 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello all Snowheads,
I am new here and this is my first topic. I've started skiing in 2005, reached a kind of "advanced" level by taking lessons every time I went (but I feel still a rookie). Back in 2006 silly me bought a pair of 2nd hand skis only to be told by a ski instructor they would impede my progress, so sold them at a loss. I have since stuck to rental skis and by extension, rental boots. This year I thought perhaps it would make sense to finally own a pair, not the least because I read this forum's archives and that's what people say. So off to S&R in Covent Garden I went last Sunday. Was identified to have narrow Nordica feet but as it was closing time was told to come back, to try on the following:
Fisher Soma Progressor 110 @ £210
Salomon Impact 100 CS £189
Salomon ghost 120 CS £210
Nordica Firearrow F3 £155.
Yesterday I went again, but there were only Nordica and Salomon ghost (customer return after 4 days skiing) left in stock. Tried both, could live with both, but Salomon felt better, no protruding edges inside the boot, very spring and light. I guess I did like it a lot. At that point the bootfitting guy quoted £229 for Salomons. Puzzled, I checked my photos from 6 days before, where Salomon was on 40% off the full price of £350. Then I checked the Snow and Rock online store, which did show Ghosts also at £210 brand new. Another chap appeared at that point and said they could do a better price on them than the website as they were a customer return. The better price was £190, which I paid. I left excited and absent-minded, but later at home I thought I might have missed something. The liners are supposed to be mouldable? And then there seem to be a few adjustment bolts on the boots? As I have never had boots fitted before I don't really know what to expect. So my questions to the friendly locals here are: did I pay a good price for these as someone had already skied in them for 4 days? Should I have tried on more models? Did I miss any essential customisation service from the fitters?
Thanks for any comments.
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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 going to a independent shop where they will fit the boot to your foot, rather than somewhere like Snow and Rock who may do a reasonable job but on this occasion it sounds like they've done very little.
You probably now have a choice: take the boots you've got to somewhere where they can properly fit it (and pay them to do it), or return the boots to Snow and Rock, and go to somewhere that will select the right boot and properly fit it (and the boot fitting may well be included in the price of the boot). Which you choose probably depends on what the return conditions are on the boots you've got, but I would return them if you can and get a pair from the boot fitter instead. You might end up paying a little more, but the end result is likely to be a lot better. The boot fitter will be able to sort out appropriate insoles, mould the liners, check that the boots are right for your feet, advise on any problems you might have, adjust the shell by heating and distorting it if necessary, adjust all the bindings and other settings (such as flex) to your requirements, and so on.
If you let us know where you are in the country I'm sure someone will be able to recommend a good boot fitter who is not too far away.
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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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kieranm, maybe they fit him fine? 
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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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Ski them for a bit to see what they feel like, then if you are having an issues go see a good bootfitter. If you have no pressure points and your foot feels secure (no heel lift) chances are the shells won't need any work. You could always opt for a custom footbed which will give a more stable platform for your foot inside the boot (ensuring no pronation or supination), but that can be done at any time.
Welcome to snowHeads!
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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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Thank you gents for your thoughts. It sounds like a good idea to talk to a specialist fitter. I'd rather not return the boots in haste as the value seems rather good to my frugal mind, but if an expert says so, I would. I'm afraid I won't ski them till the next season though. I am in North London, Muswell Hill. Any suggestion of a fitter whom I could show the Salomons, compare fit with other models, and adjust the settings? How much is this service likely to set me back?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Arno: yes, maybe they do. But if it were me I'd rather not leave it to chance when spending hundreds of pounds on a pair of boots, and instead get them fitted by someone who knows what they are doing, and who offers a fit guarantee. Rob's idea is a reasonable approach though.
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rorik, welcome to snowHeads! 
It might be worth doing a shell check first, to see if the boots are in the right ball park for size, see here: http://www.ehow.com/about_6670455_ski-boot-sizing-guide.html
and in particular:
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| A simple guide to shell fit is to remove the liner boot and insert your foot, with sock on, and slide it forward until the toes are lightly brushing against the shell. You should be able to measure between half an inch and three quarters of an inch between your heel and the back of the shell. |
If the gap is much bigger than that, my inclination would be to give the boots back and start again.
But I am not an expert.
