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Snow & Rock boot fitting

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi there

I would like to purchase a couple of ski boots for my wife and myself. We live in west london and there's a snow & rock store nearby. I know this forum is fond of Cem but I really don't fancy traveling to Bicester in this cold (don't own a car). While I'm aware that the experience will depend on the individual boot fitter, does snow & rock have a good reputation or otherwise in terms of boot fitting?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
try surefoot, kings road....
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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?
I've had good service from S&R in Bristol on three occasions.
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Like Hywel I've had good service from S&R Bristol, two sets of boots (and fitting). Another mate (Tim) used S&R somewhere in London and was happy with the service.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Suspect it really depends on who you get. I bought my boots from Covent Garden snow and rock a couple of years ago. The guy helping me was also helping a 20 something blond at the same time. Suffice to say his attention wasn't divided 50 50 between myself and the other customer. I've been to the Hemel store as well a couple of times and the service is really variable.
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I bought from S&R in Chertsey and haven't had a great experience. Unfortunately I went skiing too late in the season to make use of their comfort guarantee (I think it is only valid to the end of March in the season you buy the boots) and now after more than a couple of days I get blisters around my ankles. Now undecided whther to buy new boots from CEM or see if he can fix my current ones.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
snowforever, it is very easy to get to Bicester on the train from London and definitely worth it Very Happy
Failing that try Ski Bartlett in Hillingdon, they must be very close to you and helped me out a lot with junior kit for my son, proper small shop with personal quality service.
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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!
We have bought our boots in recent years from S&R at Portsmouth (Port Solent) and they have done a lot of remedial work on my old pair. It really depends on going in when it is not busy. If you think you have an idiot/know-all who doesn't know it all, serving you just disappear for a while and wait for someone better to come along. I don't think you get a good job done when they are under pressure - allow time.

But I have now been skiing for a week on new CEM fitted boots and whether its because I have invested a large amount of time with two visits to Bicester from Chichester and what seemed to me a huge amount of money for the boots and zipfits, footbeds etc I am delighted with them. Could all be in the mind of course, but my feet have not been complaining at all.
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sarah wrote:
snowforever, it is very easy to get to Bicester on the train from London and definitely worth it Very Happy
Failing that try Ski Bartlett in Hillingdon, they must be very close to you and helped me out a lot with junior kit for my son, proper small shop with personal quality service.


I would echo the sentiment about Ski Bartlett - went in over the weekend to pick up a new ski bag and poles as a friend had recommended them. I got chatting to the owner for about an hour and she is such a lovely lady (her daughter is Sally Bartlett the racing coach). It was a total pleasure to have such personal and knowledgeable service and will probably never venture over the threshold of S&R again!
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snowforever, another vote for Ski Bartlett in Hillingdon. Same as sarah, they have been superb sorting out our son's racing kit. We've only ever dealt with Terry or Sally, but I'm sure all the staff are up to their (and your) expectations.

I've had a number of dodgy experiences with S&R - Birmingham (my own boots) and Bristol and Wirral stores (son's skis and boots), so not limited to one store! - and would never use them again.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I've had good experiences with S&R bootfitting - my current Salomons are v. comfortable (Cov Gdn store IIRC). However, a good friend had a nightmare, having bought at the same time as me. (She needed several subsquent visits, boot 'surgery' etc etc before fitting was finally sorted)

So, yes, S&R are very variable.
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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.
snowforever, I bought my first boots from and had them fitted at S & R Chertsey. The chap got the right pair within 10 minutes (then there was the 90 minutes walking around). I've never had a problem with them at all. That said the guy was contracting there, normally working at his own place in a resort (can't recall where) in the season height. I have heard less than complimentary reports about S & R too.

If you can't get to Bicester (and if my small annual bonus arrives in time it'll be where I'm headed), then as suggested above try Surefoot, Kings Road. I have heard good things about them too.


Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Tue 22-12-09 14:27; edited 1 time in total
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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
I got mine from Snow & Rock Portsmouth, I couldn't get CEM at short notice. The fitters work to a format that I am pretty sure does the trick and I assume S & R must provide training. My impression was that my fitter was not very experienced at stretching or fitting footbeds, but I cannot complain about my boots which now have two seasons use. On reflection I think that it is really important to be assertive to ensure that you get the right fitter.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
A dumb question may be. Do these stores charge for fitting separately from the boot cost?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Pro Feet Ski Boot Lab seemed really good when I got my boots fitted there...http://www.profeet.co.uk/ski_index.asp, i think its the same as the Kings Road one some people are talking about above. You can take your boots back to them after your holiday to get them altered if you have any problems, I now have a perfectly fitting pair that give me no troubles at all. Its all quite an experience as well, they measure the pressure on your feet and you get to go on this ski simulation machine...I think you need to book an appointment though
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
snowforever wrote:
A dumb question may be. Do these stores charge for fitting separately from the boot cost?


