Small and Wide AT men's boot issues

[Drazzamatazz]

I know there's some pretty experienced people here, looking for a bit of insight.

Just had a bootfitting appointment with my girlfriend. She's the lucky owner of a pair of new Tecnica ZeroG Tours. Local shop didn't have squat for me though...

Tried on a pair of the older ZeroG's, they were concerned they amount they'd need to widen them would be pushing it.

They recommended another shop, but its nearly 2 hours away so I was hoping for some online suggestions before I commit to the drive.

My problems were that my foot is both small and wide. Any recommendations for something like a 24.5 mondo and 102 last?

[Ville]

I have 26.5 foot 104mm wide, ended up buying 26 Lange xt Free 130 with good footbeds. Haven't skied them yet, but always so accurate shop feeling told me that they probably doesn't need any work. Not the lightest option, but worth to take look if you're short on options.

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[gregL]

Not many bootfitters will be willing to go out on a limb and say a particular boot can be made to fit you without seeing your foot in person. Sounds like you need to see such a person, preferably one experienced in making light Grilamid shells wider. A 2 hour drive isn't such a big deal to find the right person.

That said, starting with a 103mm nominal last in a 26.5 mondopoint is usually a better place to start than a 99mm last if you are really challenged in terms of forefoot width. Think Scott Cosmos II or III, Dynafit TLT7 or Hoji . . .

[XXX-er]

24.5 is same shell as 24 so OP is actualy in a 24 same as me, the problem is your feet are so fucking small that mens boot sizes don't go there so you only fit in womens sizes which are for a lighter person and probably narrower in the toe besides the un-manly colors

I weigh 160 so i can crush most chick boots that will fit me, I also have a narrow heel/skinny ankles/wide forefoot so I was in a Garmont Xena which was the powder blue chick version of the mens endorphin which had enough toe room but I regularly loosened all the screws and fasteners just skiing along

then I got the mercury and vulcans which are unisex sizing from size 22 on up, that boot is plenty stiff and fits my wide forefoot with no punches fine BUT using a pwer wrap liner, i duno if you can still get it

I suspect the scott cosmo would also work

[Drazzamatazz]

I agree that the 2 hour drive isn't too bad, and I totally intend on only getting whichever boot works best with my foot. Just hoping for some potential models that could work so I know if the shop might have things I should be trying on.
I sent an email to the recommended shop, hopefully they will tell me they have ideas.
Hadn't realized the Hoji was such a wide last, thanks for the tip.

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[Drazzamatazz]

24.5 is same shell as 24 so OP is actualy in a 24 same as me, the problem is your feet are so fucking small that mens boot sizes don't go there so you only fit in womens sizes which are for a lighter person and probably narrower in the toe besides the un-manly colors

I weigh 160 so i can crush most chick boots that will fit me, I also have a narrow heel/skinny ankles/wide forefoot so I was in a Garmont Xena which was the powder blue chick version of the mens endorphin which had enough toe room but I regularly loosened all the screws and fasteners just skiing along

then I got the mercury and vulcans which are unisex sizing from size 22 on up, that boot is plenty stiff and fits my wide forefoot with no punches fine BUT using a pwer wrap liner, i duno if you can still get it

I suspect the scott cosmo would also work

Glad to hear I'm not alone. Was a little bummed as my girlfriend seemed to be a perfect fit with the ZeroG (which is what she was hoping for) then they got to me and went "ut oh".
I'm also like 165 lbs, so I suspect I would overpower most women's boots.

Just saw the Hoji and Scott Cosmos both start at 25 for a shell size...maybe women's are unisex?

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[grskier]

make a day of it, take the girl out to a nice restaurant after you already broke the bank on some new boots.

[iriponsnow]

Fwiw, go to a fitter & look at the FT Ascendant. I’ve got a wide foot & usually ended up in a 25 plus work, but was able to got to a 24 FT w/ way better fit.

[gregL]

Just saw the Hoji and Scott Cosmos both start at 25 for a shell size...maybe women's are unisex?

Not sure if the Hoji Pro Tour Women's is the same boot as the men's, but they don't downgrade the materials and testers have found the W's model very stout. Scott Celeste may also be the same boot as the Cosmos, but not sure I could deal with the color. Maestrale and Gea RS also seem to be the same boot, just different buckle colors - starts as a 101mm last but super easy to punch for more width for the right bootfitter.

[reckless toboggan]

FWIW. I have a pair of basically brand new Garmont Radiums in a 25.0 which is the same as most other companies 24.5 shell size. The width should be fine.

$100CAD plus shipping?

[Drazzamatazz]

I contacted the 2 hour away shop my local recommended saying I was having issues finding the right boot, mentioned a few my local thought would be worth trying. The response I got was literally "We don't carry A. boot. We also don't have B. boot in your size."
Kind of lame customer service, no mention of being able/wanting to help. Doesn't really make me want to drive out there if it seems like they may not be able to help.
Looks like our first ski day is probably getting rained out tomorrow, so might just keep my fingers crossed and take the drive.

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[XXX-er]

womens scott celeste goes small enough

If I had to replace the Vulcan right now I would look at the Atomic hawx ultra XTD cuz it goes to 24.5 which is same as 24 and the shell is heat moldable so you might get enough width

ski boots break on the full size so a 24 is the same shell as 24.5, the exception is scarpa where they break on the half size which means 24.5 and 25 are the same shell

[turnfarmer]

Hope for wide feet, find the right fitter-

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...t=#post5297999

See pics in post #8

[rainy512day]

I’m in a 24.5 mondo shell and have wide (E?) forefoot. I tried on a 24.5 Lange XT Free 110 and was surprised how well they fit.

