 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm new to posting on this forum so please be gentle, but I've always found the quality of advice really good on this site, so I'm hoping there may be someone out there that could help me.
I feel I've exhausted my attempts to find that elusive "holy grail" of skiing, COMFORTABLE boots.
Whether I've bought or hired I always find it more a case of the boots breaking my feet in rather than the other way round. I've a wide forefoot, high instep, narrow heel, feet that are about half size different (I know if I were a horse they'd have probably put me out of my misery by now) but I generally take about an 8.5 in normal shoes. When I hire I don't get much choice, I usually end up with mondo 28.5 to get the width, but they feel like buckets everywhere else and skiing isn't that comfortable as toes tend to clench up to try to stop movement at the back and I get blisters on shins (I know its wrong).
I've access to 4 ski shops within 50 miles and I've been to them all. Despite them seeing my feet and explaining my ability (I've been on about 5-6 holidays, tend to slide parallels rather than carve a turn, I hope that's my next challenge but I think decent fit boots might assist me), I'm struggling to find any great consistency of advice. I've been recommended sizes from 26.5, 27 and 27.5 and a variety of boots but mainly Head and salomon according to what they seem to stock, but strangely not Tecnica which according to internet are often regarded as having a higher volume range than these others. I've presumed high instep mean I need high volume, yes/no?
The one thing they all seem to agree on is that I shouldn't buy the ones that seem comfortable now as they'll pack out and be uncomfortable in the future, so it seems a bit of gamble to buy uncomfortable boots now that may become comfortable in time. I bought a pair of Mission Cf's last year that unfortunately proved no more comfortable now than an older pair of xwave 9's I have (which I like, they're a mondo 26.5 but feel a little cramped side to side causing burning to the ball of foot and side of little toe and some pressure on the front of the foot to the ankle after being on a while). I do use heat-setting moldable insoles to support my feet.
I'm loath to buy a new pair of boots and then butcher them by blowing out bits of the shell or stretching them to fit. I'm at the stage now that I wonder whether I ought instead to concentrate on the xwaves I have, and whether they could be professionally customised e.g whether the toe box could be expanded any or get base plate grinded to give me a bit more room for my instep, knowing that if it goes wrong or doesn't work that I haven't ruined a £200+ pair of boots, because I can ill afford to do that.
I'm sure I must be thinking about this all wrong, but if anyone can put me back on the trail of the grail I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks in anticipation.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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welcome to  's
as for what boot to buy i wouldn't even start to discuss this without first seeing your feet, there are wide boots made by most companies rather than the old thinking that lange made narrow boots and tecnica make wide ones.
as to the question do you work on the old boot or start with a new one, this depends on a lot of things including the shape and size of the boot compared to your feet, assuming the size [length] is correct then it is possible, with the correct tools to make a boot a lot wider in specific areas than it comes out the box.
one though about the problems.... pain under the ball of the foot and or on the outside of the little toe and just behind??? your description of your foot would suggest that you may have a tight calf muscle and this can cause the foot to rotate in the boot to compensate
sorry that it is difficult to offer much more advice on line other than to say find a boot fitter rather than a boot seller and trust them
good luck
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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 should add the either a heel lift or bending the top of the boot backwards may help the problem
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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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chimera191, welcome to snowheads.
its interesting that you say you are "I'm loath to buy a new pair of boots and then butcher them by blowing out bits of the shell or stretching them to fit." that's what bootfitters are for. I guess someone with more knowledge than me will say whether its worth having work done on your xwaves, but I woudl have thought that any good bootfitter woudl be able to say whether any of your boots are actually right for your feet (when they have seen your feet of course), given the different lasts.
You say you;ve been to 4 ski shops within 50 miles - of where (ish)?
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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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CEM, god, your'e quick today 
chimera191, wot CEM said.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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chimera191, welcome to snowHeads.
I feel your pain. For many years I had similar problems, only resolved when I made the effort to see some really good bootfitters (including CEM who has just posted a reply to you). Best thing to do would be to take your feet and your current boots to see someone like CEM or SMALLZOOKEEPER if passing through Chamonix, and follow their advice. It might be that your current boots plus a bit of customization will be the answer, or maybe a new pair of customizable liners are necessary or even a brand new pair of boots. I have odd shaped feet and in my experience you do have to go through at least some discomfort before you get the boots absolutely right, and the first couple of weeks of new boots (or liners) is often the most painful. But it is worth it in the end!
