When to heat mold shell for new ski boots?

[Chadlad]

Hello,

I bought a new pair of Atomic Hawx Magna 110S with Memory Fit for the shell. Would it be best to ski a few times in them before heat molding the shell or should I ask my boot fitter to heat mold the shell in its brand new condition?

Thanks for your suggestions

 

[graham418]

I have the Magna 130S. My boot fitter heated the liners and clamped me into the boots. He said moulding the shells is something you do next if you still can't achieve a good fit. There is an Atomic rep on the site here, he could advise you further

 

[Chadlad]

I have the Magna 130S. My boot fitter heated the liners and clamped me into the boots. He said moulding the shells is something you do next if you still can't achieve a good fit. There is an Atomic rep on the site here, he could advise you further

My boot fitter told me that the liners will mould themselves when I ski a few times. Is body heat enough to do that?

 

[Betaracer]

Heat mold the shell only if you need more room. If you only have point locations where more room is needed, a conventional punch works. If the boot fits without heating, just ski. If it needs some reshaping, use heat tubes.

 

[Chadlad]

Heat mold the shell only if you need more room. If you only have point locations where more room is needed, a conventional punch works. If the boot fits without heating, just ski. If it needs some reshaping, use heat tubes.

Thanks for your advice. The boots were quite comfortable when I tried them for the first time. However, I want to achieve the best performance fit possible. I heard that the liner will self-mold to my feet while skiing from my body heat. Do you think heat molding the shell prior to molding the liner can improve fit?

 

[Mike Thomas]

Process should be-
Stabilize the foot in the boot-> mold liner-> modify shell. You don't have to all of steps, but skipping over steps = future regret.

 

[Chadlad]

Process should be-
Stabilize the foot in the boot-> mold liner-> modify shell. You don't have to all of steps, but skipping over steps = future regret.

Do you recommend doing all steps before skiing in the boots right after purchase?

 

[onenerdykid]

Thanks for your advice. The boots were quite comfortable when I tried them for the first time. However, I want to achieve the best performance fit possible. I heard that the liner will self-mold to my feet while skiing from my body heat. Do you think heat molding the shell prior to molding the liner can improve fit?

Memory Fit is a customization process used for EXPANSION. Do this for when the foot is wider than the shell and when you need more space. Do you need or want a wider fit than you currently have?

If the shell shape is a good match for your foot, then don't touch the shell and only heat mold the liner. Skiing the boot for 10-15 days will yield about the same results as getting a heat mold from the beginning. The question is, do you want 10-15 of a liner not feeling great and let the fit evolve on its own? Or would you rather hit the ground running with a good fit from day one?

And always, always support the foot first with a proper aftermarket footbed. No matter which above step you take

 

[Noodler]

Do you recommend doing all steps before skiing in the boots right after purchase?

If you don't have serious pain, it's usually a better idea to get some time in on the boots to really figure out what's happening. Skiing in a boot is very different from just wearing them in your living room.

 

[DanoT]

I have shell moldable Head Advant Edge boots. I was told that the shell heating process will gain some room in the boot and since I have a high instep and large volume foot, it was a go and resulted in a great fit. I did ventually get the boots punched at the small toe, as done with all past ski boots.

 

[Chadlad]

Memory Fit is a customization process used for EXPANSION. Do this for when the foot is wider than the shell and when you need more space. Do you need or want a wider fit than you currently have?

If the shell shape is a good match for your foot, then don't touch the shell and only heat mold the liner. Skiing the boot for 10-15 days will yield about the same results as getting a heat mold from the beginning. The question is, do you want 10-15 of a liner not feeling great and let the fit evolve on its own? Or would you rather hit the ground running with a good fit from day one?

And always, always support the foot first with a proper aftermarket footbed. No matter which above step you take

Thank you for your advice! The boot currently feels tolerable without any heat molding to the shell nor the liner. I spoke with my boot fitter and he was advocating that the actual skiing scenario is different from that during the liner molding process, so he recommends using my own body heat to mold the liners while skiing. What do you think about this?

 

[onenerdykid]

Thank you for your advice! The boot currently feels tolerable without any heat molding to the shell nor the liner. I spoke with my boot fitter and he was advocating that the actual skiing scenario is different from that during the liner molding process, so he recommends using my own body heat to mold the liners while skiing. What do you think about this?

Whether the heat comes from your body heat or from a hot air blower, the foam doesn't know where the heat comes from and it doesn't care. Given that your body temperature is lower than the hot air blower, you need to wear the liner more often and break it in more to get it to fit & shape more like your foot. It generally takes about 10-15 of skiing for this to really happen. Be aware that you might not enjoy that break-in period, but that is something I can't answer for you.

A controlled and guided heat molding process in the hands of a competent boot-fitter will result in your fit going into your liner before you ski it. This means you will have a comfortable boot from day 1 and generally without a break-in period assuming all other aspects of the boot fit you correctly. I always recommend this route, unless the skier is absolutely in love with the out-of-the-box fit (there are few reasons for introducing change when someone is already happy with how the boot feels).

Some boot-fitters think that heat molding a liner will prematurely break it down or compromise its lifespan. That may have been true with some liners 15 years ago, but with Atomic's liners, you do them no disservice by properly heat molding them.