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Ski Boots: How to get the most out of the boots you have.
By Bill Romania
Your ski boots are arguably the most important piece of equipment in the ski-binding-boot triumvirate because they link you and your movement, thru the binding and ski, to the mountain and vice versa. They also have to fit both you and your bindings. That later fit was sometimes a challenge before standardization, and is becoming one again due to GripWalk and alpine touring bindings, but those are topics for another article. This article will focus on how to get the most from the boots you have.
I’m writing this from two point of view, first being that of a life-long skier who has experienced far too much foot pain, underperforming boots and marginal boot fitters as well as boots that fit and performed so well they felt like an extension of myself and transformed my skiing. The second point of view is as a former boot fitter in the late 70’s and early 80’s when there was a wide variety of boot types and styles on the market, most of which are thankfully no longer with us, specifically Scotts and Hansons.
I’ll address the different types of modern ski boots and their pluses and minuses as well as more arcane equipment such as foot beds and booster straps later. Today I’d like to focus on how to get the most from the boots you have, and that starts with your feet, ankles and shins.
No two pairs of feet are identical; for some of us even our two feet are different. But some things are constants and managing them can improve boot fit, performance and comfort.
You may think of a pedicure as a luxury but when it comes to a properly snug fitting ski boot, they are more of a necessity. Keeping your toenails healthy and short will improve toe room and comfort in the boot which translates into warmth as well. Removing dead skin and calluses similarly makes more room in the boot for better circulation. Pedicures become even more important as skiers age and blood circulation in the foot and ankle decrease and toenail thickness and calluses increase. Lastly, dead skin and calluses interfere with your perception of force upon the ski and the perception of the ski transmitted thru the boot, both of which are prerequisites for high performance skiing. Between pedicures, I highly recommend moisturizing the feet and lower leg to keep the skin supple and reduce dead skin that will only interfere with ski boot fit and performance.
I discovered a long time ago that removing the hair on my lower legs reduced shin pain and allowed me to better tolerate a tighter fit in the ankle and lower calf. Shaving also makes it easier to moisturizing your shins.
Unless you ski barefoot, which was a thing for a while back in the ‘70’s, the next layer on your feet and shins are socks. Hopefully all of you have discovered the benefit of thin, wool, skiing-specific socks. Wool absorbs moisture and retains the ability to warm your feet unlike other fabrics. If wool socks make your skin itch, I’ve found that moisturizing the skin helps as do socks made of Merino wool. Thin socks won’t compress over time in the boot unlike thick socks and they reduce friction, thereby maintaining the integrity and performance of your boot fit. Skiing-specific socks keep the seams flat and away from pressure areas and are long enough to cover your shin. I once worked on the boots of a skier who was complaining of shin pain. When I looked at his shins, I could still see the imprint of the ribs from the cheap cotton tube socks he had worn in his boots the day before. A pair of thin, wool ski socks solved his shin pain and improved the fit and comfort of his boots as well. Some skiers will use a thick sock in an attempt to make a too-large boot perform better. It doesn’t work for long.
Now that your feet and socks are ready for a day of skiing, it’s critical to make sure your boots are as well. I call this next step ‘the pre-skiing boot ritual’. It’s a ritual because it is so important to boot fit and comfort that it is sacred and inviolate for me. Everybody’s will be a bit different but the key steps are the same: Make sure your boots are dry from the previous days skiing. I use a dryer that forces warm air into the entire boot,
