Sizing down ski boots

[BMC]

This is more of a general discussion point, not pertinent to any decision I have to imminently make. It’s just something I’ve not quite understood, and hope people can resolve my ignorance. I’ll relate my question to my personal experience though.

So I often see people say on this site that they size down their ski boots. one recent example close to home is a person indicating they are a 275mm foot length, 43 euro, but size down to a 26.5 mondo ski boot. There are obviously many other examples of this.

So relating it back to me, I have a 265mm foot, use 42 Euro shoes when that’s the sizing, and have 26.5 mondo boots. I was getting new foot beds recently and when doing the shell sizing check the fitter said I had a very tight fit - less than a finger space.

It seems to me if I went to a 25.5 Mondo my boot would just be too short for my foot.

So what am I missing? How are people able to cram their foot into boots that in my experience at least would be shorter than their foot length? And if they do that, why is that desirable?

 

[Philpug]

Don't down size .... right size. Get the right size boot for your foot, be it down up or the same. it doesn't matter what someone else gets, get what works best for you.

 

[Ken_R]

This is more of a general discussion point, not pertinent to any decision I have to imminently make. It’s just something I’ve not quite understood, and hope people can resolve my ignorance. I’ll relate my question to my personal experience though.

So I often see people say on this site that they size down their ski boots. one recent example close to home is a person indicating they are a 275mm foot length, 43 euro, but size down to a 26.5 mondo ski boot. There are obviously many other examples of this.

So relating it back to me, I have a 265mm foot, use 42 Euro shoes when that’s the sizing, and have 26.5 mondo boots. I was getting new foot beds recently and when doing the shell sizing check the fitter said I had a very tight fit - less than a finger space.

It seems to me if I went to a 25.5 Mondo my boot would just be too short for my foot.

So what am I missing? How are people able to cram their foot into boots that in my experience at least would be shorter than their foot length? And if they do that, why is that desirable?

Depends on not just length but instep, width and overall foot volume and how that matches up with a particular boot last. My foot is/was pretty low volume and lowish instep and not very wide and I measured 272mm and I tried a bunch of boots, some in 27.5 and some in 26.5 and the 26.5's were generally snug but a good snug so I went with that size and dont regret it.

 

[Rod9301]

This is more of a general discussion point, not pertinent to any decision I have to imminently make. It’s just something I’ve not quite understood, and hope people can resolve my ignorance. I’ll relate my question to my personal experience though.

So I often see people say on this site that they size down their ski boots. one recent example close to home is a person indicating they are a 275mm foot length, 43 euro, but size down to a 26.5 mondo ski boot. There are obviously many other examples of this.

So relating it back to me, I have a 265mm foot, use 42 Euro shoes when that’s the sizing, and have 26.5 mondo boots. I was getting new foot beds recently and when doing the shell sizing check the fitter said I had a very tight fit - less than a finger space.

It seems to me if I went to a 25.5 Mondo my boot would just be too short for my foot.

So what am I missing? How are people able to cram their foot into boots that in my experience at least would be shorter than their foot length? And if they do that, why is that desirable?

Don't downsize

 

[Rich_Ease_3051]

How are people able to cram their foot

I think the secret is to permanently dig in your toes (length) or fuck your little toe (width).

Herminator: https://men.wikifeet.com/Hermann_Maier

Bode

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James Harden

 

[Wilhelmson]

Well my ski boots measure about 11.24 inches iin a 60 day packed out liner.
Size 11.5 Nike is 11.5 inches
Size 12 Merrill boots 11.5
Size 12 adidas 11.75
Foot is 11.5

The reason I bought 11.5 Nike is because I tried them in at the store and the 12 were too big.

 

[Lauren]

So what am I missing? How are people able to cram their foot into boots that in my experience at least would be shorter than their foot length? And if they do that, why is that desirable?

