I'm new to skiing and am unsure what to do about my irregular feet. By my measurements, my left foot is 94mm across and my right is 103mm. The circumference of the widest part is 241mm on the left and 260mm on the right. Not sure about the lengths, hard to measure accurately at home. Is it possible to stretch a boot to such a difference? From my little bit of reading, if I were to try to stretch the front of the boot too wide it will make it lower in the front, which isn't going to help me given the extra volume in my right foot.
When I'm hiking I wear two different boots, a 43.5 EU on the left and a 45 EU on the right.
I live in New Zealand, so getting a custom made boot is not possible. Also any decent boot fitter is probably at the other end of the country. I live in the north.
Do I try and find two different width boots and fit each foot individually and then clearly mark my skis left and right to avoid confusion, or is it possible to get the right boot modified that much?
I'm not keen on having the fierce throbbing in my right foot while on the chairlift etc
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@littledriftwood, I understand a decent fitter could manage that stretching fine. A few years ago some friends who fit in a shop in Chamonix only stocked the lowest volume of any model they stocked because they could always be made bigger.
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?
Quote:
Do I try and find two different width boots and fit each foot individually and then clearly mark my skis left and right to avoid confusion,
That's exactly what my sister used to do. In one rental shop they explained that they didn't have two matching pairs so she took one green boot and one red boot. Many admiring comments followed and she nearly sparked a new fashion. I think the best comment was: "...glad you've got port and starboard the right way round".
She eventually went to see Colin and now has a pair that are the same size on the outside but still fit on the inside. In her case he took up the extra volume in the boot for the smaller foot. In your case maybe a combo of that on one foot and blowing the shell on the other?
It sounds like you're going to need to see a specialist here. So even a big trip internally in NZ to see someone decent.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
swskier wrote:
@littledriftwood, do you ever ski outside of NZ?
It sounds like you're going to need to see a specialist here. So even a big trip internally in NZ to see someone decent.
I've only skied about 5 or 6 times, but went again recently and have become obsessed lol. Will be getting a season pass next winter. I skied in Lebanon once, but all the rest of the times have been in NZ. No travel plans for the future. It only seems since I had my daughter that my foot problems started. Before pregnancy my hiking boots fitted fine.
Will have to see a bootfitter for sure, but right now I'm on a shoestring and don't want to spend the $1200 I was told at the shop that I'd need to spend. One of the rental places said they would happily rent me different sized boots, but it'd be nice to get my own at some point
@littledriftwood, I understand a decent fitter could manage that stretching fine. A few years ago some friends who fit in a shop in Chamonix only stocked the lowest volume of any model they stocked because they could always be made bigger.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Get a cheap flight Auckland to Christchurch and go and see Gnomes - they are great - 30 minutes from the airport on the way to the craigieburns so make a ski trip out of it. Make sure you book an appointment beforehand.
Probably no way of avoiding the cost of boots and fitting obviously. Wouldn’t think renting different sizes would be much of an issue at most places.
After all it is free
After all it is free
bobski62 wrote:
Quote:
Do I try and find two different width boots and fit each foot individually and then clearly mark my skis left and right to avoid confusion,
That's exactly what my sister used to do. In one rental shop they explained that they didn't have two matching pairs so she took one green boot and one red boot. Many admiring comments followed and she nearly sparked a new fashion. I think the best comment was: "...glad you've got port and starboard the right way round".
She eventually went to see Colin and now has a pair that are the same size on the outside but still fit on the inside. In her case he took up the extra volume in the boot for the smaller foot. In your case maybe a combo of that on one foot and blowing the shell on the other?
Fantastic. So in the short term wearing different sizes could be a thing then. One rental place said they would happily do it. My hiking boots don't match either lol.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
In all honesty, you could accommodate that size range fairly easily using boots within some manufacturers ranges, second hand. Salomon for example offers very similar boots such as x-max, x-pro and others in varying last widths, as does atomic in hawx ranges.
Ok buying 2 pairs isn't great, but you can get most of these boots relatively inexpensively now .
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
hang11 wrote:
Get a cheap flight Auckland to Christchurch and go and see Gnomes - they are great - 30 minutes from the airport on the way to the craigieburns so make a ski trip out of it. Make sure you book an appointment beforehand.
Probably no way of avoiding the cost of boots and fitting obviously. Wouldn’t think renting different sizes would be much of an issue at most places.
For sure, a trip to Gnomes is best scenario, but I'm a solo mum so on a budget.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Smokies and Wine wrote:
In all honesty, you could accommodate that size range fairly easily using boots within some manufacturers ranges, second hand. Salomon for example offers very similar boots such as x-max, x-pro and others in varying last widths, as does atomic in hawx ranges.