Not usually, if they are selling you the boots.

If you buy the boots in one place then go somewhere else to have them properly fitted, then you will of course be charged for that.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
snowforever, Note I think that ProFeet does charge for the fitting, but they do do it very well and I have found it more than worth it (maybe cos I have problem feet). Might be worth checking how 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?
There's loads of online guides giving you what to look for - shell check, how they should feel, just read these before you go and you'll know whether they know what they're doing.

I got on fine buying from the sale at S&R, and have just done a week where the only discomfort was caused by me overtightening one of the boots one morning. For once, the limiting factor was my thighs burning after a few hours not my feet being freezing cold and uncomfortable.

Partner tried several boots in the shop, and they seemed reluctant to give up when they just didn't have a boot that fitted at the end of the season. In the end we got some from another retailer which have been brilliant, but we had to be prepared to say no to boots we didn't think were right - comfort guarantee or no, the number of people bringing badly fitting boots back will be in single digit percentages - that's just the nature of retail.
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Monium, online guides are no substitute for a good boot fitter.

I am afraid that my opinion on S&R is coloured by the conversation that another SH had with the bloke fitting him with rando boots a few years ago, (I paraphrase a little)

SH, "You done much of this bootfitting then?"

S&R minion, "nah, I'm a boarder, don't kno' nuffink 'bout skis. I've watched my boss a couple of times though. Easy, innit?"

Me, "!!!*£^$^$ - errr, I'm off round to the Lamb & Flag" (for we were in the Covent Garden branch)
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I got my ski boots from Snow & Rock bristol and there the most comfortable pair of boots i've had used them for a season last year and not one blister. Would recommend going on a quite day to get the most attention. Also it worth asking for an experienced boot fitter when you arrive.
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Wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Years ago I was fitted for boots at Chertsey and Mrs BB fitted in Covent Garden stores - we both ended up with boots that were too big after a weeks skiing.

I've since gone from a 317mm shell to a 309mm and the Mrs 304mm down to 292mm - fitted by Profeet and CEM respectively.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
My first pair was from S&R Chertsey, comfortable but 1.5 sizes too big I now know. Current pair from CEM that fit properly!
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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!
Hi. I would only ever buy in Resort now. It does cost more (especially considering the current pound/euro), but these guys really know their stuff. The added bonus is they tend to have models that S+R etc dont have. Eg I have a salomon boot that is in between the 2 models that snow and rock had that year. The lower model was too soft and the higher was too hard and unforgiving (only for racers the french guy in VT said). The other benefit of buying in resort is that you can go back every single night and get them corrected if there is a problem, rather than waiting until the end of your week to get it fixed (and still not knowing if its actually fixed until the next year). In fact, a shop in Verbier once worked on my new boots all week and still couldnt get them right so they took them back and just charged me the weeks hire. You certainly cant get that in the UK.
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I was sold a pair in the Covent Garden S&R 5 years ago that were at least 1 size too big. They felt fine in the shop but packed out after about 4 days skiing and my feet were swimming about in them (I ended up having to buy a new pair for the rest of the season). The S&R fitter didn't event check the shell sizing for me. I queried this and he assured me that the boots were the correct size!

Buying in resort sounds ideal, but doesn't necessarily mean you'll have an expert fitting your boots so make sure you get a recommendation. Another thing is that you may not want to have adjustments made until you've had a couple of weeks skiing in your new boots. I'd personally get mine in the UK unless I was spending a season in the same resort.
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jrb wrote:
Hi. I would only ever buy in Resort now. It does cost more (especially considering the current pound/euro), but these guys really know their stuff. The added bonus is they tend to have models that S+R etc dont have. Eg I have a salomon boot that is in between the 2 models that snow and rock had that year. The lower model was too soft and the higher was too hard and unforgiving (only for racers the french guy in VT said). The other benefit of buying in resort is that you can go back every single night and get them corrected if there is a problem, rather than waiting until the end of your week to get it fixed (and still not knowing if its actually fixed until the next year).


Some resort fitters have excellent reputations (SZK for example) others, not so much.



jrb wrote:
In fact, a shop in Verbier once worked on my new boots all week and still couldnt get them right so they took them back and just charged me the weeks hire.


I see you are familiar with how bad they can be. Its very charitable of you to want to repeat the experience.



jrb wrote:
You certainly cant get that in the UK.


