 Poster: A snowHead
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I bought my ski boots from Ellis Brigham about 3 years ago. My feet were measured and examined and she did an empty shell check. I was then sold boots that I had a few problems with initially (very numb toes and sore at the metatarsal bone thingy!). The boots were then shell stretched every so slightly. I have custom made footbeds with the boots.
I have used them a fair bit since I bought them. I now find that my heel lifts in the boot causing me to have sores on the sides of my feet just above my ankle - the sores are so bad that I have to cover them with Compeed plasters.
Can anyone give me some advice.
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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a bit of foam well placed on the outside of your liner round the heel area shoudl take care of it, it's quite easy to try yourself also, just pull the liner out and get sticking.
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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'd get out to Ellis Brigham and give them the chance to make it right.
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| arv wrote: |
| I'd get out to Ellis Brigham and give them the chance to make it right. |
The boots were bought in March 2007 (looking at the receipt now) - so it was sometime ago. I don't think they would be interested.
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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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jb1970, EB are pretty decent. Go in and give them a shot (and check out the end of season sales). Bet they won't be busy + happy to help.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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How many days use?
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| How many days use? |
I would say about 6 weeks use.
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jb1970, I am sure that if you go back to EB they will be able to help you and put bits of foam or whatever is necessary in the right places in the boots.
I had a pair of boots that I kept taking into S&R over the years and they did all sorts of adjustments to them for me - sometimes charged me £5, sometimes not, and I hadn't even bought them there in the first place - I did tell them that.
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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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Liners are probably getting packed out, especially as EB's are likely to have oversized you to start with. Do a quick shell gap check (an accurate one in mm not the imprecise one/two finger stuff - probably need someone to do it for you) & report back.
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~30 days to packed out liners makes me suspect a largish shell gap, in the 20mm range.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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comprex, 
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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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Just back from EB sticking some foam into my boots to tweak the fit a bit. They say on their website it doesn't matter when you bought them they will tweak them when you want them to with no labour charge. No charge for the sticky foam either today.
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Sadly after a period of time Ski boot liners do pack out and the heel grip can be lossed. This is why Boot fitters are so very keen to get you into ski boots that fit snugly to begin with.
It is good customer service to always look after a customers boots.. and aftersale service (especially with ski boots) is very key. I reccommend SHL foam pads.. they are L shaped pieces of foam designed to 'Stop Heel Lift'. These should pad out the liner around the ankle joints giving you better heel retention.
EB seem to be looking after you well however so i am sure they are using something similar.
Do you have narrow ankles and fairly wide feet? What boots are they? sorry if it is written somewhere i can't spot it.
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You know it makes sense.
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| andy_snow_web wrote: |
Sadly after a period of time Ski boot liners do pack out and the heel grip can be lossed. This is why Boot fitters are so very keen to get you into ski boots that fit snugly to begin with.
It is good customer service to always look after a customers boots.. and aftersale service (especially with ski boots) is very key. I reccommend SHL foam pads.. they are L shaped pieces of foam designed to 'Stop Heel Lift'. These should pad out the liner around the ankle joints giving you better heel retention.
EB seem to be looking after you well however so i am sure they are using something similar.
Do you have narrow ankles and fairly wide feet? What boots are they? sorry if it is written somewhere i can't spot it. |
Thanks for getting back to me.
I don't think I have narrow ankles or wide feet. The ski boots are Nordica Speedmachine 8 boots size 26.5 (I'm a uk size 7).
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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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In that case the boots are far too big.
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Poster: A snowHead
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arv, Bold call. "Far too", reckon that's 2 sizes or more.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, not being a boot fitter or having seen the feet I think I will stand by the statement. 2 sizes or more too big...
Not going back now.
