Bootfitting tips for different sized feet

[jason steele]

I am quite deformed in the foot department: left is 28.6, and right is 27.8 (measured standing with flexing) so 8mm difference which seems quite a lot. To complete the picture, I have narrow heels, low volume feet with max width of 103mm. I am looking for new boots with high performance for mostly piste skiing with a few off trail sorties. Will probably go for 120 flex, although I understand flex is not standardised so might go up or down from that start point.

I am off to see a bootfitter next week, but would like to be armed with some tips so I can be informed as possible on my options, especially to deal with the 8mm difference.

What are the best options to deal with the 8mm size difference
1) fit to left, live with too-long right. I tried a pair of Atomic Hawx Ultras in 28 recently - shell check said 20mm on the left (fitter said "ideal") and 30mm on the right (fitter said "tolerable"). 30mm seems a big gap, but if the ankle is secure is it that bad?
2) fit to right, toe-stretch the left. Are stretches a good ideal or do they have downsides? How much can you stretch?
3) buy 2 different sizes, I hope this is not the answer as that will be pricey!

Any tips greatly appreciated

 

[surfsnowgirl]

A good boot fitter will have you all figured out in about 15 minutes. My feet are a mess, 2 different sizes, one foot has an arch while the other is flat. Adding to the fun is one leg is longer than the other. My bootfitter is at mount snow in Vermont and he figured me out pretty quickly and i now call him St Nick. I think going to a great bootfitter eliminates any need to stress. I'm sure you'll get lots of good tips here as well. Good luck.

 

[markojp]

Boots are just plastic.Fit the small foot, stretch the large... 3cm is going to be a very sloppy fit.

 

[Philpug]

So much can be done here. Performance fit, fit the smaller foot, accommodate for the larger one. Recreational fit, fit the larger foot and take up room with the smaller one. 8mm is not a huge difference. What ever needs to be done. it will not be done here but on a boot bench.

 

[ScottB]

Jason,

Wondering what happened at the boot fitters? My feet are slightly different sizes and I face the same issue as you. I have never been to a good bootfitter, which is a short coming on me, but I have bought half a dozen pair of boots over my lifetime and have a lot of experience with your issue. I have gotten lucky and found a size that split the difference at times. I always buy Langes, which fit my narrow long foot. Other times (these are different model Lange boots I am talking about) I have had the boot fit one foot and not the other. When I fit the small foot, I have suffered with bruised toes on the long foot (I didn't get the boots stretched, didn't know you could). Currently my boots fit my long foot and are a little loose on the small foot, which is comfortable, but I have to really tighten the buckles to eliminate any movement.

From my experience, what I plan to do on my next purchase is (go to a boot fitter) get a performance fit on the smaller foot and have the shell ground or stretched on the longer foot. Then there is the problem with the liner, meaning the liner will be too small for my longer foot (been there and cut the toes in the liner last time). I figure the liner will need modifying (not sure what is possible there) or I will buy aftermarket liners that are sized for my longer foot. I am pretty sure a one size up liner will fit into the new shells. Again, this is my plan, but I will follow the advice of the boot fitter and rely on how things feel to make any final judgments.

Just for kicks, I measured my feet and they are 6 mm different. I have always thought that was about a 1/2 size difference.

 

[markojp]

Scott, fwiw, stretching a liner is the easy part of the equation. A half decent fitter can sort out a length differential pretty easily. Why would you cut liner toes when a heat gun and some stretching would do the trick?

 

[Mike Thomas]

I am quite deformed in the foot department: left is 28.6, and right is 27.8

What are the best options to deal with the 8mm size difference
1) fit to left, live with too-long right. I tried a pair of Atomic Hawx Ultras in 28 recently - shell check said 20mm on the left (fitter said "ideal") and 30mm on the right (fitter said "tolerable"). 30mm seems a big gap, but if the ankle is secure is it that bad?
2) fit to right, toe-stretch the left. Are stretches a good ideal or do they have downsides? How much can you stretch?
3) buy 2 different sizes, I hope this is not the answer as that will be pricey!

Any tips greatly appreciated

Well, a 28 boot is the wrong place to start, a 27 shell will fit the bigger foot and give you a reasonable chance to hold the smaller foot. Quick question, are your arches the same or is the length difference due to one foot needing more support? A good footbed might make the "length discrepancy" a moot point. Stretching a boot is easy, stretching a liner is even easier... to the point of not really needing to be done at all a lot of the time, they stretch out to the inner dimensions of the boot with use naturally (that's sort of how boots 'pack out'), if stretching is needed, a bit of pressure a bit of heat and some time will solve it.

Option 3 is an unbelievably bad idea. Different boot sole lengths mean dedicated right and left skis that, if on the wrong feet, will HURT you. DO NOT do this.

 

[ScottB]

Scott, fwiw, stretching a liner is the easy part of the equation. A half decent fitter can sort out a length differential pretty easily. Why would you cut liner toes when a heat gun and some stretching would do the trick?

