(Quoting Noodler, but this is a general response to the thread)
First Fit is most certainly a crucial aspect of making ski boots, and it shouldn’t be seen as a negative thing. As any boot-fitter will tell you, boots that never leave the back stock area are bad boots. Those boots stay back there mostly because they fit poorly. First Fit is so important because a customer will try one brand on their right foot and another brand on their left foot and within 30-60 seconds a decision will be made about which boot stays on and which boot goes back in the box. This is First Fit but it’s definitely not focused or limited to a cushy liner, so I think I need to spend a few minutes discussing what First Fit actually is.
First Fit is a combination of last shape and liner construction – it’s not one or the other, it’s both working together to create a winning fit. From a last perspective, a strong boot brand MUST offer a variety of anatomically shaped lasts in order to provide the correct starting point for people’s feet. Overly simplified, this means a narrow last for a narrow foot, a medium last for a medium foot, and a wide last for a wide foot. While it may be theoretically possible to have one super narrow boot that could expand to fit a wide, high-volume foot it would fit like garbage for 90% of people and very few would believe that it would work and/or risk the gamble on it doing so. And with the technologies and materials we currently have available, no brand can turn this into a feasible reality. So, a brand needs a variety of highly anatomic last shapes in order to best suit the variety of feet walking into the shop.
From there we move to liner constructions. You can have a great last shape but if you mess up the liner, it’s game over. So great care must be taken to develop a liner that not only offers a great anatomic fit, but also strikes a balance between initial comfort, customization potential, and long-term durability. Despite what some people may think, the liner is the most expensive single part of the ski boot (when you count the shell, cuff, buckles, etc. separately). Every liner is hand-made- from the foam layup to the sewing to the gluing. It’s an incredibly complicated part that is full of compromise. Very few skiers will buy a ski boot that does not feel good in the store and moreover very few skiers have 2-3 weeks of ski time to break it in before it starts to feel good. But believe me when I say that it is our goal to make a liner that feels good, has great customization potential and lasts as long as it can. As
@Philpug mentioned, some liners don’t last that long simply because they are a lower-end product and brands can’t afford to put a $400 liner in $299 boot. Moreover, very few skiers are willing to drop $1,000 on a boot that has it all. Boot brands know this and it’s the reason why they haven’t bothered to do it themselves- they’ve decided to leave it up to aftermarket liner brands to do the rest. But personally, I think that’s a lazy attitude and I never agreed with it, which is why I’ve pushed to make the Professional Series.
First Fit. Customization potential. Comfort. Skiing performance. These are the pillars of our boot philosophy at Atomic. First Fit is only one aspect, but it is a necessary aspect (as are the rest).
