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eroon

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Hello, for my first post I wanted to thank @Philpug for being brave enough to (re)make this community (as someone who appreciated his and everyone's valuable advice from epicski)

I am in some very old boots (& stock liners) that served me well but have probably held back my ability because how old and packed out they are.

Originally I thought now is the perfect time of year to score a good deal on new boots ---- but I think I'm ready to have a full fitting service and am interested in the boot, liner (zipfit? bootdoc?), and footbeds if needed. Reading other people's posts it sounds like some people go in again after a week or much longer for re-fitting and fine-tuning.

Question is: with the season winding down, is a full boot-fitting service a bad idea at this time of year? Personally might have only a few rather sporadic half-days to ski on them before end of season. Might it be smarter to wait for next season? For a full-service deal, will the price be vastly different based on time of year?

----

I'm also madly reading every thread I can find about boots, liners, footbeds and boot fitting, but I find it more frustrating than looking for opinions about skis because of how different people's feet and bodies are. I'm not coming away with any one particular informed set of opinions or things to look for when shopping. Maybe that's the point and why a boot-fitter is the only way to figure out what will work for me.

Or am I doing something wrong? (Are there better brands for narrow low volume feet vs high volume? Are there better brands or ranges of flex to focus on for light vs heavy body weight? etc)
 
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Tricia

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Welcome!
A fitting is not a bad idea this time of year if you go to a fitter who will be straight forward about his/her inventory and make sure you're in the right boot, not just what's left in stock.
As for skiing and getting back into the shop for tweaking, you can do that now or next season. Most good fitters will stand behind he work for at least a couple seasons.
 

LiquidFeet

instructor
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I prefer to go when the shop is fully stocked, probably in October. Call ahead for an apt, as others in the know do this too. Same as Sibhusky ... I''m budget conscious about everything but the boots.
 

Philpug

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I prefer to go when the shop is fully stocked, probably in October. Call ahead for an apt, as others in the know do this too. Same as Sibhusky ... I''m budget conscious about everything but the boots.
If there is still a leftover boot that that time, we will still have that option.
 

Alexzn

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Depends on how much you trust the fitter. A good fitter can make almost every boot fit well enough, however the penalty is that every modification has an impact on the other areas o the boot, overlaps that get out of alignment and may have a tendency to leak more, etc. Plastic stretched too thin, Tape that seals cut liners may and will come off eventually. So it make sense to start with a boot that requires the least amount of adjustments. Ideally a fitter would tell you- you need boot A, we don't have it now in your size, come in the Fall. On the other hand a shop employee needs to move merchandise, so the other scenario is the fitter picking the best of what is left and making it work, which will give you all the disadvantages outlined above. For a disclaimer, a great fitter starting with a wrong shell will still get better results than a mediocre fitter starting with the right one. Going to a bootfitter in the spring is vastly more preferable to going to a big box store in the fall (or any season :-0).
 
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eroon

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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May 11, 2019
Posts
5
Location
Cerus12
Welcome!
A fitting is not a bad idea this time of year if you go to a fitter who will be straight forward about his/her inventory and make sure you're in the right boot, not just what's left in stock.
As for skiing and getting back into the shop for tweaking, you can do that now or next season. Most good fitters will stand behind he work for at least a couple seasons.

Thanks, Tricia! What does a fitter do if they get the sense their customer would be better in a boot they don't currently have in stock? Tell them to come back? Take a rain check? That'd be a brave businessperson - I have a hard time imagining a boot fitter who would tell someone to come back in 6 months if they have money to spend today, even if they are otherwise a great fitter.

@Alexzn I posted near the same time you did, but you pretty much addressed exactly what I'm asking
 

Philpug

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Thanks, Tricia! What does a fitter do if they get the sense their customer would be better in a boot they don't currently have in stock? Tell them to come back? Take a rain check? That'd be a brave businessperson - I have a hard time imagining a boot fitter who would tell someone to come back in 6 months if they have money to spend today, even if they are otherwise a great fitter.

@Alexzn I posted near the same time you did, but you pretty much addressed exactly what I'm asking
A good fitter does not want to deal with the hassels of slamming someone in the wrong boot, it takes too much time with follow up visits and chasing ghosts. Personally, I woudl sooner lose a sale than deal with the wrong boot for the wrong fit. I have no problem telling a person that I don't the boot for them. In the long run I am saving them and myself hassles.
 

François Pugh

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Thanks, Tricia! What does a fitter do if they get the sense their customer would be better in a boot they don't currently have in stock? Tell them to come back? Take a rain check? That'd be a brave businessperson - I have a hard time imagining a boot fitter who would tell someone to come back in 6 months if they have money to spend today, even if they are otherwise a great fitter.

@Alexzn I posted near the same time you did, but you pretty much addressed exactly what I'm asking
That's exactly what a good boot fitter does if he does not have your boot in stock, tell you to come back in October.
 

David

"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"
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The best thing to take away from your online searching is finding the best boot fitter in your area! Forget all about this hoot or that boot and talk with your fitter about what and how you ski. They will point you in the right direction.
 

Alexzn

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A boot fitter guarantees the fit, big box store gives you a return policy. Those are not the same things. The fit guarantee means that the fitter would try very hard not to put you in the boot that is to big or totally unsuitable in any other ways.
 

David

"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"
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A boot fitter guarantees the fit, big box store gives you a return policy. Those are not the same things. The fit guarantee means that the fitter would try very hard not to put you in the boot that is to big or totally unsuitable in any other ways.
And a big box store will almost always put you in the wrong size and boot! I've even had allegedly good boot fitter's return my money a few times when they couldn't get me fit. Find the best fitter you can!
 

Wilhelmson

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Once you find a reputable fitter why not call and ask if it's worth stopping by. If they have some inventory in your size and you have time it wouldn't hurt and you might get a good price.
 

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