• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Wide last or high instep boots

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
Skier
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Posts
10,893
Location
NJ
Ski boots are not running shoes. Any boot you can ski out of the box is likely going to end up being at least a full size too large. Don't fight the idea of going to a fitter. If you choose to do it yourself, there's no reason to continue the thread. Tough love, but that's just the way boots work... or don't.
As I have said many times a boot fitter is a good idea. But this thread is a learning thread, the OP said in post #1 that he is relatively new to this, so it is in his best interest to learn as much as possible about how boots should fit. Some members here do their own boot fitting it is not rocket science and if they make a mistake it is theirs to live with. When working with a boot fitter you have to know something about boots in order to communicate what your needs are and what your feeling. If a boot fitter doesn't get it right it can be an expensive mistake.
 

cem

Out on the slopes
Masterfit Bootfitter
Industry Insider
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
601
Location
a gridlocked town in middle England
As I have said many times a boot fitter is a good idea. But this thread is a learning thread, the OP said in post #1 that he is relatively new to this, so it is in his best interest to learn as much as possible about how boots should fit. Some members here do their own boot fitting it is not rocket science and if they make a mistake it is theirs to live with. When working with a boot fitter you have to know something about boots in order to communicate what your needs are and what your feeling. If a boot fitter doesn't get it right it can be an expensive mistake.
depends what you mean by "if the boot fitter doesn't get it right"????? most of the professionals i know stand by their work
 

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
Skier
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Posts
10,893
Location
NJ
depends what you mean by "if the boot fitter doesn't get it right"????? most of the professionals i know stand by their work
What I mean is that the customer has to communicate any issues with the boot and that they have to learn how a boot should fit in order to communicate what the fitter needs to address. Also that even the best fitters are human and miscommunication can cause problems with a fit.
 
Thread Starter
TS
DerKommissar

DerKommissar

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Mar 31, 2022
Posts
262
Location
St. Louis, MO
^^^This. The most expensive boot you can buy is the online "bargain" that gets replaced sooner than later due to improper fit. Do not buy boots online and this goes double for someone buying their first pair of boots.

Also, custom footbeds are a must and should last thru several pairs of boots, so we are talking lasting decades for most skiers.

BTW, @DerKommissar, your instep measurement of 7.7cm is incorrect, lilekly do to incorrect methodology. To properly measure the instep, take a length of string and start the end of the string at the back of the heel at one side, then run the string over the highest point of the instep, terminating at the back of the heel on the other side of the foot. If the length of string used to complete the measurement is longer than the foot's length, then that is considered a foot with a high instep.
I don’t want to belabor this, but I did the string measurement, and depending on what I consider the back of the heel, that measurement is about 29 cm vs a bit less than 27 cm for the length. I’ve read through almost all of the blister material on boots, and one of the articles there suggests going up a size in these situations. anyway- ill take all this info to our local shop in the fall and see what we can do. thanks to everyone for your comments and advice.
 

DocGKR

Stuck at work...
Skier
Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Posts
1,689
Location
Palo Alto, California
As mentioned in another thread a while back, I have an extremely wide forefoot (quad E / 116mm across at widest point) with a very high arch and relatively narrow heel. I typically wear size 10.5/44 shoes. Unfortunately, I have had a bone graft to my right calcaneus, as well as arthroscopic surgery on my left ankle--resulting in some post-surgical paresthesia and vascular changes (almost like a mild Raynaud’s). My left foot is also a half size length smaller than my right. Without a doubt, it is hard to fit my feet into performance boots.

Yet with proper boot fitting, I am using a 93mm last Nordica Doberman WC 150 in a 27 shell and find it the most comfortable boot I have ever worn. Reed at Start Haus spent over 5 hours carefully adapting and fitting the boots around my crazy wide, high arch feet. He also needed to trim a pair of my custom foot beds to fit the new boot.

The result is the most comfortable, responsive ski boot I have ever used, bar none. Just amazing for both racing in gates and free skiing all day on resort runs.
 

Sponsor

Top