Fritzski’s Ski Tip of the Week #4 / All About Ski Boot Flex, Size, & Fit
Let’s talk about ski boot fit, sizing, and flex ratings. Modern ski boots have come such a long way in recent years to provide a warm, comfortable, and totally customized fit. While it will always be a relief to unbuckle and take those hard plastic boots off at the end of the day, there is no excuse to be skiing in discomfort anymore.
During chairlift chats I hear too many stories of ski boot purchases gone bad. There are some things we can consider when looking at boots that can certainly help to minimize these bad outcomes.
When it comes to fit, the best advice is to try on as many different brands and styles of boots as possible. My experience is that certain brands just seem to be made for certain feet while others are not. And don’t dismiss a certain brand because that can change over the years. This may take some searching, but look for that boot that basically feels like it was made for your feet right out of the box. Even with moldable liners and shells, the ideal is to keep the customization to a minimum. That being said, most performance level boots now provide heat moldable liners and easily moldable plastic shells. So the ability to customize the fit to your particular foot is better than ever.
When picking the correct size, expect to possibly go down a full size smaller than your street shoe size for a performance fit. If between sizes, opt for the smaller size. It’s always much easier to modify a boot to fit larger than it is to fit smaller.
Finally, what about boot flex ratings? The first thing to consider is, that unlike DIN ratings on bindings, they are completely non-standardized. Not even within a particular brand! So don’t get hung up on the number itself as much as using it as where the boot sits in their lineup.
The higher the flex #, the higher the boot performance. To be completely honest, a soft flexing boot boot provides very little advantage, even to an intermediate skier. Many professionals will advise you to buy the stiffest boot within your budget (higher flex = higher price). My advice is to buy the stiffest boot that you can still flex to comfortably get your knees over your toes at room temperature in the store. Since women tend to have less body mass for their height than men, flex ratings are somewhat lower.
On a side note, the recent introduction of the new BOA lace systems on ski boots was met with understandable skepticism. Maybe just another marketing ploy? Well, after a couple seasons now, the reviews have been coming back mostly positive regarding both the efficacy and durability of the system. Let us know if you have an opinion.
Ski hard, ski comfortably, ski ya later!
