Boot Advice

Did she try on other boot models as well? It's a good practice to try on several boots from different manufacturers (at the same time - one on each foot) to determine which one fits your foot the best. If you only tried on those 2 models, you may be missing out on a boot that fits you better.

Did they do a "shell fit" to determine the correct size? A shell fit is where they take the liner out of the boot & have you put your foot into the shell & measure the gap. If it's the right shell size, then they put the liner in & have you clamp down the buckles to see how it feels on your foot.

BTW, I personally wouldn't buy boots from Ski Market. They generally don't know quite as much about their products & how to do a proper boot fitting as other ski shops that aren't "big box" stores. You said you got great service from the salesperson & that's great. Generally, however, they're just pushing product out the door, not necessarily assisting you in finding the right boot for YOU.

I'd recommend visiting Alpine Haus in Wethersfield or Competitive Edge Ski & Bike in East Longmeadow, Holyoke or Hadley, MA to see if they can find a boot for you. Maybe it will be the same models you're looking at but at least you'll know then that these are the right ones for you after trying on others.

BTW, I went to Alpine Haus yesterday & picked up some new boots for myself. I was very pleased with their service & knowledge of how to do a proper boot fitting. These guys know what their doing & I could tell that right away. Plus, they only charge $120 for a custom footbed if you buy the boots from them. These normally run anywhere from $150-200 so its a good savings.

Getting a proper bootfitting is so important but it can take some time too. My advice: don't try to rush the decision. Try various boots from different shops & determine which boot feels the best for you. Then you can have custom footbeds made, if you're so inclined, or other modifications to the boot so that it feels perfect for you.

Brian- thanks for the input. That's what I'm leaning toward. There is actually a master boot fitter in avon named Dave Newman. He's much closer to us and did a great job on Tim's boots. Tim is going to give him a call and set up a meeting.

Randi tried on several other boots from several different Mfr. The Technica boots were the best fit. The other line she tried (Salamon & Lange) all had to low of a volume for her foot. We have to go back to Ski Market to try on the V2 8's when they come in, and I am trying to set up an appointment with Dave Newman, he runs that shop and is also a Master Boot fitter.

I am glad you have had good luck with Competitive edge, but we purchase Randi's current boots that past fall from the Holyoke shop and those guys know nothing! Thats why we are buying new boots 5 months later.

MRGisevil said:

Brian- thanks for the input. That's what I'm leaning toward. There is actually a master boot fitter in avon named Dave Newman. He's much closer to us and did a great job on Tim's boots. Tim is going to give him a call and set up a meeting.

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Going to a boot fitter does make sense, but there has to be customer feedback on what type terrain you like, what level and so on. From my POV, I would be leary of a fitter telling me what I need with out this feedback, might as well go to ski market to get that info.

Another thing to keep in mind is this forward lean, if you want to get better in the bumps. A simple test is to get into a squat with the ski boots on a level floor; quads parallel to the floor and to maintain balance, if can't stay balanced then you won't be able to do that in the bumps.

jack97 said:

Going to a boot fitter does make sense, but there has to be customer feedback on what type terrain you like, what level and so on. From my POV, I would be leary of a fitter telling me what I need with out this feedback, might as well go to ski market to get that info.

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Have you ever been to a bootfitter? Did you have a bad experience, because you seem pretty anti-bootfitter. Any good bootfitter is going to have a conversation with you about what skier type you are and what kind of skiing you do. And then make recommendations for balance and canting.

wa-loaf said:

Did you have a bad experience, because you seem pretty anti-bootfitter.

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Not anti boot fitter, I said it makes sense.

Just anti cuff neutral b/c of the absorption factor when bumping.

jack97 said:

Not anti boot fitter, I said it makes sense.

Just anti cuff neutral b/c of the absorption factor when bumping.

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It's not cuff neutral it's whats best for body. And unless you are a comp bumper or that's all you want to do, why would you set up your boots to be only good at one thing?

MRGisevil said:

Brian- thanks for the input. That's what I'm leaning toward. There is actually a master boot fitter in avon named Dave Newman. He's much closer to us and did a great job on Tim's boots. Tim is going to give him a call and set up a meeting.

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I think going to a master boot fitter is a good call.

wa-loaf said:

It's not cuff neutral it's whats best for body. And unless you are a comp bumper or that's all you want to do, why would you set up your boots to be only good at one thing?

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As I said before, they have int boots with various adjustment, remember my Dalbello comment? Maybe I did not make myself clear, having these options IMO makes sense.

Also, I'm just pointing out another aspect or consideration of balance in the fore/aft dimension during the absorption part. Again, having a boot with these adjustment can be tailor to the body.

MR. evil said:

Randi tried on several other boots from several different Mfr. The Technica boots were the best fit. The other line she tried (Salamon & Lange) all had to low of a volume for her foot. We have to go back to Ski Market to try on the V2 8's when they come in, and I am trying to set up an appointment with Dave Newman, he runs that shop and is also a Master Boot fitter.

I am glad you have had good luck with Competitive edge, but we purchase Randi's current boots that past fall from the Holyoke shop and those guys know nothing! Thats why we are buying new boots 5 months later.

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Good. I'm glad to hear she tried on boots from other manufacturers. Sounds like the Tecnica boots are the ones for her! I'm also glad to hear that you are going to a Master Bootfitter. Well worth it IMHO.

