What would you recommend, buy in uk or at resort. I realise that they will cost more in the resort but do you get better service regarding fit and adjustment or even replacement if you don’t get on with your first choice

Depends which shop you go to in the resort !

And which resort.

I bought some from ProFeet in London thinking that they were suppossed to be good. The footbed they made was good apart from being too short under my heel – they said no problem when I pointed it out during the making. It caused me loads of problems as the footbed moved back in the boot and caused foot pain. An obvious mistake and they didn’t want to know about fixing it.

The trip I bought them for was to Heavenly and all my mates got boots out there – made by US ‘Master’ boot fitters – they were cheaper as it was the US but it turned out a lot better.

Try as many different brands on as you can and find the one that fits you. Then look for the cheapest place to buy it.

I’ve had adjustments made to boots in resort ie shell expanded and was cheaper than at home. Ask instructors/lift workers which is the best shop in town, don’t ask ski reps !

Unless you can get a reasonable amount of skiing in on them before you head to the mountains, I would always go to a resort shop, but I’d look for recommendations before choosing one, and I’d pick what time I went quite carefully too.

Buy some touring boots; softer shell so easier fit and more comfortable, Vibram sole for easy walking around the resort, much lighter, fit the inner boot then step easily into them, go ski touring if the fancy takes you and they aren’t that much less stiff than DH boots that a recreational skier would be bothered. I really don’t know why more people don’t use them.

I really don’t know why more people don’t use them.

Because the boot doesn’t fit the bindings as well, release isn’t as consistent. Use bindings with a slide plate if you use touring boots to reduce but not eliminate the problem.

Touring boots are much more upright even with the lock set as far forward as possible – I don’t use the lock when skiing fast on-piste as I can’t get forward and low enough with the boots locked. You have a choice of too upright or living with complete for-aft freedom. On my touring skis I’ve fitted a 5mm plate under the rear part of the binding to tip me forward.

This disadvantage can be an advantage if you like pottering around and spend a lot of time standing around. Instructors often use their touring boots for teaching small kids and beginners.

In resort you can at least pop back to the shop during the trip to make adjustments. Not sure they give you the free refit deal that some UK shops do if you have problems.

But resort shops vary a lot.

That said I got mine done at Snow and Rock. Not entirely impressed by the fit but think that’s more their “custom” foot bed stuff is not much better than the self moulding beds that came with the boot. Though it’s got more comfortable with a few years use.

snowheads forum pointed me in the direction of a boot shop in Bicester Solutions for feet. The fitting process was good and they are well known for being great at what they do.

I haven’t had any real problems with the boots I got from there, my wife says she has a bump on the top of her foot that causes her a problem sometimes with hers.

This was not a *cheap* way of getting boots. But then I didn’t want to get a Decathlon pair with no real fitting carried out, and what exactly is cheap about skiing?

Some resort shops are great, others have a very linited choice.

Personally I’d get to a good uk shop or two now and try on a few / get a fitting. Buying in resort is more rushed imho as you are eating into hokiday time. IME resort more expensive too

If you’re going to invest time and money in skiing make sure its in the boots. Try as many as possible as like bikes, one boot doesn’t suit everyone.

Where are you based?

If you’re up North, try Graham and the lads at Rivington Alpine.

Another nod for Solutions for Feet – never used them, but heard good things about them.

If you’re north of the border give Alain Baxters shop a try. I doubt many in the UK will have his level of knowledge.

Not sure they give you the free refit deal that some UK shops do if you have problems.

Any decent ski shop will do that.

On my touring skis I’ve fitted a 5mm plate under the rear part of the binding to tip me forward.

Surely that is going against the grain? Doesn’t that cause position issues in deep snow?

Edit: +1 regarding your comment on the different bindings, it works but not like it’s supposed to. This creates safety issues. The reason instructors use them when their teaching kids is because they spend a lot of time off the skis and the vibram sole is a better insulator.

They are just easier for walking around and putting on and taking off. And much lighter. I haven’t worn conventional downhill boots for over 20 years now. But yes, I do also use touring bindings on piste.

Doesn’t that cause position issues in deep snow?

Honestly, no. But then I rarely (never) use my touring skis in very deep snow. The avalanche risk then means I’m more likely to spend the day within the safe zone of the resort and skinning up in very deep snow is a mug’s game.

If you’re going to invest time and money in skiing make sure its in the boots. Try as many as possible as like bikes, one boot doesn’t suit everyone.

Or get custom moulded inner boots. I have Zip Fits in my boots, which are very impressive. They continually mould to your feet, providing a perfect fit.

skinning up in very deep snow is a mug’s game.

But ooooo so worth it!

