# Advice on boots



## Natedogg (Mar 27, 2006)

I was referred over by a guy on the Sunday River message boards--I hear there are some good boot people over here...  Hoping someone can give me some advice.

I recently bought a pair of Tecnica Diablo Race 130s on sale at Ski Market.  The fit is very tight.  I know a low-volume race boot is supposed to be tight and the liners will pack out a bit, but Im a little worried.

Boot info:
Technica Diablo Race 130
MONDO: 28.5
Tecnica: 10.5
Less than a one-finger fit in the shell
Salesperson put a heel left in to retract my toes from the toebox slightly

My info:
Street shoe: ~13
Length of right foot: ~28.8cm (these are my own measurements--may be off)
Length of left foot: ~29.7cm
6'4, 225lbs (to justify the 130 flex  :grin: )

Current boot:  Tecnica Icon X, MONDO 29.5, Tecnica 11.5

My brother bought the same exact boot last April.  He wears a 10.5 street shoe and went to an 8.5 boot.  He said they were super tight at first, and then they packed out and they are pretty good for him now (he also has 0.5-1.0 size difference between feet).  That was part of the reason I went with the 28.5.  The other reason--to be honest--is that they were cheap ($348!) and Ski Market didnt have a 29.5.

My concerns are:
1.  Less than a one-finger fit in the shell
2.  I ski a LOT of bumps
3.  I need to unbuckle my current boot (Icon X, 29.5) after every run, or my feet go numb.  Even by doing that, my small toe on my right foot still has major pain on some days.
4.  Im a weekend warrior, not a racer anymore.  Instead of less than 10 runs on a race day, I ski from 8 or 9AM to closing, most times without stopping for lunch.

*Question:*
Am I being a complete idiot for buying a low-volume race boot in at least a size too small?  My right foot seems to feel OK, but my (bigger) left foot is wayyyyy too cramped.  Can the boots be modified to fit my left foot better, or should I scrap this whole idea?  I can still return the boots for a full refund--I have yet to ski in them.  I have heard that there is a lot of plastic in the toebox that can be ground out that would provide almost a full size.

I think at this point I would buy (or trade these) a pair of the same boot in 29.5 (if I could find them for ~$400) unless anyone has some input.  I hate to take these beauts back!  :-(  (especially since they fit real nice on my Rossi 9X WCs--the plates on which wont accept a larger shell)


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## Greg (Mar 27, 2006)

Natedogg said:
			
		

> *Question:*
> Am I being a complete idiot for buying a low-volume race boot in at least a size too small?  My right foot seems to feel OK, but my (bigger) left foot is wayyyyy too cramped.  Can the boots be modified to fit my left foot better, or should I scrap this whole idea?  I can still return the boots for a full refund--I have yet to ski in them.  I have heard that there is a lot of plastic in the toebox that can be ground out that would provide almost a full size.


Not sure where you're located, but I would suggest seeing *Jeff Bokum*. As Jeff will explain, you can usually make a slightly small boot a bit bigger, but you can't easily make a big boot smaller. Invest the dough and time with Jeff. He will make you happy and once he looks at your feet and boots, he will determine if he can work with them.

Oh...and a big welcome to the boards!


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## Natedogg (Mar 27, 2006)

Greg said:
			
		

> Oh...and a big welcome to the boards!



Thank you!!!

I saw Jeffs name floating around the board--awesome resource!  I didnt want to email him directly because when I bought the boots at Ski Market (Im in Boston, btw), they said they will do any bootfitting for free for one year.  So I didnt want to get pro bootfitting advice for free and then not use him to fit my boots.

That being said, what are the dangers of having Ski Market techs screw around with my boots instead of going straight to someone like Jeff?  I think I know the answer, but am also curious what people have to say about Ski Market bootfitters...


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## Greg (Mar 27, 2006)

Natedogg said:
			
		

> That being said, what are the dangers of having Ski Market techs screw around with my boots instead of going straight to someone like Jeff?  I think I know the answer, but am also curious what people have to say about Ski Market bootfitters...



