 Poster: A snowHead
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Bought new ski boots which felt fine in shop ( Salomen ladies ) Went off to Tremblant for 10 days and they seemed to feel bigger as the days went by. I am only quite a novice skier ( 3rd week ) and i felt I couldnt get my weight forward enough as I ended up with my toes moving forward and the back of my calves resting on the back of my boots like the kiddies ski.
Boots were very comfortable but I am sure this didnt help my ski technique.
Any suggestions greatly received.
Thanks Karen
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well fitting boots should feel a little tight in the shop. As the foam compresses, they loosen up. Obvious remedy would be thicker socks, possibly insole.
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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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karencannon, bummer! What you describe is a classic case of "too big boots". Thinker socks will make you think they are more snug, but really don't help very much. Putting in a custom insole may help a bit, especially since they can be left thicker (thus moving your foot "higher" in the boot where it is narrower). However, honestly, the only way to get it to fit right is to get a boot with a shell that fits close to your foot.
Sorry...
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If it's only a little too big there may be a solution, it's possible to place packing pieces between the shell and the liner, if this is combined with a new footbed you may be able to carry on using the boots but otherwise ssh, is right
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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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karencannon, I think the other folks have highlighted the problem ... i.e. there is no solution other than new boots. I've been through the same thing this year ( albeit for slightly different reasons) , but if you know things like your foot is sliding and changing your (lack of) control over the ski there can only be one solution. FWIW I ended up buying new boots after c.3 weeks use of my proudly-purchased beginner boots.
If you ask these guys nicely , they'll tell you how to really get a good fit, and point you at the right kind of boot.
Howver first action is to probably sell old booots on ebay, second is to buy new in resort when you are next there .. (IMHO)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Two pairs of socks work for me, not ideal but cheaper while you get a few weeks under your belt.
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chrisb, ugh! You probably don't have any idea of the control you're missing! Any extra padding between foot and shell decreases feel and control. When you layer socks, you also get the lower friction between the layers, possibly leading to even more movement.
You can certainly do all of these things to attempt to make a pair of boots fit better and save the money until you are ready to buy your next pair. Or, you can buy a pair that actually fit and catapult your skiing up a level (or three!) as a result. Frankly, I think life (and the ski season) is too short to try to ski in boots that don't fit!
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Salomon use the same shell for each of 2 or 3 sizes of liner. We discovered this when someone bought some boots off ebay whose shell was the 'right' size but whose liner was 2 sizes too small.
Didn't ever quite figure out where to buy new liners seperate from the shells but I'm sure it must be possible.
What size and model are these boots btw?
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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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u brain, Could that not be a function of ebay as a channel rather than Salomon?
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u brain, you can buy liners from a reputable dealer. They should be around $100 (not sure how many pounds sterling...). Typically, two sizes of boots use the same shell with different liner thicknesses (i.e., the 25 and 25.5 are the same shell, different liners). Is this what you mean?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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ssh, um I'm not sure but I think you might be wrong on that, from what I've been told by several boot techs 25 and 25.5 shells are the same length but different widths, the .5 signifies a wider fitting, but I think they may use the same liner, liners being more flexible than shells, however it's possible that different makers use different techniques
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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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D G Orf, may be for some, but that's not my understanding. I know that for Tecnica (for instance), the shell is the same, but the liner and footbed are different (thicker footbed lifts the foot a bit to make the boot fit narrower).
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boot techs fitting my wife's boot this year were experimenting with different shells and different inners, in the end he went a size larger shell with a non standard liner in there to make the fit "more snug". The next shell size down was too tight in his opinion. So you can muck around with the liner size.....
Karen, you really need to get to a reputable ski shop, perferably on the slopes, what better excuse do you need for a last minute trip to take advantage of all this fresh snow 
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You know it makes sense.
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Many thanks for all the suggestions. I had a feeling it wouldnt be a quick fix solution ! Probably stick the boots in the attic and worry about it next Easter.....or hope my feet grow in the mean time. 
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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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Yes, I thought it was an ebay thing but I spoke to a dealer or a customer servicer or something and that was the story.
On the loose boots thing -
Gregory(9) had his feet measured last week but insisted on the next size of boots up. We did them up on a mid setting.
At ski sKoOl he went into the 3* class as he expected but on day 2, much to his dismay, he was demoted to a 2* group. After day 3, his instructor told him he was leaning back and skiing like a 1*. I took him out for the afternoon and tried to get him onto the balls of his feet more but with very little joy.
That evening he complained that his feet felt 'itchy'. They looked red, like they were going to blister so next morning I did his boots up to their tightest setting - about 3 notches more on each buckle.
At lunchtime, "Dad, first the instructor said I was like a one star, then he said I was 2 star and welcome in his group and then he said I was skiing like a 3 star!"
The rest of the week he skied like a demon - LOOSE BOOTS MAKE U SKI BAD!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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ssh, I know, I felt that way at a point.
But to be fair, kids don't tend to feed back the way adults do. If the boot's too tight, you'll probably hear about it but too loose and it's just 'more comfortable'.
These instructors didn't see Gregory ski last year when he scored excellently on every element of his 2 star. So, all they've got is one kid out of a class of 8-10 that's not skiing as well as his parents seem to think he can - and a couple of Brit ski-tourists are hardly going to make an objective and professional assessment about their own spawn 
On the penultimate day I was on a steep section of run trying to help Gregory get a little more parallel by telling him to try to get his head over his ski tips as they pointed down hill (I know that's too much but they never go as far as they think they do). He really did seem to get the knack.
Next day was snowy. The instructor said, "we go, we do ze test, we ski for make fun a little and zen we drink hot chocolate and I give zem ze diplomas".