Actually, I have not had any experience with boots at the Holyoke Competitive Edge store. I merely mentioned them as another option for trying on different boots. The people at the East Longmeadow store where I usually do business are pretty knowledgeable about boots but it can depend on who you talk to. I don't blame you for being pissed. Did you consider going back there & saying "These boots you sold me are crap, you gotta make it right." Probably a pointless exercise but I never like to let a store off the hook if they've done me wrong.

As to your original question, I would lean towards the stiffer boots if they are comfortable & not too stiff for Randi when she tries them on. If her skiing ability is improving, the stiffer flex will be more useful as she progresses. I'd defintiely ask Dave Newman what he thinks about the flex differential in the 2 boots, however.

severine said:

The only advice I can offer is to try them out side by side and compare. Then again, remember that my boots suck and don't fit right. So take my advice for what it's worth...

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Understand too that how stiff or soft a boot feels in the warm ski shop is going to be a lot different than when it's cold on the snow. I even feel a big difference in stiffness between cold winter days and warm spring days.

jack97 said:

Another thing to keep in mind is this forward lean, if you want to get better in the bumps. A simple test is to get into a squat with the ski boots on a level floor; quads parallel to the floor and to maintain balance, if can't stay balanced then you won't be able to do that in the bumps.

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All this talk about forward lean/cuff neutral/minor difference in boot stiffness is probably a bit overkill in Marge's case. She's going to need 2 or 3 more seasons in the bumps before any of this is really going to matter all that much (please don't take offense, Marge; just keeping it real). After talking with her about it on Friday night, her biggest issue right now is stabilizing the heel. If she can get in a proper fitting all mountain boot (shell sized, fore/aft balanced, properly canted, etc.), with a custom footbed, her skiing will improve. After a few more seasons and once she's taking a direct line in the bumps with A&E, etc., she'll be in a better position to focus on these other things. With that said, go with the stiffer boot which you will grow into, and will hold up better during the warm days ahead as well as provide some stability when you're out of the bumps. Like Brian said, I don't think we're talking about race-level stiffness here.

Greg said:

All this talk about forward lean/cuff neutral/minor difference in boot stiffness is probably a bit overkill in Marge's case. She's going to need 2 or 3 more seasons in the bumps before any of this is really going to matter all that much (please don't take offense, Marge; just keeping it real).

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Hmm, so get another boot in 2-3 seasons, I figure most people would want to keep them longer, maybe I'm just frugal.

Greg said:

All this talk about forward lean/cuff neutral/minor difference in boot stiffness is probably a bit overkill in Marge's case. She's going to need 2 or 3 more seasons in the bumps before any of this is really going to matter all that much (please don't take offense, Marge; just keeping it real).

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I know, we just kinda took it off into our own direction, sorry Marge.

Greg said:

After talking with her about it on Friday night, her biggest issue right now is stabilizing the heel. If she can get in a proper fitting all mountain boot (shell sized, fore/aft balanced, properly canted, etc.), with a custom footbed, her skiing will improve. After a few more seasons and once she's taking a direct line in the bumps with A&E, etc., she'll be in a better position to focus on these other things. With that said, go with the stiffer boot which you will grow into, and will hold up better during the warm days ahead as well as provide some stability when you're out of the bumps. Like Brian said, I don't think we're talking about race-level stiffness here.

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That's pretty much what I was trying to get across at the start. I guess I didn't do such a good job.

jack97 said:

Hmm, so get another boot in 2-3 seasons, I figure most people would want to keep them longer, maybe I'm just frugal.

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Not necessarily saying that. What I am saying is that knowing how she skis, she will need a couple more season before any of these higher level "tweaks" mean much. And in all likelihood, any properly fitted upper intermediate/lower advanced level boot that doesn't allow for any heel lift will be fine for her, even well beyond 3 seasons.

jack97 said:

Hmm, so get another boot in 2-3 seasons, I figure most people would want to keep them longer, maybe I'm just frugal.

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Most of us do, but if she's advancing quickly she'll want to balance getting a boot to grow into (skill wise) that also isn't too much for her right now. In 2-3 years she may want something more advanced.

Greg said:

After talking with her about it on Friday night, her biggest issue right now is stabilizing the heel. If she can get in a proper fitting all mountain boot (shell sized, fore/aft balanced, properly canted, etc.), with a custom footbed, her skiing will improve.

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Not sure about everyone else's experiences, but I know that in my case having a good custom footbed helped a lot in getting my foot (including my heel) stable in the boot.

I actually didn't pay too much attention to forward lean when I first selected my current boots...getting the fit right for my foot type (low instep and narrow foot/heel) was more important. Once I had them for a while I did notice more forward lean in the boots than the ones I had previously, but Jeff did do a fore/aft balance check so I figured I was fine there.

wa-loaf said:

Most of us do, but if she's advancing quickly she'll want to balance getting a boot to grow into (skill wise) that also isn't too much for her right now. In 2-3 years she may want something more advanced.

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Of course, in 2-3 years she could be a-breedin'

Then she'd be better off with the softer flex, until the kiddos are up and flown the coop.


Right Tim? :lol:

Paul said:

Of course, in 2-3 years she could be a-breedin'

Then she'd be better off with the softer flex, until the kiddos are up and flown the coop.


Right Tim? :lol:

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Well she'll need new boots then anyway. Womens feet change a lot during pregnancy.

wa-loaf said:

Well she'll need new boots then anyway. Womens feet change a lot during pregnancy.

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Yep, that happened to my niece, she had to go bigger in width and length.

Paul said:

Of course, in 2-3 years she could be a-breedin'

Then she'd be better off with the softer flex, until the kiddos are up and flown the coop.


Right Tim? :lol:

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I will end you.