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Buying boots online. Yes or no?

BMC

Out on the slopes
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What are your thoughts on buying boots online? Not covid related,(as there is a thread on that already) just in general.

If this has been discussed in other threads feel free to direct me there.
Only if you’re buying an identical boot to one already fitted by a boot fitter, and which fits without notable modification.
 

JimL

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Look, it's really simple. The importance of ski boots comes from this one fundamental fact: your skis are connected to your body by your boots. The ONLY control you have over your skis comes through your boots - the fit of the boot to the bottom, sides, and top of your foot, your ankle and your lower calf. Moreover, your ability to feel what the skis are doing, and to balance on your skis, comes directly from your boot. The better the fit, the more feel, balance and control, the worse the fit, the less feel, balance and control. Until we have the ability to remotely scan your feet, ankles and lower calves and put them into a computer to select the perfect fitting boot and/or build the perfect fitting liner, the only way to way to ensure a good fit is to find a good boot fitter who can interact with you to select the best fitting boot from the selection available and then further modify it as needed to ensure the best possible fit and comfort, commensurate with your ability and goals. That is why it is so important to spend the time and money to get boots fitted. That is why ski racers, who may choose different skis for every race, will use the same boots for years until the soles are worn down and they are almost falling apart (there is an old picture of Ingemar Stenmark's boots when he was racing, with plastic pieces glued onto the bottom so it would still fit snugly in the bindings).
 
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BLspruce2

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I agree with everyone's consensus but there is one exception worth noting. If you find a boot you love and fits perfect consider buying a second pair online cheap as it gets phased out. Getting the right boot is so rare that its sometimes worth ordering a second pair dirt cheap as the boot becomes older and priced down to move inventory.
 

Aquila

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I agree with everyone's consensus but there is one exception worth noting. If you find a boot you love and fits perfect consider buying a second pair online cheap as it gets phased out. Getting the right boot is so rare that its sometimes worth ordering a second pair dirt cheap as the boot becomes older and priced down to move inventory.

Oooh that's the dream, for sure. My boots, liners and insoles have had an entire seasons worth of modifications done to get them dialed, and at this point I'm scared to let them out of my sight :geek:

Although at this point, if anything awful did happen to them, I think my fitter and I would be able to dial in a new set of boots and liners much more quickly. It took us quite a long time to get to aftermarket liners but it turned out that they're probably non-negotiable for me, at least without going to a much narrower boot (probably a race boot).
 

dovski

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So I agree a good boot fitter is worth their weight in gold, and I have several good friends who are the only people I trust to fit me and my family. That said when my kids were young I bought their boots online but then paid for custom insoles and mods to ensure a great fit. In my sons case we found that his foot was a great fit for the Technica Inferno JR boot and ended up buying them in pretty much every size he will need in a jr boot but at a crazy cheap price where if they did not work it was not a big deal. Now every year my buddy makes him a new pair of footbeds and heat molds the liners and we are all good ... this is the extreme situation and very unsual. For my older girls and wife we bought from the shop where my buddy works and had them boots custom fit there ... worth every penny and then some. In my case they had the Lange SX 120 in stock which fit me great but not the 130 so they told me to find one online and then fitted it for me because they felt that would be easier and faster than trying to order it in - but I had the full custom fitting etc. before buying. This year I am likely getting some custom liners for these boots through my buddy's store as I have discover Lange boot liners are not that warm :)

Long story short, buying boots online his hit or miss (usually a miss) and even if you find the right boot you should still spend a little extra for custom fitting and mods. Unless you know exactly what you need or are able to buy stuff at crazy cheap prices I would strongly recommend against it.
 

Vinnie

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If your shell size is a men's 24.5 mondo, like me, you might not have much choice but to buy online. In my case I 'shelled' out (pun intended) for 3 different boots then made an appointment with a boot fitter to decide which one to keep and returned the others.
 

markojp

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If your shell size is a men's 24.5 mondo, like me, you might not have much choice but to buy online. In my case I 'shelled' out (pun intended) for 3 different boots then made an appointment with a boot fitter to decide which one to keep and returned the others.

During Oct/Nov, it shouldn't be too difficult to find a 24.5.
 

KingGrump

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I am a 24.5. Never had a issue finding boots.
 

SBrown

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I have definitely had issues finding 24.5s in retail stock.
 

Philpug

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I have definitely had issues finding 24.5s in retail stock.
This problem is two fold. 24.5 is the most popular women's size and 24.5 for a men's boot is way at the front edge of the bell curve. Better boots shops will carry the latter, but rarely not more than one size per model and in some cases not all models.
 

SBrown

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This problem is two fold. 24.5 is the most popular women's size and 24.5 for a men's boot is way at the front edge of the bell curve. Better boots shops will carry the latter, but rarely not more than one size per model and in some cases not all models.

Yes, I meant "men's" (as @Vinnie pointed out); I haven't had a 24.5 issue on the women's side.
 

Philpug

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Yes, I meant "men's" (as @Vinnie pointed out); I haven't had a 24.5 issue on the women's side.
Watching how I say this....While you might not be looking for a women's low cuff fluffy 24.5...they do tend to be the first to sell out...no matter how many a shop stocks.
 

SBrown

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Watching how I say this....While you might not be looking for a women's low cuff fluffy 24.5...

Heh, this is why I haven't had a hard time finding a 24.5 women's boot -- I've only ever looked for one, and it was in November ...
 

Aquila

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Now finding a womens narrow fit 22.5.... slightly more of a challenge, I can say from experience! I bought mine pre-season as well, while the shops had their maximum stock levels.
 

KingGrump

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I usually get my boots in early October. Full sizes and model selection available. Special orders are usually delivered in a week or two.
 

Calbearski

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A 24.5 size boot has always been a challenge for me to locate, particularly with a 130 flex. Once I found a shop in Tahoe that regularly stocks small sizes, I purchased from their brick and mortar store and had them modify the boots including adding sole cants and doing sole grinding, I liked the boots so much (Tecnica Mach 1 130) I found another new pair on line cheap and bought them, but only because it was the same boot. So now I'm covered for years to come if Tecnica changes the boot.
 

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