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I need the best boot fitter in the northeast!

Truberski

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Jul 23, 2019
Posts
293
Location
Vermont
Another vote for putting the pressure on Surefoot to make your feet happy. It is so hit or miss at these places with the Store Manager tending to be the most experienced and others are luck of the draw. My two Surefoot experiences were very different with great result at Park City store and not so good in NYC.

If you do hit reset I‘ve been very happy with Boot Pro in Ludlow and I’ve always gone to Nate. Great guy and he’s taken care of me and my wife with only a few follow-up visits for fine tuning.
 

LiquidFeet

instructor
Instructor
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Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,697
Location
New England
I’ve been to Sport Thoma. It’s right next to where we rent up there. I think Tink works there now as well. If Adam is the man, out of all the recommendations that would probably be the most convenient because it’s right across from where we stay.
There are two Sport Thomas. Are you renting in Lincoln?
 

Black Dog

Its all downhill from here..
Skier
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Posts
393
Location
On The Edge
I hear Tim Mitchel at Ski MD in Framingham is very good if or go to altar and see PJ at Race Stock in Waterbury VT.
PJ performed a miracle on my RS 130's. He cut open the liners and rebuilt the foam inside to fit the bones and nerve that was getting pinched on my ankles and stitched them back up like a surgeon.
 

dan ross

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Dec 27, 2016
Posts
1,287
if you are gripping with your toes it may be an indication that the boot(s) are too lose. The gripping is often exacerbated when going downhill. It’s a natural, evolution derived response to uncertainty in stability. I had this problem to a slight degree and it turned out to be a side effect of clonus which is a neurological affliction and which I had addressed. That’s one advantage of having a fitter who is also a pedorithist (sp?) feet are complicated.
 

Jeronimo

Out on the slopes
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Joined
Mar 31, 2020
Posts
929
Location
Maine
Go to Adam Grenier at Sport Thoma in Lincoln NH. It's on the other side of NH from North Conway.. Call first to make an appointment. He's the first and only bootfitter that got my boots right. He explains things carefully, evaluates your foot in depth, and takes a request for a performance fit seriously. Before finding Adam, I went to Richelson's, Roger's, The son of the owner fit me, can't remember his name), Stan and Dan's (Dan fit me once, as did Tink when he worked there; I bought two boots from them), and Bill Haight over in Vermont. I bought new boots from each of these people and had them fit and tweak them for me. All these boots ended up discarded after a season. Lots of seasons and $$ down the drain. But these guys get high recommendations consistently. I believe they are good bootfitters, just not for me. My feet are weird.

Adam grew up training as a racer. Then he coached race kids. He has instructed in the past and is a certified Level III instructor by PSIA. That's the highest cert level before going into examiner territory. At this point in his career he has made bootfitting his professional choice. He's a certified pedorthist, and he makes his own tools when the right one for the job can't be bought. He knows what he's doing.

Sport Thoma in Lincoln has a race room. Adam does the racer's boot fitting at the start of the season, then he works mostly with recreational skiers and the occasional racer. What a racer needs for a good performance fit can be a demanding challenge and Adam is the right guy to do this. He used these skills for recreational skiers.

I highly recommend him to anybody in the area. Call to make an appointment before going. Take your old boots, take your ski socks, and wear pants that you can roll up above your knees. Be ready to spend a couple of hours if necessary.

The shop is a good one too, and it carries a large selection of boots.
https://www.sportthoma.com
I cannot emphasize this enough. I recently had a session with Adam and it was night and day compared to every other shop I had a "boot fitting" session with. Adam's work history and experience is quite an impressive resume. He's not only skilled in boot fitting, he also immediately recognizes foot conditions (high instep, arch, corns, bunions, etc...) and has his own workshop where he can make custom orthotics. The man is no joke. On top of that, he's incredibly easy to talk to and friendly as can be.