Can't really comment on Ski Market boot fitters, but it sort of sounds scary to me. They're not even listed here. I wouldn't risk it. Your boots are the most important piece of equipment you have. Invest the time and money and you'll likely get several seasons out of them at least. Do it once and do it right the first time. Read more about Jeff in these threads:

Search

There's a 10% coupon link still in his sig. If you go for it, please report back here with your experience.


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## NYDrew (Mar 27, 2006)

Hey man, I love bumps and love my race boots.  You can't get shin bang when your boots are smaller then your feet.

Heel lifter is Bull, your salesman is a quack.  You don't add things to your boot that you dont need.

Talk to Jeff, he has guided me through making my raceboots also a comfy boot., by the way, mine are a full 2 sizes too small for me, I feel your pain...but only if I forget to pop the over the counter pain killers before I ski. (hint hint, bayer works great)


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## Charlie Schuessler (Mar 27, 2006)

Natedog, the advice you're going to get at this site is contact Jeff Bokum and schedule the most important meeting of your skiing life...


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## I_Bike_Alone (Mar 29, 2006)

Similiar problem i faced several weeks ago. Although i would love a tight-fitting boot i realized after my last purchase im still comfortable in a loose setup where i wont see bumps. 
I demo'd a tele setup and fit nicely in a set of Garmont 29.5, street size around a 12.

At the local ski shop they had a pair of NEW Dalbello Krypton cross's with a repair made because of a faulty mechanic(NOT mechanism heh). The size, 28.5. The dilemma: not enough toe room and the constant unlatching on the lift you so described. The problem wasnt in the liners, as the toe area was practically a thin layer of spandex but the actual toe area was honeycombed for strength and before I thought about having a specialist tweak them my friend tried them on and found releif for his girlie ankles, while still leavig enough toe room for him. Resolution: my friend owes me $200 and i'm back to my old boots. Theres no doubt that the boots could have been made to fit me but i cant afford that right now and still feel comfortable in a forward to back loose fitting boot.

From what i read before I bought my boots Jeff sounds like THE man for the job.


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## thetrailboss (Apr 7, 2006)

Yeah, go see Jeff.  Ski Market is not a great place for service and fitting.  If you know what you want and the size, you can get around it, but otherwise, be wary.  Heard that someone had a pair of skis that they mounted the bindings backwards on or something like that!  

Remember that boots will "pack out" after use and may increase up to one size.  So if they are "tight," they may fit better.  But if they are unbearable, they won't improve that much.


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## SKIQUATTRO (Apr 7, 2006)

I was just fitted for new boots this season by Hal up at Northern Ski Works (Killington Access Road)...wow, what an experience,,,,,,best 2 hours I ever spent.  If you are in the K area its worth it...Jeff is great too from what I've been reading, I happened to be at Killington and it was very easy,,,,,


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## ALLSKIING (Apr 12, 2006)

SKIQUATTRO said:
			
		

> I was just fitted for new boots this season by Hal up at Northern Ski Works (Killington Access Road)...wow, what an experience,,,,,,best 2 hours I ever spent.  If you are in the K area its worth it...Jeff is great too from what I've been reading, I happened to be at Killington and it was very easy,,,,,


They did some work on a boot my wife was having problems with and they were very good. If I needed new boots thats one place I would consider.


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## bigbog (Apr 12, 2006)

*.........*

Natedogg,
....call Bokum.


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## highpeaksdrifter (Apr 13, 2006)

I ski a Nordica Dobie 130, low volume race boot for the masses. I ski bumps all the time and they work fine.

I have a size 9 shoe size. Against the advice of a Nordica tech I know I orginally got them in a size 8. That was fine for 2 or 3 days, but they began to pack out. I could feel the difference in heel retention and the boot just didn't have that overall snug performance feel anymore.

I now have them in a size 7 and have about 8 days in them. The fit is much better, but I do have a hot spot that I'm going to take care of next week when I see a boot fitter.

Bottom line (IMO) is you have to be willing to do the work to get the right fit. It's well worth it in the end.


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