Ok buying 2 pairs isn't great, but you can get most of these boots relatively inexpensively now .
Very relieved to hear this. I thought I'd be told I was mad for considering two different boots. I'm on a budget, so two second hand pairs is still way cheaper than I was told by the shop to expect to have to pay. I don't need great performance. I just wanna do some green and easy blue runs without my right foot killing me
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.
@hang11, Edge rentals at Whakapapa flatly refused to rent me two different boots. I won't be going back for obvious reasons.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@littledriftwood, That’s nuts, unless they are really busy they would have plenty of stock in different sizes, so wouldn’t be an issue.
FWIW if you ever do make it to the craigieburns I’ll rent you odd sized boots
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@littledriftwood, you could buy one pair secondhand, fitters might just charge for the work required?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@under a new name, I did phone one place and they weren't keen on trying to stretch second hand boots too much because they said they can become brittle.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
You're opening a can on worms not biting the bullet and paying for the custom fit.
2nd hand boots are, at best, a gamble - how much use have they had? How have they been stored? Have they already been modified them multiply by 2 if your seriously thinking about 2 pairs.
Then make sure your bindings are set differently and make sure the right ski is on the right boot....
A good fitter will fit as small as possible on your biggest foot (and modify as needed) and then build a footbed to make sure your smaller foot is stable. It'll be a long process but can definitely be done with one pair. Probably not what you want to hear as it's the expensive option but 2nd hand is guesswork and you'll end up throwing good money at bad decisions.
Plan your next resort trip around a fitting with a senior fitter in resort and bite the bullet - it'll improve your comfort, safety and skiing and will be a 10 year investment to a sport you obviously love.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@littledriftwood, yeah, I can see that
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?
@andy n netty, I'm not at all sure that would be the process?
I can see CEM building one up and stretching the other, but trying to make a too big boot smaller is much harder than making a too small boot bigger ...
Hi there.
You mention you're in NZ?
Just a suggestion: if under 'User Facilities'/'Forum Profile', you put your location as NZ, maybe you won't get any more comments advising you to visit bootfitters halfway around the world. No Guarantee of that tho'.
I too have wide feet - left 105mm right 109mm.
I had disappointments at bootfitters who wouldn't stretch boots as far as I needed, and put me in boots that wouldn't work for me.
Then I found this Patriot Footbeds video of going DIY on Youtube (below).
I know the guy is an Aussie but then nobody's perfect.
It gave me confidence to select a boot I could DIY at home and make the mods myself.
It was surprisingly easy and satisfying.
I picked Dalbello Panterra boots, because they offered 102-104mm size, and stated that for both the liners and shells the process could be repeated as often as you needed if the first effort wasn't good enough. There's the option to order the pads for DIYing from Dalbello if you want. I made my own.
For me, I did mods several times.
I found that after the first effort widening the front of boot, I had new pressure points (very painful) at the sides.
A second mod sorted that out.
They've been OK now for 7 years.
I've just bought a new pair (250GBP)- the linings in the old ones are too worn now - the prices for liner replacements were too high in my opinion.
If you don't have the confidence to do this on your own, maybe a friend nearby with DIY confidence could help.
I just thought to myself 'Just do it. What can go wrong? Worst case - it's only money!'
Cheers, FG
-
@Fat George, Thanks for tip about updating my profile.
I might be tempted to go the DIY route if I was only needing to stretch a few mm, but there's 9mm difference between the two feet. And the right foot is visibly higher in the fore foot area as well. It's a lot of extra volume.
I am dubious any boot fitter is going to be able to get a single pair of boots fit my feet, let alone me.
Yes, I know the difference is a big problem.
Perhaps you could go on finding a solution?
Personally, I didn't give up too easily.
I think you'll find that it's not all about stretching the boot.
I believe Craig on Patriot footbeds has various videos on how to take up space if there's a space between the liner and the shell for smaller feet.
That would work on your smaller foot if the shell nominal last width was somewhat bigger than your foot.
I think there are some other videos out there.
If I do find them later I'll PM you a link.
There are other things on the internet to give you a clue too.
In my case, after stretching but before I added pads to the liners, I had some pretty big looseness with the Dalbellos (both feet).
Once I had fitted some self adhesive pads in the right places as well as doing some stretching there was a comfortable fit.
Each foot was very different.
My pads were as thick as 3mm in places.
You are 94/103 I see.
