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!
