Is this the right size ski for me?

[Johnny V.]

Bet ya thought this was going to be easy.........................

FWIW, I have a wide 8 1/2-9 shoe size and am in a 25.5 boot. Once you have the boots, you can experiment with different demo skis, but under 80 mm should be the best for the NE. One of the cliche's is "buy skis for the conditions you will actually ski, not the ones you'd like to ski"

 

[newboots]

Boots:

Nicksbootfitting.com
Near Mt. Snow
Recommended by one of the master bootfitters on this list (Otto) and a very exacting instructor on this list (liquidfeet).
Used to teach at Masterfit Academy, lots of other credentials.

Also the Boot Lab at Windham Mountain - not that far from you.

Don't ask your friends (or strangers!) what boots they have. Truly, it's irrelevant.

Skis:

I wouldn't suggest buying until you have a chance to get into some reasonably snug boots (even if you rent them) and try a few sizes. If you rent on the mountain you should be able to trade sizes and sample a few (on a week day). Weekends are a difficult time to evaluate skis - harder to get the right size boots and skis, and too many skiers on the mountain to pay a lot of attention to the ski length.)

I imagine your old straight skis were pretty long, and I expect you'll adapt well to a larger size. Note that they told you the 27 boot was fine, even though you could tell it wasn't. (Maybe they didn't have a 26 or 25, or maybe they don't know better. We have a 16-year-old in our shop who will tell you anything regardless of his ignorance.)

 

[François Pugh]

I generally fit a US 11, UK 10 boot/shoe. I'm in a 27.5 boot. However, length is only one measurements; my boots need to be tiny in the heel and very wide at the ball. Due to getting new boots and then new liners, I had to forego skiing in my work-in-progress boots on my vacation and rent some boots. The rentals were 27.5, not adjusted by punching out the forefoot. My foot is still recovering.
Boots now come in low, medium and large voluem. Get the boots that fit your feet, which may require some work by the fitter. Flex is a matter of personal preference, but generally you should be somewhere between 100 and 150 flex, probably guessing 120 Flex.

Another trick for picking ski length that takes into account all the variables like rocker, flex, purpose, etc. is that any model of ski only comes in particular lengths. If you are in the middle of the ski population with regards to weight and speeds versus other skiers on the hill, pick the length that's in the middle. Faster heavier, go long. Light and slow go short. 2ndary effects for height being far above average bump up a length (longer skis).

It might be better, depending on your budget to get a cheap boot adjusted for your feet to get you through the season, and then buy a better boot next fall, but that's coming from someone for whom rentals just don't work well.

 

[silverback]

It’s the rare gem of a shop that gives good, honest advice. Almost never found at a rental counter.

fwiw, they usually error towards boots that are too big and skis that are too small.

Be careful buying used, especially at the prices you mentioned. I see a lot of people on really old skis (15+ years) that probably have no idea that it all could be so much easier and fun with modern skis. It gets said a lot around here that these days it is hard to find a ski that isn’t really good. 15-20 years ago opposite was true.

 

[Slemers]

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a bootfitter in or near Portland,Oregon?
The boots I bought last year have about 30 days of use and could use some attention. They are Nordica Hf 110's.

 

[Slemers]

Hmm, sorry for posting here and the threaddrift. Don't know how that happened
On topic, I went to look at some skis last season in the Portland hills but realized right before money changed hands that the bindings would have needed a a remount. I needed a ski for the following day.
I've had great luck on skis both here and Craigslist with system bindings.

 

[Slim]

I'm about a 9 in Mens sneaker depending the brand. They put me in 27-27.5's and I could tell they were large but they told me they were good and didn't give me another option. I had done zero research so I just trusted them but could tell I was losing some abilities once the skis were on my feet. I'm going to a local small mountain tonight and I'll try to take the time to get a tighter fitting boot and definitely at least a size down from what I had last time, especially considering your a size larger than I am and have 26 boots.

Good tips on those VT boot fitters. Anyone know and boot fitters in Connecticut worth going to see as well?

On the demo rentals, is that where you go do a demo at a mountain and they give you 2-3-4 different pairs to try, or do you mean get a demo pair for the season? Seems like they give option for used or a brand new rental seasonal here if you go early enough in the season, but unsure if they let you swap them mid season for something different. Any insight around what's common will be helpful so I understand the lingo and what's common as an option. A demo day at the mountain is definitely appealing, I'll need to plan a solo trip without the family to do it, but I guess it would be worth the time investment.


You sure hit that right on the head, I'm wide open and hardly able to absorb a small percentage but I'm slowly getting there thanks to all of you!

Haha, that happens so often. For comparison, my boots are 27.5, not tight, and I wear 11 Street shoes! Sometimes 11.5.

 

[Crank]

A friend of mine just got new boots fitted at Outdoor Sports Center in WIlton last week. I skied with her Tuesday, her first day in them and she was skiing great and said the boots felt great as well. Here's the thing - the boot fitter there did not have a size that would work for her but took detailed measurements and told her to find a boot with the specs he gave her online or at another shop and he would then fit them for her. She found said boots and he then did a few punch outs to accommodate things going on with her feet.

Overall though, I have had similar experiences regarding finding boots to fit my rather common foot size. I don't shop for boots often, but when I do I shop early.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Haha, that happens so often. For comparison, my boots are 27.5, not tight, and I wear 11 Street shoes! Sometimes 11.5.

I am in 12 street shoes I can go down to 11.5 but they are small. 28.5 for ski boots and the new fitter said he would have chosen a 27.5 and made them fit.