Considering down sizing my boot

[Ottime]

So I have a one year old boot. Love the fit/feel. But over the season I gained a bit much toe room. So I am think of taking the shell down one size (1/2 size in liner).

I have a good line on this years same boot. My current boot fits well and is very comfortable considering the last width. There is room in the toe though and this allows for some play.

I plan to hike a whole bunch more this year and have heard it is nice to have a comfort fit boot. Should I just stick with my current boot? I mean, it still allows me to drive and rail the ski. It is very responsive.

Or should I sink in and get something that would really grab my foot.

I just don't want to think about breaking it in. The current boot really only took a few days, but day 1 hurt.

[Kied]

If they're in good shape, you might consider going with a new liner. I had a similar problem with some Salomon Xwave's a couple of years back. The 26 I was skiiing in was great, but a little too much toe room. The 25 would've worked, but not without a ton of girinding and stretching. Plus it put my arch length too far forward in the boot. So, I got a size 9 Intuition liner (usually reserved for a 27 shell) and put it in my 26's. Although it was rediculously tight the first couple of weeks, they packed out perfect and I skied for the next three seasons on em. I still miss that perfect combination.

[mntlion]

try hiking in them and see,

what is the shell fit like?
(remove line, toes to the front, how much room behind your heel and the shell? 5-15mm = good, 15+ = boots too big)

[Ottime]

I shell fitted them last night - and wore them with the liners for a good half hour. I did not measure the gap, but will get a dowel down there tonight. I think it may be more like 18-20mm. Definitely not 5mm.

These boots hike just fine. They ride well. I just started feeling a tiny bit of slop. The line I have out on the new boot is a bit more than an Intuition liner, but considering I could sell my current boot...

Also, the current boot has fewer than 30 days on it. The liner should not, and is not, terribly packed out. That is why I am thinking about down sizing. And I am thinking I can get a decent price for the old boot, essentially costing less than just replacing the liner.

I went to four shops to get sized last year. 2 said I was a 27. 2 said I was a 26.5. My old Rossi boot was a 27.5 and I did not want to jump too much. But this boot had a huge difference once it broke in. Huge.

I will boot fit with measurement again tonight.

[Telemarc]

Do you have custom footbeds? I have not heard any mention. If you do not, you gotta get them. They take up volume plus ski like a dream.
As far as sizing goes you have to find someone who knows there shit. So many shop employees don't know that much.(not all but a lot)
What kind of boot is it. Shell size splits run different for different brands. The split might be at the half size with one company and at the full with another.(26.5-27.0 same shell or 27.0-27.5 same shell)

[Ottime]

It is a Solly Gun. I'm pretty sure the shell split occurs on the full size.

I have a lower end foot bed - gel form kind. It does take up some room, but not that much.

[truth]

I have a lower end foot bed - gel form kind.

Useless. The point of a footbed in a ski boot is to eliminate the rotation of the bones in the ankle as you roll to edge. If there is nothing supporting the arch the ankle will rotate inside the boot a bit before the motion gets transfered to the shell and thus to the ski. A properly fit boot / footbed make the roll seamless. As soon as you move your body the energy is transmitted through the shell. A soft flimsy cheap footbed is doing very little for you in terms of performance.

[mntlion]

you need a 26 shell. 27 is not the right size

[Ottime]

you need a 26 shell. 27 is not the right size

Okay - makes sense - given everything else I have tried.

So it turns out my line on the 26.5 fell through, but I can get the 26.

Will that just mean a few more days of breaking it in - or will this be too short?

Also - regarding the gel footbed - it is not a soft gel I was talking about, but one of the gels that are heated to form to your foot. The end product is solid and firm.

[BestofShow]

you need a 26 shell. 27 is not the right size

2nd this. I downsized this year too. I tried to save money on X-Waves last season, and ended up with extra room in the boot, pain, and new boots this season.

[Mr Level]

try hiking in them and see,

what is the shell fit like?
(remove line, toes to the front, how much room behind your heel and the shell? 5-15mm = good, 15+ = boots too big)

I just tried that and had like 20mm left, although I don't have to much trouble with my boots I was concidering getting new stiffer boots this year to get a better response. But it might just be because my shell isn't the right one?
The shop guy did have to punch out the shell in wide near my toes and adjust the footbed to make it fit good, again I like my boots, but want a much better response... I do get a good/fast response when I put all the buckles realy thight but then my foots starts to hurt after a while.

btw they're last years Nordica Supercharger Ignitions, which should be somewhere in between soft and stiff???

Sorry for hi-jacking this thread, but didn't want to make a new one for possibly the same subject

[mntlion]

Will that just mean a few more days of breaking it in - or will this be too short?

yes

no

I just tried that and had like 20mm left, although I don't have to much trouble with my boots I was concidering getting new stiffer boots this year to get a better response. But it might just be because my shell isn't the right one?

yup. boot is too big. may or may not be the right shape, but one size too big.

The shop guy did have to punch out the shell in wide near my toes and adjust the footbed to make it fit good, again I like my boots, but want a much better response... I do get a good/fast response when I put all the buckles realy thight but then my foots starts to hurt after a while.

if you have the right shell shape, and size you can leave the buckles loose and have the basic shell shape hold you in place.
smaller boots = buckles looser = less hurt.



btw they're last years Nordica Supercharger Ignitions, which should be somewhere in between soft and stiff???
[/QUOTE]

[Mr Level]

nice, thanks for the info! I'll go and have talk with the guy from my shop next week hehe