Service by appointment only
Call 020 7736 0046
Call 020 7736 0046 To book
Janine Winter – Ski Manager at the Profeet Ski Lab – explains how to ensure you get the perfect fit.
Comfort, performance… or both?
Everyone seems to have a different idea of what they want the ‘perfect fit’ to be, whether they are looking for comfort or performance in their ski boots or other specific needs.
Either way some simple guidelines can be followed to ensure you are buying the correct size, enabling you to have more control over your skis and prevent hot spots and blisters occurring.
Your toes should have contact with the front of the boot
It may surprise you to hear that when you step into a new boot, we do actually want your toes to contact the front of the boot.
It may even feel a little too small initially but once the upper cuff of the boot is buckled and you flex a couple of times, your heel should seat back into the heel pocket and your toes should draw back from the front.
If your toes don’t contact the front of the boot, as soon as you start skiing your foot will slide and your toes will bang the front causing bruising and you will struggle to control your skis. So, when standing up straight you should have light contact and when flexing into a ski position, you want your toes to release from the front.
If your toes are feeling crushed, the boot is probably too small so you’ll end up with sore, cold toes, which is never fun! We can gain further ‘toe space’ when we start to custom fit the boot to your foot.
Custom insoles offer comfort and performance
If you replace the stock insole that comes in the boot with a custom insole that supports the arch, it prevents your foot from splaying out when weight bearing so you’ll gain extra length in the boot.
Aside from the toes, you do want the whole boot initially to feel suspiciously snug around your foot because it will only get bigger from there on. Once it is heat moulded and later on you start skiing, the liner will begin to pack down, giving more and more space.
You should be looking for a firm, even contact around the foot so that if you move, the boot moves with you. Specific hot spots are not so good and will probably need to be worked on – something that the Profeet technicians can arrange for you.
Is your heel secure?
Another key area to check is that your heel feels secure in the boot.
If your heel is loose you will have to work your muscles that much harder to control the skis. To check, when you flex forward in the boots, your heel should stay down.
The top two buckles of the boot are the most important and should be buckled firmly so that you have snug contact around the shin and calf.
If there is space here, you will end up banging the front of the boot when flexing causing some very sore shins!
Book your appointment
If you’d like to try out Profeet’s ski boot fitting service, please contact us on 020 7736 0046 to arrange an appointment.
A version of this article first appeared in Fall Line Magazine in December 2015.
Article by Iain Martin
OUR SERVICE IS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Profeet’s services are by appointment only, please call or book online in advance