 Poster: A snowHead
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Is it worth getting a moulded boot liner at all?
How important is the boot liner fitting or is it more important to consider alterations to the shell to alleviate hotsopts etc by heating?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'll start off by saying I'm not an expert on this subject, but I've had good boots, bad boots and great liners. For this post, boots = shell + liner.
You have to start with the right shell. If the shell is too stiff, too floppy or the wrong size/shape then there is more or less nothing you can do, you won't get the right boots. You need to see a decent bootfitter to make sure you end up with the shell with the right properties for your feet & ability. I actually bought ladies boots because they suited the shape of my feet and I wanted reasonably flexible boots. You also need shells which aren't too big - if you're doing them up when you first try them on on much more than the 2nd notch then after a few years you'll probably be cranking them right up and deforming the shells... this is a classic cause of "hotspots" and painful, cold feet.
After this, you need the right liners for your feet. Some shells can take a variety of liners (different sizes etc.). Again, a good bootfitter will sort you out. But the liner is the only part of the boot which will really "fit" to your feet. The shell is just that - an outer casing. It's the liner which needs to match the peculiar shape of your own, individual feet. I think most liners have "average" deformations to allow for the obvious foot shapes - ankles, arches etc., but everyone's feet are different and the most "custom" you can mould the liners, the better the fit will be.
The other thing worth bearing in mind is to wear the thinnest ski socks you can. The closer you are to the sole of your boot, the better your skiing is likely to be (ok, some exceptions, but you know what I mean). Socks compress in a different way to the liner of the boot and also differently to the footbed. The more variables you introduce, the less certainty you'll have in how your ski will respond to small foot movements, making predictable skiing harder. Thin socks mean you limit the uncertainty due to socks, thinner liners likewise due to them, etc.
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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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masopa, Nicely put.
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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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IMHO the stock liners in most ski boots suck. The 'thermo moldable' liners that are in 'average' ski boots aren't worth heating up. The liners are designed to last 8-12 weeks skiing - if you are skiing hard - by heating them you are effectively saving the first 2 or 3 weeks of skiing in the liners until they take on the shape you foot. You are also shortening the life of the liners. (Yes, I am sure there are many  that have skied in the same boots for many weeks without any issue - see above.)
GordonFreeman, I read some of the other threads regarding your boots. You seem to be a pretty keen skier, I don't know if that makes you a good skier or not but you post lots of threads with some reasonably insightful questions, often relating to some reasonably technical stuff. SO... what do YOU want to do? Do you want the best boots you can get? Everyone agrees, it's the most important part of your equipment set up.
Take your shells and go to see the best boot fitter you can find - if they'll still see you  If they can make the shell work for you, awesome, get a real liner - Zip Fit, Comformable, Palau or Intuition. And ski happy for a long time to come. If they can't make the shell you bought for you work then pony up and do the right thing.
A couple of thoughts for you:
"Buy cheap, buy twice".
"Quality is remembered, long after price is forgotten."
Good luck.
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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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"Buy cheap, buy twice".
...or more as the case may be 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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parlor, Not true regarding Stock liners, most no, but the quality of bad ones is getting worse and worse it has to be said. Most High end boot liners work well if the shell size and shape is correct.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, more emphasis should have been place on my 'most'...
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If you're gonna go for some custom liners, as you're in London, I'd recommend Pro-feet in fulham rd. def worth paying for as generic liners pack out within 6 weeks or so of hard skiing as they're designed to break down to fit your feet... getting a good orthotic is important too!
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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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conni07, 
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