When I first started reading ski forums I kept thinking "should I be in a smaller boot, what am I missing out on?". This was due to a lot of comments like the one you mention:

So I often see people say on this site that they size down their ski boots. one recent example close to home is a person indicating they are a 275mm foot length, 43 euro, but size down to a 26.5 mondo ski boot. There are obviously many other examples of this.

Over the years I've come to realize I was missing a few things (and probably missing many more variables):

- A 25.5 does not always mean exactly 25.5 cm; some run small, some big.

- Often times when people say, "my feet measure at 275mm, and I wear a 26.5 boot", they don't mention what work they've put into that boot. Sometimes it takes a lot of heat molding, punching and grinding to get their foot into that smaller boot. Or...do they have a heel lift? Heel lifts lift your heel (obviously), and will generally bring your toes off of the front of the boot a mm or two. Lots of minor variations can make a large foot fit into a smaller boot.

- What are your personal limits of comfort? Can you tolerate your toes being squished together like in a ballet slipper? Or would you prefer to have a little toe splay like when you're barefoot? Personally, I like my toes to have enough space to move a little, it keeps them warmer on really cold days...this is something I'm not willing to give up for a little extra performance.

- Sock thickness. Many people that have a very close fitting boot will wear EXTREMELY thin socks. If you wear semi-cushy to cushy-cushy socks it's surprising how much space they take up in your boots.

Bottom line is that the numbers don't hold any weight without having additional discussion.

 

[Yo Momma]

My "Masterfit" bootfitter, fit the Shell.......not the boot to my foot. As a result my liners don't wear out in the conventional sense. My old liners technically
"packed out" after 7 -8 years @ 60 -70+ days per season. He looked at those liners and said they were fine but the plastic and buckles were "Toast"! LOL
I had two more sets of the same boot at the ready. He evaluated and gave me the okay and now I'm several years into the second set. I also have 3 o4 set of replacement soles that were ordered years ago. Had another Masterfit boot fitter look them over during a trip south, and his words were, "Damn, how did they get you into this boot!?!?! Nice job! "

BC (BackCountry) not quite as finicky as I like a more loose fit and NOTHING I've found on the market beats the Removable Tongue for the uphill and adjustability of the Dalbello Lupo Ax 120's. OMG baking these things is as easy as TollHouse cookies! WOW Amazing, absolute game-changing tech and VERY impressed w/ the Tongue Free ascent..... for BC! Even hooked up Wifey in a set, after we climbed together she wanted them. She can't believe the uphill tongue-free mobility. She says it's like cheating! Pop the tongue back in (3 sec) for the downhill and you're back in action. Total game changer and now all our other BC boots are gathering dust awaiting donation to a worthy cause.

 

[AtleB]

I go a size down in ski boots, but thats because I have low volume feet. I wish I didnt, cause it takes a bit of work (grinding/punching) to get them to my foot's length.

 

[AngryAnalyst]

I have wondered the same things as you @BMC . I'm already a multiple hour, multi-round project in my "natural" shell size and I think my fitter would murder me if I asked him to go down a size. That said, I did pick up some heel lift after the liners in my new this year Raptors packed out (solvable so far with liquid fit) so maybe I should be buying a gun and two kinds of 27 shells .

I usually describe myself as wanting the highest performance fit I can wear all day with maybe some unbuckling at lunch and it's a bit hard for me to believe that is a lot tighter than what I have given that I have vivid memories of my feet going numb the first time I used the current boots (after 2 hours of punches and grinds, my feet stayed in the shells for about an hour I think). Still, I have been very impressed at how much improvement I feel with the Raptors vs. my previous boots so maybe I'm still missing out. Don't know.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Chiropodists like this thread, especially those pictures of mangled toes.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Forgot to throw a couple of these in.

 

[Paul Lutes]

Hey…. Why aren’t my emojis showing up?

 

[ScottB]

I bought two new pairs of skis boot recently, and they are the first boots I have ever owned that fit properly. Did I downsize, no, I bought the right size and right width in a boot that fit my foot shape well. A boot fitter was trying to talk me into buying one size down, but I said no. Now, 2-3 years later, I feel great about my decision.

