What are mags choosing for new boots these days?

[gregL]

Been in Lupo 130 C’s for the past 5ish seasons. Went in to my fitter looking for a new resort boot and expected to be put in a krypton. Instead he’s suggesting a size smaller pro machine is probably the ticket.

I have an average width foot on the small side with a high instep. Ski 40-50 resort days in whis a year, average “expert” skier who likes playing around and skiing steep / tight stuff.

My riding friends all ride their measured sizes and come from higher level racing and mogul backgrounds - they’ve warned me about the perils of downsizing, so I’m a bit leery. Should I get a second opinion?

What did they measure your foot with? If a Brannock, expert skiers typically go a size smaller. If a digital scanner of some sort, it depends.

[Bamski]

They used a brannock. Interesting.

[stuntedalbatross]

I've been running my hawx xtd with GW soles in a few different pairs of sth bindings, no prerelease and release when I want to. I was under the impression that they were marketed as gw compatible, or am I getting that confused with WTR?

[gregL]

I've been running my hawx xtd with GW soles in a few different pairs of sth bindings, no prerelease and release when I want to. I was under the impression that they were marketed as gw compatible, or am I getting that confused with WTR?

You are confusing the two sole types, but it's OK. Initially Amer said the WTR STH2 was not compatible with GripWalk, but it was partially a political call (Salomon invented WTR, Marker invented GripWalk) - after a year or so they changed their position and said GripWalk was OK in WTR bindings (actually it always worked fine, and the infinite vertical adjustment of the STH2 toe was arguably much better for slight deviations in GripWalk architecture than a 1-and-done Alpine position). The MNC bindings (including the new STH2 16) are the only ones that work with ISO 9523 Touring soles.

[gregL]

They used a brannock. Interesting.

I put an advanced skier who logs around 12-20 days in their measured length on the Brannock. For expert chargers, or those with a "history" (ex-racers, etc.) I normally drop half to a full size from the Brannock measurement. With the Verifyt app, the measured length (give or take .5 mondo) is the "expert" size. The other digital scanners (Fischer, Corpus-e) provide very similar results; normally 5-7mm shorter than the Brannock depending on heel shape (if your heel doesn't fit into the Brannock curve well it can be more).

Just putting your foot against the wall and measuring the distance with a centimeter ruler is usually in between the Brannock and digital methods.

Shell fit is the measurement that counts. With a bare foot in the boot, expert skiers typically shoot for a 10-15mm shell fit, average/advanced skiers typically 15-25, wussies who don't ski much 25mm and up depending on perceived pain level. A foot that measures 26.5 on the dot on the Brannock will normally have a 22-23mm shell fit in a 26.5 boot. Sizing down usually requires access to decent bootfitting services.