 Poster: A snowHead
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Quick question; who, apart from a very few 'experts', need performance boots? Given some of the comments above about them being hell to wear, unclipping on every lift, taking off after a couple of hours etc, it seems to be completely self-defeating.
I'm as big a sucker for bling gear as anyone, and my current outfit is more blinging than most, but even I'm not prepared to endure actual proper pain for over half of my holiday just to be seen wearing expert/race boots. It seems to be one step up from "all the gear, no idea", to "all the gear, and a total f@%ing idiot".
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 24-10-11 17:25; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just reserving my spot in this soon to be epic thread.
FWIW I've heard varying reports of Surefoot from boot messiahs down to dodgy franchise operation depending on where and more importantly who people have been dealt with by.
...and while I've well and truly experienced problems in ski boots it has been like a tickle compared to the utter agony I was in when my snowboard boots packed out beyond the point of return.
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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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| roga wrote: |
| Chasseur wrote: |
| I guess everyone's experiences vary - as it happens, my first boots were comfy from fitting to wearing and usual clip adjustments have taken care of any minor discomfort issues. I'm not sure 3-4 days of my holiday to bed in new boots is really something I'd be overly happy about to be honest. |
That's why anyone heading off on a holiday should make sure they spend time in a dome or on a dry slope breaking the boots in. |
Actually, I was considering getting SZK to fit me out in some new ones in Tignes. So no real option to break them in and, as mentioned in response to the earlier post, I'd not be happy spending 4 days of a 6 day holiday breaking new boots in - not looking for performance/race boots, but a higher end pair none-the-less. Perhaps changing the liners is the way to go after all.
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| Although the liners on my boots are now pretty compacted and the boots themselves look like the 20+ weeks of heavy wear they have had, comments like that make me consider carefully how to approach changing them. |
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I'm sure it depends on the foot and the boot, I'm sure some people get boots fitted and they're great form the start whereas for others it takes a good few days, as a rule of thumb though it's best not to expect them to be totally comfortable from the start and to expect to have to take them back for minor tweaks too. If that's your starting point then you'll be very pleased if they are fine from the start but won't be surprised if they aren't and need more tweaking and/or time to settle down.
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One's personal expectations are usually framed from personal experience. I questioned someone else's because my frame of reference is entirely at odds with yours and the earlier suggestion. When I bought my first pair, I hadn't expected immediate comfort, so it was a pleasant surprise. There is a bit of a gulf from immediate comfort to 4 days of discomfort and pretty dull revisits whilst on holiday for adjustments.
FWIW, S & R, Chertsey fitted the current boots - though this was nearly 10 years ago.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Dr John, Race boots don't have to be uncomfortable, I only have one pair of boots and wear them all day, this is with a 5mm shell fit.
One difference is that most race liners don't pack out so you need to get the shells stretched as soon as you feel each sore spot. After getting a few pairs fitted you can just give the bootfitter a list of things to do in one go.
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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, Most of my chums run on race boots. My fullest full on race boots are very comfortable. My new, downgraded ones are immensely comfortable after only an initial fitting.
"need" is always a bit of a relative term, but once you get to a certain level of ski performance, you begin to pretty much need a similar level of boots, otherwise the boot will be over powered by the ski.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The whole few days to pack in thing is a bit fluffy, i had extra gel in mine to pack them out a tad more for the performance skiing i'll be doing. Day 1 in the snow dome......... no discomfort and a very tight fitting boot.
Elston, the guy that did mine was ex world cup and travels the sure foot network of stores to ensure they are on the same page. I'd feel happy going to any of their stores, hell of a lot better than having to wait till I get home.
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Dr John, LOL but oh so true.
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Hornster, what was the make/model/size of the offending boots & what is the make/model/size of the solution boots?
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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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| Quote: |
It has suddenly occurred to me that not many women tend to whinge about their boots on snowHeads. A higher pain threshold perhaps?
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Maybe it's not just about moaning about other stuff, maybe it's also that women are less likely to talk-up their own skill level, and to give the impression that they want macho "performance fit" when they spend a week a year getting themselves, in a kind of way, down the occasional black run. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I just don't understand the whole "not willing to spend X days of my holiday getting fitted and breaking in new boots" thing.
Surely, the short-term expenditure means long-term gain. Invest one day for fitting and be prepared to go in a couple of more times for tweaks over the remainder of that week and then you're in boot heaven and can ski happily for the next X number of seasons. It's either that or spends many seasons in poorly-fitted boots.
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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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| Chasseur wrote: |
| Perhaps changing the liners is the way to go after all. |
I hate to say this, but even that can be far from a walk in the park.
In all seriousness, if SZK is around for a few days at the PSB then that's probably as good as it gets.
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BTW - could we start a poll on the likely outturn length of this thread...?
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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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| FlyingStantoni wrote: |
| BTW - could we start a poll on the likely outturn length of this thread...? |
Not very long if the OP doesn't start "doing a Pandora" very soon.
