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Ski Boot Fitting – How To Get The Correct Fit | The Ski Workshop

Here's our guide to getting the perfect ski boot fit

Ski boot fitting is an art form combined with a little bit of science and some engineering dashed on for good measure. If you are looking to make the most of your time on the slopes it is worth searching out a dedicated bootfitter and visiting them in person.

A good boot fitter will be able to watch you walk in the door and already pick up on key components of your biomechanics to help them find the perfect fit. With a quick look at your feet they will be able to narrow down the boot style based on your length, width, heel size, instep height and overall volume.

“They will help save time, energy and money in trying to get a good fit out of the wrong boot for your foot”

Armed with this knowledge they will help save time, energy and money in trying to get a good fit out of the wrong boot for your foot.  But, if you’re short of the Jedi-like skills of a bootfitter, here are some handy features to look out for to get the best fit.

Performance vs Comfort

Part of the mystery of ski boot fitting is that even with all this knowledge and experience it is only the customer who can really know what a good fit is for them. Along with individual feet everyone will have different perceptions of comfort and performance. It is this trade off that is worth considering before heading to get a new pair of boots.

At one end of the spectrum is a performance fit ski boot; this is a boot fit that will be focussed on transferring maximum feeling, control and power between the skier and ski. To gain such a fit you might be expected to sacrifice some form of comfort unless you have the rare perfect shaped foot for the boot.

The comfort end of the spectrum will see a fit dedicated to keep the toes happy and warm for the day whether that is cruising the pistes or putting in long days on the skin track. The pay off for this comfort will often come with less response and control over the ski.

Most skiers will be happy with something in between these two ends of the spectrum. Have a good think about your goals and ambitions and how much performance or comfort you’d be happy to sacrifice while on the mountain. Size down for performance, stay at the same size, or size up, for comfort.

Footbeds

So how does a boot fitter manage to squeeze our delicate and complex feet into solid blocks of plastic and make it bearable for a day of skiing? There are many tools and techniques used to achieve this goal, some simple, cheap and quick, others taking a lot of time, money and expertise.

One of the first things to look at is the footbed of the boot. You can find custom moulded or off the shelf insoles that will perform many fitting needs such as stabilising the foot, increasing volume, decreasing volume and moving the foot position inside the boot.

Liner Molding and Modifications

Most liners will have the ability to be heated and molded to your foot to get a better fit, reducing pressure points and getting the heel seated in the correct place. Liner modifications can be made with adding foam pads to existing liners or creating new custom molded liners through injecting foam into the shell.

This is just a quick overview of some of the tools and techniques commonly used. If a manufacturer could create a perfect fitting boot for every foot then they’d put the boot fitters out of business. It doesn’t look like that is going to happen any time soon so it’s worth getting friendly with your local one.

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