Outfitters guarentee their boot fit

[uphillklimber]

x

 

[Greg]

Has anyone ever had a real problem dealt with? How well do they typically guarentee their fit? I hear that phrase all the time.

I realized last season that my boots are too large, perhaps a size too big. At the end of the day, I am clamping them right down all the way. I progressively have to clamp them down as the day goes on. They are constantly getting too loose. Perhaps the insulation is compressing too much.(?) Perhaps I like them snugger than they have to be(?) I only snug them up til they are molded to my feet.

Anyways, I'll be in the area of the store I bought them from shortly. I'll pay them a visit. What should I expect? How should I handle this?

You can try and see if they'll do anything for you, but I wouldn't hold your breath. How many days out in these boots do you have? If you're at more than 2 or 3, I'd say you're definitely SOL.

Which also brings me to my next question. I want to visit Jeff Bokum at some time to fine tune them. If I recall, last winter, I described the issues and he suggested the boots are too large. I think he also mentioned that he can enlarge a slighty small boot, but cannot compress a large boot. What advice do I need when dealing with this loose boot issue?

I'll try to contact him.

I think you answered your own questions with your, well, umm, question... :idea:

I know you don't want to hear this, but I would bet your boots are just simply too big. Your only way to know for sure if they are at all workable is to see Jeff. He's a great guy so just go and call him.

 

[riverc0il]

if you can sinch down your boots to the tightest buckle setting, your boots are very likely too big.

 

[BeanoNYC]

How old are the boots?

 

[hammer]

The boots are two seasons old. 28 days total. I hate to spend that much coin again so soon. The previous boots I had were 7 seasons old and so loose that these felt snug by comparison. It wasn't until early last season that I started to realize how snug ski boots needed to be.

I'm in the same boat...I have boots that I think are just a bit too big, but the idea of having to spend $$ on new boots after just 2 seasons bothers me.

Do you have to crank down all of the buckles or just the top ones? I had the top buckles on my boots adjusted last season for my "chicken" legs...I don't have to crank those down all the way anymore, but one of the lower buckles goes near the last setting.

Looks like a trip to Jeff is also in order for me...

 

[Greg]

Go see Jeff. He'll be able to determine if enough room can be taken up. I have very skinny legs and ankles and he was able to snug up my boots a bit by adding material (foam) between the shell and liner.

 

[AHM]

Problem solved.....................

Although the boots are clearly too big, there is a whole lot you can do:

1. Use a thicker sock. I am not talking about a hiking sock, but mess around with sock thickness. This is a great way to handle the situation when one foot is bigger than the other as well.

2. Pad the boot. First of all, I bet your heel slips upwards. If this is the case, a good boot shop should have adhesive shims that form a heel pocket when folded from flat to curved. Attach this to the shell of the boot. First position it without exposing the adhesive, with the liner out. Once you fix the position, then adhere. The shim is typically quite large, custom fit to your own situation. You may find that fixing the heel lift solved the super duper buckling problem. Duct tape the shim to ensure that when pulling the liners to dry, you do not screw up the shim placement.

3. Pull the liner. Then pull the foot/base board. Take some duct tape and stick it on the foot/base board. Build about 3 - 5 swatches thick and don't have too many seams. This can take up 1 - 3 mm. Add layers as necessary. You'd be surprised what 1,2, & 3 can do for boots that are big or are packed out.

4. Look at the buckles: often you can screw in different (shorter) length bails. Many buckles can be moved. See on the inside of the shell if there are allen screws or positions for the upper cuff buckles. Finally, change the buckles if you have to or relocate them.

5. Buckle relocation: oh my god I am gonna drill on my boots: Yep, and it is easy. First get some metal drill bits and use these to drill off the old buckle. A dremel grinder can do the same thing. Drill out the rivet. Next move the buckle down the foot for the lower cuff (down the side) or back towards the heel for the upper cuff. Mark the spot, drill it out. Now you need some T-nuts, these are available at any hardware store, Home Depot etc. The T-nut will allow you to screw the buckle back into the new location. One side of the nut is threaded female, the other is threaded male. Pretty straight forward really.

