My bootfitting experience with Jeff Bokum

[Catul]

My old boots weren't cutting it anymore so I figured it was time to start looking for new ones. After seeing the thread here about Jeff Bokum and reading about Greg\'s experience with his service, I gave Jeff a call. He said he works with the shop next door to him, but pickings there were getting fairly slim so I should just try to buy a pair locally.

He explained the shell-fitting process and guidelines for ensuring I pick the right size, and gave me a list of specific boots that he likes. His guidance was very important when I went down to the local store and I ended up getting the perfect boots for my foot - the Tecnica Diablo Flame in a mondo 27.0 size (and my feet are 10.5 - 11 shoe size). BTW, I bought these at Alpine Haus in Wethersfield, CT and had a good experience with Haywood there; as a bonus, they were having a huge President's Day sale and I got these for 40% off list, about as cheap as on eBay

I drove up to Jeff's shop in Concord, NH yesterday morning. The man is an affable and comfortable person to work with, and as soon as he got started I could tell that he knew what he was doing. It was fun chatting with him during the entire process, and I learnt quite a bit about this stuff.

I had custom footbeds already from my last purchase about 8 years ago (and they were done by Green Mountain Orthotic Lab at Stratton, a very respected place too) but my foot had changed enough since then that they weren't supporting me correctly anymore. So after studying my foot a bit, Jeff made a new footbed - and I felt a whole lot better already! A little shaving here, some grinding there, some more feedback as Jeff made little adjustments. When it comes to custom footbeds, the experience and knowledge of the person making them is vital and Jeff got them in great shape right away.

Then it was time for an alignment, canting, checking how I flexed the boots, making my feet flat, adjusting the posture, etc. Lots of things, some might seem little, but the difference in the end was amazing. I was standing in a nice, tall athletic stance without really thinking about it (I always felt like I used to crouch forward a little); my feet were being beautifully supported and snug.

I drove over to Pats Peak for a few hours of skiing to see how my boots felt. In a word, AWESOME! My foot had never been so comfortable, so perfectly supported by that footbed. After some warm-up runs and getting used to the boots, I could feel myself transferring my movements and energy to the skis faster, more efficiently, like "right-now". I wouldn't call it a night-and-day difference, but it was very noticeable. My posture and balance was quite a bit better too. I didn't need to crank the buckles all the over to get snug, my feet were warm, and I had a blast!

Since the boots are still pretty new (that was my third day of skiing in them), they will continue to pack out a little. I'll see how that goes over the next week or two and then get back to Jeff to see if any further tweaks need to be made. At this point, I couldn't be happier!

I realized that a good boot fitting is more than just about comfort, it makes a significant improvement in your skiing too. Boots are typically a good 5-8 year purchase (if not longer), so I'd really recommend that one makes the time to get over there to see Jeff - you won't regret it!

[ALLSKIING]

Nice report!!!It pays to do it right.

[Greg]

Originally Posted by ALLSKIING

Nice report!!!

Indeed. My experience was very similar. It's amazing how small incremental changes can cumulatively have a great effect. I think it was Charlie that mentioned that the former lumbering movements are now subtle adjustments...or something like that... :P

[Catul]

Originally Posted by Greg

My experience was very similar. It's amazing how small incremental changes can cumulatively have a great effect.

I skied again today for a few hours and it was a lot of fun. I could really feel a little more control of the skis, especially in applying pressure across the entire ski and staying in a good balanced position - got a lot of energy out of the skis as they rebounded from a nice carve, what a blast!

Still waiting for the boots to completely pack out, probably a few more days of skiing, then I can work on fine-tuning the adjustments. So far, so good

[hammer]

I also have Diablo Flames, I've gone through the initial process with Jeff, and I'm currently getting mileage on them before I go back for fine-tuning...so far I like the fit.

Do you find that these boots have more or less forward lean? I'm not sure if it's the better boot fit or not, but I find that my knees are more forward when I stand in these boots than in the (too big) Salomons I used to wear. Walking is a bit awkward as well.

[Greg]

Originally Posted by hammer

Do you find that these boots have more or less forward lean? I'm not sure if it's the better boot fit or not, but I find that my knees are more forward when I stand in these boots than in the (too big) Salomons I used to wear. Walking is a bit awkward as well.

Probably more of a result of Jeff doing a proper fore/aft alignment. Remember that part with the plumb bob? Sounds like you're in a good position.

[hammer]

Originally Posted by Greg

Probably more of a result of Jeff doing a proper fore/aft alignment. Remember that part with the plumb bob? Sounds like you're in a good position.

Yep, I remember that...fortunately, I didn't need any adjustments. Didn't think anything of it at the time but walking in the boots with my knees bent a bit is taking some getting used to...

[SIKSKIER]

Sounds like your probably in the right position now.If you were walking around before in your boots standing straight up,your forward lean was practically non-existent.Not a good stance for skiing at all.

[Catul]

Originally Posted by hammer

Do you find that these boots have more or less forward lean? I'm not sure if it's the better boot fit or not, but I find that my knees are more forward when I stand in these boots than in the (too big) Salomons I used to wear. Walking is a bit awkward as well.

Can't say that I find the Diablo Flames have any more forward lean than my old boots, but I was certainly in a good forward stance over my skis after the boot fitting process. While the difference between the off-the-shelf fit and Jeff's tweaks weren't dramatic in terms of forward lean, etc., the end result was a significantly more "connected" feel and more comfort overall with an athletic stance.

[hammer]

Originally Posted by Catul

Can't say that I find the Diablo Flames have any more forward lean than my old boots, but I was certainly in a good forward stance over my skis after the boot fitting process. While the difference between the off-the-shelf fit and Jeff's tweaks weren't dramatic in terms of forward lean, etc., the end result was a significantly more "connected" feel and more comfort overall with an athletic stance.

Thanks...I don't have my old boots anymore, but I'm guessing it was a combination of bad fit (wasn't in the heel like I needed to be) and a less aggressive boot.

As SIKSKIER said, I'm probably in the correct position now...