Picking boots.. How tight is too tight with liners?

shaftmasterMy guess is they are both a 26.5 shell, but did not find any noticeable difference in the sole of liner when comparing sizes.

Regardless with the liner out of the boot my toes are pressed against the toe liner, def feel pressure in there.. I can only imagine how this would feel after a few spins.

onenerdykidLike Tom said, do a shell fit and report back on the space behind your heel.

All ski boots use the same shell and liner for whole & half sizes. That means same shell and same liner for 26.0 and 26.5. The difference is in the insole or, in Atomic's case, in a 2mm shim that goes under the insole in a 26.0 to create a tighter fit.

Why is there no difference in liner? Well, liners fit exactly into the shell- no gaps in front, no gaps on the sides, no gaps in the back. Liners are also 100% heat moldable to your foot and the shell. So if you mold a liner it takes the shape of your foot and the shell rendering the existence of a half or whole size obsolete.

If you put on a liner from the right size shell, then it will feel too tight on your foot because you don't have any buckles pulling your heel into the heel pocket. Trying on a liner on its own is basically useless.

onenerdykidLike Tom said, do a shell fit and report back on the space behind your heel.

All ski boots use the same shell and liner for whole & half sizes. That means same shell and same liner for 26.0 and 26.5. The difference is in the insole or, in Atomic's case, in a 2mm shim that goes under the insole in a 26.0 to create a tighter fit.

Why is there no difference in liner? Well, liners fit exactly into the shell- no gaps in front, no gaps on the sides, no gaps in the back. Liners are also 100% heat moldable to your foot and the shell. So if you mold a liner it takes the shape of your foot and the shell rendering the existence of a half or whole size obsolete.

If you put on a liner from the right size shell, then it will feel too tight on your foot because you don't have any buckles pulling your heel into the heel pocket. Trying on a liner on its own is basically useless.

shaftmasterWell I removed the liners, removed the soles in the liner. Compared each and could not find a difference from the 26 to 26.5.

I then removed the plastic base from inside the shell, again they were identical.

So I am missing something somewhere. I will try the foot in shell test later, I had previously just touch to get fingers/ruler down to the bottom of the heel.

shaftmasterAnyway to heat mold a liner without going to a boot fitter?

onenerdykidThat's odd... what model of boot is it?



Yeah, there are some ghetto versions but they're not really worth it. I always recommend people get it done in a shop because if you do it improperly, then your boot doesn't fit well and this is the most important part of your gear. No point in risking messing it up. Have a shop do it right for you and you'll be much happier. If you don't have a fitter near you, then I would wait until you go skiing and get it done at a shop at the ski area.

shaftmasterwaymaker 90 - 26.0
waymaker 90 - 26.5

onenerdykidIn the 26.0 there should be a white-ish 2mm shim under the insole. If it's not there, it's not that big of a deal anyway. Normally, the USA does not even bring the whole sizes into the country... where did you get them from?

Either way, send back whichever one doesn't feel as good and go from there. Have fun with the boots and thanks for keeping my dream alive!

onenerdykidIn the 26.0 there should be a white-ish 2mm shim under the insole. If it's not there, it's not that big of a deal anyway. Normally, the USA does not even bring the whole sizes into the country... where did you get them from?

Either way, send back whichever one doesn't feel as good and go from there. Have fun with the boots and thanks for keeping my dream alive!

shaftmasterOh wow, I did not even notice it there, but yea its like another sole.

Lets say I kept the 26.5 and they packed out more than desired, do they sell these shim soles to make a snugger fit?

And I don't mean those rubber wedges

shaftmasterEnded up keeping the 26.5 in a different flex rating. Are there atomic specific shim inserts anywhere? Or any generic shim will do, just looking for the best fit on those.

onenerdykidAs mentioned, we use a 2mm shim to create the whole size, but the type is not super important. Most boot-fitters have these or similar shims in their shop to adjust volume discrepancies anyway and are usually available in 2mm, 3mm, and 5mm heights that are cut to fit.