How do you know how tight your boots should be?

[raytseng]

Have fun,
Ken

This is very important. If you're not having fun, then get them checked out in person at the shop, even if it's just for advice and tips

 

[ScottB]

Notes I took from today:

- Rubbing sensation on inner heel (behind inside ankle); both left and right boot
- Lots of pressure when tightented down on top of left food; right food not as bad but still aches
- Bottom of left foot really sore immediately following run (front of arch, behind toes); right foot aches but not unbearable
- Toes okay (although big left toe is sore tonight), shins okay

Custom footbed. My bootfitter was StartHaus in Truckee (recommended from here).

The big issue is pain on my instep. Left boot is the worst but both are very noticeable if clamped down (see below, though).

This makes me feel better. Wondering if I'm just cranking my boots down too hard. Towards the end of the day I just buckled my top buckle. Left my bottom three (towards my toes) unbuckled. Felt fine then.

I think my biggest issue is being able to tell if my performance is "good enough" without buckling down my boots. Think that's what this thread is about. At least for me. How do I know if my boots are performing well enough for how tight they are? Realize that's an experience thing. Intermediate skiier here so that's tough to tell for me. Averaging 10+ days/season—which is a lot for me.

OP, good feedback on what you are experiencing. It seems to me you either don't have enough instep room in your boots, or you are tightening them too much, causing them to be too tight over your instep. The lower two buckles should be just tight enough to stay closed. The top buckle should be tight enough to snug up the boot around your calf, there will be some play, but you can usually tell when its about right. The 2nd buckle down controls your instep area and plays the biggest role in keeping your heel in the pocket. I would start with that one notch tighter than the minimum to keep it latched and not fall off. Buckled like this, your foot should not move in the boot or be painful. You should be able to feel it move, or not move as you ski and edge and put force on your skis. For me, I like my boots snug, when I twitch the ski twitches. Absolutely no movement between my feet and boot. I don't have to buckle my boots very tight to achieve that and my feet never hurt. A very small amount of movement is OK. If your foot is moving, go one notch tighter on all your buckles. Don't go any tighter than one notch even if your foot is still moving. If it is still moving, you need work on your boots and take them into the shop.

Also possible is your boot is too tight around your instep no matter how you buckle them. My son had this issue and had to have padding removed on the tongue of his liner. This got rid of his foot pain and now he just buckles up and skis and is comfortable all day long. One thing you can do to test for this is remove your custom footbed. Buckle up the boot as before and see if the pain goes away and if your foot moves.

This makes me feel better. Wondering if I'm just cranking my boots down too hard. Towards the end of the day I just buckled my top buckle. Left my bottom three (towards my toes) unbuckled. Felt fine then. This seems the most likely thing happening and my suggestion on how to buckle your boots is to have the lower three buckles latched, but with little pressure so as to just keep the shell closed when flexed. Similar to what I wrote in the first paragraph. As long as your foot is not moving, this is how you want them.

 

[Eric@ict]

When I got new boots, I was over tightening them. I was used to my old boots which were packed out. I use my pinky now to snap the buckles. Keeps me from using to much force.

 

[François Pugh]

Bottom two buckles just tight enough to stay done up. Top two tight enough so that shin cannot move without moving the boot. If your feet go to sleep and get tingly, the boots are too tight. Foot moves= boot moves, no discomfort, no circulation problems caused by boot, perfect. Good luck with that.

 

[slowrider]

I don't tighten my boots till after I've them on for awhile. Lets my body heat get them warmed/fitted in. Then light buckle pressure to start with. Retighten as needed.

 

[green26]

Just some 2 cents, and my own experience. If NoScoped is an intermediate skier, until now he may not even have known what kind of feedback to give the boot fitter initially. It takes some experience to even know when something is wrong or is just supposed to be that way. Sounds like he has a great deal more knowledge now and going back to starthaus with his very refined current feedback should make a world of difference. As a 10 day per season skier, his boots should not hurt - there is no benefit to it. It's fascinating how much experience it can take before one can actually describe what the body is feeling. Sorry, had a couple glasses of vino before writing this.

 

[Henry]

Notes I took from today:

- Rubbing sensation on inner heel (behind inside ankle); both left and right boot
- Lots of pressure when tightented down on top of left food; right food not as bad but still aches
- Bottom of left foot really sore immediately following run (front of arch, behind toes); right foot aches but not unbearable
- Toes okay (although big left toe is sore tonight), shins okay

Custom footbed. My bootfitter was StartHaus in Truckee (recommended from here).