I didn't know you could stretch the liner. I tried stretching it but the stitching started to rip. I did not apply heat. I am not sure that all liners are stretchable, but if you have done it, then I will give it a try. My current boots got too tight in the toes when I added a Down Under insole. They could use a stretch. To solve it, I cut the insole back to just past the ball of my foot. That gave me more room in the toes and doesn''t seem to effect anything else. I tapered the insole and I cannot feel it other than I have more room.

Cutting the liner in my old boots let my toes stick out through the liner and gave me more room. It made the boot a little colder, though.

How dose a boot fitter sort out a length differential??

 

[markojp]

How dose a boot fitter sort out a length differential??

Simple, but specialized tools. Not trying to be a smart aleck, but you're sort of giving yourself a lobotomy to solve a headache.

 

[ScottB]

Markojp,

Your not getting my question, what approach would a boot fitter take? Fit the small foot, grind the boot on the longer foot, and stretch the liner to make it fit the longer foot? Or is there another approach? Such as go to a plug boot that fits the instep and can be sized long enough for the long foot? Trust me, with long narrow feet, finding a boot that is snug and doesn't bruise your toes is a challenge. I have never tried a plug boot, but I am probably a good candidate. I have a 13 C foot.

Have you ever stretched a liner? and used heat? Did it work?

 

[markojp]

Scott, I've sold and fit boots as well as teach. My feet are also different left and right in both length and volume. I have a very mobile foot, so a custom footbed is a must to stablize things reasonably well in the boot. I wear a 27 shell that leaves about 1cm of length in my left foot ( the short one). This leaves about .5 in the right ( my larger foot). On my left boot, I do a 6th toe punch and small grind at the heel, and on the right, punch and expand the boot from the styloid all the way around to the 1st met head, then did a small heel grind.

Until recently, I used the stock liners and stretched the toe of the liner over a steel ball on the arm of a boot press after warming things up with a heat gun. Boot punches where made with a heat gun and a boot press and some simple, but specialized tools that any good boot fitting shop will have. There's also cuff alignment and a bit of canting to be done, then lifter plates added, and lugs milled back to DIN standard. I did my own work at the shop I'm affiliated with, and have help and spare eyes on the initial alignment work, then ski and tweak as needed. Recently I received a pair of injected foam liners. We foamed them a few weeks ago, and they're amazing! (Used toe caps to make more toe room in the liner, just like one would doing an intuition liner) Wish I'd gotten some earlier!

All the above said, no one can accurately evaluate your feet, legs, etc... over the internet. You need to find a good fitter and develop a relationship with them. If you let people here know where you are, they might have some good recommendations for your area.

 

[ScottB]

Markojp,

Thanks. Good info. Here is some shell fit info I saved from Whiteroom (a bootfitter) on Epic. I added the bold fit descriptions.

2cm= Too Big for performance, OK for casual few days a year skier. (Recreational fit)
1.5cm= Comfortable performance, fit will deteriorate with use
1cm= Performance fit that might need fit adjustment, probably will for most (Performance fit)
.5cm= you will need 'help' but the fit will remain true, because there is nowhere for the liner to 'pack out' to. (Race fit)
0mm= you will get to know the fitter really well, maybe buy him some breath mints... and don't mention his balding spot.
Edited by Whiteroom - 4/30/16 at 3:55am

So you have a 1 cm fit on your smaller foot and a 0.5 fit on your longer foot. In the terms Phil used (which I am adopting) you did a performance fit on your smaller foot and a race fit (fair amount of work) on your larger foot. That seems like the way to go for a really good precise fit. I will use that approach on my next boot purchase. Right now I have a performance fit on my larger foot and a recreational fit on my smaller foot. As my boots age, I have to add volume to keep the fit snug. The boots are comfortable and my toes do not touch the end, but I don't like the looseness that happens as the liner packs out.

I am not so concerned about how the bootfitter does his magic, just what the higher level approach to choosing the right shell size. I realize having slightly different size feet is not uncommon and isn't the main factor. Getting the right shell fit is the critical thing, and is complicated slightly by different size feet. I have bought boots from shops before, but I guess they didn't have good bootfitters, as it was never explained to me what my options were and how to approach getting a good fit.

Finally, I am in Massachusetts. I plan to ask Muleski who he uses for a boot fitter. I ski Sugarloaf a fair amount, my favorite in the East, and like the sound of the BD foam liners for the future.

 

[ScottB]

Boots are just plastic.Fit the small foot, stretch the large... 3cm is going to be a very sloppy fit.

I think I missed this response to Jason, this is the answer I was looking for. Thanks for covering it in detail. I think how to get a proper shell fit (and what "level" of fit you want) is something every skier needs to know before they purchase ski boots.

 

[jason steele]

I am definitely going to fit to my smaller foot and then get the longer foot boot tweaked / stretched. The fitters I have met to date seem super conservative - I will keep trying until I find a better one that can do the job I need. Completely agree with Scott B that knowing a bit about shell fit is pretty important to drive fit discussions with a fitter. Thanks to all for the tips, gives me the confidence I am on the right track.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

My bootfitter is Nick Blaylock at Mount Snow Bootworks. He's very good and has a lot of instructors and PSIA examiners as clients. He and his team are great.