Boots HUGE help please

[loopylou3]

After much measuring I have come to the conclusion my boots are far too big.

I've had them 5 years, the shop measured me, bought out two pairs, then I went away with one of the two.

Had problems with inner ankle rubbing right from the start but they felt 'comfy' as in my feet were not squashed).

So the shop ground down the plastic footbeds inside the shell. Possibly making everything worse (boot volume bigger)

Got custom footbeds few years ago to try stop the ankle bone on my inner foot rubbing (my feet over pronate without them) just come back from a week in France and my boots have felt lose and sloppy, huge ankle space, side to side movement. And on top they feel far too spongy, I get no support standing in skiing position, they are 95 stiffness but they feel like they fold in half, I can't ever relax on the fast flat bits, they feel saggy. When skiing chopped up snow my boots don't move with me, my foot moves around in my boot. I've tried putting in an extra footbeds under my custom footbeds but it compressed my foot so bad I had to stop in the snow and remove them (while swearing)

When I do up my boots really tight, almost cutting off circulation, my ankle still slips around.

My boots, Dalbello Avanti W95
255 and length 297mm (25.5 boot size)

So, I've come home and cut a piece of green card and put it inside the shell, and it measures 28.3! (See photo, me stood on my custom footbed on the green card!!!)

My foot when stood on my custom footbeds measures 24.8cm

There is a good 3.5cm of free space at the front of my boot. The space for the ankle is enormous and goes back behind the footbed.

When I put my boots on my ski boots normally, my toes never touch the front, ever.

When I put the inners in on their own, there is a thumb of space at the front.

I'm in the UK, so not so many experts here, I'm going to go back to the shop that did my footbeds (not the shop I bought them from), they seem very knowledgeable and have good reviews. I just want to know what to look for and get it right this time. I'm sick of skiing in soft welly boots! But don't want to ski in something that strangles my foot all day and makes me want to scream. The fit is hard to tell in the shop because as soon as you start skiing a few runs everything becomes looser!

I'm assuming I need stiffer boots too.

I'm 5ft 4 tall. 10 stone.
I ski 3 weeks a year, on piste mostly, fast on blues and reds. I ski parallel on reds but carve on blues and less steep reds. I'm not great but definitely not a beginner, been skiing for 9 years ish.

I want to be able to be confident on steeper slopes and choppy snow that I know my skis are doing what my feet say not moving around inside my boot instead.

Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

I had no idea when I was sold my boots so just assumed that as they felt comfy in the shop they were good!!!!!

And, I've measured my lunge dorsiflexion and I measure about 11cm, not sure if that affects how still I need my boots!

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Can you stand to wait to get boots until your next trip to the mountain? Having the ability to at least go to dofferent shops and try a handful of brand or better yet demo some would be ideal. Plus, for many of us it takes a week of apre skiing trips to the bootfitter to get them dialed in which you can't do if you don't buy them where you ski.

How awful that you came home with clearly a totally mis sized boot.

I ski a 110 flex and have also skied a 130. Know that flex from one brand to another will be different and that they will possibly feels softer in the warm store.

Try the boots on with your custom footbed!

Best of luck.

 

[Jilly]

You've lost faith with these boots, time to divorce them. (Diva's say we marry our boots). If you trust the shop that made your custom footbeds go there. Take the Dabello's, your custom foot beds and some thin socks.

@snoWYmonkey has a point, but that it not always possible. Could you hit one of the snowdomes with these boots before your next trip?

 

[loopylou3]

I agree, time to divorce my boots!

 

[Cygnet]

Where are you based in the UK? I’d really recommend Colin at Solutions4feet in Bicester. He is an expert and well thought of by many in the UK https://www.solutions4feet.com/about-us/our-team

Just as a comparison I am similar height/weight to you and I have Atomic Hawx Prime 105 in a 23.5. (As fitted by Colin a few months ago).

 

[loopylou3]

Thank you Cygnet, I'm in Lancashire but my eldest daughter lives in Bicester! His experience looks amazing, I think I'll head down there!

 

[Cygnet]

What a coincidence!
You’ll have to book an appointment as Colin’s very busy. He has a couple of other fitters too, but I’ve only ever had Colin. Hope you manage something before your next trip.

 

[Iwannaski]

In the meantime, have you watched a series called “bootorials” by Patriot Footbeds? When educated, you can be your best advocate, and I think this series really walks through a lot of considerations and red flags.
Linked below: Bootorials

 

[Jilly]

And this one: boot fitting, by our own Volklgirl.

 

[Iwannaski]

@loopylou3 … I will say - when I bought boots several years ago, the boot fitter (not a sales kid, an actual fitter) tried to put me in a boot that was too big. Luckily, I knew what size was the right one, because it wasn’t my first pair of boots. I knew to advocate for myself. What we ended up with is a boot that I love, but it would ABSOLUTELY have been too big a boot if I hadn’t spoken up.

So, first of all, don’t feel like what happened to you is absolutely bonkers - I think this happens to people all the time.

Second of all, feel comfortable pushing back on their recommendations, armed with @volklgirl’s summary and any knowledge you get from the videos/your research.

Third of all, INSIST on a shell fit. Make sure you know what that means, and make sure that they do it on AT LEAST the first pair you try to make sure you have the right length.

Fourth of all - if they don’t have AT LEAST 3 pairs of boots for you to try in your size, they’re going to put you in the wrong boot FOR SURE. A shop with decent inventory or the willingness to order you the right boot is the right shop.

Side note: marry your boots means that you’re also in a decent relationship with your boot shop. My first season, i went in at least 3 times for tweaks. Plan accordingly.

Good luck!!!