Indeed you can't. EB/TSA and S+R have a no quibble money back guarantee for boots that don't fit. You would get all of your money back.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I've had boots from S&R (Portsmouth) and surefoot (verbier).
S&R were my first pair and a disaster: they felt nice in store, but after skiing a week or two they were at least 1.5 sizes too big. I should have sussed the problem when the fitter did none of the classic fit checks, putting the bare feet into an unlined shell to check on the fit. My wife had exactly the same experience, shes still complaining about her feet swimming around when on the mountain.
Surefoot - excellent choice & fit of shell, excellent liner (I had the foam liners made), footbeds reasonable - however, quite pricey. But they fit like a glove when skiing and are just right for my level.
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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.
I had a good experience from S&R in Chertsey. Fitting took about 90 minutes and one of the first things he did was to measure my bare feet to get the right shell size. I went back in October when they weren't too busy.
Of course now I'm scared that the boots will "pack out" but there is a no quibble money back guarantee if they do that.
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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
sbirring, I think the money back guarantee only runs until the end of March. Although the fitter at S&R Chertsey checked my foot size with bare feet, he didn't get me to put a bare foot into the empty shell which I now realise is a basic check. My first trip with the boots was for just 3 days, so it wasn't until I had used them some more that I realised they were too big and it was then too late to use the guarantee. I know I could go back and complain but I'm sure the next step would be to try some form of footbed and I really don't want to spend any more money with them.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I can only commend Snow and Rock in Chertsey, a few years ago I intended buying a new pair of boots but took my old ones with me as well. The old boots (only a year or 2 old) were bought in Canada and I felt that they were too small. The boot fitter spent a lot of time measuring my feet, checking to shell size of my old boots and then getting me to put them on. He assured me that the old boots seemed to be the right size and got me to put them on with the socks I had bought with me. As I did them up he asked me who had taught me to do them up in that way, which I couldn't remember. It turned out that my ski socks were too thick and that I was incorrectly buckling my boots, jamming my feet toward the front. They didn't charge me a penny but I felt I ought to buy a few pairs of their socks (very good they are too!).

Last season the liners had packed out and the boots felt rather loose so I went back for a new pair - I tried on a few pairs but they didn't have too much choice as it was late in the season. The fitter then decided to see what he could do with my old boots - he has packed under the liners and also heated the boots in their oven to get rid of a couple of resulting pressure points. End result happy with my old boots again. Again there was no charge.

To get that sort of customer service when you didn't buy the boot from them originally is exceptional in my opinion. But I would quite agree that it is very dependant upon who you get.

Top tip, don't go at a weekend when it is busy, take a few hours out to go during the week!
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Boot fitting can be nightmare, I bought some Full Tilts with intuition liners to replace an old pair. Ski Bartlet said I didn't need a footbed, heated them up stuck my feet in with socks on and sent me on my way. However the toe area was too tight on top and I needed to get them refitted before going skiing. Due to time limitations the only place I could get that done was Snow & Rock in Portsmouth. Was told I needed footbeds, during the process of the fitting I had a few arguments with fitter who kept disappearing to see to other customers, finished fitting and went off skiing. The footbeds were cut to narrow and again the toes were too tight on the top.

Finally booked into Edge & Wax in Horsham and they were brilliant, had a one to one service with no distractions. The fitter new exactly what I meant with regard to too much pressure on the tops of my toes. New foot beds fitted, the intuition liners fitted the correct way, went skiing for a week and the boots fit like slippers - just brilliant. I can not recommend Edge & Wax enough.

As a post script 3 friends also bought and had boots fitted by Snow & Rock in Portsmouth and all of them had problems!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I bought some Salomon Impacts a few years back from Snow & Rock Portsmouth, they were comfortable but became quite large when the liners compressed over time, which made me feel that my feet were not transferring accurately to my ski.

Went to CEM for new boots this year, a size smaller than the Snow & Rock pair. it is fair to say that the new Atomic Hawx were not super comfortable at the outset, but having taken more care with the buckling sequence and making sure my heels are pushed into the back of the boots at the outset are now very snug but comfortable.

What do I take from this?

Firstly, I gave Solutions-4-Feet a complete free reign on what type of boot with no preconceptions, whereas I told Snow and Rock what I wanted ...

Secondly, I suspect that S&R may go overlarge because it is then easier to send out comfortable boots, but at the expense of precise control going forward.

Incidentally, on no account did I feel overcharged by Solutions-4-Feet for what is a service that I feel 100% confident about.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Also recommend Profeet. I had my freeride ski boots fitted there a few years ago. Service was excellent and staff knowledgeable.
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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?
DavidYacht wrote:
Firstly, I gave Solutions-4-Feet a complete free reign on what type of boot with no preconceptions, whereas I told Snow and Rock what I wanted ...


The Snow & Rock in Exeter did a good job with my boots and she was quite clear that I shouldn't be picking boots by colour or style. In fact there was never a "which boot are you looking at", it was straight into measuring feet. I actually ended up with one of the cheapest pair of boots and I don't particularly like the look of them, but they seem to fit well so I'm happy.

Also this thread is 7 years old, so hopefully the OP has sorted their problem.
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