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What's a good boot for beginners

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
hi,

another post! sorry.

Had hell on earth with my hire boots last year, massive calves you see, and it took 3 days to get them right!

Really want a good pair of boots that will help me improve/wont' hinder my skiing and allow me to progress. i can do easy-mid blues at the moment but nothing too steep.

I don't mind spending whatever it takes, they just have to fit well (lower on the calve etc for women.)

any recommendations from other beginners or from people who were beginners recently (as i'm assuming advances in boot technology have improved over the last few years!)

also where you have bought them from would be helpful - if you've had a really good fitter (especially if you are female)

thanks very much!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
the stock answer is "visit a boot fitter".

the more pragmatic answer is "visit a bootfitter".

Have you considered attending the forthcoming snowheads bootfitting clinic?
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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?
no - i didn't know you had one.

like most of these events - it's probably no-where near scotland.

ps just wanted to get an idea of cost so when i DO go to the bootfitter i have the right amount of notes in my grubby hands. plus it will depend whether i buy them in october or novembers paycheck, where i need to travel to to get the best range etc...etc...so i'd like to get an idea now.

plus i like to research something before i buy it, see what other people's experiences are.

If anyone has any recommendations - that's all i'm after - not a definitive answer.

cheers!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
queen_sheba, Nordica Speedmachine has the best 'Large Calf' adjustment of any shell, ignore the marketting that may pitch it above your ability. It's not obvious but is easily resolved by a good bootfitter, i would too suggest a heel lift of some degree to help with you position and flex issues. You wear high heels right. Cool
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
ah ok....yes there was a lot of advice that you have to pick something right for your level.

heel lift was an issue last year, had to keep getting bits put inside!

and indeed you are correct - i do wear high heels! as often and as high as possible! wink
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
queen_sheba, You're choice of Jacket gave that away. You'll need some stretching exercises for those achillies. wink
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
lol - thanks for the tip!

going to try blues in glasgow first of all to see the range then might take a weekend away in fort william as they've got boot fitting up there and see if i can get on the slopes at all - even on dry, just to test them out and get adjustments made there and then before season starts - as i can imagine it gets busy in the shops?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I went to blues in Edinburgh and they were quite good in that they had quite a large range of makes to try on. They recomended Head boots but were trying to sell me a very low level boot which I felt was just too soft, they only had the higher level boots available in mens sizes which my heel lifted in but which felt like the correct stiffness for me ( I could still flex them easily). I kind of worked out what I wanted from this and reading lots online but I got the impression Blues would have been happy to sell me any pair of boots although they were very helpful and didn't rush me.

My advice would be to read up as much as you can before you go so you know what the boot should feel like ( ie. probably a bit too small Smile )
incase you have a similar experience to me
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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.
I'm a beginner/improver - my local shop sold me Head Edge 8.8 (ladies boot) - £120. I had fat calves (always had a job wiht fashion boots in that area). The Heads were not too bad, but were made a whole lot better with little slivers of sole material under the heels.

Mind you I think the stock answer round here for 'what boots should I get?' is 'One's that fit!!' Very Happy
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
queen_sheba, Could you let me know how you get on at Blues in Glasgow please? A few folk have recommended them and I was thinking of visiting just as soon as I've saved enough pennies Toofy Grin
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote:
queen_sheba, Nordica Speedmachine has the best 'Large Calf' adjustment of any shell


Does that also apply to the Nordica blokes boots? Spent 6 weeks of pain, punches and hacking on my last pair before the boot shop put the angle grinder to the cuff to give me more room for my calves that were hanging on the top of the cuff a bit cuasing wierd ankle issues. The current ones are Technica Diabalo Flames but I've just about finished them off so it's back to the pain shop for me, unfortunately this season I'm unlikely to have a season, a handy mountain (or two), and a local bootfitter to tweak them Sad
If Nordica boots are like to work better I'll try and seek out somewhere that does them too
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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.
stuarth, Nope, bizarrely the've only put it on the Ladies model, shouldn't be difficult for Nordica to sort it out though.
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 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
it's because women have lower calves...i believe...

good tip though, thanks szk, i'll go and have a look and see what the prices are like.

cheers!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
some women have cankles...
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Don't know if it'd work for you at Xscape Braehead, but I went to the Ellis Brigham at Xscape, Castleford and they were very good - after I bought the (sale price) boots (with custom footbeds), the advice was to wear them at home an hour a day or so then come back, ski an hour or 2 and immediately go back to the shop. I did so, and they checked over my feet for 'hotspots' and asked various fit/comfort questions, then made minor adjustments. They said to go back ANY time for further help/advice.

At Megamum's birthday bash at Milton Keynes, I had the benefit of CEM being there - I had noticed that I was getting discomfort under one arch, but hadn't had chance to go to Castleford. He went along with my boot to the EB there, and they were fine with him making an adjustment to the footbed using their machine.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
yeah i was thinking of going to ellis brigham in fort william. it's a 4 hour trip there, so could get the boots in the afternoon, wear them about for the rest of the day and then ski in them the next morning and take them back if necessary. would need to wait until end of novemeber though - there might not even be any snow then!

Failing that i think ellis is also at xscape at braehead which is a car journey of an hour or so....would prob need to come back the next day if the boots needing adjusting.

cheers
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
queen_sheba, I've never bought boots at Ellis at Braehead - maybe someone else has? - but the staff were all really friendly and helpful at the snowheads ski test evening last month. They also went to a lot of bother to get me a helmet that fitted my little boy properly. They sent off for different helmets on three occasions 'till they got the right one.
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