Poster: A snowHead
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hi guys gals
i have particulary wide feet and am struggling to find a comfortable pair of ski boots any ideas would be welcome
regards to All.
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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, 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 have wide flat feet. I ski in a Head Edge +11 and they are comfortable.
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Get to a decent boot fitter with a good range in stock and let them pick the boot that suits your foot.
Go to one of the good guys that get recommended on here like CEM or Lockwoods (or from my personal experience one of the chains like Ellis Brigham or Snow and Rock but at one of their Snowdome stores. EB at Tamworth did a great job for me, other people have been less well served by the more generalist city centre big chain shops selling a bit of ski gear) who won't sell you anything if they don't have the right thing for you.
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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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There are plenty of wide boots out there, key is finding the one which matches your foot shape best
A boot fitter should be able to guide you through the process, a boot seller will probably just go up in length to accommodate the width without the need for additional work
Good luck getting sorted
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I found the Atomic B90s as others have above, 104mm last (which is a lot) and a decent intermediate boot.
Worth a try, lots of retailers had them last season, many still will now. I also tried Head Edge boots but got a better fit for me from the Atomic.
Other boots which have worked for my massive feet - Decathlon specials, some brand like Lomo - worth knowing that Decathlon also had some Atomics amongst others in when we were there last season.
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Been to decathlon today, they have head edge on offer at the moment £79.
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I'd back up most of the comments on here - it's all about the boot fitter. I've just switched from a very comfortable but loose around the heel pair of Salomon Verse's (with lace-up bindings!) and found the idea a bit daunting as I've got wide feet, somewhat mishapen feet with relatively narrow heels so a bit of a challenge to fit any boot exactly.
A decent boot fitter will give you a limited selection of boots to choose from and then modify the liners and the shells to fit - my new Nordica Speedmachine's came from Profeet in Fulham and came complete with customised shell bunions...
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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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+1 for Atomic B90. Fitted at Profeet with custom footbed, fantastic fit with a little extra width at the front and padding around the heel
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B Series was/is the best wide forefoot shell out there, perhaps the Head Vector too in stiffer models, the New Lange 97mm is a massive shell in the fore foot too, despite it's advertised width.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Kel, You spoke to a person, albeit a clueless one, not an actual shop. The Employers are to a certain degree accountable, however never forget the persons name above the remembering the shop.
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You know it makes sense.
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bradleyjoes, I have very wide feet and a pair of Atomic B90 (or B120, not sure... My buckles are red, but they're from two years ago) and they were basically the only ones which my bootfitter agreed to sell me. Good thing they were a bargain. (last year's model when I bought them)
They are basically the best-fitting boots I've ever had, but only after I had the shells widened. (Yes, very wide feet!) Since I also have very high-arched feet, the front sole of my foot is squeezed which inhibits circulation in my toes. Customised soles help a bit...
Bottom-line is that choosing the right boot is only part of the solution, which is why a good bootfitter, who can do modifications to the boots, is very important to comfortable boots. In the end, the boots will make or destroy your day.
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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 wrote: |
Kel, You spoke to a person, albeit a clueless one, not an actual shop. The Employers are to a certain degree accountable, however never forget the persons name above the remembering the shop. |
You have no idea whether the person was clueless. They could have invented bootfitting, they just work in Ellis Brigham now.
The Employers are entirely accountable, they have a policy that makes them so. They fit or you bring them back, they'll get them to fit, or you get your money back. I quite like that policy. They may not be the best bootfitter in the world, but you can keep going back until they get it right, or get your money back.
The persons name really isn't all that important when you are buying something. They provide a service. Some people remember names and give a toss about that stuff. Some people don't really care who does it, as long as they do a good job. I can remember exactly who has helped me in various ski shops. I don't know any of their names, and they don't know mine either.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Well I wish I'd got the name of the very helpful guy in snow and Rock in Port Solent who is trying to find me a replacement audio ear set for helmet because I have to ring up and find out where he's got to......
I've always found them all v helpful in there, actually. I am willing to travel for top boot fitting service, but that's because I have grotty feet - they probably do a good job for many of the customers who go there, as do Filarinskis in Havant (though they, like the resort shop in France, sold me boots a size bigger than CEM got me into).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Good boot-fitters tend not to work at the big sports shops (esp big sport shops located far from the pistes e.g. in the UK) they tend to work for a footwear specialist or a sports shop near to the pistes - i.e. in a resort.
If we use a tailor analogy - a sports shop might be able to find you the right size (or not) and get the suit legs altered but a good bootfitter will push you towards the best fitting suit (not just what they have instock) and alter than suit in many ways to fit you.
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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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DB wrote: |
If we use a tailor analogy - a sports shop might be able to find you the right size (or not) and get the suit legs altered but a good bootfitter will push you towards the best fitting suit (not just what they have instock) and alter than suit in many ways to fit you. |
It's a decent analogy, because 95% of the general public will be fine in an off the peg suit with little or no modification required and don't feel the need to have anything custom made or perfectly tailored to them. Perhaps turning up the trousers or wrists - custom footbed territory.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hmm. the thing is, having a suit which doesn't fit or hang very well has no functional disadvantage - it's purely an aesthetic thing, and I wouldn't pay loads of dosh just for that. Boots that fit well can make a big difference to the quality of your skiing. But I do agree that lots of skiers - including lots who ski well - can do so, perfectly comfortably, in boots off the shelf. I'm willing to pay, and travel, to get my boots right but if I was a one week a year holiday skier (which I was for many years, in perfectly comfortable boots) then I don't think it would be worth it.
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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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bradleyjoes, Another vote for going to a good bootfitter and taking his/her advice. My feet are practically square and I expected a challenge - which I duly got. Profeet in London eventually fitted me with a pair of Head Edge but even these needed to be blown out (twice) before I got the fit I needed. Now they are comfortable as I imagine a nice pair of carpet slippers to be (don't actually know as I never worn carpet slippers )
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w wrote: |
Hmm. the thing is, having a suit which doesn't fit or hang very well has no functional disadvantage - it's purely an aesthetic thing, and I wouldn't pay loads of dosh just for that. Boots that fit well can make a big difference to the quality of your skiing. But I do agree that lots of skiers - including lots who ski well - can do so, perfectly comfortably, in boots off the shelf. I'm willing to pay, and travel, to get my boots right but if I was a one week a year holiday skier (which I was for many years, in perfectly comfortable boots) then I don't think it would be worth it. |
Yes a badly fitting suit doesn't hurt either (unless it's really tight in the crotch area )
I'd imagine many people put up with badly fitting boots because they don't know any better. It's probably worth a trip at least once in your life to a boot fitter to see if it really makes a difference or not.
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"I'd imagine many people put up with badly fitting boots because they don't know any better"
This is like me, when you are a beginner, you have no clue and just assume that that is the way it is. Like when I did ice skating many, many years ago, and just assumed that the womens shoes were supposed to hurt like hell....
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 18-02-14 15:31; edited 2 times in total
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bradleyjoes, are your feet really that wide? I thought mine were - I've always had to have a wide-fitting shoe - until I paid a visit to a bootfitter (CEM), who told me that no, actually, your feet are quite narrow, and you have to wear wide-fit shoes because your ankle movement is restricted (CEM forgive me if I don't remember the correct terms!)
I guess this echoes the advice to see a bootfitter
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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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I have Atomic B120's as I have wide feet, and they fit perfectly well - I had to get my left one expanded a bit around the big toe area and custom insoles due to high arches, but otherwise great.
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