I learned quite a bit this weekend. First of all, I learned that the best teacher I've ever had (Kevin Mattingly, that's you) was right: there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Or skis. And second, I learned that my ski boots don't fit me.
Apparently it was a mistake to let one of my former law students fit me for boots (and then give me a fantastic deal on them). Because I've been skiing, for six years, in ski boots that are a size too big for me. Don't get me wrong - most girls are thrilled when something is too big on them. But ski boots do not fall into that category.
In the market for boots? I actually didn't think I was, either. But if you are, or think there's a chance that you might be, go to a pro.
I went to Alpine Options in Warren, Vermont, on the Sugarbush Access Road. http://www.alpineoptions.com/
At Alpine Options, Steve spent about an hour (which was extremely nice since I arrived 45 minutes before closing time on a Saturday) with me and my feet and my old boots. Here are some things that I learned:
1) Start with a professional sizing. I assumed I was a 25.5 (I wear an 8.5 shoe) and was pretty much all set to buy boots on eBay. I'm a 24.5. And bring your old boots with you.
2) Work with a professional who knows boots and how to fit them, not just the guy who usually works in fishing gear who you pull over to the ski stuff because no one else is helping you.
3) If boots fit properly, you should not need to tighten the buckles to their tightest setting (and then undo them for the chair ride). This is what I have been doing pretty much my whole skiing life. I have actually perfected a move where I can unzip the sides of my ski pants and undo my boot buckles while still skiing into the lift line. The reason I needed to do this was that my boots were too big...and in clamping those buckles on their tightest setting, I was cutting off two nerves to my feet. The result? Completely numb toes after a tough run. If you had asked me I would have told you that my boots were probably too small.
Au contraire, mon frere. They were too big. Therefore, I felt the need to tighten the buckles across my forefoot. Bad idea. That's what was making my feet numb.
4) Boots should fit snugly around your heel, and you should have very good contact in the front where your foot meets your ankle. I have a pretty high arch and small ankles, but I don't have a narrow foot. The boots that work best for me are apparently Atomics (so much for those Rossignols I was thinking about).
5) When the boot does fit, you'll know it. At Alpine Options, they have a ski simulator, which helped. But really, I could tell just standing there (well, flexing into a skiing stance while standing there). And when I took them off, there were no red marks in the places that my boots left bruises.
6) Custom footbeds are worth it. I had a pair made a LONG time ago (see my last post) and although they would make some cash off of me if they recommended new ones, the nice guys at Alpine Options thought that mine looked just fine. I think I paid $50 for them in like 1998. Totally worth it. (they're more now like everything else).
So that deal on eBay? Skip it. Unless you had the perfect pair of boots and lost one, you're better off spending the money to get a great fit and consultation.
As my mother once said when I balked at spending $100 on a pillow, "Lisa. You put your head on it every night."
Mom always knows best. And this Mom says, you'll be on your feet all day, every day that you are on skis. Save on something else, but spend on your boots.
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