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Every year, as the season approaches, we hear plenty of questions about which ski boots to choose. Because, believe it or not, boots are the piece of equipment that can influence your progress in skiing the most. So how do you choose the right ones?
If you plan to try on ski boots, bring the right socks – exactly the kind you normally ski in. We also advise avoiding cotton when choosing ski socks, because cotton absorbs and holds moisture extremely well, which won't feel pleasant in the cold and snow.
Feet tend to swell during the day, so it is best to plan your boot fitting for the afternoon or early evening, when your feet and ankles are at their “biggest”. At first the boot should feel firm, but never tight, because the liner can stretch by up to half a size. Your toes should touch the front of the boot, but never be curled or jam into the front as you walk. When you buckle the boot, you must not feel painful pressure or rubbing anywhere. When you bend your knees in a buckled boot, your heel must never lift independently of the boot. Your foot must absolutely not have so much freedom that it can move left and right inside the boot while the boot stays still. Before making any decision, spend at least twenty minutes in the boot. Today every ski shop has special foot-measuring devices to help you choose the boot size that matches your foot as precisely as possible. Each boot also has its length in millimetres marked on the outside. Don't let this number confuse you, because the same nominal size from two different manufacturers can differ by several millimetres. The number tells you whether you will need to adjust your bindings when you replace old boots with new ones. It is also worth noting that some manufacturers make models that nominally differ by half a size but have identical shell dimensions – in other words, they differ only in the size of the liner.
THE BASIC CATEGORIES
When choosing boots, whether on your own or with the help of a salesperson, be honest about how well you ski and about your physical attributes. In general, ski boots can be divided into three classes:
Entry-level boots are comfortable and flexible, and they “forgive” many wrong movements. They are designed to be affordable and suitable for learning and mastering basic skiing techniques.
Recreational boots are made for skiers who have an established technique but still want to work on their carving turns and on skiing more demanding terrain. They are more responsive than the previous category, make faster, dynamic turns easier and are somewhat stiffer (more on stiffness later in the text).
Race boots are very stiff, extremely responsive and made for skiing with maximum speed and precision, but for most recreational skiers they are too stiff to ski in all day.
CONSTRUCTION
Generally speaking, ski boots consist of two main components: the outer polyurethane plastic (shell) and the inner liner. The fit and softness of both parts define the boot's category and purpose, and often its quality too. The better the shell and liner work together, the better the boot responds to leg movements and the better the forces are transferred to the ski – in other words, the more precise the ski.
The stiffness of the outer shell is most often defined by the FLEX INDEX (hereafter FI) – an index of flexibility or stiffness. A higher FI means a stiffer boot, and the range can vary from 50 all the way to 140. Boots with an FI of 100–140 are more than recreational models: they fit tightly to the leg, allowing maximum transfer of leg and foot movements to the ski and therefore a faster ski response. They are meant for excellent skiers.
For recreational boots the standard range is 50–100, depending on the category of skier. Those who prefer speed and have good technique, strong legs and some weight are advised to take models with an FI of 80–100, while for lighter recreational skiers who want their boots to be as comfortable as possible we recommend an FI of 50–70, especially if they don't use heavy, stiff skis. These things should certainly be taken into account when choosing, because what good are soft boots if you ski difficult terrain or have heavy, fast race skis?
So once you know roughly which flex index you want, there is still plenty of work ahead. Today every manufacturer offers its own patents in the form of different buckles and liner-fitting methods, based either on the warmth and pressure of the foot or on special heating procedures. It is quite important for buckles to have micro-adjustment screws, which are very useful when adjusting boots for maximum comfort.
When it comes to liner fitting, there really are many standards, depending on the manufacturer. Most of them rely on the liner warming up from body heat and the pressure of the foot, while some liners are heated with special equipment so that they take on and keep the shape of your foot. There are also gel-filled liners that mould to the shape of the foot. In recent years many manufacturers have used a special plastic for the shell, which can also be moulded to the foot by heating it with special equipment.
People often make the mistake of buying boots based on the models they see in the World Cup or on the logic that “more expensive means better”. That may be true, but real race boots are not meant to be worn all day – they are meant for maximum ski response over a short period. If you have bought boots that rub, there may be some help: there are shops that specialise in boot fitting. But if your boot is too big, I'm afraid not even an extra pair of socks will help. The most common mistake skiers keep making, and one we warn you about: don't buy boots bigger than you need. Forget the “an extra pair of socks will fill it” philosophy, and keep in mind that liners, especially in softer models, can stretch after just a few days of skiing.
We hope our advice has helped you. See you on the slopes!
See also: Ski equipment rental
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