[rainy512day]

I contacted the 2 hour away shop my local recommended saying I was having issues finding the right boot, mentioned a few my local thought would be worth trying. The response I got was literally "We don't carry A. boot. We also don't have B. boot in your size."
Kind of lame customer service, no mention of being able/wanting to help. Doesn't really make me want to drive out there if it seems like they may not be able to help.
Looks like our first ski day is probably getting rained out tomorrow, so might just keep my fingers crossed and take the drive.

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It’s really hard to find a men’s 24.5 boot locally. Last time around I scoured the online shops and ordered 4 different boots. Tried them on at home for a few days and then took 2 of them to a local boot fitter before settling on one to keep. It’s a lot of cash shell out upfront but then I sent the other 3 back so it worked out.

[bigdude2468]

Wide EE feet, took me three pair before I got it right. I had BD Quadrant's and they were plenty wide but overall the fit was just weird. Fine in some areas and swimming in others. Then went to Atomic Waymakers that fit fine but Atomic's 115 boot is about 90, almost impossible to ski. I was convinced the walk / ski mode was broken but nah, they skied like Sorel's. Bought Scott Cosmo's II's and they are great. Fit my wide foot and ski just fine. I think you are going to have to find another boot fitter than the one two hours away. Doesn't sound like they said anything on the phone that would instill much confidence. If it were me I would find the best boot fitter I could and talk to them and ask about helping you with boots you did not buy from them. Some are ok with that others are not so enthusiastic.

[Drazzamatazz]

Went to the bootfitter 2 hours away this afternoon. While he has very helpful, they didn't have anything in stock for me. After a bunch of chatting (and trying on some women's boots to get a fit idea) he kind of agreed as long as I was willing to spend the money it'd probably be worth ordering a few boots online to find a close fit and then bring them in to be worked on. He said he'd be totally willing to work with me if my local shop had concerns. So here's the boots I think I'm going to order, though need to decide on which flex for most of them:
Dalbello Lupo - both he and my local shop thought this could be a good candidate
Salomon MTN - he had we try on the women's model, felt pretty good though way to soft
Atomic Hawx
Scott Cosmos

While we are at it, any one have any bootfitter recommendations in the North East?

[XXX-er]

Is your whole foot wide or just the forefoot ?

cuz I believe a Salomon MTN is really big around the ankles and folks wind up with a sloppy fit after a season ?

[XXX-er]

Is your whole foot wide or just the forefoot ?

cuz I believe a Salomon MTN is really big around the ankles and folks wind up with a sloppy fit after a season ?

I've seen a guy bring 7 pair of boots into the Intuition factory outlet

[Drazzamatazz]

I’d read some complaints about the MTN, blistering being the big one. I’m not certain what counts as wide, but my ankle bones are as wide as my forefoot, so that seems relatively wide to me.
Good info to keep in mind though, I’d hate to have to go through this process again next year.

[adrenalated]

Here's the deal. "Mens" boots smaller than 25 or 26 are extremely rare to find in stock. The reason is very few men have feet that small and it doesn't make financial sense for shops to stock smaller. I'm a 25/26 and it's hard for me to find boots in stock.

But you're in luck! It depends on the boots, but it's extremely rare for boot companies to make a completely different shell mold for a "womens" boot than a "mens," particularly in AT boots. The differences between "mens" and "womens" AT boots are generally:
-color
-the sizes they are offered in
-sometimes a difference in the liner. If it's an Intuition, once you mold it, you won't be able to tell.
-some brands don't sell the stiffest flex in a line of boots as a women's model. Some brands sell the same range of models but soften the flex slightly on the "womens" boots

So don't get so hung up on mens vs womens boots. In a 24 shell, you're probably going to need to try on primarily womens boots, sorry. As long as you can get over this affront to your masculinity, most of the time there's very little difference between this and the mens boot. The shape of the shell is generally identical.

[ticketchecker]

I’m in a 24.5 also. When I’m shopping I order online to try on. It’s worth paying return shipping on the ones I don’t keep.

[gregL]

Dalbello Lupo - both he and my local shop thought this could be a good candidate
Salomon MTN - he had we try on the women's model, felt pretty good though way to soft
Atomic Hawx
Scott Cosmos

It's the Lupo AX series (men's or women's) you're looking for, it has a fairly roomy forefoot. The Lupo 130C and Pro are quite narrow/low volume.

You realize the Salomon MTN boots have a 98mm forefoot and fairly pointy toe, right? (heel is pretty loose, though). Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD (the only one with a walk mode at present) are also on the narrow side (98mm last) but have decent instep height.

[Drazzamatazz]

I’ve definitely been willing to try on women’s boots, still having an inventory problem in my location. Guess I’ll just place an order for a few grand on Backcountry/Evo and return whichever don’t fit. Going to order a handful of whatever they carry, men’s or women’s, in 24.5 and become my own local boot shop it seems.

[Drazzamatazz]

It's the Lupo AX series (men's or women's) you're looking for, it has a fairly roomy forefoot. The Lupo 130C and Pro are quite narrow/low volume.

You realize the Salomon MTN boots have a 98mm forefoot and fairly pointy toe, right? (heel is pretty loose, though). Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD (the only one with a walk mode at present) are also on the narrow side (98mm last) but have decent instep height.

I tried on the women’s MTN today. Other than way over flexing it since it was a 90, it seems like it could work. Instep was the only spot that felt somewhat off.