3 ‘DIY’ tips for making your ski boots fit better
As of the time of typing, we are now heading firmly into the winter, which might have caused your mind to look more seriously at planning a ski break – alongside, of course, arranging that crucial ski boot fitting session.
Now, you might imagine that here at Ski Exchange, we won’t exactly be great enthusiasts of the notion of you doing your ski boot fitting on a ‘DIY’ basis. After all, we do take great pride in offering one of the leading ski boot fitting services in the world.
And of course, we would certainly advise against you depending on such an approach to ski boot fitting – especially given the money back guarantee on ski boots that comes with our service. There’s simply no need to take the risk of attempting the entirety of the ski boot fitting process yourself, given that doing so could lead to an unpleasant experience on the slopes, or even serious injury in a worse-case scenario.
Still, there are at least some aspects of ski boot fitting that you can be mindful of without necessarily being stood in a fitting room. Here are a few examples of what we mean.
Wear your boots and walk around in them indoors
Presuming you already have some ski boots to hand and you think a lot of the fundamentals of their appearance and size are right, you could always put in the liners, slide in your feet, buckle up the boots, and then walk around in them at home.
Sure, this won’t provide a replication of what your experience will be when taking to the slopes in your boots. But you won’t be at that advanced a stage yet; the point of this is to serve as a “pre-wearing” experience, spending about an hour (or more) wearing and walking around in them, so that you can get a feel for what seems good about your boots, and what seems bad.
This experience could inform what approach is taken to the subsequent heat moulding stage.
Invest in the most suitable socks
If you aspire to the optimal fit with your ski boots – and who doesn’t? – you can’t expect to go with just “any old” socks. A good rule of thumb here is to choose thin or midweight socks and have your ski boot fitted around those socks, instead of depending on thick socks to try to pad out space.
As paradoxical as it might seem, you will feel warmer and more comfortable wearing properly fitted ski boots around thin socks, than you will if you combine thick socks with poorly fitting boots.
With regard to the material for those socks, a wool and synthetic blend will wick away moisture. This makes cotton socks ones to avoid for skiing purposes, given their tendency to not only hold in moisture, but also leave the feet colder.
Be highly communicative about your ski boot fitting, and any issues you have with your feet
This is naturally a tip that will serve you well when you attend a ski boot fitting session in person, such as the one you can book with Ski Exchange’s highly experienced boot fitters. But it is also a good principle in general, for whoever you converse with when it comes to all things ski boot fitting.
After all, if there are any particular issues you have had with your feet in the past, such as injuries or chronic shoe fitting problems, fellow skiers might have their own advice. In the final analysis, though, it is professional ski boot fitters such as our own who will be best placed to take into account the past issues and experiences you have had, so that they can guide you towards the fit you have dreamed of.
As we detail on our website, there is so much contained within our proven ski boot fitting process that goes far beyond what is possible when ‘DIY’ methods are depended on alone. So, please don’t hesitate to book your own session with us for a date and time that suits you, especially bearing in mind our money back guarantee on ski boots.