So, if that's what "last" is, it seems it's quite like the width of street shoes! Then it has to do with a particular boots, not models or makes. Like sizes, it has to be on the boot itself. Otherwise, there's no way to know what "last" a particular boots since multiple last were available for that model.
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Since I know you all swear by bootfitters...
- Thread starter artistinsuburbia
- Start date
mustski
Angel Diva
Boot makers have multiple models - each model usually has one size last - narrow, medium, wide. The length of the boots vary by size and there will be minute proportional differences in last. For example - the Dalbello Kryzma has a 98 last which means at the average size (say 24) the width is 98. At size 22 the width might be 97. However, you can't buy a Kryzma in a medium last. It is a narrow boot. Dalbello has other models which are designed for medium width feet.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Now I remember where I first heard the term "last." It was in a shoemaker shop in a place like Williamsburg or Old Salem where they demonstrate how shoes were made a few centuries ago. A "last" is the wooden form that is the basis for shaping the leather used to make a shoe.
The size of the last for a ski boot can be measured. Assuming you know what part to measure.
The size of the last for a ski boot can be measured. Assuming you know what part to measure.
Last is the width at the widest part of your foot, so the pad below the toes. And it does correspond to the street shoe A-EE.
The Divine has a width of 104. The X-Pro has 98. Every brand has something similar. I'm a B width in street shoes, so I need the narrower last boot.
The Divine has a width of 104. The X-Pro has 98. Every brand has something similar. I'm a B width in street shoes, so I need the narrower last boot.
sibhusky
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I've got cork insoles from Super Feet going on ten years, they're fine.
The boots you've got sound like they were too big to begin with, given the vast amount of room you have now that they are packed out. My last pair had 469 days on them, clearly VERY packed out, but that little bit of slop was handled for a few more years with the addition of a thin insole from the drug store.
Also, for all that everyone carries on about stiffness, I went from a flex index of 60 to 110 and didn't notice a huge difference, though granted there was a summer in between. Possibly if I skied them the same day I'd feel it.
My new boots now have 73 days on them, still really really snug. In fact, really weren't entirely comfortable until day 50. But then, I didn't have them cooked because I wanted the molding to happen from skiing, not standing. I don't know about anyone else, but when they tell me to get in a skier's stance in the shop it never feels right.
My boots are mondo 25.0, but my feet are 9.5 to 10, which comes to a whole lot smaller boot size than the size on conversion charts. They have an adjustable last that you adjust with a screw on the bottom of the boot.
The boots you've got sound like they were too big to begin with, given the vast amount of room you have now that they are packed out. My last pair had 469 days on them, clearly VERY packed out, but that little bit of slop was handled for a few more years with the addition of a thin insole from the drug store.
Also, for all that everyone carries on about stiffness, I went from a flex index of 60 to 110 and didn't notice a huge difference, though granted there was a summer in between. Possibly if I skied them the same day I'd feel it.
My new boots now have 73 days on them, still really really snug. In fact, really weren't entirely comfortable until day 50. But then, I didn't have them cooked because I wanted the molding to happen from skiing, not standing. I don't know about anyone else, but when they tell me to get in a skier's stance in the shop it never feels right.
My boots are mondo 25.0, but my feet are 9.5 to 10, which comes to a whole lot smaller boot size than the size on conversion charts. They have an adjustable last that you adjust with a screw on the bottom of the boot.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I was able to extend the life of my beloved Dalbellos by replacing the liner with an Intuition. Granted, Larry fit me with a replacement Intuition to start with (which had a lower calf than the stock intuition liner), so it was a no-brainer.
@sibhusky - flex index is completely inconsistent across boots, so stiffness matters, but it's hard to actually shop for it by numbers. I know a guy - actually, you know him too, on Epic - whose feet are a full size apart from each other. He has two boots of the same model, just one year apart. He says the flex is completely different on each boot. Yikes!
@sibhusky - flex index is completely inconsistent across boots, so stiffness matters, but it's hard to actually shop for it by numbers. I know a guy - actually, you know him too, on Epic - whose feet are a full size apart from each other. He has two boots of the same model, just one year apart. He says the flex is completely different on each boot. Yikes!
OleTimeRiverGuide
Diva in Training
Hi, when you advise that someone with a 95 last should be in a 97 or 98 boot, do you mean the standardized last size, based on the flagship size (26.5 I think?) Or do you mean the actual last size when adjusted for her particular mondo size? Like a 98 last might translate to a lower number in a shorter boot or a bigger number in a longer boot for the same boot make. In other words, does that last... adjusted up or down in actuality for the boot model's mondo length need to match your foot's width exactly? or should you be adding 2 mm?
Thanks, this is really helpful.
mustski
Angel Diva
Hi there. Welcome! At the time that post was written the 97/98 last was the narrowest, non race, women’s boot. @MaineSkiLady was telling the poster that a 102 last was MUCH too wide and that she should be in the narrowest last possible. There is no reason to add 2mm.
BlizzardBabe
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi @OleTimeRiverGuide , this might deserve a new thread if you have questions about current boot tech that aren't answered in the "OleTime" thread. I found it confusing too. Thanx @mustski .
