Kathy Bennett
Certified Ski Diva
I'm researching new women's ski boots for this season. I live near Stan & Dans in North Conway which I know is the go-to for boot fitting. Any suggestions?
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Women's Ski Boots - Any Deals?
- Thread starter Kathy Bennett
- Start date
MissySki
Angel Diva
Agree! Be educated about the bootfitting process and how boots should feel fit wise, if you aren’t there are references on this forum if you search. Then listen to what the bootfitter gives you as the best options for your feet. Doesn’t mean you need to buy at the first place you go though, most shops don’t carry every brand so you could always shop around a bit (while noting the suggestions in case you want to go back). Sometimes you can get deals on last season models etc if you are lucky enough to find a good match where the fitter still has it in your size.. but that is less likely if you are a common size and maybe even less likely than usual in general given the inventory constraints since Covid. Also, understand that the price you pay at a shop usually comes with a fit guarantee from the shop (ask about this to confirm) and that means free tweaks for some period of time which can be very valuable. If you order cheaper online after being fitted, take this into account. Even great fitting boots often need some tweaks out of the box if you are going for a performance fit (which may not be appropriate for your needs/wants/level etc.).
Mudgirl630
Angel Diva
Boots are everything.
Impossible for any of us to suggest any boots not knowing anything about you and your feet.
Find a great boot fitter, which in itself is not an easy thing. Try more than one boot fitters at different shops. Try many boots. Bring a pair of VERY thin wool ski socks when you go.
Until you try many, you would not know which pair is the right, or close enough that you can adjust to make into a great fitted pair.
Many people have the very difficult time finding the "it" pair. It might take some time. The last thing you should be doing is to go by the price.
Impossible for any of us to suggest any boots not knowing anything about you and your feet.
Find a great boot fitter, which in itself is not an easy thing. Try more than one boot fitters at different shops. Try many boots. Bring a pair of VERY thin wool ski socks when you go.
Until you try many, you would not know which pair is the right, or close enough that you can adjust to make into a great fitted pair.
Many people have the very difficult time finding the "it" pair. It might take some time. The last thing you should be doing is to go by the price.
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liquidfeet
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@Kathy Bennett, since you are asking online for what boot to buy based on sale prices, I am going to guess that you need to know more about ski boots and how they affect your control over your skis.
The boot is solidly attached to the ski. There is no slack, no "play," between boot and ski. Your foot is attached to your boot. There should be no slack, no "play," between foot and boot.
If you succeed in getting your feet into boots that fit with no slack, your feet will control your skis. If you don't, you will be moving on skis that have a mind of their own. There will be lag time between what your feet do and what your skis do. They may not point in the direction you want. They may not tip up on edge to the degree your feet and legs tell them to do. They may wobble when your feet are not wobbling. Your shins may slam into the front of the cuff and cause bruising, called "shin bang." You may get blisters on your heels. With this lack of precision control, your confidence will suffer, and for good reason.
Most recreational skiers on the hill are in boots that don't fit properly. These skiers just don't know the importance of proper boot fit, nor do they know what a good fit feels like. Their technique, if they have been skiing for some time, will have developed compensations for this sub-optimal control over the skis, and they will not be able to improve their technique without new boots and serious re-training through lessons. They will avoid certain days because the snow conditions are not perfect for the type of compensations they have developed. They are still having fun, though. It's just not as much fun as they could be having.
I hope some on this forum will post about what a good fit involves, how it feels, and what a good bootfitter is like, and how to get a good fit AND a good deal, so you can avoid being one of the many skiers who could be having more fun if only......
Mudgirl630
Angel Diva
Well said!
Speaking of which:
www.theskidiva.com
Volklgirl has done a great write up for us.
Why YOU (yes, you) need a boot fitting!
Very few people have feet that fit nicely into properly sized ski boots. Every woman out there should treat herself to a boot fitting session with an oustanding boot fitter! You'll be AMAZED at the difference it makes in your skiing!! Even the snappiest ski won't work if your boots don't fit...
www.theskidiva.com
Volklgirl has done a great write up for us.
liquidfeet
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@Kathy Bennett, you have come to the right place for advice. Skiers who are on this forum in September, which is still before ski season starts for those of us above the equator, will have tons of experience behind our recommendations. We love skiing and can't stop thinking about it all summer. My point is that you can trust what people say. It will be solid advice coming from people in the know.
scandium
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Don't buy cheaply, if you get a deal it should only be because you happen to fit the boots that are on special! Get a recommendation for a fitter, not a salesperson. Educate yourself on the fit for the skier you are and want to be, not what they profile you as, especially if you get to the mountain for more than 5 days a year....
I speak from expensive experience that probably ultimately hindered my ability to progress my skiing. The first time my mother and I bought new boots (2016) we paid $$$$ for boots that were a size too big but comfortable because we didn't know any better and the guy selling then to us didn't care; they did last me nearly 30 ski days/4 years but I was having trouble with quick turn initiation because they were so loose as soon as the liners packed out (after about the first couple of weeks)...I think I put in a full length 6mm cork insole and foam J bars. My mother wears those boots with J bars now - she does have a preference for a more comfort fit and is not looking for anything ultra-responsive, but still should not have been put in a high volume boot a size too large.
In 2020 I then downsized and bought half price boots online in a smaller size but didn't really have great heel hold, so wore those boots with foam/bunion punches for a couple of years before finally biting the bullet and getting a proper bootfitting this year and of course new boots.
