Tips for Great Fitting Boots
These five steps will save you time and pain when shopping for ski boots
Examine Foot Shape
1. The boot fitter should look at your feet to determine the shape of boot your foot will fit best in. Each brand has its own unique last (forefoot width). Not every brand fits every foot, nor is it intended to.
Measure Foot Size
2. Have your foot measured and sized for a shell. Many shoppers will default to a conversion chart of shoe size, though ski boots should fit quite a bit tighter than casual footwear.
Toss Stock Foot-beds
3. Remember to pull out the standard foot-bed and insert your custom foot-bed before trying on the boots. New boots should fit snugly around the entire foot. Very snug. Remember, after a boot is skied in, you’ll gain 1/8 to 1/4 of a size as the boot packs in.
Fit for Ability
4. The boot should reflect your ability with some room for improvement. Those flashy blue and orange boots look cool on racers, but remember to fit for your style of skiing.
Test the Flex
5. Lastly, you should be able to flex the boot. If you can’t flex the boot at room temperature, this doesn’t bode well for flexing a boot stiffened by the cold of a normal ski day!