What is the best way to do ski boots up?

Another question we are often asked at the Profeet Ski Boot Lab is what the best way to do ski boots up is.  Janine Winter, Ski Manager at Profeet, answers this question for you:

Store your Ski Boots in a Warm Room

Firstly, it is important that the boots are kept in a warm room overnight as the plastic is much softer and pliable when warm, so will open up much easier. If the boots are kept in a car or garage at night, the plastic will be cold and becomes very stiff making it quite a challenge to get into your boots.

The Easiest Way to Get into your Boots

Start in a seated position and place your foot into the top of the boot.  Get hold of the tongue (or the handle attached to the tongue) and pull it as far forwards as possible towards your toes and then across towards your big toe. This helps to open the boot up across the instep where most people struggle.

Holding the tongue in this position stand up and put weight onto your foot to help you slide into the boot. Keep pulling the tongue forwards and towards the big toe as you do this.  If you’re still struggling use the other hand to separate the boot at the instep.

Once in the boot, you can kick your heel back and pull up on the back of the liner to ensure your heel is seated down. Check the tongue of the liner is positioned flat against the shin and that the plastic shell overlaps correctly before buckling.

Buckle from the Top Down

Always buckle your boots from the top down as it ensures that your foot is back in the heel pocket first. Buckling the lower buckles first tends to lock your foot in place and prevent you getting your heel back.

Once you have buckled the top two buckles, flex in the boots a couple of times and then lightly buckle the two buckles across the top of the foot.  These should have very little tension on them as there are many nerves and blood vessels that run across the top of the foot so if you use excessive tension here, it will create numbness.