Well, Mme.Brain and I wanted to see that if we could, so we turned up at the cafe. Gregory was the only kid without a hot Chocolate, "I'm not thirsty" he said.
"Is everything oK?" I asked.
"Yes" he said, looking very much like it wasn't .
"Well," I said,"Why don't I get u one to warm your hands on?".
As I went to the bar, his instructor saw me and came over, " Ahh Gregory, today", he said, "I don't know what 'appen..."
Mme.Brain and I were most worried: has he pulled a sulk, got nervous about the test, been freaked out by the first new snow of the week?
"... I take zem to ze red run for ze test and I go down a leetle and say to zem to come down one-by-one and Gregory, he do ze perfect parallel on ze steep red, I av not seen zis before. I give him 3 star but 'e is good 3star, big 3 star".
"Loose boots", I said 
I gave Gregory his hot chocolate, his instructor gave him his 3 star and suddenly, what d'ya know, he's thirsty after all 
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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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And zo ze little Gregory he now not complain about tight boots eh ! 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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u brain, glad it worked out. It must be a nightmare kitting out children for ski boots. I guess it has to be a new pair each year. Bit like football boots and all the rest of the shoes. Never had to do it, only one of my sons skied - and he (or rather I) hired the 2 times I went with him. The inflexibility of ski boot outers make fit critical - yet the mild dicomfort when properly fitting boots are new makes correct fitting difficult. Respect to all you skiing parents out there.
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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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karencannon, I had exactly the same problem. Lovely boots, just too big. Have since bought a new pair and the difference is quite significant (both in terms of feel, as well as the relative shell sizes!)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Nick Zotov, one of the many advantages of living here: we can hire for a season or use the retail trade-in programs at the local shops. Any time you need to change boot sizes, you can, and for a relatively small fee. Most kids boots at rental shops are really worn out... Snug fit is the key...
I will often use my hands to show my kids how the boots should fit. I'll grab them around their foot, snug my hands reasonably tight, and say, "You want the boots to feel like this, not looser, ok?"
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Karen - I too have boots that are too big for me and have just tried popping in an extra rigid insole ontop of the original one to reduce the volume of the boot. It feels like its done the trick. Only other option may be to go to a shop that does fitting and get them to clad your liners with some boot foam.
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I can't believe this thread, we now have rockyrobin explaining how to use boots that are too big. It's very simple, buy boots that fit.
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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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karencannon, I'm afraid you need to get your feet to grow quickly, or get some new boots.
You should be able to get a few quid for yours on ebay though, but I'd wait till next season to list them if I were you.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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karencannon, Did you buy your boots here in the UK? If so, most of the shops offer a "boot fit garuantee", so you should take them back as soon as you can. Doesn't matter if you bought them a few months ago, they have only had 10 days use. Give it a try. It is not unusual for a shop to have to swap them for a whole differnet pair. I have done it myself (with a lbit of insistence on my part) Good luck.
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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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rockyrobin, GOOD LUCK! I have been looking for Nordica Beasts in size 26 around here (DC/Baltimore/Philly) and in Colorado. Not _one_ to try. I'm mostly told that they will be replaced by the Speedmachine boot next year and that the fit may -not- be the same.
Dolomite Rage boots seemed to fit well though (slight pinching of the heel tendon but I -think- that is primarily due to the liner and some good meat tenderiser work should sort that out).
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You know it makes sense.
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rockyrobin, I am giving up on the Rival X8 after 5 days on grass and 4 days on snow- there is entirely too much forward lean and even with the vario adjustor all the way to (-) I cannot extend my legs into the trough between bumps. The flex is odd; initial stiffness (affected by the cuff inserts I suspect) gives way to just mush. I am also giving up on the Fischer Somatec as just badly engineered and the Atomic 11:50s (completely packed out and I'm not sure I need that 140 flex anymore).
In fact about the best solution thus far would be the Dolomite Rage with an Intuition liner. No, I don't think thermoformed liners are a cure-all. My current back-up boots have Thermoflex in them and I can feel the liner slipping inside the shell.
I might give Atomic another go ( I really like the Memoryskin liners, and the black T11 would be about the correct performance level), Nordica Beast if I can find it, Alpina and Strolz FSX-T also in the mix. If I cannot get this sorted out during the summer/ autumn, there's really no point in my signing up for ESA, at all.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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comprex, try an Atomic B series (see RicB's comments on it over on EpicSki). You need more performance than you are giving yourself credit for. I think you'd do well in a consumer plug--consider it!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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ssh, thanks for the vote of confidence; you've almost got me convinced, esp. with that remark about small feet for one's height.
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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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karencannon, if they feel too big after 10 days, they are definitely too big, and I fear that the only fix is new boots; I know, I've been there.
I changed from a very old, very comfortable but very soft pair to a nice, shiny new pair, which were comfortable from the word go. I noticed a slight improvement in feel and in my skiing. After a couple of years (25 days ish), they felt a bit big so I went in to a shop and asked them to fix it. They said the boots were 3 sizes too big, which they were. I tried packing them, which improved my skiing so much that I bought very new, very nice but very uncomfortable, boots, which improved my skiing enormously. It took me many goes to get them even wearable; they're still not as comfortable as my previous boots and probably never will be. However, I'm now skiing much, much better than before, in large part because of the boots.
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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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Yep, very annoying as the whole point is a good fit. I don't believe in thick socks and packing out the boot is any substitue for a good fitting boot.
For me, no option but to start again with new boots and go to a shop that will offer to rework the fit after the date of purchase, even to the point of replacing the boot if they have not been worn on the slopes.
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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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comprex, I've skied with you. I'm a gearhead. I'm a Level II PSIA cert. Give me a little credit here, friend! 
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