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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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| Hornster wrote: |
| Dr John, LOL but oh so true. |
Why do I get the impression that now you've lit the blue touch paper you're sitting back, watching and laughing?!
Try answering the questions posed above as well as telling us which bootfitter you're accusing above, otherwise some of us might come to the conclusion you're extracting zee wee wee a wee bit! 
I suspect the thread will run and run whatever though!
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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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roga, yep, non-answering of simple questions is something of a giveaway. 
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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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| Quote: |
I'm a woman, and I have "performance fit" boots.
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skinanny, I wasn't suggesting that no women would want performance boots - obviously expert women do want, and need, them. I do think, though that women are less likely to talk up their ski ability and want "performance boots" when in reality they didn't need, and couldn't make good use of, such things.
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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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pam w, I agree with you - wasn't reading your post, but rather Dr John - that's the problem with accessing stuff off my phone. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hahahaaaaa. Bootfitter. Genius.
What?
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| Hornster wrote: |
| The forum rules don’t allow me to name names but |
Which rules of which forum? I'm not aware of such a rule. (not that I tend to read t+c's habitually)
Personally I think that we'd all be far better off if you just spoke up and told the whole truth rather than to effectively slag off every bootfitter in the country, other than Surefoot, by implication.
In fact I would go further and say that, by stating that whoever gave you this 'dreadful service' is an active contributor to snowHeads, the more active a bootfitter is in his contribution to the forum, the more sullied he will tend to be by the broad but indistinct strokes of your allegations.
As a result, the nature of your post is, in effect, an attack on snowHeads. (Whether you intended that or not)
So...
This is where you need to come clean about whom your complaint is regarding, in order to:
a) give that party the opportunity to defend and discuss the situation openly, should they wish to.
b) let every other bootfitter who has contributed to snowHeads off the hook.
If not, then I will be forced to treat your post as an attempt at covert advertising on behalf of Surefoot.
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admin, That's a very reasonable approach to take IMHO.
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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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Bother, that's probably going to be the last we hear of him, and I've got a popcorn mountain here.
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Pedantica, well I have to clean and pack up at my apartment today, so I'm glad there won't be anything too entertaining.....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'm Brian.
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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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No, I'm Brian(?)
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You're never more than a few feet from a bootfitter.
Don't know about anyone else but I do feel "attacked" now that Admin mentions it. Will there be counseling available at the B'ham ski show? Free beer normally helps.
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You know it makes sense.
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admin, spot on!
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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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FlyingStantoni, You are not Brian, you are a very naughty boy!
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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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I would recommend trying Profeet, I met Hamish Wolfenden for 10 minutes, I offered a problem with a new boot, he accurately described which movements would bring on the pain without prompting and why it was not present at all times. Gave me a morphological explanation and told me how to resolve it (a dremel not a footbed) and didn’t charge me a bean, very impressed; as my nom de guerre suggests I can be a mood Hoover about fads.
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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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| smithski wrote: |
Hornster, It could well be that the mystery boot fitter in question is a member of the British Ski Boot-Fitters Association.
Maybe you would get further by pursuing this via them? |
Think you'll find that "the mystery boot fitter" might be a founder of the BSBA 
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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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Are there exams that everyone has to pass with a sort of central theme of boot fitting to be a holder of BSBA membership so we can be quality assured? And who holds the high licences would be good information.
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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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Cynic, it's all on the website
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I got my first pair of properly fitted boots at the weekend (Hi CEM, thanks etc.) and am now dreading my first trip to the snow dome following Spud9's comments. 
| CEM wrote: |
| the biggest problem we see is lack of flexibility, but it is hardly up to the boot fitter to do stretched for the client, we can accommodate it to an extent in the fit of the boot but as others have said there is two sides to every story. |
I am one of the guilty parties on the flex front (any advice on improving flex appreciated - I do attempt to stretch, but I'm lazy).
If you want a running commentary on my experience I could use this thread as a diary (unless admin removes it as advertising that is). I'm sure that one person's experience is as (un)representative as another's.
N.B. My first/last pair of boots weren't fitted (although the independent trader who sold them to me spent a lot of time with me trying a number of different boots over a couple of hours, so they were by no means a rush/rash purchase). I had exactly the same experience described with them in that they started off agonising and became comfortable over a fairly shortish period.
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| Quote: |
any advice on improving flex appreciated
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CEM's website has excellent advice....
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| pam w wrote: |
| CEM's website has excellent advice.... |
So I'd read, but I couldn't spot the link... Looks like it's been hidden! http://solutions4feet.com/cp7.php
(I do most of these every day in the gym, not to mention much dropping of heels of of steps - more ofthe same I guess)
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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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| Quote: |
dropping of heels of of steps
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A while since I've studied it but in my opinion that's not a stretch. It just feels like one. Calf has to massively contract because of the weight - can't contract and stretch at the same time. Best stretches are applied by another person while relaxed. An expert will be along shortly...
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FAQ
