski shops in a given resort only 1 may have it (my actual experience from last week).

It also has a database of boots and will recommend those closest, which have a reasonable chance of fitting, given how much (not very much) can be taken up with a thermal fit liner.

If you get one of the early morning flights you probably will not be able to ski on day 1 but you should have a few hours for shopping.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Peter Stevens, bloody hell I hope at least this time around you were given adult boots to fit you and not children boots unlike your skis Laughing

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I got kids' boots but they found that if they heated them to +250C they would stretch just enough. It saved me quite a bit of money because they were cheaper.

Had to wear asbestos socks though while they were doing it.

After all it is free

Hi folks,

Thank you ever so much for all the really helpful advice.

I think in summary what I’m hearing is it’s a lot to do with finding (if possible) a good and experienced boot fitter whether in resort or the UK which of course is the challenge, I guess.

As I’m going to Les Arcs via Eurostar, I will actually be skiing for eight days so I could potentially use the first day to either find this good fitter in one of the Les Arcs resorts or take the funicular back down to Bourg St Maurice and try there. I’ll do some more research and follow the leads that @weathercam has already found but if anybody else has any recommendations about good boot fitters/good shops in Les Arcs or Bourg St Maurice, I’ll be very grateful if you could let me know.

By the way, I can’t actually remember when I bought my last boots which had fallen apart and the guy in the shop in Tignes a couple of years ago just laughed when I asked him if he could fix them. Apparently they don't make spare parts for these boots anymore! And before you ask, no - they're not "rear entry" boots! But it was at least 15 years ago and I guess they’ve always been comfortable so I’ve just kept with them. Last year I had to rent boots and they weren't particularly good and as I always tell beginners that the first piece of ski equipment they should buy is boots, I need to heed my own advice.

As I will be 60 this year, my feet are starting to get old like the rest of me and I now seem to be developing a bunion on my right foot so I’m worried that I will need carefully fitted boots to accommodate that which points back to finding a good fitter rather than (as somebody said) just someone who's been on a course!

I live in Derby but I have a niece who lives in London and I could stay with her one night if that’s the best place to go to buy boots in the UK (and I decide to buy here rather than in resort). Thank you very much for your recommendations already, BTW.

Thanks again guys for all your help. Fantastic.

I think there is one issue that hasn't been mentioned and that is how much of a "performance fit" are you aspiring to?

If you prioritise comfort (and there is nothing wrong with that - the sport is supposed to be fun and skiing in painful boots isn't much fun) then you should be able to get a decent fit with a low chance of needing to go back for shell stretches etc. I'd go to a recommended UK fitter in this case.

If you want an ultra precise / close to race fit then you are much more likely to need to go back to have the shells modified after skiing in them. I would want to be able to ski them in the day and get work done on them that night then try again the next day - rinse and repeat. To me that means that booking an appointment for a fitting in resort makes most sense. I would not want to face a week in painful boots then getting them sorted back in the UK.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

She sells ski shells on the ski floor. Seriously, there is no comparison between getting boots fitted in/out of resort. Ask anyone that has done both. The word satisfactory springs to mind, if you want to be satisfied, perhaps either, if you wish to be optimised then only a resort shop can do this. Why: Ok, we live in the boots, our clients return often just to give us feed back, regularly. This gives you regular updates on how the liners function and last, and liners are the difference between optimising fit. Yes, shell size and shape is important, footbeds fundamental however fitting a range of liners, swapping brands to brands to optimise fit and lifespan is key. If you're not using them daily, or getting feedback from your clients daily non resort fitters are crossing their fingers somewhat. We regularly swap liners from day to day/week to week/month to month for our clients to tweak and improve fitting. That simply can't happen "off snow".

It's all about living and breathing the equipment, that's not to say any shop in resort manages this, far from it, we have a huge amount of shops here that do a shocking job of fitting and dialling in the perfect set up, it angers and frustrates me, but you simply can't get that done away from snow either and that's a fact.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

And sorry, performance fitting, experts fitting, beginners fitting is utter nonsense. If you've got a good footbed, a foot and need to coat it in plastic, then it needs to fit, end of.

snow reports

@CH2O, Yep and how good are you at managing those tweaks for the customer who has bought from you but their next hol is in Arabba, St Anton after that, maybe Colorado the next time?

Buy in resort from a committed fitter is good advice for someone frequently returning to that resort but is pretty useless as a generality. Unless you're saying you have a reciprocal network with good bootfitters all over and will email over the client's file so "continuity of care" is possible?

Myth: Beginners need a more gentle fit than racers.

Why? It's hard to get into?
"Suck it up buttercup."

Your toes hit the front?
"Get your stance dialled and get out of the back seat, you're happy to pay someone a fortune to shout at you not to do that, why not feel it when it's wrong."

They don't ski as well or as fast!
"Well they're never going to with feet slopping around in boots with little reactive control, one might argue a beginner needs more precise boots than and expert, if only to feel in control for once."

Plates of meat and plastic pots, all the same, whether you struggle to put them on or not. Your ability to ski shouldn't and doesn't mean you shouldn't try hard to get boots on your feet, once there, you are the pilot, rather than riding a runaway horse into the sunset.

You know it makes sense.

@Dave of the Marmottes,

That's your call, I'm not responsible for your agenda, simply saying that "off snow" will never optimise fit, after that you decide what compromises you're prepared to make based on your availability.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Dave of the Marmottes, I would never have a reciprocal deal with any shop unless the fitter's had worked here with us. Sure we all fit boots, but then we can all buy a hammer to can't we.

A snowHead

Our process get's tweaked and changed everyday, that is because everyday we get a new problem to understand, each of the 7 of us here participate in every other fitter's clients, sharing that database between us is of such importance for consistency.

A snowHead

Exception, buy boots at the Snowdomes, ski, tweak, ski, tweak. That could work to a greater degree.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Layne, Sure, my point however is that a "Off Snow" fitter will never be able to offer an optimal fit, satisfactory maybe. If you're happy to make that compromise that's perfectly fine. In resort you get to see every boot you sell, and liner combination be born and die in 1 season, that information is invaluable when offering a fitting service that's objective is to offer the best fit long term.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@CH2O, I think we will just have to agree to disagree.

After all it is free

Judging the spiciness of the curry is key for sure.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

But the tolerances are beyond that of ability or perceived level. A climber that has never skied will tolerate a whole lot more than the average person for example. I believe there's a lot more to it than the marketing of your skiing ability, and we have regular results to back that up. Breakthoughs in skiing due to precise "spicy" fitted boots are a regular thing, and becoming more so as we update and tweak our process, something that could never happen "off snow".

Help!!

Ski boots - resort or UK?

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Equipment Reviews/Questions