A Detailed Look At Ski Boots
Boots are another essential piece of equipment for skiing. Together with the bindings they form the link between your skis and your body. Good boots should be snug, supporting your foot and ankle, while allowing enough flexibility to maneuver with. They should keep your feet warm, dry and padded against impacts.
Plastic Outer Shell
Ski boots typically have a stiff plastic outer shell that gives the boot its sturdy support and the most direct transfer of body movements to the skis. They protect your ankles and feet from bending to far and possible resulting injury. The outer shell is water proof and tough enough to protect your feet and lower legs from impacts. The outer shell size is very important in finding the right boot as it is always fixed and will not flex or change at all.Inner Boot
The padded inner boot liner keeps your feet warm and the padding protects you from impacts. Different manufacturers make different kinds of liners for different kinds of feet. It is very important to make sure that the liner is snug and has the shape that matches your foot. The Inner boot will change as you use your boot more. It will get compressed.
Entry Point
Most common ski boots have either top or rear entry. Rear entry boots allow you to slide your foot into the boot from the rear. One or two clips are used for fastening the boot and adjusting the fit. Top entry boots use more clips and you need to insert your foot from the top. Mid entry boots have both a flexible front and back side allowing you to enter the boot in the middle. In general rear entry boots are easier in use but top entry boots give more support. Both boots however, have higher top end models that give both great comfort and fit.
Power Strap
The Velcro strap at the top end of the boot can be used to make sure that the top of the boot gives a snug fit connecting well with your calves and shin is the power strap.
Flex AdjustmentThe flex adjustment allows you to change the amount of resistance to the forward movement of your ankle. You can make this flex stiffer or softer. People often use this feature to compensate for the flexibility changes of the boot under cooler and warmer weather conditions.
Forward Lean
AdjustmentForward lean adjustment allows you to change the angle that your shin makes with the boot closed. By using this adjustment you are able to change your stance and center of mass.
Lateral Upper-Cuff Adjustment
The lateral upper-cuff adjustment allows you to shift the upper boot. This feature is very useful for bowlegged or knock-kneed people who need to adjust their upper boot to the angle of their lower legs. Many boots only offer lateral upper-cuff adjustment, some more advanced models offer this adjustment for the inner boot as well.
Ramp Angle Adjustment
Some boots allow you to change the angle in which your feet rest on the sole of your boot. In this way you are able to shift your center of mass forward or backward. This feature is the ramp angle adjustment.
Ski-Walk Adjustment
The ski-walk adjustment allows the boot's upper cuff to hinge backward. This will give you the room you need for a more natural walking motion. Although this is a handy feature most skiers choose a more solid rear in favor or walking comfort
Choosing The Right Boot
This will be the most important question you will need to answer. Boots and Bindings are often a combination where not every boot is suitable for each type of binding and the other way around. Check to make sure. Especially when you need a heel-free system you will need to make sure that the binding-boot combination is the correct one.
How do I choose the right size and shape?
Each foot is different in both size and shape. Most boots are designed for a general foot and does not take your specifics into account. If you have shoes that are really comfortable then the size and shape of that shoe is a good indication of the size and shape that you need. If possible take out the sole of your most comfortable shoe and compare it to the sole of your skiing boot.
How should I fit Ski Boots?
The way the boot fits, holds, and supports your foot and ankle is the most important part about selecting Ski boots. To try ski boots do the following:
- Put on special skiing socks or at least the thick wool socks that you would wear when you go out skiing. Do not try your boots with regular socks or even two pairs of socks. You might not think so, but the added thickness of the socks matter a lot when it comes to the size and fit of your boot.
- Insert your foot into the boot and fasten the clips securely.
- When you stand straight your toes should lightly touch the front end of your boot.
- When you bend your knees however your foot should move backwards pressing your heel into the heel cup and your toes loose from the front of the boot.
- Make sure you feel no single pressure points or other painful areas. If you feel them now, you will really feel them when they come under the added pressure of actually skiing.
- Make sure you feel an evenly distributed snug fit all around your foot, not only at the soles of your feet, but also on top. The same goes for the upper boot. Make sure your ankles and calves are connecting well to your boot but not too tight. Make sure your calve muscles are not restricted in their movement.
- Check that you have firm support around the instep of the boot, around the ankles and lower legs. They should stop you from over bending these body parts. You should be able to bend your ankles forward with increasing support as you bend further. Assure that you can bend to your natural limit and no further. Make sure that as you bend forward you feel pressure evenly distributed along your shin and not in a few isolated areas.
Choosing The Right Size Boot
Feet change size with age, pregnancy, weight loss or gain and even as a result of athletic activity. Taking into account all these variables, it's a good idea to have your feet measured with a brannock device. Since the Brannock device is not available for online measuring, we have provided a chart with standard US measurements and some important instructions for choosing the right size.
Grab a pen or pencil, a piece of paper and a ruler.
Put on the pair of socks that you intend to wear with the boots you are ordering. Please keep in mind that through the course of the day your feet will swell, so it's best to measure your feet at the end of the day.
Sit down in a chair and place your foot flat on a piece of paper. Lean forward, putting more weight onto the foot you are going to trace, then proceed to trace your foot. (Always trace the larger foot if you have one.)
With a tape measure or ruler, measure the length of your traced foot from the heel to the tip of your longest toe. Using the chart below find your measurement. If you are between measurements, size up to the next larger size. It's easy to add a pair of socks to take up a little extra room.
Size Chart
Just because you're a size 8 in one brand of shoe doesn't necessarily mean you're going to be an 8 in another. Footwear shapes and sizes vary from brand to brand: please keep this mind when using the chart below to advise you in a size. Salomon ski boots run a little different then other brands in sizing, please advise the chart below for reference.
