In my opinion how your ski boots fit can make your day, week, season or brake it. The correct fit is the single most important thing that can improve your skiing. I know this may come as a surprise to you but none of us are perfectly aligned. When we flex the ankles the knees are not traveling over our feet in a perfect alignment, they either go to the outside or inside creating angles which are translated to our skis. What that means is that the skis are not flat on the snow when you are gliding in a straight line and getting the skis on the edge from that stance is very difficult. SOLUTION – get a boot fitter to look at your feet, try on several boot shells, recommend the boot that is suitable for your foot type, size etc. Our feet are a mess, some are wide in the toes and narrow in the heel, some have high instep, some have bone spurs and ankle bones positioned further to one side or the other – like I said a mess. A competent boot fitter can see that and make suggestions on how to address all those issues.
There two elements that could make a major difference in your comfort and performance level – SHELL fit before the liner is in, and a foot bed. Proper shell fit allows the boot fitter to expend certain areas of the shell to accommodate your foot shape and the foot bed corrects the way we stand on our feet and how our knees align when flexed. Proper alignment will eliminate a lot of discomfort caused by your joints not moving in the way they were designed, removed stress from the joints and give you a chance at better skiing performance. A simple correction in your alignment could correct the problem in your skiing that you spent entire season working on.
In conclusion INVEST in your boots and if you are skiing only two weeks a year – rent your skis – this will accomplish two things, you will be comfortable in your boots and always get a chance to ski a new ski.
I just got fitted for a new pair of boots. In the Park City there are several competent fitters but the one I like is at Christy Sports at Silver Lake Village here is their website. His name is Davin and he not only has the knowledge but also the experience to get you fitted. You can contact Davin at 435-649-2909 to make an appointment – and please don’t wait till day before Christmas.
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