The big issue is pain on my instep. Left boot is the worst but both are very noticeable if clamped down (see below, though).





This makes me feel better. Wondering if I'm just cranking my boots down too hard. Towards the end of the day I just buckled my top buckle. Left my bottom three (towards my toes) unbuckled. Felt fine then.

I think my biggest issue is being able to tell if my performance is "good enough" without buckling down my boots. Think that's what this thread is about. At least for me. How do I know if my boots are performing well enough for how tight they are? Realize that's an experience thing. Intermediate skiier here so that's tough to tell for me. Averaging 10+ days/season—which is a lot for me.

You bought your boots from an A+ shop. Did you bring them back for an adjustment after a couple of ski days? If not, do it.
Rubbing on heels--too loose allowing movement. This can be fixed.
Pressure on the top of the foot. This can be fixed.
Bottom of the feet--relates to the pressure on the top. Can be fixed.

Each buckle has its own job. The two bottom buckles keep the snow out. The lower cuff buckle has an effect on the flex. The upper cuff buckle adds control. The boot needs to fit without buckling too tightly. It can be fixed. (For my skinny feet & ankles, nothing like yours, I need padding to take up space on the top of the foot and at the ankle. This is just part of the tools in the bootfitter's tool kit.) Heel/ankle pads are common. Taking a millimeter or two off the boot board inside the boot can lower the foot; alternately the instep area can be heated and pressed out. Make an appointment with Start Haus for your fixes. Bring your own ski socks or buy some there. You'll want thin ski socks because of the tightness at the foot. Thin socks offer better control, also. Also consider wearing shorts, or gym shorts under your trousers, so the alignment of the boot cuff and the foot under the knee can be checked and adjusted if needed.

 

[ppg677]

Hi, was wondering if anyone could help me out with my own boot sizing situation.

Here's the deal: I'm an occasional skiier who lives in Wisconsin. Perhaps a couple times a year with several trips to Lake Tahoe over the past decade. I've been renting for the past decade. I'm in my 40s and weigh 220 lbs. I can handle black diamonds out west (which are equivalent to double-blacks here in Wisconsin).

Getting back into it with my kids, and since we're spending just a couple hours on the bunny hill... I've been using very old equipment I bought used in college 20+ years ago (yeah i know, I shouldn't ski on these old Marker M33 bindings). Even in college when I went out to Colorado, the 27/27.5 boots caused my toes to go black-and-blue when skiing all day in tough terrain. (I even lost the toenail of the big toe!). So clearly the boots are too small. Yet I wore them last week to ski on the bunny hill with my daughter and survived with toenails intact

Looking to start with new boots and then eventually get new skiis*. Can't decide between 28.5 and 29.5.

In the shop I tried 28.5 (or were they 28/28.5?) my toes are *still* uncomfortably jammed up against the toe unless I lean forward. When I lean forward they are not jammed. I know the 28.5s would be fine for when I'm skiing easy and mostly leaning forward. I'm worried that when I'm doing very difficult terrain that I'm going to be frequently on my heels to control myself and put pressure on my toes. The 29.5s I tried feel "snug" without my toes being jammed when sitting.

I measured my feet at 273mm. Rossignol's chart puts me at 27.5 which I know is a non-starter (!!).

Another foot chart showing my foot is attached showing me right under 28.0.

Since I consider myself more of a recreational skiier now, I'm considering some Scarpa 100 flex that come in sizes 28, 28.5, or 29.5. I'm thinking the 28.5s, but am scared of when I do spend a day out in Colorado on my heels the whole time...that I'll lose another toenail.

Help/advice? I don't have great ski shops around here and also don't want to pay ski shop prices since they have nothing less than $400.

* I know that I'll have to remount the bindings myself since they're so old and not indemnified.

 

[Ogg]

I would stick with a 27.5 and have some extra room made for your toes by your boot fitter. I don't think anyone on this forum will recommend going up a size. You should also consider it may be more related to technique than fit if it only happens in tougher terrain. If that's the case bigger boots could exacerbate the issue or cause worse ones.

 

[HardDaysNight]

The most common cause of black/lost toenails is boots that are too large. The foot slides fore and aft within the boot and bangs the nail against the front on each forward surge. Read @Mike Thomas post in the “How should new boots feel” thread and take it seriously

 

[ppg677]

nah, they're not too big because my toes need to be curled on the 27/27.5 to even fit. I wore these boots when I was 19 years old....my feet have probably grown a tiny bit since then.

