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East Coast Skier - First time gear buyer

surfsnowgirl

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@AngryAnalyst Have you been to see Nick Blaylock at Mount Snow Boot Works. He's been our go to guy for a few years now. I have a pain in the a$$ right foot that needs lots of customization and Nick is the reason I can ski. I go see him when they open Columbus weekend for new boots or pre season tweaks when I'm not getting new boots. He's amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

AngryAnalyst

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@AngryAnalyst Have you been to see Nick Blaylock at Mount Snow Boot Works. He's been our go to guy for a few years now. I have a pain in the a$$ right foot that needs lots of customization and Nick is the reason I can ski. I go see him when they open Columbus weekend for new boots or pre season tweaks when I'm not getting new boots. He's amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have not yet, perhaps worth trying. I know it’s not fair to generalize like I did :)

It’s just so frustrating...

Deleted the post
 
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surfsnowgirl

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Have not yet, perhaps worth trying. I know it’s not fair to generalize like I did :)

It’s just so frustrating...

Deleted the post

I understand. I had a bad boot fitting experience before went to him and he got me into some proper fitting boots and it's been a game changer for me. Nick is great, everyone's heard of him. He sees a lot of instructors and examiners. He often leads PSIA clinics himself. My examiner when i was at Sugarbush has been to Nick. He's appeared on national lists of the best fitters. Not saying he's perfect but we call him St. Nick for a reason :). Even if you never ski mount snow it's worth it. Free tweaks included with boot purchases. His entire staff is good. Tom is my backup if Nick is ever unavailable. He's this super cool, mellow guy that gets it.
 

Uncle-A

In the words of Paul Simon "You can call me Al"
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If you come across the river to NJ one of the better ski shops is Ski Barn and they have two location in South Jersey that are not that far away from your location. I can't recommend any special boot fitter but the business has a good reputation as a professional shop. They are not known for their low prices but they do have good services.
 

tinymoose

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My feet are actually not that small, despite me being only 5'1" and 105 lbs. I'm a street shoe size 7 and measure a 23/23.5 on a Brannock device. I am in 22/22.5 boots though, for other fit reasons. Definitely get her to a fitter. Like someone else said, her having such small feet may or may not be a good thing this late in the season. Either places won't have that size b/c they sold the few pairs they had or they'll have some left b/c it's a less common size. Junior race boots may be another option for. Dieter at Alpina (near Jack Frost) carries Head junior race boots. Not sure what he has in 21.5 outside junior ski boots?

As far as skis, at her size she could definitely get away with junior skis (I've had junior skis before and currently have a pair of junior slalom skis) but she doesn't have to get junior skis. There are plenty of shorter women's skis too. I've owned women's skis from 142-149 cm. Just make sure if she does get junior skis that they're wood core and not foam core. Some kids skis are foam core so beware.
 
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MikeW Philly

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Wife and I will be at Alpina Friday to get fitted by Dieter. Will be interesting to see what she comes in at for size at the fitting.

If she gets forced into a junior boot we will obviously have to go that way skis wise. But we will see. Fitting first, then decisions on gear.
 

tinymoose

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Wife and I will be at Alpina Friday to get fitted by Dieter. Will be interesting to see what she comes in at for size at the fitting.

If she gets forced into a junior boot we will obviously have to go that way skis wise. But we will see. Fitting first, then decisions on gear.

It depends on the toe lug on the boots. Some junior boots over a certain size will have adult toe lugs. I've mixed and matched junior ski boots with adults skis and vice versa. Just depends on the toe lug and the binding on the ski; some bindings can take junior or adult toe lugs.
 

laine

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Good luck, from someone who skis in a true 22.5 (street shoe women's 6.5). Hope you find some 21.5 (or 20.5?) options! And to @Tricia's point, I don't think you'll get much more insight on SkiDiva. It's really about trying on as many boots as possible (tough at this point in the season, in that size) and working with a qualified bootfitter.
 

Analisa

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@MikeW Philly - lots of options for how to still get her on a women's ski even if she ends up in a junior boot. The women’s Head skis with track bindings mostly come with a Joy 11 adult binding, but the Pure & Absolut Joys come with the junior-friendly Joy AC 9, and if she ends up going for one of the stiffer skis that comes with the 11, they’re interchangeable. Finding them for sale separately or finding someone to swap the 9 for an 11 just can be tricky Or you could go with non-track bindings and skis, like the Marker 7 on the Volkl Kama or an options from the nordica Astral line would be a pretty potent combo for a smaller progressing skier.

I have a few friends that I ski with who are shorter than me (5-2) and you really have to be your own advocate sometimes. Friends have been told a boot doesn’t come in a 21.5 when it does, our store just sticks to Junior boots in that size. Or I’ve had 3 friends get sold on a touring binding where the DIN range is too high for them. The right products are out there, but sometimes it takes a bit of research or a few emails to manufacturers to make sure you’re getting the right ones.
 
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MikeW Philly

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Well I want t thank everybody for the advice and direction. We pick up the gear next week from the shop but we both ended up getting fitted today. My wife didn't have too much of an option in terms of boots it turns out she is a 20.5. Fortunately the shop had one in store (short cuff though) and we were able to confirm it fit her perfectly. Can't think of the brand/name but they've got a full youth race boot being shipped in from another shop (can't think of brandsince we won't purchase until we test the fit Friday).

Dieter pointed her towards the Zest LS ELW for skis. Friday we pick up the gear and as long as the weather holds, we will probably swing by Jack Frost for a few hours to try and break them in and well try it out.
 