Some of the comments above puzzle me. You boot shouldn’t need fitting if you buy the right boot..

I had mine altered because my foot shape changed with age and doing lots of running!

Seriously if you are buying a boot and it needs any shell alteration to start with its the wrong boot (unless you have some deformity etc) Good ski boots should feel like putting a comfortable slipper on (just a close fitting one)

Some of the comments above puzzle me. You boot shouldn’t need fitting if you buy the right boot..

You just have feet which are close to the standard model used to make boots. Lots of people need fitting as they don’t conform to the very limited number of standard Lasts.

Some of the comments above puzzle me. You boot shouldn’t need fitting if you buy the right boot..

Solution for Feet (highly respected and mentioned above) wouldn’t even consider me for any off the shelf boots, sent me onwards for a pair of custom boots.

You just have feet which are close to the standard model used to make boots. Lots of people need fitting as they don’t conform to the very limited number of standard Lasts.

No I don’t get on with many brands.

I currently use Full Tilt ski boots. Used Raichle back in the day.

Most people walk in a shop and the shop try and sell them the brand they sell.

FunkyDunc – Member
I currently use Full Tilt ski boots. Used Raichle back in the day.

So a decent shop will “fit” you for a narrow boot. Fitting is just finding the best boot for the customer and setting up canting, heatmoulding, etc. Anything beyond that is customisation, and required by quite a few people to get the best fit possible. Insoles/footbeds are probably somewhere in between though as the ones most boots come with are like bits of paper

1. Don’t buy boots that are too big
2. Don’t buy boots that are too big
3. Don’t buy boots that are too big

They’ll slip on easily, feel comfortable and the lazy boot fitter will take the cash and move on.

If you’ve booked a trip tell us the resort and we can maybe come up with a good fitter. If not SnowHeads will know.

I don’t think it’s the black art it’s made out to be – more the difference between Saturday boy at Halfords flogging you the first bike you look at or someone with a bit of pride taking some time to get it right.

The resort is very small, Val Cenis in the French alps. There are two very helpful shops in the village, the boots are for my wife and she is French so we hope for good service. From what has been said so far, we are leaning towards getting them there – thanks for all the replies

1. Don’t buy boots that are uncomfortable
2. Don’t buy boots that are uncomfortable
3. Don’t buy boots that are uncomfortable

You won’t enjoy skiing.

Buy some touring boots; softer shell so easier fit and more comfortable, Vibram sole for easy walking around the resort, much lighter, fit the inner boot then step easily into them, go ski touring if the fancy takes you and they aren’t that much less stiff than DH boots that a recreational skier would be bothered. I really don’t know why more people don’t use them.

Unless you have your own skis and can check binding compatibility going down this route could lead you to a very limited choice of hire skis. I recently got some Dalbello touring freeride boots (Fully tech binding compatible but with traditional alpine toe and heel pieces so work with certain types of alpine binding). Even though they’re a crossover boot they’re alpine binding compatibility was a bit of a head scratcher. Luckily Grip Walk soles work with both MNC and Rossi Dual bindings, so I can still use them on my in bound skis. There’s a fair chance that your hire shop of choice wont have skis with the correct bindings, or you have to remount your current skis with a new binding if you own. If you go down this route be very careful with what you buy and what you current have/expect to use.

I really don’t know why more people don’t use them.

Pretty obvious, you get a much bigger choice buying DH boots and 99% of resort skiers just do lift assisted skiing. Plus most people hire skis in resort and the come with DH compatible bindings…

I’ve recently bought a set of beefy touring boots for use in / near resort as I see lots of standing around in my immediate future (sweajnr is 3.5). They still don’t ski as well as my 10 year old dedicated alpine boots and have all of the binding issues described above.

I bought in the UK but made sure I did a few hours on the plastic and in a fridge before going abroad. Lockwoods in Leamington Spa have a good rep but if buying again I’d be straight to Colin at Solutions4Feet in Bicester, he’s got a great rep and I’ve had a few modifications done to said boots by him.

+1 for ZipFits.

I bought in the UK but made sure I did a few hours on the plastic and in a fridge before going abroad.

Your fridge is big enough to ski in?

Quite a difference in cost between those two recommendations above –
solutionsforfeet charge 30-60 for boot buying/fitting (with insoles on top)
Profeet charge £170 (but includes insoles)

The Zipvit liners being recommended are £220 on top of the £3-400 cost of a pair of boots. Sound great but that’s a big spend

My current boots came from Ellis Brigham in Covent Garden. Their fit service was free including (from memory) a bit of boot stretching. They stocked a range of boots in different fits (as all shops seem to) and the salespeople seemed to know their stuff but I’m sure there are better specialists.