But it sounds like 29.5 would be way too big and that 28/28.5 is the way to go.

I'm sure my technique is terrible when I'm always on my heels making my way through a Black diamond, mogul tree run without dying

 

[HardDaysNight]

nah, they're not too big because my toes need to be curled on the 27/27.5 to even fit. I wore these boots when I was 19 years old....my feet have probably grown a tiny bit since then.

But it sounds like 29.5 would be way too big and that 28/28.5 is the way to go.

I'm sure my technique is terrible when I'm always on my heels making my way through a Black diamond, mogul tree run without dying

You should do whatever you want. Doesn’t matter to me.

 

[Noodler]

nah, they're not too big because my toes need to be curled on the 27/27.5 to even fit. I wore these boots when I was 19 years old....my feet have probably grown a tiny bit since then.

But it sounds like 29.5 would be way too big and that 28/28.5 is the way to go.

I'm sure my technique is terrible when I'm always on my heels making my way through a Black diamond, mogul tree run without dying

You should go to a real boot fitter and get into a 26.5 boot and have the toe box blown out for the length of your big toe. Never choose the size of the boot to merely accommodate your toes. That's the easiest modification on a boot shell. I guarantee a real fitter can get you in a 26.5 and that in turn will provide you a much better fit which provides much better control. No more black toes and great skiing to be had.

My foot length is probably only 2mm less than yours and I'm in 25.5 boots.

 

[crgildart]

nah, they're not too big because my toes need to be curled on the 27/27.5 to even fit. I wore these boots when I was 19 years old....my feet have probably grown a tiny bit since then.

But it sounds like 29.5 would be way too big and that 28/28.5 is the way to go.

I'm sure my technique is terrible when I'm always on my heels making my way through a Black diamond, mogul tree run without dying

It really sounds like you're not getting your heels all the way back in the heel cups of the boots. If you could get your heels all the way back, your toes wouldn't be hitting the front of the toe box. It also explains why back seat feels more comfortable than proper fore/aft skiing.

 

[silverback]

And keep your toe nails cut VERY short in the winter

fwiw. My feet measure 10mm longer (283mm) than yours and I’m in a 27.5.

My son’s measure 288mm and he is in a 26.5 but really needs a “performance” fit.

I think you should be in a 26.5 or possibly 25.5

You should also bend your ankles and try to be more on the balls of your feet instead of your heels. There are often side effects of over terraining yourself.

 

[François Pugh]

I am in accord with most posters here. You need a good boot fitter to put you in a 27.5 that fits your foot and keeps your foot back. There's much more to this fitting thing than length, and room can easily be made in a boot.
To simplify, start shopping for a boot fitter. Once you have a good boot fitter, leave the boot selection to him.

 

[Tony Storaro]

But it sounds like 29.5 would be way too big and that 28/28.5 is the way to go.

If the foot in the picture above is your foot and if the heel piece of the ruler was removed and you moved your foot 2 cm back so that it shows 27,5 then yes, 29,5 is exactly the size you need.

 

[cantunamunch]

This is very important. If you're not having fun, then get them checked out in person at the shop,

They're a little tired of telling me 'it's not the boots'

 

[ZeeJM]

Lots of great advice on this thread already. I spent some serious early-21st century dollars on a pair of boots through Surefoot in Keystone (CO). It took a few days on the hill and iterations in their shop to get things right. After wearing out that pair I picked up my current setup from a different source (Tecnica Cochise 120 with some liner shaving, punched-out shell, and a custom footbed) but still had a few pressure points, numb toes, and discolored big toenails until I picked up some Intuition liners. For me, being able to heat/fit the liner to the peculiarities of my feet makes all the difference in the world. No more numbness, pressure points, or the like.

 

[Pequenita]

In the shop I tried 28.5 (or were they 28/28.5?) my toes are *still* uncomfortably jammed up against the toe unless I lean forward. When I lean forward they are not jammed.

You realize that this is most of your issue, right? You are skiing too upright or even in the back seat on terrain that challenges you. Alternating between being forward (closer to the “right” ski stance, notwithstanding what may be going on in your upper body angle) and in the back seat is causing your feet to slide forward and back in the boot and slamming your toes into the front of the boot. I’d argue that getting into a smaller boot will force you to stay forward because of the incentive not to have your toes pushing the front of the boot.