Boot advice needed

[Pattn]

Divas,
I need your guidance please:
Made my first boot shopping stop the other evening. It was a good experience that basically followed all of your comments I've read about fitting the shell first etc. The guy has been in the ski biz >20 years and I was very comfortable with his help, advice and knowledge. He noted my very narrow and seriously flat feet right away and recommended custom footbeds. He had me try the Tecnica Attiva Pro 90 and the Salomon Scarlet. Both boots felt very good and very comparable. I would lean toward the Scarlet because it was just a smidge longer for the toes and I liked the liner better...but if I'm going with custom footbeds, I thought it would be better to have them made and then try both boots again. Do they make a difference in boot selection?

So not knowing a thing about these boots, I came home and hit the internet. Salomon's website lists the Scarlet for "Big Mountain experts and freeriders,"......of which I am neither! Tecnica listed theirs as "Advanced to Expert."

So....would you be concerned about the boot marketing lingo matching your skills or would you go strictly with the fit? I don't want to get too far out of my league and the advertising was a little intimidating.

I categorize myself an advanced intermediate. I do like to ski fairly aggressively but only on groomers. I don't do bumps, jumps or parks.

Also, I think this shop makes Conformable brand footbeds. Any comments on experience with these would be valuable to me as well.

Thanks a million...any advice is welcome.

 

[Jilly]

Go with what fits!! Don't worry about the name or marketing lingo. I mean VG is in junior boots because that's what fits!!

And yes, you will need to try on the boots with the footbeds!

 

[SnowHot]

Fit and function are your primary concerns.

If you have a knowledgeable boot guy and he's done a shell fit, and has made sure you can flex the boot, then you know what to do.

They different manufacturers will have different descriptions of their flex and skill levels depending on their marketing, research and development.

Don't get a boot that doesn't fit
Get a boot that is snug
Get a boot that you can flex

 

[cyn]

Ditto to the above.
Also, be prepared to go back and have the boots tweaked until they're just right. It's almost unheard of to have them feel perfect after only the initial fitting.

 

[Pattn]

Thanks so much for your responses. The fits were both good and flexing wasn't a problem. I'll get the footbeds done and try them both again. Can't wait for the snow to fly.

 

[PowDiva85]

only buy the footbeds if they make the boot fit better! i have really flat feet but a trim to fit superfeet does just fine for me and 80% of the women I sell boots to and I dont have to "keep tweaking the fit" they are happy with the boots from day 1

 

[Pattn]

Great idea. I keep hearing great things about superfeet for shoes but I didn't think about boots. Thanks!

 

[Jilly]

I've had Superfeet in my boots for that last 2 pairs. This pair though, they weren't enough and got the custom. So I guess the thing is to try the superfeet first, cost is much lower. Remember though, superfeet are really only arch supports and heel placement. Custom beds will take into account any other irregularities your feet and stance might have.

 

[num]

On the note of footbeds, I have Zapz semi custom footbeds on recommendation from my boot fitter. If your boot fitter has them, you may want to ask if they'd suit you, as they're much cheaper than most custom footbeds.

 

[SnowHot]

I have superfeet
I'm not sold on custom foot beds unless they are really what you need. Not everyone does.

 

[Skier31]

I would disagree that foot beds are only necessary to make the boot fit better. There are other reasons for custom footbeds. Since you are taking the time to invest in good boots, do yourself a favor and take the advice of a good bootfitter. It can make a huge difference in your skiiing. It would be easier and less expensive in the long run to do it right from the beginning.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Not to mention that they are interchangeable from boot to boot. Mine are in at least their 5th pair, I've lost track - could be 6 - with no functional degradation (they aren't easy to pull out, though, due to super-close fit). Assuming that there are no major changes in your feet (yeah, feet do change....), customs can go a long time. If I couldn't take equipment on a ski trip, the one thing I WOULD bring is my custom insoles. After I had mine made, there was such a difference in my stance and thus my skiing that DH got his the next season. Totally worth the $.

 

[Robyn]

I would disagree that foot beds are only necessary to make the boot fit better. There are other reasons for custom footbeds. Since you are taking the time to invest in good boots, do yourself a favor and take the advice of a good bootfitter. It can make a huge difference in your skiiing. It would be easier and less expensive in the long run to do it right from the beginning.

I don't think anyone said they are only to make the boot fit better they said don't buy them unless they do. In other words, if your boot doesn't have enough support then they don't fit as well as they could and the foot beds can change that. If your boots fit well then there is no reason to buy them. I have custom foot beds now (Surefoot) along with custom liners and they've changed my ski level and enjoyment exponentially.

 

[Skier31]

I undestand, Robyn. I think maybe there is some confusion about what "fit better" means. I had boots that fit just fine but needed footbeds to help deal with pronation and other structural issues. I think when some people hear the word "fit", they take that to mean size/comfort only.

 

[volklgirl]

Custom footbeds can be a necessity for people with foot issues such as pronation or supination and other alignment issues. If your fitter did a full examination and has recommended customs over stock or semi-stock, ask him/her why customs over other options.

Personally, I can't ski without my customs. I too would take my insoles as an absolute minimum on a trip. For an investment of around $120 in late 1980-something, I've been a better skier with happy feet. That breaks down to, ummmmm.....(busily calculating).....$6 a year? Well worth it in my mind!

 

[PowDiva85]

there are a lot of shops out there who are training consumers that they all absolutely need custom orthodics which is not the case. Its the infamous 80/20 rule... I would say 80% of people need a superfeet or semi custom foot bed because it gives you support to control pronation which can cause discomfort in the boot. The other 20% either do better without it or do need a full custom. So I would be wary of shops that automatically try to sell you a full custom, atleast try a semi custom or trim to fit first and save yourself some dough! The reason most ski shops want to sell a custom orthotic is because 5 to 10 years ago boot boards inside ski boots sucked and the orthodic was a great way to solve the problems that these crummy boot boards caused. Now technology has come a long way to fix that problem and so the extremely stiff and rigid foot beds they sold to everyone 5 years ago are not necessary for most skiers.