 Poster: A snowHead
|
Is there anything I can do to help make rental ski boots fit any better?
I have quite narrow feet with a low instep. I’ve tried a 26 boot but had toe pain after an hour of wearing them. My toes were right up against the front, didn’t move back much when flexed forward, but did a little bit. I’m a beginner so my technique is not there yet so perhaps this hasn’t helped.
I tried a 26.5 today and felt much better on the toes, no pain. But I did feel like my foot was sliding around a fair bit and I felt fairly wobbly with my moves today. I had the fastening across the top of foot on the tightest setting on both feet. The other two weren’t on tightest, as I have wider ankle/calves than my skinny foot. I asked if it was possible to rent a narrow fit boot, but they only have regular and wide.
Is there anything I can do, or buy, to help rental boots fit me better? I don’t really want to buy ski boots yet, I don’t know if I’m going to want to stick at it. I know it’s a bit chicken and egg - I might not get on great if I’m sliding about in my boots!
I’m a shoe size 7.5/8 depending on shop/brand, if that helps. Sock wise I have wool ski socks, fairly thin, not chunky. Any advice welcome!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Get the cuff as tight as possible. You could pull the insole out and cut a piece of cardboard the same shape and put it in under the insole to try and reduce the volume. Or even pull a flat insole out of some other shoes and put that under it, all I can think of really.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
@Lilaclou, go to a better shop? Your run of the mill “high street” outfits stock big/wide/high volume models as “most” folk want obvious comfort over performance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
In the olden days we often wore big woolly socks, and often two pairs. That's terribly frowned upon these days when we all have expensive thin "technical" socks, but there'd be no harm in trying a big chunky sock, or two pairs.
There's nothing as awful as having too-tight boots giving you foot pain. Feeling that the boots are a bit "sloppy" is not good either, but infinitely preferable. Don't think about buying boots yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@under a new name, if I was buying I would do, but these are just rental boots at this stage. Rented at indoor slope and I will also rent when I go on holiday, so was just hoping for some tips or tricks to make things a bit more pleasant if at all possible, without resorting to buying at this stage!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@Origen, ok will try some fatter socks and see if that helps bulk things out a bit. Would a regular insole be worth a try maybe?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Glosterwolf, ah yes I see you’ve suggested an insole as a possible solution, thanks
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Lilaclou, good ideas. You'll probably be offered boots which are either too tight or too loose, so being armed with thicker socks and insoles might allow you to play around with the bigger pair. Not much you can do with a rental boot which is too tight.
Not sure that two pairs of socks are a good idea, though: it can cause problems when they slip against one another.
It would be good to try and aim for boots in which your feet are kept still by the upper clips. If you have to tighten the clips over your feet, that can lead to numb feet, sometimes for quite a while. Been there, done that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
@Lilaclou, most ski boots don't actually come in half sizes - the shell for a 26 and a 26.5 is exactly the same. The liner in the 26.5 probably has a thinner insole, no other difference (which fits with what you say about how you felt with the two "different" boots).
If you normally wear a UK 7.5 or 8 (EU 41/42) then a 26/26.5 boot should be long enough (I wear an 8, and my boots are 25.5, with a little bit of length to spare). When you put it on, you should just be able to feel the end of the boot on your toes. Then flex forward, and you should feel your toes draw back from the end of the boot.
Important things are to get your foot in the right place in the boot (bang your heel firmly on the ground when you put it on, and/or pull firmly upwards on the liner - the sun is to get your heel fully back in the heel pocket). Then do the clips up, starting with the third one from the toes, then the fourth. Both of these should be snug, to hold your heel firmly. The two front clips, over the top of the foot, really only hold the boot together and just need to be tight enough to stop snow getting in (close the clips with one finger, it shouldn't take effort).
If the hire shop has different brands of boot, your may find that one brand fits your foot better than another. Narrow and low volume is tricky with hire boots, unfortunately.
Assuming
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@Lilaclou, I meant seek out a better rental boot. Also, I have rented boots once in the last 33 years, In the then Glasgow indoor Braehead (only cos I was visiting family) and it was an unbelievably crap experience.
I had to drop 2 sizes to get a vestige of contact.
In contrast, most decent* alpine shops will be renting a range of closer fitting boots and a good high end shop will have proper mainstream ones.
So it's quite likely your experience will be quite different.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Maybe worth a proper footbed too, like a superfeet? They can make quite a difference.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
@Lilaclou, two thoughts from me. One, as I understand different boots have different lasts and some just suit narrower or wider feet. Hire shops in resorts might be better then indoor slopes here.
Second check out youtube videos on how to put on and buckle boots on. TLDR, the second from top is the crucial one and the one that holds the heel in place. Bottom two just need to be finger tight - if they are too tight they can stop blood circulation and make your feet cold.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
Hire shops in resorts might be better then indoor slopes here.
|
This.
Before I bought my current boots I was forced to hire a pair in Zermatt as the liners on my then own boots collapsed on day 2. The shop had a good selection of boots and were helpful in finding me a decent fit for the rest of the week. I think it helped that I went at a quiet time of the week (Tuesday morning) when the shop was pretty quiet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
@Layne,
| Quote: |
might be better then indoor slopes here
|
My one and only experience in an indoor slope would have put me off skiing for life.
Good shops in nice places will have wayyy better stock.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
When you're doing up the top two buckles, are they squeezing your calf muscle or stopping your calf from stretching when you move?
If so you might need a low cuff boot or an adjustable cuff boot (in resort hire shops usually have stock of these) to drop the support away from your calf muscle and onto your soleus/achilles.
It sounds like the last was ok on the first pair as you haven't said your foot was crushed, you mentioned your leg is wider which lead me to the above hypothesis...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