If I recall correctly, he's currently available in the Lincoln SportThoma store on Fridays and Saturdays, and he's at the Bethel store on Thursdays and Sundays.
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

Ndpitch

Booting up
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Joined
Jan 24, 2023
Posts
7
Location
Boston
if you are gripping with your toes it may be an indication that the boot(s) are too lose. The gripping is often exacerbated when going downhill. It’s a natural, evolution derived response to uncertainty in stability. I had this problem to a slight degree and it turned out to be a side effect of clonus which is a neurological affliction and which I had addressed. That’s one advantage of having a fitter who is also a pedorithist (sp?) feet are complicated.
I feel like the footbeds are playing a part as well. At times it feels like the arch support is like standing on a golf ball. They’ve adjusted the footbed but it still doesn’t feel right.
 

dan ross

Making fresh tracks
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Joined
Dec 27, 2016
Posts
1,287
I feel like the footbeds are playing a part as well. At times it feels like the arch support is like standing on a golf ball. They’ve adjusted the footbed but it still doesn’t feel right.
Are your arches tight? You can tell by using a rubber ball or even a tennis ball and rolling your arch over it. If it’s painful, you need to stretch them out. Tight arches can cause issues with your toes. That doesn’t mean the your feet are the issue it might well be the footbeds but there’s no harm in checking the arches. I had this problem and stretching the arch made a big difference. Your mileage may vary.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
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42,624
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Reno, eNVy
the Store Manager tending to be the most experienced
Typical retail sales. Take your best salesman/fitter and make him/her a manager. Most salesman/fitters are that because they like doing that, they are not always the best managers. So, this usually leaves you without your best salesperson/fitter and a marginal manager, a lose/lose.
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

Ndpitch

Booting up
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Joined
Jan 24, 2023
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7
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Boston
Nd, could the problem be your feet and not the boots? Does any other footwear cause you discomfort? If you think this might be an avenue to explore, check with a good podiatrist.

If there is something odd about your feet, how about booking a ski trip to Utah, and before you go to the hill get some custom made boots from DaleBoot...or a Northeast outlet for them: https://daleboot.com/north-america/
https://daleboot.com/daleboot-technology/
No other footwear gives me issues. It’s always just been ski boots. Frustrating!
 

dan ross

Making fresh tracks
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Joined
Dec 27, 2016
Posts
1,287
Typical retail sales. Take your best salesman/fitter and make him/her a manager. Most salesman/fitters are that because they like doing that, they are not always the best managers. So, this usually leaves you without your best salesperson/fitter and a marginal manager, a lose/lose.
Common in many businesses, Promoting people out of their area of expertise.
 

Black Dog

Its all downhill from here..
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Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Posts
393
Location
On The Edge
No other footwear gives me issues. It’s always just been ski boots. Frustrating!
Try taking out the custom footbeds and put in the thinnest flattest stock foot bed you can find and give it a try. I have at least 10 different pair of custom footbeds made by multiple talented shops over the years. I just cannot wear them. Usually shops have a pile of the old stock ones they have taken out of boots that they have put custom ones in.
 

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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Team Gathermeister
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Nov 14, 2015
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12,612
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Maine
@Ndpitch , how many days a year do you ski?
 

bad influence

Booting up
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Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Posts
78
Location
Cape Cod/Cannon Mtn
At the risk of everyone just recommending the bootfitter they personally use… Adam Greenier at Sport Thoma (I think he’s in Lincoln, NH 2 days and Bethel, ME 2 days). He’s a L3 instructor as well as a pedorthist.

After being told by two different shops (one of which was a well respected bootfitter) that my previous boots were “the right boot,” he got me into a boot that fit and actually listened when I talked about what I was feeling and what I needed.

Edit: I ski mostly in Vermont these days but return to Lincoln for boot things and a tune I trust.
I second adam at sport thoma. He has put in major time getting me the right fit. I have a wide foot and skinny ankle... a boot fitters nightmare. I can't say enough positive things about him and the process
 

Marker

Making fresh tracks
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Joined
Oct 16, 2017
Posts
2,350
Location
Kennett Square, PA & Killington, VT
I feel like the footbeds are playing a part as well. At times it feels like the arch support is like standing on a golf ball. They’ve adjusted the footbed but it still doesn’t feel right.
Most shops sell aftermarket footbeds. If you know your arch and foot volume from your SureFoot experience, then pick out one that matches and give it a try. It will cost you a little money but may give you some insight.