Almost everyone has a bias on ski boot sizing. You have been buying shoes your whole life, and you have a particular shoe size that you almost always buy, right?. A size 10 fits a size ten foot. Well how long is a size 10? I don't know off the top of my head. Ski boots are sized by internal shell length and last width across the widest part of your foot. These are not precise numbers and will vary considerably from one model to the other. Your foot is all curves, not a 2X4 with straight sides and perpendicular ends (unless you get it from Home Depot, and then its curved) (couldn't resist ) So measurements and sizes have to be taken with a grain of salt. Its been my experience, if you measure the length of your foot, in mm, then the right length ski boot is usually the next size smaller. I guess when you use a foot bed, it might make your foot slightly shorter, or it makes the "factory size length number" moot by changing the exact placement of your foot in the shell. Even the number, 27.5, is really 27.0 mm length I have been told. For some reason we like to use +.5 size steps in the ski world. Supposedly its just habit and not measurement wise correct.

Up until recently, you wanted the shortest length you could tolerate because width goes up and down with length. Shorter always meant snugger and that's how you achieved a really snug fitting boot. Now for the same length, 27.5, there are as many as 5 different widths to choose from in a single brand of boot. So no need to "cram" your foot into a short boot, just get a "proper" length and match the width of the boot to your foot width. That is what I learned recently, you can deliberate on 2 lengths, and be fine in either, but its critical to get the right width. You also have to take into account that modern ski boots can be heat molded to "stretch" them, or make them wider. If you have one or two spots that rub, or need a little more room, heat molding works wonders to relieve pressure in a boot. So don't be afraid to get the boots that feels to snug when first put on. It can be widened by heat molding and will gradually loosen up over time as the liner packs out.

People who size down are usually in to big of a boot to begin with, and are sizing "correctly" Or they have ignored the width options (that describes me for most of my ski life) and probably would have been more comfortable in a narrower boot without sizing down. I have long, narrow feet that measure 30.0mm. I can fit in a 92mm last with punching required. I have always skied in 97mm lasts (low volume boot) until recently where I explored "plug boots at 92mm" and Sport boots at 95mm. Depending on the boot, I could make a 28.5 or 29.5 work. I chose the 95mm in 29.5, which is going "big" on both parameters, but it required minimal work and I have an extremely snug boot. The 92mm last did not fit much differently than the 95mm, a little narrower but not a drastic difference. There is much more difference going up to 97mm, which is too wide for me, than dropping down in width to 92mm. Its due to other things such as instep fit, cuff fit, heel pocket, ect....... A good boot fitter will sort this all out for you. Not all boot fitters are really good at what they do, I have experienced both.

 

[tch]

To be honest, the most disturbing part of this otherwise worthwhile discussion is discovering there is an entire website/enterprise dedicated to pictures and videos of men's feet.

 

[Near Nyquist]

Many customers I help fit are sizing down from one of these.

So I guess for them I sized em down to the right size

 

[Tony S]

This. (If I get the right length shell my feet are generally swimming in them.)

I go a size down in ski boots, but thats because I have low volume feet. I wish I didnt, cause it takes a bit of work (grinding/punching) to get them to my foot's length.

And this.

View attachment 169026
Many customers I help fit are sizing down from one of these.

So I guess for them I sized em down to the right size

 

[KingGrump]

To be honest, the most disturbing part of this otherwise worthwhile discussion is discovering there is an entire website/enterprise dedicated to pictures and videos of men's feet.

Would it make you feel less disturbed if there are website/enterprise dedicated to pictures and videos of WOmen's feet?

 

[AtleB]

Would it make you feel less disturbed if there are website/enterprise dedicated to pictures and videos of WOmen's feet?

I think those websites are in a different category

 

[KingGrump]

I think those websites are in a different category

It's OK. We don't judge.