Although I paid around $1000NZD all up including boots and insoles, this price includes all future adjustments I may need, and given I have bunions and bunionettes that will progress if they have pressure on them (i.e. I can no longer "break in" shoes or boots as this actually makes them swell) I think I will be taking advantage of this if they continue to progress. So far I've put around 25 days on these new boots (if you count short trips to the indoor snow centre and half-days where I snowboard as well) and they are both more comfortable (walkable-ish with buckles done up) and more snug/responsive than any other boots I've owned.
Sorry for the novel, but it is SO important to have good boots.
I speak from expensive experience that probably ultimately hindered my ability to progress my skiing. The first time my mother and I bought new boots (2016) we paid $$$$ for boots that were a size too big but comfortable because we didn't know any better and the guy selling then to us didn't care; they did last me nearly 30 ski days/4 years but I was having trouble with quick turn initiation because they were so loose as soon as the liners packed out (after about the first couple of weeks)...I think I put in a full length 6mm cork insole and foam J bars. My mother wears those boots with J bars now - she does have a preference for a more comfort fit and is not looking for anything ultra-responsive, but still should not have been put in a high volume boot a size too large.
In 2020 I then downsized and bought half price boots online in a smaller size but didn't really have great heel hold, so wore those boots with foam/bunion punches for a couple of years before finally biting the bullet and getting a proper bootfitting this year and of course new boots.
Although I paid around $1000NZD all up including boots and insoles, this price includes all future adjustments I may need, and given I have bunions and bunionettes that will progress if they have pressure on them (i.e. I can no longer "break in" shoes or boots as this actually makes them swell) I think I will be taking advantage of this if they continue to progress. So far I've put around 25 days on these new boots (if you count short trips to the indoor snow centre and half-days where I snowboard as well) and they are both more comfortable (walkable-ish with buckles done up) and more snug/responsive than any other boots I've owned.
Sorry for the novel, but it is SO important to have good boots.
Mudgirl630
Angel Diva
liquidfeet
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Looks like she hasn't been back to the forum since starting this thread. But it's only been two days.I am wondering if @kathy Bennet is reading any of these comments....
Mudgirl630
Angel Diva
I was kinda laughing because it seems that we were just talking among ourselves......
Crickets chirping on her end.
Haha.
liquidfeet
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I bet she doesn't spend as much time as we do online. Some people are free of that addiction. Not me.
Mudgirl630
Angel Diva
Well, I come and go. But, when I post something asking people's help, I check more often.
Knitjenious
Angel Diva
As a newer member myself who loves y'all, is it also fair to say that the cumulative pile of answers to the boot question can come on ... strong ... when one first arrives on the forum? I always brace myself anytime a newbie asks about boots! 
After a few seasons here I know the divas have lots of hard-earned knowledge and want to save others from having to learn the hard way, too -- so don't be scared off @Kathy Bennett ! The divas got your back!
After a few seasons here I know the divas have lots of hard-earned knowledge and want to save others from having to learn the hard way, too -- so don't be scared off @Kathy Bennett ! The divas got your back!
scandium
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Guilty as charged, although we technically have another 4 weeks left of our ski season based on what the mountains are currently reporting. Hopefully she hasn't been put off by how strongly I (and others!) voice opinions; but really, if I could go back in time I would have saved myself $$$. The first pair happens to fit my mum (has been checked by my fitter as well) but I should have just saved money the second time and gone straight to the bootfitter.
I was thinking that too - it's entirely possible she saw the first couple responses not answering the question the way she was hoping and bailed.As a newer member myself who loves y'all, is it also fair to say that the cumulative pile of answers to the boot question can come on ... strong ... when one first arrives on the forum? I always brace myself anytime a newbie asks about boots!
After a few seasons here I know the divas have lots of hard-earned knowledge and want to save others from having to learn the hard way, too -- so don't be scared off @Kathy Bennett ! The divas got your back!
Don't get me wrong - I totally agree, and like many or most people, it took me a while to realize how ski boots are right up there with like.... eye surgery specialists on things I'm not trying to find on sale. (LOL, I had a friend criticize me once for going to the more expensive LASIK place when there was an option with a Groupon available. No thanks!!)
I mean, I know most of us are all about deal hunting for lots of things. Ski boots just should not be one of those things. If the boots that fit you are on sale, be overjoyed. It's not like a ski jacket being a little big, but you can make it work because it's 75% off.... it will make you miserable if your boots don't fit properly. And unfortunately, I think many/most people have to experience that hell personally before they decide that it's not a place to try to save money. I think it takes a certain amount of physical pain for some of us to swallow the full retail price on ski boots. LOL. But you live and learn and often realize that you wasted more money than you saved trying to be cost conscious on this particular item.
Or at least that's my experience - including the part where I learned my lesson the hard way when I didn't want to hear it about not attempting to save with cheap ski boots. But I can see someone thinking this advice sounds terrible at first.
liquidfeet
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Our OP was last seen on this forum on Saturday at 8:43am. That's when she started this thread. To see "last seen" time for anybody, go to their profile. It's right there under their name.
So she hasn't read any of these posts yet unless she's come online under another name. I don't think we are scaring her off with our enthusiastic advice.
So she hasn't read any of these posts yet unless she's come online under another name. I don't think we are scaring her off with our enthusiastic advice.
MissySki
Angel Diva
You can see them in your email, so technically she could have seen some or all of the responses without logging onto the site. I agree with you though, I'm sure we haven't scared anyone off. Some people are just more active than others on the site, and it is only September so that certainly isn't everyone. That's the nice thing about an online forum, you can come and go and the conversation can ebb and flow when you do.
marzNC
Angel Diva
That's an option that not everyone is going to use. Can't remember what the default setting is for a new user.
Agree 100%
