What a properly fit ski boot feels like on day one

[Henry]

Rule of thumb...if the boots are comfy in the shop, they're too big.

Shell fit the boots. Pull out the liner. Put the foot in. Slide forward so the toe touches. Look for 5/8" to 3/4" of space behind the heel. More...too much; go down a shell size. 1/2"...race fit. Pull the sides away from the foot. Look for 2 to 3 mm of space on the sides of the foot. This isn't addressing volume nor instep height. That's where a well trained sales person shines.

Expect hot spots to develop. Like my left 5th metatarsal. It'll need a punch out. Expect the liners to mold to the feet even after heat molding. There's nothing like skiing for a day or two. Expect to return to the shop for adjustments. On the inside of the heel, just below the ankle bone, there are both a nerve and an artery. Some feet get pressured here causing tingling feet or cold feet. This can be pressed out.

So--the boots in the shop should feel very snug. Not too short. Not sloppy. Probably not comfy. Very snug like a too-firm handshake. No pain while in the shop.

I skied with a lady who was searching for new boots that didn't cause her foot pain. When she described the pain spot I guessed it was Morton's Neuroma...she needed a visit to a podiatrist to fix whatever caused the pain before she bought ski boots that could never work for her.

 

[KingGrump]

"The immediate reaction as the foot slides in should be: "no way, these are way too small my toes are crushed against the front of the boot. There is no way I can wear these." the person trying the boot on should want it OFF their foot before it is even buckled. After about 5 minutes with the boot buckled and being actively flexed the fit should be "maybe? They still feel a little too tight but my toes are now still touching but not crushed.... can I try the next size up?" That's the right size."

Sorry, not my experience.

 

[Rdputnam515]

the boot should feel snug, with no slop Around the foot. The key is adjusting the buckles. Most people crank down on them and it is not needed. Not at all.

tighten the buckles up so they support You nice and firm but can still be closed with the force of one or two fingers.

this is the way in my experience. It will improve your skiing too.

 

[ScottB]

Rule of thumb...if the boots are comfy in the shop, they're too big.

Shell fit the boots. Pull out the liner. Put the foot in. Slide forward so the toe touches. Look for 5/8" to 3/4" of space behind the heel. More...too much; go down a shell size. 1/2"...race fit. Pull the sides away from the foot. Look for 2 to 3 mm of space on the sides of the foot. This isn't addressing volume nor instep height. That's where a well trained sales person shines.

Expect hot spots to develop. Like my left 5th metatarsal. It'll need a punch out. Expect the liners to mold to the feet even after heat molding. There's nothing like skiing for a day or two. Expect to return to the shop for adjustments. On the inside of the heel, just below the ankle bone, there are both a nerve and an artery. Some feet get pressured here causing tingling feet or cold feet. This can be pressed out.

So--the boots in the shop should feel very snug. Not too short. Not sloppy. Probably not comfy. Very snug like a too-firm handshake. No pain while in the shop.

I skied with a lady who was searching for new boots that didn't cause her foot pain. When she described the pain spot I guessed it was Morton's Neuroma...she needed a visit to a podiatrist to fix whatever caused the pain before she bought ski boots that could never work for her.

Good description from Henry in my opinion. I would add if your toes are touching its important to determine if its the liner you are limited by or if your actually touching the plastic of the boot. Liners can be stretched or altered, boots will need punching to create more room.

Rule of thumb...if the boots are comfy in the shop, they're too big. This is really important and is where most people go wrong with boot selection. You have to assume you will need some modifications to make your feet fit into the "proper" fitting boot that will allow high performance skiing. In a proper fitting boot, you will most likely feel pain until the bootfitter expands the shell in the needed areas. Just as important, don't leave the shop until the bootfitter has alleviated all the pain. If they can't, your in the wrong boot. Don't be afraid to ask the punch to be done a second or third time till you have the room you need. I learned the lesson like most people, the hard way. A bootfitter will almost guaranteed not want to spend hours with you working out all the issues on the first visit. Common sense has to rule here, but don't be talked into "ski them and see if the pain will go away" and bring them back if it doesn't. (I am talking about shell contact here that can be fixed with a "stronger punch") There are fit issues that do need to be worked out by skiing the boots and breaking in the liners some more.

This question mainly comes from statements about your toes touching the front of the shell, then pulling away when flexed. If this is the case why is this type of fit better than being in a larger size, smaller volume boot where your toes don't touch the front on the shell? Especially with the situation this year with booting up in our cars and walking a lot more in ski boots.

If both shells offer the proper heel hold and instep clearance is 1 fit better than the other? Is there a need to have the toes that tight to the front of the shell?

No need to have the toes that tight to the front of the shell. The better overall fit and certainly for comfort is the larger shell, obviously. Henry's comments don't address volume and instep height. That is the crux of what to make a decision on. Does the smaller shell offer a better instep and overall volume match to your foot shape? The best match to your foot shape is the right boot choice (and that is a feel thing, you the skier have to make, not the bootfitter) . Toes heavily touching the front of the boot is never a good thing, so if the smaller size can be punched in the toe area to get enough room, then its probably the right choice, if the rest of the fit is not too tight. The judgement on too tight or loose should be made on the ankle fit, heel fit, and instep fit. Those are the most critical areas to fit. I have a narrow foot, so I can fit into 2-3 downsized shell. But my toes will get crushed as I drop sizes (I am a 13 shoe). I was told you can only punch the toe length about 1/2 size increase. Some might say 1 full size. So dropping 3 sizes maybe the right volume, but is going to painful on my toes and not worth it to me.

I personally chose the larger size in a narrower boot and I am very pleased with my decision. Even with the larger boot, I still needed a width punch in one area, so they are plenty snug, and very comfortable. If I was only going to race in the boots and take them off once done racing for the day, I would have chosen the smaller size and paid the $$ for extensive boot work. I would be doing that knowing full well I might not be happy with the results and might not like/use the boots when it was done. (I might be wasting my $$) It would be a roll of the dice. My reason for going smaller is that forces in racing are much higher and having a really snug fit (read that as only able to stand it for a few hours) will give a small increment in precision and performance. And when the liner packs out after a while, the performance of the larger size boot might go down ever so slightly.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Shell fit, standing up knees slightly bent. Thankfully, Henry quantified 2 fingers for us. Sides of the foot, maybe the same 1/2 inch on each side. That sounds like too much but I am used to fitting my kids, and i got frostbite before i had the top modified. Top of the foot is important but can be modified easily. Heel locked in with the liner on.

It should feel tight all over but any pain points should be addressed sooner than later. Boot shops should have an excersie bike. Pedal for 30 minutes and find out if your feet are numb or in major pain.