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• Selecting the right ski boot
• Profeet - The Boot Doctor
• The Ski Boot explained

What to spend + General Advice

What to Spend?

How much to invest is always a challenge, especially when embarking on a first season and money is tight. But remember one piece of advice from boot expert Jimmy at Profeet; ‘whether it’s day 10 or day 150; when skiing in your boot you’ll never remember how much you spent; but you’ll remember how well they fit you, and how fit you are for them!’

Consider your intentions for the boot and your skiing – if you want a ski boot to perform for a whole season, you have to buy into the intermediate category as a minimum. If you are planning something serious with your snow time like some back-country courses or achieving your first BASI ticket, you need a ski boot that provides you with a ‘good range of flexion’ plus a snug fit in the advanced boot category.

Buying tips

• Dedicate some time to getting it right – if you put your hands in the best people, it will still take a few hours to get it perfected!
• Find a good boot fitter. Ask around for recommendations from people in the know (ask your ski friends or local ski club or chat to a ski instructor etc).
• Communicate with your boot fitter about your experience, your needs and future goals, plus any previous problems. Be honest about your ability; if you buy a boot above your ski level, it will slow down your learning and hold you back from your next skiing breakthroughs!
• Buy ski specific insoles - this will make your body more efficient in the ski boot, help you improve faster and conserve energy!
• Follower of fashion? Only you have your foot and personal needs – do not take advice from friends past the knowledge that a boot they recommend may have worked for them, they do not have to ski in your boot, you do. Equally beware of desiring the latest well-marketed product that does not match your actual ski needs and goals.

How do I know if my ski boot fitter is up to it?

They will:

• Ask what terrain you like to ski, how often and what your future snow time plans are.
• Measure both feet, and examine your foot under flexion to review its basic movement and function, plus it’s range of flexibility.
• Several boots should be tried on, based upon what your fitter believes will offer you the best fit, not upon the models that necessarily interested you!
• When the best fitting boot is selected, based upon discussing how it feels and any niggles, your fitter should be able to suggest possible adjustments to improve the fit of your ski boot, plus offer advice on ski specific foot beds or insoles to improve the function in the ski boot.
• After fitting with insoles your boot should be aligned for the best cuff position to match your leg (canting).

They won’t:

• Let you make any decision based upon colour or aesthetic, even if your Prada ski suit might clash with the best boot.
• Let you wear thick socks; only one pair of thin ski-specific socks should be worn.
• Place you into a ski boot with out first doing a thorough shell check of the boot to ascertain length, width and possible pressure points that may need attention or to accommodate for.
• Up-size you if you first think the boot is too small; your toes should reach the end of the liner when first the boot is tried on. Due to the forward angle pushing your rear foot out of the heel pocket, the boot needs to be clipped and flexed in for the foot to move into the best position.
• Tell you to ski the boot straight out of the box, they will be able to explain lots of different fit and performance benefits of getting a ski specific insole/ footbed.

Footbeds and general book advice

Socks: the feet can perspire up to one pint in a day! Gross. A good ski sock is essential to move moisture away from the foot plus to lubricate the foot (help it slide into the boot, plus avoid friction). The best sock will contain a combination of fine synthetic fibres and a blend of high quality merino wool to achieve this, check out Falke (SK2 or SK4) or the Smartwool Racer for the best. These socks have the right blend, and the best thickness, that is, very thin around the top of the foot, and light padding across the rear heel and shin.

Warm Feet: when the foot drops in temperature, we lose around twenty percent of control and function for every couple of degrees in temperature change – just try writing when your hands are cold! Two pairs of socks are more likely to reduce the foot’s warmth by increasing perspiration and creating bunching thus restricting circulation. Try more layering around your central core, neck and head instead and use a thin pair of high-performance wicking ski socks. Most ski boot shops will fit and sell ski boot heaters with rechargeable battery packs that clip onto your boot. They feature various heat settings and retail from £80 to £220.

Boot Size: is a difficult subject, the best size fit is reasonably subjective to preference and personal bio-mechanics. Generally as we are less experienced skiers and prone to greater mistakes, we prefer a more generous fit and length in our boot as we will be less precise or demanding of the fit and performance. As we become a more experienced skier we tend to select shorter and snugger fitting boots to obtain greater response and precision.

When we walk our foot elongates and goes through various movements to absorb shock and then to become a rigid lever to power-off of. Thus it needs a little more room and space about it than when involved in skiing where it is in the ‘mid-stance of gait’ – that is foot flat and weight bearing the whole time. Due to this, we may often choose to ski in a ski boot the size down from our preferred shoe length.
To ensure the best fit a ‘shell check’ with the foot inside the shell of the boot (liner removed) should be performed with each ski boot your boot fitter tries you in.