 

[lisamamot]

Fourth of all - if they don’t have AT LEAST 3 pairs of boots for you to try in your size, they’re going to put you in the wrong boot FOR SURE. A shop with decent inventory or the willingness to order you the right boot is the right shop.

This certainly can happen. However, a reputable and honest fitter should bring out what they truly believe may work and/or tell you what boot they would like to see you in, but that they currently do not have or don't carry. Forever grateful a fitter told me "this is the best I have, but the boot I think could really work for you is...". He sent me across the street to a different shop that stocked it.

 

[Iwannaski]

This certainly can happen. However, a reputable and honest fitter should bring out what they truly believe may work and/or tell you what boot they would like to see you in, but that they currently do not have or don't carry. Forever grateful a fitter told me "this is the best I have, but the boot I think could really work for you is...". He sent me across the street to a different shop that stocked it.

Exactly. My bootfitter said, “trying on any less than 3 would be bad. We want to KNOW that we got the right one, like Goldilocks!”

 

[loopylou3]

So, first of all, don’t feel like what happened to you is absolutely bonkers - I think this happens to people all the time.

Thank you! I have looked at my boot now and thought how on earth has it taken me this long to realise!!!! But it's also made me super wary!

 

[loopylou3]

Thanks everyone, I shall be watching the links carefully. I've decided against travelling far for a boot fit. Our local shop has a great reputation so I will book a boot fit and see how they do it, if they don't do it right then I will tell them why I won't be buying from them that day. All of your knowledge has helped me feel more confident in what should be done. As a woman it's easy to feel intimated by sales people in shops and I'm not an amazing skiier, I'm just a 44 year old mum that lives to ski 3 weeks a year and knows when my boot is not doing me any favors!

Thank you all.

It's so refreshing to be able to post here and be supported. Some of the other sites with men asking questions it feels like all the other men are there to put them down rather than help. So thank you all.

 

[loopylou3]

Oh my days!!! I booked in locally in Kendal Lancashire for a boot fit. What a disaster!

I turned up and the guy didn't know I was coming, didn't ask me anything, reluctantly looked at the fit in my old boots and agreed they were too big. He measured my feet front to back, asked nothing else, didn't want to know what was wrong with my existing boots, didn't measure my instep, wouldn't entertain looking at the insoles they made me that are in my current boots that correct over pronation. Didn't ask what level of skier I was. I told him my current boots were not stiff enough.

Off he went out the back, got two pairs of boots, both less stiff or the same stiffness as my current boots.

I thought he was then going to do a shell check. No. "Put your foot in here" put both on, he told me to have a walk around the shop. I told him one felt like it was pinching my ankle the other squeezing my lower foot. Not interested.

I was testing the flex, he told me to stop bending my knees!!!!

Got 2 more pairs of boots, one on each foot, buckled them up, no checks.

Both boots he could only just buckle them up on the loosest buckle. I said they don't feel right, he said you just have to buy them, the heated liner will then mold to your foot. You have to trust us.

He only bought out one pair of Solomon's and 5 pairs of Nordica, none felt right. He said, they won't feel right until we mold them.

We left.

Gobsmacked.

If another skiier had walked into that shop, 100% with all the videos I've watched from the advice of you ladies, I could have done a better boot fit with someone else.!

He even bought me the size too long in men's, just so we could get larger in the width as they didn't have any in the right width my size.

 

[Iwannaski]

I’m sorry you had to live that experience, and so glad that you were equipped to handle it.

Whenever someone I don’t know tells me to trust them, my response is always “why?”

 

[edelweissmaedl]

I get wanting to stay local. What we don't know about your foot is if it's really a tricky foot or not (it's just bad right now because the boot is too big as the starting point).

Just something to think about.....we have 3 bootfitters in my area that have a good reputation, and I think for many folks they are great options (including my mom for example). I have a narrow heel and high external protrusion on my dorsum. At this point in my boot fitting journey I am willing to travel great lengths for the right fit. ie. I drove 5 hours to see a recommended boot fitter and learned more at that appointment than I had in all my previous boot fits. Because I know what I need I am also willing to wait until I am at a ski resort I frequent that is 8 hours from home where I have build a good reputation with a boot fitter.

Also figuring out what type of fit you are seeking (comfort vs. performance) will also likely determine how much effort/drive time you need to put into this exercise.

 

[Jilly]

Aren't you glad you have us. We might be enablers, but damn we want it done right! Have you looked through the boot fitter thread? There may be somewhere on that list that isn't too far away.

 

[TNtoTaos]

Although unfortunate, this is a wonderful story, and I'm truly thrilled that you got onto this forum and asked the right questions before you spent a lot more money on a boot that will make you miserable! It sounds to me like you could have done a better boot fitting yourself than the one you were subjected to! Good for you for being assertive and believing in yourself!

From my own experience, I've owned 3 prs of boots: the first was purchased in a local ski shop before I knew anything about boots, and, predictably, turned out to be too big. The next 2 prs were purchased from The Boot Doctors in Taos, and although they were expertly fitted initially, I was glad that I was at the mountain all week, because they did need tweaking before they were perfect, each time. My latest purchase was for replacement liners (to get another season out of my present boots), and again, they required some tweaking for a couple of days, all of which is to say that if it's at all possible for you to get your boots at or close to where you ski, you won't regret it. I think it would be worth any extra effort it would take.

 

[WaterGirl]

Sorry @loopylou3 that sounds awful!

Where are you based in the UK? I’d really recommend Colin at Solutions4feet in Bicester. He is an expert and well thought of by many in the UK https://www.solutions4feet.com/about-us/our-team

If @SnowHot can confirm, I believe Colin is CEM on SkiTalk who is clearly on a much higher level of boot fitting than the average 'good' fitter. I would see Colin just for a consult for my anomaly boot fit issues if I were on holiday in the UK.....