So, my calves are muscular. Yeah, muscular. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
Unfortunately, most rental ski boots are very unforgiving of, er, well-muscled calves. To the point where the top strap won’t fasten. Better resorts have wide-calf boots available, and/or strap extenders. Not so the place I was skiing this weekend, where the single fellow handing out boots looked at me like I was from Mars when I asked for wide-calf boots.
So at this point I’m seriously considering buying my own damn boots, so I know for sure there will be something that fits me (I’d still have to rent the skis - that way I can get something with a different length depending on conditions and my own changing skill level).
What do I look for in ski boots? I mean, the prices I see at one online retailer right now range from about 150 to about 550 (and these are their end-of-season sale prices). What sort of features etc. do you find in the higher-priced boots vs. the cheaper ones? As I typically ski about 2 times a year, I am not inclined to spend a lot!
The boots will shrink in the cold. Those snug yet comfortable boots in the store may be agonizingly tight in the snow. Both my brother and I ended up buying new boots one size bigger
I bought a pair of Dalbello Raya 9’s this year. They are the warmest boots I have ever had and made me enjoy the snow that much more. My old boots I had for 12 years and I finally decided to upgrade to a better boot. I only paid $75 for them at a sale years ago, and they really didn’t fit as well as they should have, but like you, I only ski 5-7 days a year so I didn’t think it was worth it. The new boots were totally worth it.
Since each person has their own foot issues and all feet fit boots differently, I suggest trying on lots of boots and seeing what works best for you. Nordica boots annoy the hell out of me, they have a funky lip on the boot liner that rubs on my toes funny, so I can’t buy those. My husband swears by Nordica as they have a wider mid-foot section.
Find an experienced boot fitter and tell him/her what you are looking for, they should be able to help narrow your search on finding the proper boot for you. If you are done growing, your boots should last you a good 10-15 years.
In my experience $150 boots are about as comfortable as rental boots. They’re just not worth it. Look to spent $250-300 for decent boots.
Here’s a tip, go to a quality ski shop and ask them to help you pick out boots, mention your calf issues. If they don’t offer some specific tips that will make a boot feel better for your calf, you can probably find a better shop. As an example though, I keep a little wooden wedge under my lining that raises my heel and keeps my calf a little further out. It makes a huge difference for me.
The cheapest boots will have plastic snaps instead of metal. After that, I dont really know what you get for your money except that they should be a tighter, stiffer boot. Definitely not worth it for someone who skis twice a year, and I dont know how they’re worth it for most any skiier.
I’d have to disagree with this. Your boots will stretch out considerably as you use them. Mama Zappa is going to only use them a few times a year, but presumably she wants them to last a long time. If you get boots that are too comfortable new, let alone a size bigger than that, you’re liable to wind up with boots that are way too loose pretty quickly.
I wonder about the stretching: the rental boots are all made of pretty rigid material including the straps - do those stretch? Are purchase-quality boots more flexible / stretchable?
From using rental boots: if they feel Ok when I first put them on, they do OK all day. Well, they’re never comfy, but I assume ski boots won’t in general ever be that comfortable.
I did pop into a ski shop near the resort, Saturday evening. They were definitely better about fitting than the resort’s rental office was! The straps on the one pair I tried were too tight, but the fellow showed me how they could be adjusted using a tool (allen wrench or screwdriver) so they’d have fit. They would still have been 200 bucks (down from 280) and I wasn’t QUITE ready to take the plunge at that point.
Interesting about the wedge - that might be an option for me in the future. Did you just saw off and shape a bit of a 2x4?
One thing I did learn, from trying on the one pair Saturday: when I go to shop for boots, I’ll wear sweat pants that can be pulled out of the way. My jeans were tight enough that I couldn’t get 'em out of the way of the boot, so no easy way to tell how they’d fit the calf.
Oh yeah: Are the bindings pretty much universal - as in, any boots I were to purchase should fit any resort’s rental skis? It’d really suck to plunk down $$ for boots, then not be able to use 'em!!
Well they’re all made of plastic that will permanently deform with wear. The rental boots have been used every day or so for who knows how long, so they’re probably already as “stretched” as they’re going to get. I think skiers have some intuitive understanding of how their boots get more flexible over time, but personally I’m basing my position on my experience as an engineer working with plastics.
What people look for in a more expensive boot is actually rigidity - so that your movement transfers tightly to the ski. If you get a beginner or intermediate boot it will be a bit more flexible than an advanced boot.
For what it’s worth, I absolutely hate having my feet restricted. I’m a guy who wears loafers and boat shoes all the time for absolute minimum constriction of my feet. The stupid boots are the hardest part for me and almost enough to keep me from skiing.
They actually had a prefabed one which they stuck in my boot for $5. The guys spent 2 hours helping me so I thought it was a fair deal.
I’ve actually done the same thing. When I buy my lift ticket and rental they would sometimes warn me that it’s ultimately up to them whether my boot can be used with their rental ski. I never had any problem whatsoever.
My wife has large, muscular claves. She couldn’t find a boot that didn’t cause her significant pain until she tried rear-entry boots, specifically the Nordica Olympia GS Easy 10. I believe they were about $250-$280 or so.
Yes. I’ve gone skiing twice this year (first skiing in ten years), and rented equipment both times, from the same shop. First rental experience was with a pair of this season’s boots. I was IN AGONY all day. The bottoms of my feet were frozen, cramped in charley-horse fashion all day. It was double-plus-ungood. I talked to the guy at the shop after that experience and he said it was pronation the pressure of the boots causing my arch to collapse and my muscles attempting to compensate, and I would need to buy a set of $40-50 footbeds to support my arches.
Last weekend, I rented from the same shop, but the boots were different. The SECOND I tried them on, I realized that I would be having a fabulous day on the slopes. I had so much more room - not so much that it was a sloppy, dangerously loose fit, but that I could actually barely wiggle my toes and just barely flex the muscles on the bottom of my feet, whereas in the first pair I could barely get them on my feet and literally did not have a millimeter of wiggle room. Went without the footbeds, and indeed, had a fabulous day. Spoke to the same guy when I dropped the boots off and he said that this most recent pair were four seasons old and had obviously stretched out to provide a bit more room.
The plastic doesn’t stretch (well not significantly) but the padding compresses over time. This is called packing out, and it happens to all boots.
Find yourself a good boot fitter at a reputable ski shop. It’s pretty difficult to guess at what boots will fit someones foot without trying on boots in person.
As Telemark has recommended, go to a good ski boot fitter, who can match your physical build and your type and level of skiing with an appropriate boot.
If you find yourself barefoot at a hill, try renting a woman’s boot (they have deeper calf pockets), and slip in a heel lift or two heel lifts taped together (you can get heel lifts at a good shoe store or shoe repair shop). Only wear socks inside your boot – no pants or long johns inside the boots.
