The other day I had my semi-annual boot fitting appointment.
Correct. If you don't have an appointment, it might not be boot fitting! Or it might. Depending. But make an appointment. Then no one has to worry. It will take a while, so pee first.
Anyway, there I was sitting on a wooden box with my pants rolled up over my highly attractive chicken-calves, while a guy stared at my toes like they were some kind of oracle. We were in a room that looked like a large, somewhat messy storage closet.
A family was browsing the adjacent treasure trove of mittens, goggles, helmets, protective gear, bindings, wax, tuning equipment, poles, and, of course, skis. The apparent dad ducked his head in the door and said, "I'm not seeing your boots."
"Nope," said the boot fitter.
This is Maine, after all.
Finally he added, "We only do boots by appointment."
See!
Since this is the new skiers' forum, I thought it would be good to put up some pics of what we're really talking about when we talk about boot fitters. Bottom line, if everything looks shiny and new and pretty, that probably ain't it. There's a gritty element to boot work; don't leave the lodge without it.
Thus Spake Bootathustra
PS: Note the 3D anatomical foot models.