IF THE BOOT FITS
Besides winter clothing, the sport of skiing requires skis, bindings, boots and perhaps poles in order to slide down a hill. Of these items, boots are the most important for providing comfort, efficiency and therefore fun in your skiing. They should therefore rank as the top priority item in your skiing budget.
Boots must meet several criteria to fulfill their function as the ideal connection between your feet and the ski.
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They should provide comfort and warmth for your feet. The correct length for the boot will allow your longest toe to lightly touch the front of the boot liner while standing upright. You will be in your boots all day so jammed toes will be cold and miserable. Boots that are too big will not provide adequate contact between your foot and the boot lining causing decreased control of the ski. Modern boots are insulated and allow you to wear a thin sock for good boot contact while keeping you warm while skiing.
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They should provide a solid contact between your foot/ankle and the ski. The goal is to find a boot that grabs your foot, arch, heel, ankle, shin and calf firmly and equally without pressure points. Older boots such as the rear entry types have inadequate buckling adjustments to affect a proper snug fit. As a result, you have to use too much muscular tension to stabilize the foot, thereby hindering your natural range of motion in the foot and ankle. Different brands of boots have different shapes so try them all until you find one best suited to your foot width and shape. Check the boot size by pulling out the liner to see how your foot fits inside the boot. Slide your foot forward so the longest toe is touching inside the front of the empty shell. You should now be able to slide a half inch dowel or the end of a Mini Maglite flashlight between your heel and the rear wall of the boot. Any boot with less than half an inch of space will be too tight and any boot with more than an inch gap will be too loose. Manufacturers now make boots specifically designed for men's or women's foot and calf shapes.
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They should allow adequate ankle flexion/extension but have good lateral stability. Effective movements of skiing require a moderate degree of flexion of the ankle and knee. Your ankles and knees act as shock absorbers when skiing a constantly changing snow surface and must flex accordingly to maintain proper balance and control. To effectively make your shaped ski perform the boot must have good stability laterally and medially so that tipping of the foot and leg will instantly tip the ski onto its edge. With the boot properly buckled and the power strap pulled snug, flex the boot to check that it's not too stiff. The boot in the warmth of the ski shop will be more flexible than when in the cold of the mountain so take this into consideration.
If your leg enters the boot in a neutral stance it will be perpendicular to the boot sole and therefore the bottom of the ski. This means that when you tip the skis by moving your lower legs equally from side to side, the skis will both have an equal edge angle with the snow surface. This equal edge angle allows your shaped skis to track normally in the snow when making turns.
If however you have either a bow-legged or knock-kneed stance your skis will always be at different angles to the snow making them either over or under edged as you make turns. This will significantly affect your ability to make smooth efficient turns. A significant degree of this problem can even be dangerous as a ski will "hook up" as it is over edged making it impossible to release the edge and therefore begin a new turn. We recommend that all of our students have a boot alignment done to assure a neutral and effective stance within your boots. Adjustments to your boots to bring them into alignment should be made by a competent boot technician We have made arrangements with Svein at Sandpoint Sports through Nice Turns to do a complete boot alignment evaluation for a reduced price of $15. Please call him at 265-6163 or stop by at 214 Cedar Street to make an appointment.
So, prepare to spend a major segment of your ski budget on boots that will provide you with comfort and a snug fit which allows precise control of your skis. Find a boot that allows adequate forward flexion but has good lateral stiffness. Once you have found the perfect boot, make certain that it is adjusted to your normal stance to allow good edging and therefore turning of your shaped skis. If the boot fits, you will wear it and have fun on the mountain playground.
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