In-resort sounds great but I reckon you need a recommendation before you get there and you’re not going to get a good service on changeover day (which means you need something to ski in over the weekend). Then you’re going to lose half a day of skiing choosing/fitting the boots.

I’m probably overdue for a new pair of boots (one of my clips is bent out of shape and not economically repairable) so looking at options. Slightly odd shaped feet (high arches, wide forefoot, narrow heels, broken ankle that means need some work done around ankle bone to stop pressure points).

I’ve found Lockwood’s to be really good especially for touring kit.

I find a big difference between hard DH skiing in touring boots vs DH boots though it might just be me. I really get on with my DH boots on or off piste whilst the touring boots seem to make things really hard work in comparison. Obv different skis/bindings as well so that may account for some of the differences?

solutionsforfeet charge 30-60 for boot buying/fitting (with insoles on top)
Profeet charge £170 (but includes insoles)

Superfeet insoles are about £30, custom are £60 ish so not that much difference.

Solutions4Feet are very, very good indeed. Colin has been in the industry for a long time and is hugely knowledgeable, for ski stuff I can’t recommend him enough. Re. Zipfit liners, see what your fitter says, I have a friend with them but only as he has an old pair of sloppy boots and refuses to buy new ones. I’d be surprised if you needed them in a new pair of boots that have been properly fitted.

The ZipFit liners have nice insulating properties as well, being oil and cork (or they used to be).

The Profeet footbeds are a bit step up from all the other foot beds I have seen, and would have been great if the hadn’t been cut short under the heel (I put padding in the boot liner to push them into the correct place).

Obviously they have the foot impression like all the others but then they are seriously built up so when you are in your boot they lift your heel and pronate your foot inwards into the position they believe your foot should be in when skiing.

The master boot fitter in the states was impressed with them and said he hadn’t seen work of that quality coming out of Europe before. (He was currently building boots for a USAF pilot that has lost half his foot in a plane crash – involved making a false front of the foot from wood, then cutting a boot in half to fit it, etc).

The Zipvit liners being recommended are £220 on top of the £3-400 cost of a pair of boots. Sound great but that’s a big spend

Yes, I refurbished my boots with the liners a few years back (boots are maybe 10 years old).

Massive difference in level of comfort and control. I can clamp them up fully and keep them like that all day without any discomfort. They made a big difference to my skiing as well, the slightest movement in the ankle is instantly transferred to the skis, giving much better control. I hadn’t appreciated how sloppy my boots were up till that point. The cork liner has much less give than foam, but it moulds exactly to your foot, so the pressure is very even and thus much more comfortable with much less give.

The Profeet footbeds are a bit step up from all the other foot beds I have seen

Intruiged. What makes them better than Sidas? The description on the website is very similar, and as you mention (in that yours were done wrong) a fair chunk of it is in the workmanship

Intruiged. What makes them better than Sidas?

I haven’t an extensive experience other than just seeing the type of footbed that Ellis & Brigham and Snow & Rock and Europa Ski Lodge do, where you stand on their machine and it heat molds a sole to your foot shape, and then that’s about it.

Profeet then built up a big sole under that bed and raised your heel and tilted your foot so more weight was on the inside of your foot.

The mistake the girl fitting (who fitted my wifes boots at snow & rock the year before) was to not extend the bed back to provide a decent cup around the heel – I pointed it out at the time but she said no problem – but when in the boot the footbed moves backwards until it hits the back on the boot liner, and then it is in the wrong position under my foot and all the small ridges in the insole that mapped to my foot are now in the wrong place and therefore uncomfortable.

Shoving about 5 mm of padding behind the heel cup completely solves it and it remains comfortable.

My mates boots were uncomfortable in a simlair manner and I trimmed up the footbeds and padded them forward in a similar manner to make them more comfortable, so I am not sure it is a good idea keeping all the small ridges that get created in the footbed when forming it is a good idea, just smooth them all out as you only really want the broader level support.

Have those above who like using their touring boots on piste skis thought of using Marker touring bindings on their piste skis? They work every bit as well with DH boots as touring boots, and more importantly offer piste binding levels of release consistency.

and then that’s about it.

that’s step 1. They then go and add all the same kind of supports and wedges that pro feet describe. Anything else would just be a Superfeet style halfway house.

Sounds like your foot wasn’t manipulated into place properly when she was taking the shape. Which is pretty shit service really (especially as they aren’t cheap and are moulder for a reason)

Have those above who like using their touring boots on piste skis thought of using Marker touring bindings on their piste skis?

That’s exactly what I have on my “piste skis” 😀 The idea being we can hit some of the slack country from resort as well if conditions / the mood takes us.