Wendy

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Well I want t thank everybody for the advice and direction. We pick up the gear next week from the shop but we both ended up getting fitted today. My wife didn't have too much of an option in terms of boots it turns out she is a 20.5. Fortunately the shop had one in store (short cuff though) and we were able to confirm it fit her perfectly. Can't think of the brand/name but they've got a full youth race boot being shipped in from another shop (can't think of brandsince we won't purchase until we test the fit Friday).

Dieter pointed her towards the Zest LS ELW for skis. Friday we pick up the gear and as long as the weather holds, we will probably swing by Jack Frost for a few hours to try and break them in and well try it out.

Yay! Glad this worked out. I am late to this thread since I have been at Alta all week and pretty much off the internet during that time.

Dieter and his wife Kim will do everything possible to make you happy customers!
 
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MikeW Philly

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Yay! Glad this worked out. I am late to this thread since I have been at Alta all week and pretty much off the internet during that time.

Dieter and his wife Kim will do everything possible to make you happy customers!

Definitely can tell that. They were both wonderful and very helpful with picking out everything - especially the boots for my wife. Can't thank you enough for pointing us their way and we let them know we only found it because of you and Pugski also.
 

Wilhelmson

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Well I want t thank everybody for the advice and direction. We pick up the gear next week from the shop but we both ended up getting fitted today. My wife didn't have too much of an option in terms of boots it turns out she is a 20.5. Fortunately the shop had one in store (short cuff though) and we were able to confirm it fit her perfectly. Can't think of the brand/name but they've got a full youth race boot being shipped in from another shop (can't think of brandsince we won't purchase until we test the fit Friday).

Dieter pointed her towards the Zest LS ELW for skis. Friday we pick up the gear and as long as the weather holds, we will probably swing by Jack Frost for a few hours to try and break them in and well try it out.

May I ask what you ended up paying for a full boot and ski purchase? Might be useful for others in a similar situation who are guided towards a full service shop purchase.
 

Philpug

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Well I want t thank everybody for the advice and direction. We pick up the gear next week from the shop but we both ended up getting fitted today. My wife didn't have too much of an option in terms of boots it turns out she is a 20.5. Fortunately the shop had one in store (short cuff though) and we were able to confirm it fit her perfectly. Can't think of the brand/name but they've got a full youth race boot being shipped in from another shop (can't think of brandsince we won't purchase until we test the fit Friday).

Dieter pointed her towards the Zest LS ELW for skis. Friday we pick up the gear and as long as the weather holds, we will probably swing by Jack Frost for a few hours to try and break them in and well try it out.
20.5? what boot did they end up putting her in?
 
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MikeW Philly

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May I ask what you ended up paying for a full boot and ski purchase? Might be useful for others in a similar situation who are guided towards a full service shop purchase.

Absolutely. So one item to be aware of is that everything was 30% off with the season ending. So I think we ended up in a good spot, I have the Volkl Kanjo as an east coast single ski (when I get into sports/hobbies I go nuts so I'll probably add a second ski next year at some point) and Technica Mach MV boots. After adding the bindings the ski package for me was $889. There was a cheaper version with bindings included (would have saved me about $200) but after discussing my preferred skiing I went with the Volkl.

I haven't been charged for my wife's boots as they only had a shorty in her size to test fit her size so the full boot is being shipped this week and we will pick up friday. I'll update the cost for her boot then but the Skis were only $319 with bindings. I'm sure her boot is no more than $300 and likely closer to $200.

We also both picked up helmets but that was a perosnal choice/addition factor in $100-$200 with the 30% of there.

20.5? what boot did they end up putting her in?

Because we haven't been billed for it - has to be shipped in from a shop and they want her to test it in shop even though we tried a shorty version - I can't rememebr the brand. We head back to the store Friday and I'll get the brand. I know it's a youth race boot though.
 

Philpug

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Absolutely. So one item to be aware of is that everything was 30% off with the season ending. So I think we ended up in a good spot, I have the Volkl Kanjo as an east coast single ski (when I get into sports/hobbies I go nuts so I'll probably add a second ski next year at some point) and Technica Mach MV boots. After adding the bindings the ski package for me was $889. There was a cheaper version with bindings included (would have saved me about $200) but after discussing my preferred skiing I went with the Volkl.

I haven't been charged for my wife's boots as they only had a shorty in her size to test fit her size so the full boot is being shipped this week and we will pick up friday. I'll update the cost for her boot then but the Skis were only $319 with bindings. I'm sure her boot is no more than $300 and likely closer to $200.

We also both picked up helmets but that was a perosnal choice/addition factor in $100-$200 with the 30% of there.



Because we haven't been billed for it - has to be shipped in from a shop and they want her to test it in shop even though we tried a shorty version - I can't rememebr the brand. We head back to the store Friday and I'll get the brand. I know it's a youth race boot though.
A 20.5 will have a junior lug, make sure whatever binding they put her in is an AC (Adult/Child) binding.
 

Wendy

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A 20.5 will have a junior lug, make sure whatever binding they put her in is an AC (Adult/Child) binding.

I am sure they will....Dieter is used to this situation so he is careful to do that. ogsmile

And I am thinking the junior race boots are Heads.....
 

Philpug

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I am sure they will....Dieter is used to this situation so he is careful to do that. ogsmile

And I am thinking the junior race boots are Heads.....
The EL9.0 is not an AC binding, that was my only concern. The EL 7.5 is an AC.
 

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