Ski Monster for boot fitting?

[TheArchitect]

Has anyone used Ski Monster in Boston for their boot purchase and fitting? I'm looking for a new boot fitter since the guy I used to go to is no longer working at Ski Stop/Boston Ski and Tennis.

 

[wa-loaf]

Bunch of great enthusiastic young guys. Don't think there is a really experienced boot fitter there however. Give them a call however, they may have gotten someone in there.

 

[TheArchitect]

Thanks for the info. After having a conversation with a boot fitter over at BST I'm going to give them a shot.

 

[SIKSKIER]

Paul Richelson is the real deal.Countless racers and recreational skiers I've known have use them for many moons.
http://www.myfeetfirst.com/

 

[2Planker]

Stan' & Dan's... From Olympians to World Cuppers...

 

[SkiingInABlueDream]

+1 for Paul Richelson. I've been going to him since '99.

Edit: a couple friends of mine also say good things about the bootfitter guy at RJ Bradleys in Littleton MA.

 

[deadheadskier]

I had Richelson do some good work on my previous boots. I would consider him for my next new boots, but it seems a little weird buying boots from someone who doesn't actually stock boots.

Anyone go through the process of buying new boots through him and care to elaborate on the process

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[TheArchitect]

I had Richelson do some good work on my previous boots. I would consider him for my next new boots, but it seems a little weird buying boots from someone who doesn't actually stock boots.

Anyone go through the process of buying new boots through him and care to elaborate on the process

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I'd like to hear more on the process as well.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

so i've been fortunate enough to never really experience boot issues, and my current boots with some off the rack footbeds suit me just fine.

in colorado 2 weeks ago i was with a buddy who is new to the sport, its his 3rd year on skis, since moving to denver 3 years ago. he was complaining all week about his boots hurting. and i told him 'your boots probably don't fit' and repeated the mantra 'see a bootfitter'

he claims the folks at christy sports in denver spent time with him and fitted him and that his boots fit properly

so here's my (admittedly very nooby) question - what exactly does a bootfitter do? what qualifies one as a bootfitter? what is the difference between spending an hour in the shop, getting measured on a traditional mondo sizing board, getting measured on one of those arch things that look like the nintendo track and field pad, and trying on a bunch of boots?

i told my friend to look into surefoot and intuition liners, but that there is probably some bootfitter guru in denver he should speak to

 

[dlague]

I too never had issues. I was fitted into a boot at a shop but they put me and wife in boots that crushed our toes. Two years later bought boot a size bigger online and never looked back. Feet stopped getting cold on sub zero days as well. Boot fitting from my understanding is where they actually punch out boots for foot issues.

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[drjeff]

Once you've been to a GOOD boot fitter, even if you feel that you have an "easy" foot, and you see and feel what they can do for you and your comfort and as a result on hill performance, you'll wonder why you never sought one out before

A good boot fitter will take into account the anatomy of your foot, your pluses and minuses of your current boots and how they're working (or not) for you, and then use their knowledge of the shape and volume of the boots they have as options for you, and then go from there. With a good boot fitter, from Day 1, you're going to be having a much more enjoyable experience on the hill, less of a "break in" period, and hence more fun.

The best thing often that one can do with a good boot fitter is to come into their shop with NO preconceived notion that you "have" to be in such and such a model of boot, simply because of what you've heard a friend say or read online about - not all feet are shaped the same, not all skiing styles are the same, not all boots are the same volume, shape, fit style and performance pattern.

When you get a really good fitting boot, you know it. If you've never had a really good fitting boot, chances are that you don't know what you're missing. Especially these days as there's been a bunch of advances in plastic technology that has enhanced the options that a fitter has to help you get the best fitting boot possible, and some of this technology (such as heat molding shells) isn't available for the online, do it yourself crowd and/or at mid to lower level, "quantity over quality" shops.

Will you likely pay a bit more for the services of a good fitter and what they can do for you? Likely yes. Will those extra $$ spent translate into a better time on the hill for you and your feet? Yup

 

[Glenn]

Jeff sums it up nicely. Basically, they'll look at your foot and your stance, then pick out boot that will fit you. I'm pretty brand agnostic when it comes to buying boots. The guy I see knows what type of skier I am and what kind of foot I have. I trust him to pick out the right boot and do a little tweaking.

My boots didn't require anything major. He adjusted the cant and the lean angle slightly. Also went with custom footbeds which made a bit difference. I was getting a little shin pain; even after a few days on the hill. Reforming the tongue and adding a few shims stopped that.

You'll probably pay a bit more at a fitter vs. what you can get online. But most times, you can go back to the shop and they'll make adjustments as needed. The boot guy I see has a file with every customer's information; boot settings, visits, what was done on those visits ect.

 

[SIKSKIER]

I had Richelson do some good work on my previous boots. I would consider him for my next new boots, but it seems a little weird buying boots from someone who doesn't actually stock boots.

Anyone go through the process of buying new boots through him and care to elaborate on the process

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My sister used Paul 2 years ago.You dont have to buy the boots from them.They will tell you which boots will fit you the best.She bought her own after the initial consultation and measuring,then brought them in where they did the final fitting.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

that all makes sense. now - what differentiates a proper boot fitter from a guy who works at the ski shop and "fits you" for boots? are there certifications or anything to look out for? asking for my poor foot pained denver friend.

 

[drjeff]

that all makes sense. now - what differentiates a proper boot fitter from a guy who works at the ski shop and "fits you" for boots? are there certifications or anything to look out for? asking for my poor foot pained denver friend.

