Sizing down extra in boots

[elemmac]

But to make the saga more epic, I switched to snowboarding, and it's REALLY hard to find narrow boarding boots!!!

I've been in this battle for 25 years. So, if you find something truly narrow, send a tip my way! Haha. And for what it's worth...I'm on my 3rd pair of Ride boots (first a pair was the Cadence, then Tridents, now on my second pair of Tridents. They've all had a fairly wide forefoot, but the heel hold is AMAZING.

Also...Bontex shims under my footbed have been a godsend, when they start to pack out.

 

[skinnyfootskis]

From a super-narrow footed skier, just for general future reference for the narrow-heeled Divas out there:

I measure 27.5 on the brannock measuring thingy.

I had a bootfitter (in Allentown, PA) refuse to bring me a 26.5. I actually had to argue with him and he finally brought me a 26.5 but grumbled about it the whole time and then fell off his stool, and I'm not a mean person but I wasn't sorry.

27.5 was always sloppy-fitting to me, no matter the brand or volume designation.

To get a sense of boot fit without numbers attached, take the liner out of the boot and put your foot in the shell with your toes just touching the front. If you can fit two fingers between your heel and the back of the boot, it's roughly recreational fit. One finger= roughly performance fit. That at least gives you an objective idea of what you will and won't be able to get away with as far as liner pack-out and volume.

I always ended up in Lange LVs because they are the lowest low-volume boots that aren't race boots. The best-fitting boots I ever had, though, were junior race boots. 92 last width. (Thank you to Start Haus in Truckee for the fit and recommendation). But then I gained weight and those boots didn't quite work anymore along with a lot of my clothes :-(

Now I'm in Lange LV AT boots and they are great; they fit fine; the only thing I'd do differently is get a stiffer flex because I guess AT boots are less stiff in general (not my wheelhouse, that's just my understanding).

But to make the saga more epic, I switched to snowboarding, and it's REALLY hard to find narrow boarding boots!!! Argh! I'm in Rome Bodegas, though, and they are good.

Anyway, cheers to good heel-hold and pain-free skiing!

What size sneaker do you wear? I’m an 11 narrow, and ski a Dalbello DRS 110. 25.5.

 

[SallyCat]

What size sneaker do you wear? I’m an 11 narrow, and ski a Dalbello DRS 110. 25.5.

Ooo, I don't think I've ever even put my feet in a 25.5. 11 dress shoe, but in athletic shoes, men's 10.5. Altra running shoes have "standard" fit shoes that are narrower than their regular ones. Snug heel fit but also lots of forefoot room--I really like them.

 

[SnowHot]

I always ended up in Lange LVs because they are the lowest low-volume boots that aren't race boots.

While the Lange LV is extremely low volume, the Atomics can be a bit narrower in the heel pocket.

Gone are the days of, "I have a lange foot." "I have a technica foot" "I have an atomic foot"

Reality is that all brands are making a variety of volumes and shapes these days. So much to choose from.
Finding the right fitter is key.

 

[leia1979]

I don't want to derail this thread too much, but since OP seems on track, I am dying of curiousity to learn how ice skate fitting is different or similar to ski boot fitting, especially since I'm coming at it as a skier. I was getting fitted for my first skates last winter telling the tech, "well...this is what my foot is like, I have no idea how skates are supposed to fit..." I may ping you separately @leia1979

Sorry, I haven't logged in a few days! Just like with ski boots, there's a range of fitting experiences and preferences when it comes to skates. They should fit much like your ski boot, but the sizing is less standardized. Some skaters want their toes to just touch the end of the boot, others want a little more space, and some are in skates that are too big! One day I'll try another size smaller than what fitters recommend, because I end up stuffing a little poly batting in the toes to keep my foot from moving on toe-assist jumps.

When it comes to a fitting:
Not great fitting--only looked at length and due to shortages in early 2022, only had one brand available (Jackson), which is way too high volume for me. They seemed fine at first, but after 3 months they'd broken in too loose. This is what ski boot fittings have been like for me, but without the limited options.

Good fitting--went to the former owners of SP-Teri, where a full foot tracing was done. I got a lower volume, split width boot with a semi-custom insole for my pronation.

Both places did custom blade mount, though. I think that's really important especially for alignment issues. For example, the blade on my left heel is always mounted inward from standard to also help counter my pronation.

GoldenSkate is a great forum for figure skating, but I am happy to answer any questions!

 

[leia1979]

One more update--my husband and I had a fitting with John at CalSkiCo in Berkeley today. He instantly diagnosed why my husband's boots didn't fit and pulled a more suitable pair. He thought mine were okay but would have had me try some Dalbellos if he'd had my size in stock. So I kept my Salomon S/Pro 90 in the smaller size and got custom insoles along with some minor shell modifications. I also got a second pair of custom insoles made for my figure skates while I was there, too.

The machine for making custom insoles was really neat, and now I should have less fear of catching an inside edge due to pronation.

 

[badger]

If anyone ever asks "What is the most significant aspect of skiing that you have gained?" , I would most definitely reply: " What correct shoe size I should be wearing for shoe styles, based upon learning so much due to going through Ski boot fitting and all of it's quirks." Court shoes vs dress shoes vs sandals. Each now are chosen in different sizes based on all the knowledge I have gained through ski boots.

 

[Jilly]

Gotta to agree with that!!

 

[Rachel614]

Before I get into this, let me say, I am a masterfit bootfitter, and I currently own 5 pair of ski boots, 4 of which are 2023-24 boots.

What you're talking about is a performance fit instead of a recreational fit.
Going into a boot that is your measured size is a recreational fit. If you ski more than 15-20 days a year a recreational fit will pack out too quickly and you'll be left with slippage.