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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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Yep on the sizing I'm a UK 9 or 9.5 and my boots are a Mondo 27.
andy_snow_web, yep its something like that EB have put in mine, have got Atomic Hawx 100 boots as I've got quite a wide front foot (needed a 100mm last) but average sort of heels which I guess makes them narrow in comparison to the front of my foot. Mine are pretty new, 8 or 10 hours in the Tamworth fridge and the EoSB in the mountains so hopefully about bedded in. The first thing EB did was remeasure my feet to make sure they'd sold me the right size (they had but there was a clear indication they'd have swaped them if not)
Parting comment from EB was to make sure I went back if the tweak hadn't sorted it as there were various other thing things they could do and they wouldn't be happy till I was happy!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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my 2 p worth; I have 26.5 boots and I'm a UK size 9 (various shell sizes notwithstanding). The bootfitter (canadian bloke in Surefoot in Verbier, top man), laughed at how oversized my old SnR boots were, the ones that were causing discomfort around the ankles. Going on a comprehensive sample of me and 2 mates; spend the extra cash and get a properly fitted boot, preferably on resort.
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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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Dr John, please...what makes a resort fitter better than one at home....(please don't consider chain stores as fitters in your answer) 
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CEM, I think you'll find that if you search you will discover plenty of information on the merits of having your boots fitted 'in resort' 
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arv, going to disagree with you as well then.... how about the merits of just having boots fitted correctly whether it be at home or in resort, some of the worst fits i have ever seen have come from resort shops
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arv, Gonna disagree with you too. My OH was measured up for a boot in the UK, but supply of the right size of the model needed was zero. Spent quite a while in about 10 resort shops enquiring. Good quality shops with a range of bootfitting equipment on show. We were shocked at what he was offered for his small feet. Generally shells 2 sizes too big, or womens boots which were too big and too soft.
Without the measurement and the information supplied in advance he would have been fleeced for sure. My 2p's worth, the resort shops we visited seemed happy to fit a foreigner into anything to get a sale, knowing that they'll not likely see the face again.
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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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CEM, snowbunny, was only on the wind up
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CEM, your own skills notwithstanding, and based purely on personal experience and the sample group described, the main difference for me was that I could take the new boots directly onto the hill, then back to the shop for tweaking and adjusting to get the fit spot on. Just can't do that in the UK. Yes, I know it's expensive and time consuming, but if you have the time then I think it's worth it (the difference in cost is relative to the size of wallet so I won't comment on that).
I will add that apples need to be compared with apples. I chose the top package available from Surefoot in Verbier, therefore I expected (and received) stellar service and goods. I would not expect the same result getting yer bog-standard boots + footbed from a 19yr old student in a SnR Birmingham, or from a busy average resort shop which needs to keep the turnstiles moving.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Having said this over and over and seen work from all over the world too. A good fitter in resort is going to get better results than one away from one. There are way more people calling themselves fitters in resort, so finding a good one might be tricky, so if again we are comparing work in and out of resort we are talking about numbers of bad fitters not the merits of good ones in resort. Colin, if you had indeed worked in resort i would say that you were qualified to comment, has you never have, i don't see how you can compare what you could be doing with the snow on your doorstep (appreciate this winter probably gave you the opportunity to do so.) No offense dude, just think that to be objective you need to have tried both practices. When it comes to that tricky call between sizes then a resort fitter is much more likely to try a smaller shell, for example, knowing that they'll get feedback the next day having tried the product in it's domain. I remember doing that at lockwoods and getting people back after their hols with nothing but minor stretches needed, however after holiday they were no too plussed by the discomfort they had suffered and less likely to accept the work. You know this, it is common practice to edge on the side of caution when fitting out of resort, i've heard you say it over and over.
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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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And they're off!