6. Your next boots: fit these with the absolute thinnest sock on the market. Then if you buckle the boot in the shop and it is killing you and you can't stand it for 5 min, you have found the right boot. It is so easy to make a small boot big, but it took 5 bullet points and about 2 hours work to get that big boot small.

7. Boot modifications: Above was a small primer of what you, the home boot fitter can do. Do not be afraid to "work" on your boots. They have generic lasts, and really need some modification (buckle adjustment, custom footbed, grinding shell for hot spots, etc). Get yourself a boot fitting kit, with spare buckles, t-nuts, shims, etc.

Why do I know it works...............Before Lange made a freeride boot, I lowered the cuff of my comp 120's, so it wasn't so high. Ground some material so the boot was softer for mogul skiing, but still had the foot stiffness for quick turns. This way the boot became a great bump/woods boot, better suited to the height of my lower leg. Next two different buckles were moved to accomodate specific issues of my foot (high arch and high instep, but wide (EE) foot).A couple years later Lange came out with a very very similar boot.

So give some of these ideas a whirl and don't be afraid to work on that boot........

 

[Terry]

Stan and Dans in North Conway NH are unbelievable. If you bought boots from them, they will take care of any problems for as long as you own the boots.My wife had a problem with the fit of her boots last season that she bought five years ago, and they made the adjustments free of charge. I broke a hanger for the battery pack on my heater last year, and they replaced it free of charge! I wasn't expecting that at all. I slipped the salesman some cash for giving us such service. Any new equipment will be purchased there!

 

[Skiiboot]

Here is my outlook on a guarentee on a boot fit. First most shops don't have qualified staff to do the work but it is a great line to get people in the door. There are always people that think thay know how the anatomy works in a ski boot, but do they? Words are cheap. Second these shop will get you to buy a boot with the understanding that can fix any problem. Can they do the work, do they have the knowledge The question is do they know how to fix the problem? 80% of the people that buy boots at these shops never go back because 1. they don't ski enough. 2. they don't know the differance and trust the sales person, that the shop is correct and the comsumer is wrong. then the comsumer dosen't want to ski , or other things. Or they just deal with the problem. 3. the boot is to big by at least 2 sizes and since they ski 3 times a year they never break down the padding so life stays great for a few years and when the boot starts to have problems the boot is 2-3 years old. Then the comsumer goes back, and the shop sells them a new boot or they go someware else. The 20% or so that try to have them fix the boot (the boots are to big to start with) Here are some of the tempory solutions they may try. 1. different boot. Last option. Toes are tight so make the boot even bigger. 2. boot is roomy, may add shims, this can be OK, or thicker socks. This is the quickest way to shut down the blood flow to your feet and make your cold and numb. 3 heel is lifting, add a heel lift. the question is should and does your body NEED a heel lift and why. 4. They may what to move buckles. WHY unless you have a very strange shaped foot, there is a boot that can be made to work for you. There are many other thing that can be done but the problem is still there boot to big.

I give a 1 year fit quarentee but I spend a lot of time with the customer to see what there needs are, and there past history is so there are no suprises, I start with a boot that I can alter if needed. Go to someone that can do the work and back it up properly. But still the most important thing is (GET THE BOOT THAT IS THE CORRECT SIZE), it will help your skiing the most.

Thanks

Jeff

 

[AHM]

Cold feet......solutions

Some talk about shims and socks shutting down blood flow. Here are a couple ideas on that.

1. Keep your feet warm on the lift: two ways work great. The first is unbuckle your boots for the ride up. All racers and big mountain skiers do this. Unbuckle the boots. The second was taught to me by an instructor in Vail when I was 7 years old. He cycled his legs up and down (kicking and alternating legs). Bring the leg up to the fully extended position and then bring it down, repeat with the other leg. Finally, wiggle the toes hard.