I have heard positive AND negative experiences with SureFoot. So maybe their process works for some but not all. I had my MasterFit footbeds made by Hal at Northern Ski Works down the Killington access road and fitted in some Lange RS 130, and they work great for me. But I forgot them one trip so resorted to some SuperFeet footbeds from Potter Bros in Snowshed lodge. I showed the fitter my boots and told him I had a high arch with poor dorsiflexion based on my Masterfit experience. He looked skeptical but confirmed this during the footbed fitting and added a heel lift to get the fit right. Almost as good with no foot pain, and cheaper, but I would still prefer my custom footbeds. Full disclosure: Other size 14 B feet in LV 30.5 boots (!), I don't have "problem" feet.
 
Thread Starter
TS
N

Ndpitch

Booting up
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Joined
Jan 24, 2023
Posts
7
Location
Boston
Just wanted to update everyone who helped point me in the right direction here. Adam Greenier at the Bethel location of Sport Thoma fitted me with some custom footbeds. That got me probably 75% of the way there, but there were still some hot spots, especially on the outsides of my feet.

We stay right next to the Bartlett location of Sport Thoma. I saw Will there, who spent a lot of time with me doing some plastic stretches and adjustments.

Today was the first day of my life that I skied pain free. I didn’t think it was possible! I quit because my legs were tired, not because something hurt. A little personal miracle for me.

Essentially it came down to having a very wide foot, and no other fitters ever made them wide enough for me. And in addition my arch really needed a custom footbed. I also learned that SureFoot essentially CadCam’s your foot, and then that process spits out the closest footbed that is considered a match for your foot. So maybe for some people “close enough” works, but that was definitely not the case for me.

A+ review to the entire team at Sport Thoma. Thanks for all the recommendations from you all as well!
 

JChockey22

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Oct 8, 2022
Posts
120
Location
Massachusetts
go see Ryan Cook at Boston Ski and Tennis ..He is boot fitting Jesus in the Boston area on top of being super thorough with your feet assessment he makes amazing footbeds
Long story short, I’ve been skiing with painful feet for 30 years. I’m always the guy that is a buzzkill because he has to go inside to take off his boots to let his feet stop hurting. Been through many pairs of boots. I have wide feet and they’ve always been an issue for me.

At 36 years old I made the decision last year to try to put the issue to bed for good. Went to Surefoot in Killington, VT. Dropped a LOT of coin on their boots. They measured me up in some Lange’s and went through their whole custom fit process. They seemed like they knew what they were doing? After a few return trips all the way up there for adjustments (I’m in the Boston area) and they’re still not right. Had to quit after 3 runs at Wildcat in NH because my foot cramping and numbness was unbearable. Heard similar stories from others that tried Surefoot. I don’t want to waste time going back up there for adjustment after adjustment. The whole point was going once to trust their “no break in period” guarantee. I might just cut my losses with them.

Is there any other better option around? Does anyone know a specific person somewhere in the northeast, either in the Boston area or the North Conway NH area that can fit a boot based off the symptoms you have, and knows what they’re doing? I’ll try anything at this point to try to get boots that allow me to ski pain free. We ski in the Conway area. One recommendation I had was Stan and Dan’s. There’s another guy named Tink who works at Sport Thoma by Attitash that I’ve heard is good. Open to any recommendations for someone who knows the anatomy of the foot and how to fit it to a boot well. Thanks!
 

JChockey22

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Oct 8, 2022
Posts
120
Location
Massachusetts
I feel like the footbeds are playing a part as well. At times it feels like the arch support is like standing on a golf ball. They’ve adjusted the footbed but it still doesn’t feel right.
I think I might be in the minority here but I Love that feeling and cant ski without it
 

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