Buckles:

Putting on - when placing the boot on we should begin by tightening the top two buckles and then flexing forward into the tongue a few times, this will aid in drawing the foot back into the rear of the boot and help to get the heel into the heel pocket correctly before any pressure is placed upon the mid foot. Skiing - when skiing we should have even firm tightness across the top two clips, and gentle closing pressure over the bottom two buckles across the top of the foot. Circulation in the foot is reliant upon the lack of pressure across the instep, over tightening the bottom two clips will shut the foot down rapidly.

Stopping or Walking – all clips should be placed in the open position for maximum circulation, plus to allow the liner to expand full of air again to offer the snuggest retention when skiing again. At the end of each run all clips should be opened.

Breaking in:

When in-store you may not spend more than 20 minutes at a time in your new boot, so how is it going to feel after a whole day of skiing?? Or after a week?? ?? A new ski boot liner will pack out around 20% over its life, so it is important that a new boot starts off snug and firm. The largest fault with most ski boot sales starts with being too large and the foot banging about inside the shell as the liner breaks in.
When we ski our heart pumps blood around and this keeps our feet feeling good, therefore spending time with your boots on at home will not give you the most confidence in how it will perform on the slopes. A new, well fitted boot will generally give the wearer some pins and needles or numbness if more than ten minutes is spent in the boot without active skiing.

So what do I expect for my break in period?? Day one should entail a feeling of greater control and sensation of the ski, great response; though the first few runs of the day will be quite uncomfortable as the foot and leg muscles first activate, the blood hits them and they warm up. Day two will feel less brilliant with tired muscles and feet leaving you rather sensitive, the boot will feel too small, and too tight, especially on the outside of the forefoot. Day three, you now will be cursing your boot fitter, thinking he or she belongs to some new dark circle of S & M that only the magazines you don’t read would be interested in. Day four, life is splendid, the control, the power, the alignment is all there, and your skiing feels all the better for it. You are out from the forest canopy and basking in sunshine.
It is important when you first begin to wear your boots that you exercise proper care to avoid irritation to any bones or prominent protuberances on the foot during the break in period, as once irritated they are difficult to rest again. If in any doubts, seek a reputable boot fitter to discuss the sensations and to review your boots, insoles and feet. Be patient in-resort, these people have many people demanding their attention, especially as the slopes empty.

Drying ski boots

This is important for the daily comfort of your boot, plus to maximise the longevity of boot liner life. Many hotels and chalets feature drying rooms and boot drying racks. Unfortunately many heated boot racks provide very inconsistent heat output and can damage the heat sensitive materials of modern ski boot liners and mouldable insoles/footbeds in custom fitted boots. The best boot drying methods to assure comfortable dry boots are Thermic driers featuring cool air flow, or Damp Rid by Dry Zone that draw moisture out from the liner.

Sole care: the interface between ski binding and sole of your ski boot are paramount for the safe release of your ski boot, plus for well tuned control of the ski. Walking on through paved streets will wear the sloe of the boot and round away the precise depths responsible for this safe and reliable relase and control of the ski over time. Walk with care, where street shoes where possible, or use Cat Tracks to cover and protect your boots.

Foam liners:

Our ski boot shells if cared for well can serve us for around 200 days of ski time, however the standard factory liner will certainly offer little retention by the time it gets near 100 days. Also if we have particular features on our foot; foam liners may be the best way to get a great fit.
After market liner options are various and each boot fitter will tend to have a preference. Zip fits are a cork and oil re-mouldable liner preferred by some; however the material can migrate over time, thus changing your precise alignment in your boot over a period. Foam lines now a days are available in two choices; firm or soft, varied by the liner fabric material, making a large impact on the fit and feel. The soft being the better choice for those of us with sensitive circulation or newer to ski boots, and competition like hard foams for those demanding great control and fit over the full life of the boot.

What are the benefits of Ski Footbeds / Insoles?

• A 360° wrapping fit around the foot.
• Equal distribution of pressure under and around the foot – no more hot-spots!
• Proper and effective position of the ‘steering wheel’ (ankle joint) within the ski boot for more precise pressure energy transfer.
• Improved bio-mechanical feedback from increased foot contact, better joint and muscle alignment plus snugger wrap fit around the foot securing you into the last and profile of the shell and liner.
• Better circulation through the foot.
• Positioning into the sweet spot of the boot and thus the ski as you become dynamically and naturally placed over the arches of the foot.

Your custom fitted ski boots should fit like a glove but remember skiing is a high energy sport and your feet may change slightly each day depending on many factors such as fluid retention, fatigue, altitude, metabolism and how much pinot rouge you drank the night before. Your boots should offer you the correct level of both retention and support depending on your ability and skiing style. The retention comes from the liners, buckles and shape/profile of the shell where the support comes from the flex dynamics of the shell and also from your custom moulded insole. For the boots to work effectively the foot needs to be placed in the right position so the boot and ankle joint flexes in the correct way and the foot and liner are in snug contact with each other like a strong hand shake - firm and even.