The best ski boot type for me, confused!

[andymax]

  Hi All,

I am looking for my next new boot but am not sure what kind I need.

I am looking for the best fit possible. To that end I am pretty sure I will be getting ZipFits or Foams. I ski 50/50 pisted and just off piste runs but it may be useful for this season to get a boot which will function in some back country.

I have some Nordica W10's from 2003/2004 which although they are only 70-80 flex I never really felt able to bend my ankles to balance as much as I would like. I bought them not knowing what boots really need to be like and have since found them to be waaaaay to big and I think too tall (size 27.5...I have size 8 feet). I also have had atomic boots from 2001, they were the silver one's with blue baseplates and a black and white chequred pattern on the heel. These were ok but too tight round the ankle, I think they were a touch too small.

Assuming the fit is correct, would the right type of boot for me be the new scarpa or black diamond back country boots (flex on the piste but still with control) or something like the Salomon impact 8's. And if I go soft does this mean I go down to the cheap boots?

Also, modern ski technique dictates as I understand it, to bend at the ankles, so its better to have a soft boot right?

And, foams are stiffer than ZipFits as I understand it, will that impact the choice of shell?


I am a level 1 csia instructor who has skied since he was 7.  I have 2 seasons on snow with a third coming up in Meribel, France this winter. I ski all red's and blacks, have been on a season long expert ski course. Although I am technically pretty good I wouldn't say that I ski super fast (more a technical skiier than balls out fast).

Any help you can offer would be much appreciated and if you are coming over to ski Meribel, France, come on in to the Freeride Ski shop and say hi! I am working there for the season.

Andy


Vital Statistics:
I am 9 and a half stone, or 62kgs, 136lbs.
173cm, 5'9" tall.
Size 8 feet (not shoe size), narrow ankles with bone spurs, medium width (d-e), low forefoot/instep.

[Glenn]

a 27.5 is roughly a 9 and a half. That's a pretty big boot for a size 8! Start out by finding a boot you're comfortable in, then start looking at flex and features. I know that Soloman boots tend to fit me pretty well, so I'll usually go with their boots...then pick out flex and whatnot.

[jim-ratliff]

For me, I have had good luck with Head and Dalbello boots for my "pretty normal" foot.? You may already know all of the following, but see the links below to a previous discussions of boots and getting proper fit and alignment, specifically taking out the lining and determining whether the shell is the right size (and shape to some degree) for your foot.

http://skiforums.org/rev2/index.php?topic=1338.0

http://skiforums.org/rev2/index.php?topic=1372.45