Measure twice. Buy once. Ski Boot Fitting Tips
Whether you’re shopping for ski boots at your local ski shop or buying them online, knowing how to measure and size your foot, plus understanding how a boot should feel, are the first steps to getting the best boot fit. Buy boots that are too small, and you’re guaranteed cramped, sore feet. Buy boots that are too big, and you’re headed down the blister road.
Here are 10 ski boot fit tips for getting your boot fit right the first time.
Ten Tips For the Best Boot Fit
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Measure your foot in centimeters
Ski boots are typically available in what is called mondopoint sizing. Mondopoint is an international sizing system that relates your shoe size directly to your foot’s length in centimeters. For example, mondo point size 27.5 is for feet that measure 27.5 cm in length. It’s a great system because, theoretically, everyone’s 27.5 is the same, unlike the standard US sizing, where brand X’s size 8 is not always the same as brand Y’s size 8. Mondopoint also takes gender out of the equation. It’s simply the length of your foot in centimeters, no matter your gender.
To measure your feet, stand barefoot on a piece of paper and outline one foot at a time. Take extra care to keep the pencil vertical while tracing the heel and big toe (or whichever toe is the longest). Now, measure your foot outline from heel to toe in a straight line. This measurement is your mondopoint size. It’s worth tracing your foot a couple of times and comparing the measures to ensure you’re getting the most accurate measurement possible. It’s my measure twice, buy once mantra.
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Always shell fit a ski boot
Before you slide your foot into a ski boot with a liner, pull the liner out so you can do a shell fit. A shell fit is when you slide your socked foot into the boot without the liner installed. Doing a shell fit helps to determine if the boot is the right size before the feel of the liner influences you.
Wear a thin sock, ideally a lightweight merino ski sock, step into the shell and slide your foot forward until your toes just touch the toe box. With your toes just touching the front, lean forward just a bit, so your knee and ankles begin to bend as if you’re standing on your skis and your weight is evenly distributed through your foot. Now, check the space between your heel and the back of the boot shell. You can do this by reaching into the boot behind your heel with your index and middle fingers crossed (or just your index finger if there’s not room for two fingers).
Generally speaking, for ski touring, you want a one-to-two-finger-wide gap between your heel and the shell when your toes just touch the front. One to two fingers translate to about 12-25mm. If the shell has more than a two-finger-wide gap behind the heel, the boot is too large. If there’s only a single finger gap, you’re looking at a performance fit, which is not for everyone, and you should consider checking the next shell size up.
Next, center your foot from side to side inside the shell, and see if you can fit one finger between the shell and either side of your ankle. Be sure to stand as straight as possible for an accurate measure. Less than a finger’s width will work here, but if your ankle bone is touching the shell, you should probably try a different boot model or brand to see if it offers more clearance.
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Wear them indoors
If the shell fit looks good, and you think you have the right size boots, put the liners in, slide your feet in, buckle them up and walk around a bit. If you’re at home, wear them for an hour or more. Get to know how they feel, where they feel good and where they feel bad. Keep in mind that without molding the liners, they will and should feel snug, maybe even too snug. But until you’re ready to declare them yours, you should not mold the liners. This pre-wearing experience helps inform the next step, heat molding.
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Heat mold the liners
Almost every ski boot on the market comes with a heat-formable liner these days, and once you are sure you have the right boots, you should heat mold them. Most brands will tell you that you don’t have to heat mold the liners and that they will conform to match your feet just through wear. Sure, they will. But if you want the best fit possible, take the time to do a proper heat-molded fit. It makes a big difference for all the little pokey, boney bits (potential hot spots) on your feet.
You can heat mold your ski boot liners at home. I’ve been doing it for years, but it takes practice and attention to the details. Of course, your best bet is to pay the money and have a local boot fitter help heat mold your liners. If you do opt for the DIY heat mold at home, spend the $15 and set yourself up with an Intuition home fit kit. It includes two rubber toe caps and pair of stocking-like socks. I’ve been using the same fit kit for 10+ years.
There’s a number of DIY heat molding how-to videos on YouTube. Honestly, most of them are of limited quality and expertise. Scarpa has one of the better how-to heat mold videos. The only problem is it features a professional stack heater versus a home oven. But is does talk temperature and offers solid advice around buckle tension when molding. If you choose to use your oven, do not put the boot shells in the oven, just the liners. Always remove the footbed and any laces, place the liner on a wooden board, not on the wire rack, and only put one liner in the oven at a time.
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Communicate
The number one rule when boot fitting is only you know how the boot really feels. So, speak up! Your boot fit will only be as good as your communication with your boot fitter. So before you heat mold them, chat with the boot fitter about any significant issues you noticed while wearing them unmolded, any past foot issues, injuries or chronic shoe fit issues you know about your feet. No two people’s feet are the same, and no boot fitter can read your mind. Speak up about what’s snug, what feels good and where you’ve experienced issues in the past. Your input informs the fitting process when working with a boot fitter. A good boot fitter will use your feedback to guide the molding process. But if you don’t mention it, the bootfitter can’t address it.
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Wear thin to midweight socks
Ideally, you fit your boots around a thin or midweight sock versus relying on thick socks to pad out space. Socks should also fit snuggly. A properly fit boot with a thin sock is ultimately warmer and more comfortable than a poorly fit boot with thick socks. Modern liners are pretty warm and are best fit around a thin, foot-hugging sock. These are our favorite ski socks.
The added support and comfort of an aftermarket footbed is worth the upgrade
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Consider an aftermarket footbed
Stock footbeds are notoriously lacking in support. Not everyone needs a custom footbed, but even aftermarket footbeds like those available from Superfeet are a significant upgrade from stock footbeds. Skiers with supination or pronation issues, those looking for more cushion underfoot or those with low-volume feet should consider a footbed upgrade.
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Don’t be afraid to do it again
The third time’s a charm. Don’t stress if the first fit heat-mold session doesn’t quite do it. Spending a day or two skiing in the boots can reveal important information about your fit needs. Modern heat-moldable liners can be re-molded multiple times without issues.
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Don’t forget about the cuff
The cuff is essential, too, especially for touring. The cuff is not as critical in the boot fitting process as it is in the heat molding process. The main issue with cuffs is the base layer and sock interface. Ideally, there is minimal overlap between your base layer and socks. And if you do have overlap, you want to minimize wrinkles and any thick seams. I recommend using three-quarter length baselayer pants or simply cutting off your baselayer pants just above the boot cuff.
Getting your boots “punched” by a pro boot fitter is an excellent way to accommodate special needs
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Get your boots punched
For those of us with bone spurs, extra-wide feet or other known fit issues, sometimes a stock boot needs some modification. A professional boot fitter can make a little room right where you need it, making an otherwise painful spot into a comfy fit.
That’s our top ten tips for a great boot fit. A poorly fitting pair of boots can wreck an otherwise great day of skiing, so spend the extra time and effort to get it right.
If you’re in the market for new AT boots, check out our favorite AT ski boot reviews:
La Sportiva Vanguard ski boot review
2024 Scarpa Maestrale ski boot review
La Sportiva Vega ski boot review
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