If you were to go for 99mm last shells, you would need to stretch the width of one boot by 4mm, which is quite do-able, and for the other, fit adhesive pads to the liner in the right places to make up the 5mm of slop, also quite do-able in my case.
Similar consideration for 98mm last/97mm last I think.
On here, someone may suggest a make of injectable liner - sold separately, 'customised', and IMO expensively - Intuition and Zipfit spring to mind, although manufacturers do offer injectable/customisable liners+shells on some of their ranges. Maybe those could fit your foot and the shell to take up the slop, but you might not like having to buy after market liners yourself and throw away the stock liners.
If you can find a suitable boot shop/bootfitter and do some convincing to do you a deal on injectable liners and stock shell with a bit of stretching, it could work out.
Personally I'd still be looking at DIY, but that's me.
There is hope.
FG
PS. Here's something: there will probably be a difference in design and price for so-called 2024 and 2025 models - the old stock is usually cheaper for the customer.
Have a look at this one as an example. I know it's Dalbello and out of stock on this site and stiff, but I'm biased now. They say: 'Developed to permit skiers to regulate overall boot width from a range of 99 to 101 mm. Once the first buckle has been set, Panterra models may be skied, put on and taken off using remaining 3 buckles.' Mine are like that too.
I'm sure there is something out there for you.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
littledriftwood wrote:
@Fat George, . . .
I am dubious any boot fitter is going to be able to get a single pair of boots fit my feet . . .
All the bootfitters I visited flatly refused to stretch the boot as far as needed, so I would be dubious any boot fitter would stretch a single pair of boots to fit your feet. In my case, they said 2mm was the max else the boot might split. Really? That seems tiny. They don't like to risk beyond that? So how big is the risk? It didn't seem reasonable to me.
e.g. photo below of my new left boot black and not yet modified vs the old green and dirty one.
The bump under the front buckle shows up well.
It's at the point where the rivet secures the left part of the front buckle, which I was told would mean I would split the boot.
I measured the width: old ones when new 110mm; after I stretched, 117mm both boots, each boot in a different place.
So 7mm no problem in practice.
littledriftwood wrote:
@Fat George, . . .
I am dubious . . . to get a single pair of boots fit my feet, let alone me.
but maybe a friend with DIY skills could help as I suggested so you don't need to try it alone. It's really not that hard and would be less risky than it was in my case.
Please don't give up.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Fat George wrote:
littledriftwood wrote:
@Fat George, . . .
I am dubious any boot fitter is going to be able to get a single pair of boots fit my feet . . .
All the bootfitters I visited flatly refused to stretch the boot as far as needed, so I would be dubious any boot fitter would stretch a single pair of boots to fit your feet. In my case, they said 2mm was the max else the boot might split. Really? That seems tiny. They don't like to risk beyond that? So how big is the risk? It didn't seem reasonable to me.
e.g. photo below of my new left boot black and not yet modified vs the old green and dirty one.
The bump under the front buckle shows up well.
It's at the point where the rivet secures the left part of the front buckle, which I was told would mean I would split the boot.
I measured the width: old ones when new 110mm; after I stretched, 117mm both boots, each boot in a different place.
So 7mm no problem in practice.
littledriftwood wrote:
@Fat George, . . .
I am dubious . . . to get a single pair of boots fit my feet, let alone me.
but maybe a friend with DIY skills could help as I suggested so you don't need to try it alone. It's really not that hard and would be less risky than it was in my case.
Please don't give up.
while there is a limit to how much you can stretch a boot 2mm is absolute BS
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
CEM wrote:
while there is a limit to how much you can stretch a boot 2mm is absolute BS
@CEM : Do you have a personal/professional view on the sensible limit in practice?
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
under a new name wrote:
@andy n netty, I'm not at all sure that would be the process?
I can see CEM building one up and stretching the other, but trying to make a too big boot smaller is much harder than making a too small boot bigger ...
But that's exactly what I've said....
Fit as small as possible on the bigger foot - maybe a size "too small" and grind/stretch and then build a footbed to secure the foot in the other boot - maybe with foam liners or maybe with podiatry foams.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
The 2mm thing is nonsense.
Most modern thermo moldable boots will take that without any mechanical intervention. 10mm should be possible if you know what your doing and your careful.
The only reason 2mm might have been the max would be if the boot was an older model with a seam in the plastic that may have been vulnerable.
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.
andy n netty wrote:
. But that's exactly what I've said....
Agreed, and I had read what you said.
However I thought neither 'making a too big boot smaller' nor 'build a footbed to make sure your smaller foot is stable' were very exact descriptions of what can be done.
And it's a long long way from Aukland to Bicester, isn't it?