As a starter, look for a fitter who is a certified pedorthist - they have received training in modification technics to alter boots to fit the foot.

An additional thing to look for is if a fitter is a graduate of Masterfit U, which is a specialized boot fitting course

While by no means are these the only things to look for and/or guarantee that a fitter is "good" it is a sign that they've taken extra steps to advance their skills in boot fitting and quality for their clients.

Case in point, the fitter who handles me and my family, while not a certified pedorthist or a Masterfit U graduate, is a consultant for Atomic's boot division

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[deadheadskier]

My sister used Paul 2 years ago.You dont have to buy the boots from them.They will tell you which boots will fit you the best.She bought her own after the initial consultation and measuring,then brought them in where they did the final fitting.

Does he give you a list? I guess what I struggle with in using him is I'd want to try on a few different options. Probably because that's the experience I am used to in a ski shop. I guess I should have asked all these questions while in there. I think I remember seeing his price and getting sticker shock when contemplating adding that to the cost of boots. I recall paying about $100 to get my liners remolded and a couple of hot spots punched out.

One of the surprising and unexpected things when I used his service on my old boots is there were two other customers in his office. One was a competitive long distance runner getting her sneakers dialed in. The other was a hiker getting his hiking boots worked on.



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[Jully]

What is his sticker price?

 

[deadheadskier]

What is his sticker price?

Can't remember. I actually sent an email inquiry after making that post. I'll post the price when I hear back

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[drjeff]

High level performance boots, arguably THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT you own, aren't always cheap. When you consider that the average person might ski 300+ days on their boots, if you're going to a GOOD fitter, and their costs are say $100 more than the random online or big volume, big box store prices, is the extra say $0.33 a ski day worth the extra performance from day 1 worth it to you??

Remember, for most skiers, their boot lifespan will not be just 1 season, but 3-5+ seasons. Over that period of time, the added upfront costs of a GOOD fitter, really does become quiet nominal for tangible benefits

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[deadheadskier]

You know, this is probably as good of a time as any to share my last two boot purchasing experiences and the mistakes I have made. Maybe some folks will read this and not make the same mistakes I have.

I typically get about 150-200 days out of a set of boots. About 9 seasons ago I was in need of new boots and I was starting to become very active on this forum. I very much love skiing moguls and several other forum members who also like skiing bumps were talking about how fantastic Dalbello Krypton Pros were for bump skiing. Okay, sounds like the boot for me. I went to a local shop that carried Dalbellos, but not the Krypton. They had the Rampage, which was supposed to be basically the same boot, but only softer and a bit wider in the toe box. I tried them on, walked around in the shop for a good while and they felt great, but too soft. I made a judgement that if the Kryptons were the same boot, but stiffer, that I'd probably love them. I waited to the summer and bought the Kryptons online at a super deal, like 50% off. It turned out another forum member who was a former retail manager for American Skiing Company lived in my town. He left ASC to work for Fischer, but had an old Raichle boot oven. He molded the liners for me over beers at his house.

The boots felt great and were very good in the moguls, but in NH we ski a ton of hard pack. In order to get them tight enough to get good lateral power transmission during carving, I had to crank them way down to the point that the outside of my feet by my pinky toes were cramped as hell. I went to Richelson's and he punched out the toe box laterally and they were much better. They weren't perfect and still left something to be desired carving, but they were comfortable enough.

Those boots became packed out and I went to buy new ones three years ago. I did a bunch of online research (really pointless as Dr. Jeff and Glenn have pointed out) and decided this time I would go to the local shop and try and work with someone trying several pairs. The shop had a great Columbus day sale going on. I didn't research the shop much. I won't reveal the shop's name as I don't want to hurt their business. The guy who I worked with with was a big ski bum who bartended locally at the beach in the summer, headed to Tahoe every winter and worked at this shop in the fall between seasons. He really seemed to know his stuff. I tried on 4 sets of boots. 2 were boots that I had researched online and intrigued me. They both fit like crap. I tried another at $650 that felt incredible. It was more than I wanted to spend though. He said he had something from last year to try. They didn't feel as amazing as the more expensive boots, but still felt really good. They were $350. I figured that with a bit of skiing them in and a return visit for adjustments at the shop that they'd be just fine and I'd save $300.

I'm on year three trying to get my money's worth, but these boots won't make my typical 150-200 days of use. They may not make it beyond 100. On snow from day one these boots have hurt my interior ankle bones literally every day I've skied them. I brought them back to the store after the first month using them and Tahoe dude had moved on. The owner of the shop said he really could only punch out the boots a little where my problem is due to the hinge at the ankle and it was likely a problem with my foots anatomy. He thought I was in the wrong boot and he actually didn't want to do anything for me at all. Basically he said he knew how, but his shop really doesn't do a lot of customizing. I expressed my displeasure that he wasn't going to at least try to work with me and back up his service. He eventually agreed to punch them out some. It helped a bit, but they still hurt on my interior ankle bones every day I ski. Not just an ache, but by the end of the day it's like someone has tapped my ankle bones with a hammer. It's not just while I wear them either. I got off snow 9 hours ago from skiing hard today and they still ache a bit right now and I'll feel it in the morning.

So there you go. I basically haven't been happy with two pairs of ski boots for 9 seasons now. All the money I saved totally hasn't been worth it. Next time around I'll be paying a premium to make sure I get things right. I will research the actual shops and boot fitters more than boot brands and models There is no single piece of equipment more important than properly fitting boots. I'll pay full retail if I have to.