MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Seems odd, I know, to be thinking about a new set of ski boots in (sort of) Summer, but I fancy a new pair as my old ones are creaking away in to death!
Can anyone recommend anywhere good to go for a fitting/stock etc? London or South (west of London) preferred!
The best place to go - by a country mile - if you are a serious skier - is Colin Morgan at Solutions4feet in Bicester - not far up the M4. You need to be willing to spend 4 hours somewhere and to pay for decent footbeds too.
Post a question on snowHeads.com if you want more info on other places. We are all snow nuts over there. 8)
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ski-boots-advice
found this helpful when i was looking.
cheers
Nick s
The best place to go - by a country mile - if you are a serious skier - is Colin Morgan at Solutions4feet in Bicester
Indeed. The best there is.
Snowheads forum has a few usual recommendations; including Col. He was swanning around Europe with the Scottish team when I needed a fitting a couple of months ago, so he pointed me to James at Outdoor Traders in Abingdon.
Very nice and friendly guy who went out of his way to help me. It was a toss up between a Dale Boot or a Salomon, and due to the amount of time I had before I travelled I went for the Salomon. He gave me his own dale boot liner in the salomon to tide me over for a week of skiing, and I need to go back for my own liner. He's charged me once but it's effectively 2 fittings - so he's down by about 3 hours labour. All "part of the service".
I had a few aches but what a difference I found a custom boot , liner and footbed made. I was really worried about how the plates in my leg would rub but the boots were very comfortable. My new boots are 26.0 - my old boots were 27.5! A proper liner in a close fitting shell make a huge difference - and I didn't have to clamp my boots down really tight to get some control. Thoroughly recommended...bear in mind you're looking at about 600 for boots liners and footbeds though (more or less depending on the shell) you choose.
Your biggest problem will be whether any of the fitters have shells in your boot size. Col was out of stock in my size IIRC, James still had quite a lot - but for that amount of cash you may as well go for the dale boot and a full custom fit.
Profeet in London were on my list of possibles but I'm pleased I made the effort to go to a proper "master bootfitter".
I went through all this last year and after doing a bit of research was inclined to think that ski boot fitting for the mere mortal is a bit of very clever sales and marketing to get you to spend even more money than you need to.
Unless you have very odd shaped feet just try on as many pairs as you can over a few days and go with what feels best.
As usual J this is a bot of IMHO, sure some people will have strong feelings about it......
I got my boots from Surefoot in Vail last year and I was very very impressed. Custom liners and footbed means that they are incredibly comfortable and well fitting. They now have a shop in London. Not cheap mind.
www.surefoot.com
104-106 Waterford Road
London SW6 2EU
020 7736 9217
Another vote for Colin @ Solutions4feet here. My sister knows him, being an ex boot fitter herself. He's apparently very good.