Boot fit and liner sleeve

[Zirbl]

Snowshoe is about 4 hours away. That would be a challenging one to justify to my wife.

You need a bootfitter who sells spare bollocks.

 

[vtmecheng]

You need a bootfitter who sells spare bollocks.

She lets me get away with a lot already between my snow skiing and water skiing addiction.

 

[Zirbl]

Have you watched the Global Skiing podcasts with Brent Almsbury? In one of them he talks about tongue shim materials, in another about stretching boots.

 

[locknload]

I’m sorry, my brain and fingers didn’t connect. Magna, he said magna.

I still don't what this means. What does it mean to "be in Magna"?

There are really a lot of great boot fitters out there. Don't give up just b/c you've had a few bad ones. I sense you may be frustrated with all of us for advising you to not give up on finding an ideal fit..but it is out there.

 

[vtmecheng]

Have you watched the Global Skiing podcasts with Brent Almsbury? In one of them he talks about tongue shim materials, in another about stretching boots.

Thanks, I found the episode. Being an avid water skier, I actually do have some scrap neoprene so will give it a try. I also found it interesting that he said to avoid cranking the buckles to the tightest settings because the boot will not flex well and it puts the leg in a more upright position, which is what I have been trying to convey (though probably poorly).

 

[vtmecheng]

I still don't what this means. What does it mean to "be in Magna"?

There are really a lot of great boot fitters out there. Don't give up just b/c you've had a few bad ones. I sense you may be frustrated with all of us for advising you to not give up on finding an ideal fit..but it is out there.

Atomic Hawx come in a magna for a wide last. That would have been incredibly voluminous for my foot but he insisted.

 

[vtmecheng]

Also, we will see what the other boot fitter says once I am able to meet with him. I got the boots at that store and if the modifications get out of hand with the amount of added material I’ll ask what they are willing to do for me on different boots. I got these at the beginning of the season, only skied them 4 times, and have been back for mods 3 times already with little improvement. I’ll give this boot fitter a proper chance first to get it feeling right.

 

[vtmecheng]

I have been stuck home sick for a few days and spent a good bit of time learning a lot about ski boot fit and adjustment methods. Based on what I've read, it seems like the conclusion that my boots are likely too big from others here is correct. A shell fit shows that there is about 1 inch of clearance at the back and my instep has quite a bit too. I have tried to add padding using neoprene and such just as a trial but the amount needed seems a bit silly considering the liners only have 4 days on them. The amount of play will likely be unreasonable once they start to pack out. That said, I am sure most any shop would do everything possible to not have to honor a guarantee.

Here's a (possibly touchy) question. If the boots really are too far from what I should be in (too big or wrong boot overall), is there anything that I should expect from the shop if they have a "boot fit guarantee"? This situation must happen at times and I am curious what others here have experienced or think would be reasonable. I'm not sure if getting half the price of my current boots on new ones would be too much or not enough. Again, I am going in with the idea of letting the fitter see the situation and tell me what he thinks first; I'm not the type to go in guns blazing (too passive for that).

 

[vtmecheng]

So the saga is complete. I went back to the same store but to their main fitter. He took one look at my feet and started talking about what boots I should be in. After trying on a few pairs I ended up in the same size Atomic as my current but the Ultra 100 instead of Prime. Some punching at the 5th met and it's nice and snug everywhere. I considered a Salomon but it was not as comfortable in a few more challenging to adjust spots. Best part, shop took back the previous boots without question. Skiing this Sunday so we will see how they ride. Overall a great customer experience from a shop that obviously stands behind their sales.