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I have a wide forefoot but extremely narrow ankle and lower leg. Most boots sold in UK allow way too much movement of my heel/ankle and I have been told by numerous hire shops in France that nobody stocks hire boots that would fit me properly. I have not yet found the perfect solution (might consider women's boots next time if that would give me a more secure fit at the back) but for the moment I have gone for a narrow boot (Lange) which has been blown out in the areas where my foot is bigger. I would definitely buy in resort, towards the beginning of your stay and that way the boots can be modified as the week progresses. Also the narrower boots are easier to find on the continent and you can go into numerous shops until you find a fitter you think you can trust.
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chimera191, welcome to snowHeads.
I'm sure you'll find someone here who'll help from an "expert" perspective. Whereabouts (roughly) are you in the UK? If anywhere near Bicester, CEM runs a boot-fitting service and I've heard nothing but positive reports about him. Many may advise buying in resort, though if you do have a particular problem, having to constantly re-visit the fitter might hack you off when all you want to so is ski....in comfort. As my SO found out on her first trip - very high instep related problem added to by an early life broken bone that made one foot a different fit to the other. She also had varying advice on boot size.
You might consider giving yourself min 3 hours at a UK fitter to allow proper time from fitting to then wearing the boots at the shop - writing off half a day pre-holiday would seem a sensible investment IMO. That worked for me - wide feet, low instep, large calves. Technica boots were the solution and I've never had a problem. Incidentally, and I'm no expert, I thought Salomon boots weren't noted for their accommodation of wide feet?
Anyway, good luck
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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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Wow, that was fast. No-one had responded when I saw the post 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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chimera191, if you're based in London, I'd also recommend profeet http://www.profeet.co.uk/ski_index.asp . The OH has very problematic feet and has always had painful skiing. They managed to sort him out, with customising the outer shell and foam inner liners. Others here have also had good reports of them. Or if you're near the Midlands see CEM.
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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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Oh - and welcome to snowHeads!
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My experience of UK shops (all the Bristol shops plus the two in Covent Garden) is that even relatively early in the season they start off with "lets see which of our boots we still have left in your size" and this turns out to be a small minority of their advertised boots. Contrast the continent where even in March the shops seem to have the majority of their range in the appropriate size, and you have a large choice of shops stocking various different brands all within a few hundred square yards. So if you are happy to travel wherever it takes within the UK and do your shopping in November or early December then a highly recommended UK fitter might be a very good option.
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You know it makes sense.
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truffaut, you answered your own point, all the ski shops in bristol + two in covent garden..... that will be chain stores rather than specialist ski / boot shops 
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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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chimera191, your feet sound absolutely identical to mine, right down to the size, so I hope I can help save you some trouble.
I got fitted at a local shop and ended up with X Wave 8s. Took them away on a weekend to Austria and I was in absolute agony. I went back to the same shop and got the liner built up around the heel to try and hold it in place. This was marginally better but didn't give anything like the control I was looking for. After a couple of weeks the liner and heel padding packed out and I was back to square one - burning thighs after 5 mins skiing and an intense dull pain around my forefoot. I then went to Snow & Rock and, after a 'thorough' assessment, they blew out the forefoot a little bit and bunged in some green Superfeet insoles. There was a marginal improvement but not great. So I went back to Snow & Rock and, after another 'thorough' assessment with a different fitter, they blew out the forefoot a little bit and bunged in some orange Superfeet insoles.
Then I went to see CEM & it turns out the boots were 2 sizes too big. I bought the boots he recommended and went back and had custom insoles & Booster straps fitted and the toeboxes and forefeet blown out. I now know what boots should feel and handle like. It's made a huge difference to my stance as there's no pain when my feet are in a natural position and I can now ski for more than 5 mins at a time without my thighs being set on fire.
In your (and mine) position, you really need someone who understands feet and how they work. I'd still be messing around trying to get a good fit from the wrong boots if it wasn't for 's recommending CEM. I put up with the pain, the effects this had on my skiing and lost time on the slopes for too long - I'd mentally prepare yourself for 2 or 3 trips to Bicester and the price of a new pair boots / insoles / straps etc. It's money well spent.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I have exactly the same shape of foot (wide forefoot, high instep, narrow heel). I have had a pair of Technicas for the last couple of seasons, which I find very comfortable and which I think are this sort of shape (at least mine seem to be). I also have a pair of custom footbeds in them, which I think helps as well, especially with my instep.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Get a bespoke, custom-molded footbed for about a hundred squid.
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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 just wanted to thank you to all of you for effort and advice given. The general consensus seems to be find a bootfitter and not necessarily a bootseller, does anyone have any bootfitting recommendations for South Wales or Bristol area please?
PS. CEM, no wonder people praise your advice on the site, you're spot on about me having a tight calf.
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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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chimera191, I'm only guessing but you must be within a couple of hours or so of Bicester - if your boots are that important to you it could be worth the trip to see CEM at Bicester
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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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chimera191, another vote for making the trip to Bicester. It's really not very far, and well worth it.
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