New ski boots

[lovetoski]

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and have a question about ski boots. Hope to get some good advice on ski gear. I have been renting for many years and finally decided to invest in my own equipment. Every time I go skiing had to adjust to the quirks of the rental. The new boots feel like much better fit in that they are thinner and narrower in the foot area and wider in the calf area. However, the edge of the tongue on the left boot kept bugging me when I pressed forward. The guy who fitted me with the boots went back again and again to shave off the edge, at the end I couldn't feel it anymore but the seams are gone! It was held together on that side with glue and duct tape he added. These are brand new boots and the price was not reduced. Is it going to make the boots fall apart faster? They are intermediate nordicas for $299. Also got Salomon skis and Leki poles. Hoping they will last a long time and I can improve in them. Any advice would be appreciated from divas who knows their equipment. Thanks!

Maria.

 

[Daria]

Where did you buy your boots? If you usually go to one resort, I am a big fan of buying boots on the hill because you can have them tweeked right then and there. Any good boot shop should guarantee the fit and I would think you should get on average more than 100 days of skiing on a good boot. You might out grow these before they wear out. Good luck with them

 

[Jilly]

Which Nordica boot?? I'm not sure if any ski shop I know uses duct tape. I might, but I don't think that's very professional.

 

[snowgem]

Buying boots is about my least favorite activity! That said, what are your choices? I skied a long time on boots that were way cut up from multiple adjustments but fit well. Then, the next pair fit fine off the shelf. If these boots are otherwise working for you, you might want to stick with them and may outgrow them, as Daria said. They may be the most comfortable you can find. If the seams are gone only on the tongue, they could survive. You can always return to the shop for new

duct tape

...what? using duct tape sounds a lame for a new-boot fitting,(With warmth of your foot, maybe the tape could shift and leave a sticky residue and not hold what it's supposed to for long?) but if it works, don't knock it! Or, you could go back to the shop, having learned more from reading other "boot" posts from Divas, and request a different pair/type of boots, tho supplies are limited this time of year. Possibly, they'd give you credit for new ones next year. Most shops allow a credit toward another pair, if the first pair isn't satisfactory. But then you're back at square one for a fitting! Let us know what you decide!

 

[smpayne]

My husband had to have some weird plastic pieces taken out of his liner (they were digging into his heels). In order to do this, they had to cut the liner open. They did glue it back together, but used duct tape to hold everything in place as the glue dried, which takes a few days). I suspect the duct tape was only supposed to be temporary.

 

[bwclemenger]

SKi Boots

My advice...keep shopping!! This is the BEST time to buy great boots. I just bought a new pair of Technica Spark Attiva which are a good intermediate performance boot with mid volume in the foot space. Your boots should not need that much disection!! and duct tape? My boots list at $550 and I got them for $170!!!! My old ones are Nordica and are very SOFT so I have love them but as I am now skiing moguls and black runs I needed stiffer boots. My old ones have also started to leak and I have wet feet. In my new pair my boot fitter just pulled out the cheap foot bed and put in a good supportive one for $39.00. Done deal. Do alot of internet research. Jeannie Thoren has some gear lists on her web site and she is a world renowned womens gear fitter!!! I tried on like 9 pairs before I decided on mine. Do you live in a big city? I am lucky as I live in Utah in Salt Lake with SOOOOO many great shops and boot fitters.
Good luck.

 

[Quiver Queen]

Glue and duct tape??? Go ahead and start skiing in these boots, but be prepared to get another pair sooner than you would otherwise. (As a reference, boots are supposedly engineered for 100 days.) Also, most shops of integrity will guarantee boot performance, so check into that if you haven't already. Unless they are willing to work with you, I wouldn't return to that same shop! A good fitter, assuming he has the right product, wouldn't mutilate a boot to that extent, and if he didn't have the right product he'd suggest different options you could pursue elsewhere. It's not at all uncommon for boots & liners to need reasonable modification, but a good fitter won't damage the integrity of the boot and make it more likely to fall apart.