2. If you are a chronic cold feeter, consider a bit of spray antiperspirent and make sure your feet are dry before putting on your ski sox. Don't wear the ski sox to the hill. They will get sweaty, wet etc. Put on fresh sox when you boot up and boot up in the lodge. Before putting on the fresh sox, let the feet "dry" out a bit by sitting in the chair and having your bare feet out.

3. Make sure your liners are dry each day. Either pull the liner and stick them over a vent or get a boot dryer.

 

[Robbski]

If I were in your boots ...

I would put them on Craigslist or ebay and go visit Jeff and work with him on identifying a boot that fits right and works well for how you ski. The I would shop obssesively until I got what I considered a good deal. Then I would take them to Jeff and have him fine tune them.

But hey that's just me and I know from personal experience that Jeff knows his stuff and will take the time to make your boots work and your feet feel right.

 

[Greg]

If I were in your boots ...

I would put them on Craigslist or ebay and go visit Jeff and work with him on identifying a boot that fits right and works well for how you ski. The I would shop obssesively until I got what I considered a good deal. Then I would take them to Jeff and have him fine tune them.

But hey that's just me and I know from personal experience that Jeff knows his stuff and will take the time to make your boots work and your feet feel right.

Solid advice!

 

[bigbog]

.......

Hi Uphill...,
Welcome the club, anyone who says they haven't "been there" in their lifetime is pulling ya' leg. There are people in the same spot..and are looking...so if the shell and....particularly the liner.. can be made salvaged into decent exhibition shape, you might want to go ahead and put up pics & ads and at least have them on the market...as said.
Of course visiting Jeff is the easy(& best) way to go imo....taking time to see what boot(s) will match your foot's shape..and then go from there...but you know that.
With new boots...you might really want to ski in them a few times anyways before performing any mod...that's the only way to find the true problem areas, so to think that lots of work has to go into a new boot before the ski season begins..or that you're going to miss any ski-time....just doesn't hold much water. It's always been a work-in-progress deal, at least in my case.... Going smaller is the most comfortable the first minute you step onto snow.....

$.01
Steve

 

[Skiiboot]

If you would like to read a good ski sock article, It will be in SKI mag it comes out every year around this time. The test was done apx 7 years ago, and is still true. Yes I was a tester.

 

[Panzer.1977]

Jeff,
In your opinon are there good boot fitters that are not a member of Masterfit?

 

[Skiiboot]

There are good bootfitters all over the country. What makes the ABB bootfitters different is that thay tend to do more con-ed and the owner of ABB and masterfit tries to hold these shop a little more accountable for the work they do. Also the staff that teaches are all very involved in learning new things and new and better ways of doing thing, that can be passed on.

But yes there are some very good bootfitters out there that are not in the masterfit or ABB program.

Thanks

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

You have to bite the bullet klimer. Get what you can for your boots on ebay, then buy the right size boot and take them to a pro boot fitter. Everything else is a duct tape solution. It may help a little for awhile, but in the end you have boots that don't fit you well.

 

[AHM]

Not really the case HPD

I can dial the guys boots so he'll think there is no bladder. Padding is not the end all, but if you have the right density foam products and know how to deal with buckle issues you can make up for the problem. People do not realize how customized top skiers boots are. The same can go for the rec skier, they just need to be shown the way. A bunch on blisters on a 2 week backpacking trip aren't well dealt with by telling your buddy you need different boots. A good foot doctor can keep the guy hiking or touring with the right foot repair kit...............................and that doesn't take into account combustables. Few get the right fit, 'cus they do not understand the pack out factor. Fit the boots tight and you will be happy in the end. Otherwise, find a great boot shop and that takes a bit of looking............but once found.....................you'll go there forever.