Example: I ski close to 100 days/year and I always go into a 23.5 and I measure a titch over 24.5.
I do have two pair of 24.5 boots here at my house but I only got 10 -ish days in them before I felt like my foot was moving around.

Also, if they're recommending the LV boot now, then why did they put you in a medium volume boot in the Salomon?
This is likely why they're willing to take the Salomon boot back.

Also, what store is this? I find it hard to believe they don't carry the LV version of that Technica Mach1 boot. Odd.

Reading back on old posts to figure out if I should do a 23.5 in the Nordica pro machines. My right foot measures at 25, left at 24.5, but after wearing my 24.5 other pair of boots for 10 days exactly like you said, I feel like I have foot slippage like you mentioned even though my right big toe is a little crushed at times. Wear 8.5 running shoes. Do you think I could handle 23.5’s? Lol

 

[SnowHot]

Reading back on old posts to figure out if I should do a 23.5 in the Nordica pro machines. My right foot measures at 25, left at 24.5, but after wearing my 24.5 other pair of boots for 10 days exactly like you said, I feel like I have foot slippage like you mentioned even though my right big toe is a little crushed at times. Wear 8.5 running shoes. Do you think I could handle 23.5’s? Lol

In certain boots, yes you can do a 23.5.
I measure bigger than 24.5 on my right foot, almost 25.
Some boots I can do a 23.5 easily, some I'd need to work on a fair amount.
It also depends on your windless test and how supported your arch is.
If I'm in a 23.5 with the stock footbed, my toes are crushed in the front, but they only gently touch the front when I have my custom footbed installed.
The Pro Machine should be okay under those circumstances.
As much as I love Atomic for a super low volume foot, especially the Redster CS model, They can run a little short and would need extensive work to get sorted for a foot like yours (based on your description.

 

[Rachel614]

In certain boots, yes you can do a 23.5.
I measure bigger than 24.5 on my right foot, almost 25.
Some boots I can do a 23.5 easily, some I'd need to work on a fair amount.
It also depends on your windless test and how supported your arch is.
If I'm in a 23.5 with the stock footbed, my toes are crushed in the front, but they only gently touch the front when I have my custom footbed installed.
The Pro Machine should be okay under those circumstances.
As much as I love Atomic for a super low volume foot, especially the Redster CS model, They can run a little short and would need extensive work to get sorted for a foot like yours (based on your description.

Yea your feet sound similar to mine. Good to hear about the pro machines… I can only find the 23.5 size on one website but they don’t allow returns (gear west). Where do you get your custom footbeds?

 

[SnowHot]

Also, keep in mind that the Nordica Pro Machine is not a true 22.5, It's a modified 23.5

 

[WaterGirl]

Also, keep in mind that the Nordica Pro Machine is not a true 22.5, It's a modified 23.5

are you sure??
BSL is 265 for 22.5 - feels similar in length to my 22.5 ZA
275 for 23.5

 

[SnowHot]

are you sure??
BSL is 265 for 22.5 - feels similar in length to my 22.5 ZA
275 for 23.5

Hmmmmm, perhaps they changed.

 

[contesstant]

are you sure??
BSL is 265 for 22.5 - feels similar in length to my 22.5 ZA
275 for 23.5

My 4 year old Pro Machines are also 265 in a 22.5. Are you still really happy with yours? My Lange short cuff have changed my confidence by leaps and bounds. I have so much with to do now to get rid of horrible old habits but I’m finally having so much more fun on the hill.

 

[mustski]

Reading back on old posts to figure out if I should do a 23.5 in the Nordica pro machines. My right foot measures at 25, left at 24.5, but after wearing my 24.5 other pair of boots for 10 days exactly like you said, I feel like I have foot slippage like you mentioned even though my right big toe is a little crushed at times. Wear 8.5 running shoes. Do you think I could handle 23.5’s? Lol

I am an 8-8.5 in street shoes and @SnowHot sized me down to a 23.5 and changed my whole ski game! Previous boot fitters put me in 25 or 24 mondi boots and my foot kept sliding forward which caused a myriad of problems. For the first time in my life, my foot stats put in the boot, I have minimal circulation problems, and can leave my boots on at lunch.

 

[SnowHot]

are you sure??
BSL is 265 for 22.5 - feels similar in length to my 22.5 ZA
275 for 23.5

My 4 year old Pro Machines are also 265 in a 22.5. Are you still really happy with yours? My Lange short cuff have changed my confidence by leaps and bounds. I have so much with to do now to get rid of horrible old habits but I’m finally having so much more fun on the hill.

I'm really glad to hear this.
I am not sure if I'm thinking of the right manufacturer now that you're both correcting me.
I know there were/are several mfgrs who don't have true 22.5s. nordica was one of those, but evidently not in this case.

 

[WaterGirl]

@contesstant yes they seem to be working really well for me, and I'm so glad the Langes are working for you!

@SnowHot I know it was Tecnica that cheated with their 22.5's in the past..... their catalogs usually have BSL charts, the Cochise and MV models were not true 22's.....

 

[contesstant]

@contesstant yes they seem to be working really well for me, and I'm so glad the Langes are working for you!

@SnowHot I know it was Tecnica that cheated with their 22.5's in the past..... their catalogs usually have BSL charts, the Cochise and MV models were not true 22's.....

I think Tecnica were 270 in a 22.5 in the past, so that sounds right.

 

[WaterGirl]

Yes for a while the Mach 1 were 270 but if you refer back to old blizzard tecnica catalogs on ISSUU you can see several of the women’s boots were 273 BSL in the 22.5 and the 23.5