The OP hasn't got a bootfitter anywhere near apparently.
Others have suggested NZ fitter.
Wasn't ignoring what you said and I doubt the OP was either.
I just thought DIY might be a helpful suggestion particularly as I can speak from experience.
I think it's about time to mention Hitler so we can all get the popcorn out.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Fat George, TBH DIY is a massively helpful idea. I'm that kind of gal. Built the caravan I live in from the ground up. And while I've recently become obsessed with skiing it doesn't mean I've recently become endowed with great wealth either.
For the next snow season a good quality boot and proper fitting with custom footbed is way out of my price range.
The options I see available right now is to rent two different boots or buy two second hand pairs and do a few minor DIY mods and get good liners. Or take a big gamble on buying a cheap single pair and DIY molding
I'm definitely leaning the first two options for now.
Snow is getting scarcer by the year in my neck of the woods so not sure there'll be enough snow for a 10-year boot investment lol
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I’ve diy fitted crap old ski boots before and it worked out great. Dropped $50 on some dynafit tlt6 to use for splitboarding, made some mods with the dremel to get more flex, heated the shells and punched them out a bit. Also did the liners using socks full of hot rice, but they stank bad when they warmed up.
But in the end I got a season out of them, and they worked great, and it was interesting to do them.
@littledriftwood, I don’t know if you have anything like it up your way but pre season (end of April) there is a huge second hand and old stock ski sale that the university ski club runs. Lots of new old stock boots for around $350, and ex rental or pre loved gear much cheaper. Great opportunity to try stuff on and likely multiple sizes of the same boot available. Would think there would be something similar in Auckland.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
If you are looking for liners there seem to be alot of these around cheaply at the moment Original Italian Scarpa Fit-Flex Nero Inner Thermal Ski Boot Liner from Epic Militaria in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK. £8 for a pair of euro size 43 and £10 for a pair of euro size 45. They ship internationally, don't know the cost! Unsure what they'll fit in though.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@hang11, That was my thought too, wait for ex-rental sales to get two matching boots in different sizes and then try my hand at DIY mods. Only seems to be one place in Auckland selling boots, and it doesn't seem like they have any second hand ones. I'm going to Auckland in a few weeks so will see if Snow Planet sells off rental boots sometimes.
Your stinky rice liners reminds me of my skates. Mice got into my shed and made a nest in my right inline skate boot and chewed out the heel of the liner. Smelled a bit after I cleaned out their nest, but the skate fits better now The left one is still a bit loose, but good enough to have fun with.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@littledriftwood, Auckland university ski club looks like it runs a snow sale in May - that would be a good place to start.
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?
Fat George wrote:
CEM wrote:
while there is a limit to how much you can stretch a boot 2mm is absolute BS
@CEM : Do you have a personal/professional view on the sensible limit in practice?
the trouble is everyone wants it done while you wait, for while you wait (it still has to cool) 6mm per side shouldn't be an issue at all on most boots (it is a bit model and plastic specific), if i can have the boot for a few days to heat it slowly and leave it on a last to cool slowly and heat it a bit more, stretch it a bit more and cool it again slowly then 12-15mm generally but you can get more in spots if needed BUT it is ti a big BUT you need the tools and the time, there is also a massive risk of warping the boot shell and even going too far and having it split, yup hand up i have done that once before trying to get a massive stretch while they waited (they ended up with three options, take your money back, take another boot but we can't stretch it as far or take this one that i have just had split in two but have plastic welded together, they took the last option as when the boot was tried on it felt great, the damage was underneath and not really visible.... never saw them again so no idea how long the weld lasted
the key is finding the closet thing via assessment and stretching as little as you can, when you stretch a boot as far as the one shown in the picture has been stretched you either need to do extensive liber modification or replace the liner with a custom aftermarket product
Thanks! I did mine in two stretches.
The first one wasn't enough.
Looks like I was playing safe without knowing it!
Regards, FG
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
hang11 wrote:
. . . rice, but they stank bad . . .
I don't recall seeing anyone else mention that - I'd rather not!
Perhaps it's just hot steam/vapour coming off the rice - and the sock.
I had rental boot stink once.
So bad people took my boots out of the boot room after I'd left, and left them outside in the snow!
The shop weren't keen on giving me another pair.
I made them sniff the boots.
Then they did it.
With the rice, there ought to be a fix for that though.
Maybe a large oven bag around the rice sock.
Or maybe very large alu kitchen foil sheet wrap-and-twist at one end.
Could be worth a try.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Mon 30-09-24 18:48; edited 1 time in total
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
The left one is still a bit loose, but good enough to have fun with.