Living as you do in North London, if you wanted to pursue rob@rar's advice, could you not go for a session at the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead? As for a bootfitter, of those regularly recommended on here, the nearest ones to you are either Ski Bartlett in Uxbridge or Solutions4Feet in Bicester.
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Pedantica, or pro-feet in fulham, of course 
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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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holidayloverxx, yes, you're right, I checked Google Maps (a bit stymied in my quest to get a life, just at the moment  ):
Muswell Hill-Uxbridge = 18.3 miles, 30 mins.
Muswell Hill-Fulham = 16.3 miles, 32 mins.
Both those journey times could easily be doubled by traffic, though.
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Update:
thanks to suggestions from all the nice people here, I went to Ski Bartlett a month ago, and brought the boots with me. Initially one of the fitting experts told me that 120 flex would be too much for me unless I am a pro racer. He suggested Salomon Impact 100 CS. When I tried them back to back, surprise, we realised that 120CS was just as flexible if not more because of the two buckle setup. So, despite the initial thoughts, the friendly guy who was helping me suggested that I stick with my pair, no need to return it!  He also did some custom moulding for the liners -- can't wait to get on the slopes with my new boots.
Cheers to all who have commented.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I was wondering, as I'm thinking of getting my first pair of boots soon and you've just mentioned it, how much is it to mold the liners?
Also wouldn't mind knowing how much custom insoles will be as well if anyone knows. I'm thinking i'll have to spend about £250 on the boot shell but worrying about how much on top of that I should think about paying.
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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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DannyB01, If you mean throwing the standard liners away and having custom ones then It could be as much again on top of your boots, but if you mean molding the liners that come with the boots its usually part of the service in most places I think, my footbeds cost me about £90 which was well worth every penny for the difference in feeling while skiing, you "must" go to an expert in this not just a boot seller IMV to feel the benefit, the pair's I have had made prior to my latest pair were about as useful as drink coasters "so it turned out"
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DannyB01, moulded liners cost me £10, but if you buy boots at the store, it's included in the purchase price. As for custom insoles I did not do them yet, but I was quoted "upwards of £60" at the Snow & Rock.
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You know it makes sense.
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My advice is don't be scared to make drastic modifications to your boots if they are not comfortable. comfort IS possible.
You may have feet that fit standard boots, and not need to do much to them, but my feet are the wrong shape and I had years of agony and not being able to walk for hours after skiing in non custom boots. I bought a pair about 4 years ago from Lockwoods in Leamington, who fitted a custom footbed ( single most important thing), heat moulding gel liner, expanded the shell, the works. They still hurt. Two more shops, in Aspen and la Plagne, made it a bit better but they still hurt. Then I took the drastic steps of cutting away the bulk of the parts of the liner that were too tight ( leaving just the gauze innermost layer), sawing about an inch off the back of the shell where it was digging into my calves, building up under the insole under my toes and a few other tweaks. (For places where it is too loose, you can simply pack the outside of the liner, with neoprene tape or layers of duct tape. this worked for years on my previous boots, even though their shell was basically too big and the wrong shape.). This year they were like slippers, I didn't even loosen them off at lunch, no hint of pain even on the nastiest chopped up frozen crust, but totally tight fitting for good control.
I guess my point is only you know exactly how they feel when you ski for a day, exactly where you need more or less space, and how much. And who cares if they look a bit like a war zone when you pull the liners out? I wish I had not been precious with them, and had taken the tools to them a few years earlier!
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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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Thanks gatecrasher and rorik, think I'll get a custom footbed. I could swear I've got weird shaped feet, as they're so wide, but whenever I rent boots they tend to be pretty comfortable even. Guess I'm lucky, but I want a pair that'll do 20 weeks skiing every day so not gonna take a risk, it's awesome that they can mould the regular liner in the shop, not sure how I didn't know that. For less than £100 I'll defo get the footbed, sounds like I could get a decent pair with footbed for £350 which isn't too shabby.
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Poster: A snowHead
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DannyB01, the main thing that cannot be stressed enough is to get your footbeds made by someone who "specialises in feet" not just somewhere that sells ski equipment and has footbed making equipment!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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gatecrasher, gonna get them done in bicester, it's within a couple of hours drive and sounds like people can't recommend it enough.
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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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DannyB01, Good choice!
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