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Hurtle, haha, all i have to say has been said, well not all, but that would have to stay private.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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SMALLZOOKEEPER, so the 3 months in flaine working for flaine sports in 93 didn't count did it... ok boot fitting at that time wasn't quite where it is now, but as far as i can remeber flaine is a ski resort...not a million miles from where you are
and when it comes to a between sizes call i will normally seee what the customer is doing and take it from there, please don't assume to know how i work in my offcie as you have never been
yes there are times when the bigger boot is the way to go and there are times when the smaller boot is the way forward, when a skier is a 1 week a year intermediate who will not stay out the back seat and the thing they want is comfort which way would you go?????
when you come out of the bubble you seem to be in in chamonix please accept that not all skiers are there for the season and wanting the kind of fit that you, I or a ski racer is looking for.... there is however a difference between a boot which is a very tight (all be it performance fit), a comfort fit and a boot which is too big the one which is too big is the only one which is wrong...it all depends on the skier and thier expectations
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Poster: A snowHead
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Interesting discussion. I got some new boots this season from an excellent bootfitter but still had to go back 3 times for tweaks to get them right. Of course he knew I could easily go back and explained his principle of adjusting based on feedback from skiing rather than just looking at my feet and feedback from time spent in them in the shop. Seemed to make sense where feasible. Admittedly I'm in the "want a performance fit" category and the boots weren't a very good natural fit to my feet. Would imagine that, all other things being equal, fitting without the benefit of quick skier feedback would make the exercise more difficult? Although clearly a good fit away from the snow is better than a poor one in resort.
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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 tested my new boots on snow after purchasing/fitting in this country - at Hemel. Simples.
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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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| Quote: |
so the 3 months in flaine working for flaine sports in 93 didn't count did it... ok boot fitting at that time wasn't quite where it is now, but as far as i can remeber flaine is a ski resort...not a million miles from where you are
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Maybe if we were still selling rear entry boots and not using footbeds.
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and when it comes to a between sizes call i will normally seee what the customer is doing and take it from there, please don't assume to know how i work in my offcie as you have never been
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No but I did work alongside you for a couple of years and have spoken to you many times since. We too watched you work with us at the boot clinic.
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yes there are times when the bigger boot is the way to go and there are times when the smaller boot is the way forward, when a skier is a 1 week a year intermediate who will not stay out the back seat and the thing they want is comfort which way would you go?????
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Smaller, then hit them up with one of our instructors. To be honest we do see many more skiers for who it is very much a sport than a holiday, I conceed there. Intermediate, still don't know what that means. Better than before worse than i'll be. Pretty much everyone.
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when you come out of the bubble you seem to be in in chamonix please accept that not all skiers are there for the season and wanting the kind of fit that you, I or a ski racer is looking for.... there is however a difference between a boot which is a very tight (all be it performance fit), a comfort fit and a boot which is too big the one which is too big is the only one which is wrong...it all depends on the skier and thier expectations
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Pretty happy with our approach, but thanks for the advice Colin, will take it onboard if the bubble bursts and I come back to blighty with my tail between my legs.
Hope things are well in the burst bubble.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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BobinCH, Forget "Performance Fit" everyone at every level deserves the best fit possible. Tight fit or otherwise is often more dictated by foot type not skier ability.
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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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Hurtle, Yep, that's a tough call, we would very rarely to get the chance to test both schools of thought side by side, therefore it's pretty hyperthetical, but I stick by my word. I'd love to move back to the UK and get this going there believe you me.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, I suppose it's a question of sheer convenience for most punters like me. To go to a really good bootfitter, on the basis of reliable recommendation, is obviously a given. After that, I guess one has to weigh up the 'faff' factor. For me, an hour to get either to Colin, or to Hemel, is doable. If equivalent journeys to a good fitter and a snowdome in the UK were an awful lot longer than that, I guess I might well plan the location of a foreign ski trip around boot buying. (It helps, of course, that I love Chamonix.  )
I love the vid.
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Hurtle, Chamonix is awesome, geographically, full of cocks to be honest, me included if you ask around just a little.
Glad you liked the tune, makes me laugh.
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| Quote: |
Chamonix is awesome, geographically, full of cocks to be honest
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bit like Verbier...
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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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Dr John, Extreme in every sense. We've enjoyed a few evenings in the CH9 asking the "Freeriders" what they gonna do now the snows all gone, what are they gonna talk about? Cockends
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haha look at me im the best bootfitter in any resort and i ski brill as well, everyone come and get your boots fitted or i will cry, you may be a brill bootfitter but you seem like a bit of a tool in this thread.
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FAQ
