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February, 2020

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Do you really need to custom fit your boot?

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ClosesChide
Posts: 5
ive got a pretty average/thin foot and every (racing) ski boot ive got so far fit me ok and i had no problems
is it really needed to make custom footbeds ect for a park boot?

btw fuck corona just got my new arv 96's and i have to wait for next season to try em out
Mar 20 2020 11:05AM
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 4800
you definitely don't HAVE to. i haven't had a well-fitted pair of boots in 10 years and i ski way EDIT: way, way, faster and sexier than anyone else on this site. especially you

that said, it's a huge help and your boot fitting and being as optimal as it can at transmitting energy from your body to your skis is the most important equipment aspect in skiing. so if you can, do it. maybe yours already fit perfectly though, who knows, it's possible
Mar 20 2020 11:29AM
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Young_IMPC
Posts: 916
I feel the same. My boots fit without issue- no pain, no heel lift, toes at the front, and the shins at the tongue. I did crack the shell though, so we’ll have to see if I can warranty a replacement. While you would get better performance out of a custom fit, I think it’s then a question of whether it’s worth it to you.

inb4 Tom and OneNerdy come out of the woodwork to chastise me for not having a custom insert
Mar 20 2020 11:32AM
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weastcoast
Posts: 1270
Just get a boot to where you can barely fit your foot in it when it’s brand new and it’ll become perfect.


for full tilts’ molding liner at least
Mar 20 2020 11:32AM
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eheath
Posts: 54385
If you can stick your foot into a boot and its comfortable, stable and you're happy with it, then you don't have to. People custom fit boots so they dont hurt/are more stable/more comfortable.
Mar 20 2020 11:46AM
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BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 3330
Depends on your feet. Mine are super low volume and I have a big old bone spur on my heel now so if I don't do something to them, then it becomes to painful to ski
Mar 20 2020 11:55AM
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DeebieSkeebies
Posts: 28922
i suffered a nasty foot injury and getting custom work done on my new boots this fall helped significantly, to the point where im more comfortable in boots than regular shoes. They help in certain circumstances a lot. Get your boots broken in first and then go from there, see what things you want tweaked. A lot of people complain their custom-fitted pimped out boots arent doing shit and thats because they havent skied them enough i.e. rich tourists on vacation
Mar 20 2020 12:11PM
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k_tivnan
Posts: 55
Just depends on the boot. I have had issues with getting shin bang from having my shell and line be too loose. Definitely could see having that custom fitted to be a huge benefit for that.
Mar 20 2020 12:17PM
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wasatch_rat
Posts: 1671
Depends on the boot and depends on the foot. Some people require a ton of adjustments and customization, especially if they have medical issues, other people can get away with none. I've been boot fitting for a few years and for my own boots i just make sure it's a good shell fit, put a custom footbed that I've had for years in, and start skiing, break them in the old fashioned way. I tend to do much more customization on customers boots than my own
Mar 20 2020 12:19PM
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oldmanski
Posts: 1251
I have always done custom footbeds, I have an average arch and such but my heels are a little messed up so a footbed has always helped me. Its all up to your preference, are your current boots hurting you in any way?
Mar 20 2020 12:22PM
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ClosesChide
Posts: 5
oldmanskiI have always done custom footbeds, I have an average arch and such but my heels are a little messed up so a footbed has always helped me. Its all up to your preference, are your current boots hurting you in any way?

i had a problem when i skied powder and i was wayy back seated my toe nail kinda hurted but i think that totally reasonable
other than than no i cant complain and racing boots are definitely not the most comfortable
Mar 20 2020 1:12PM
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TRVP_ANGEL
Posts: 7751
ClosesChidei had a problem when i skied powder and i was wayy back seated my toe nail kinda hurted but i think that totally reasonable
other than than no i cant complain and racing boots are definitely not the most comfortable


a well fitted boot should not give you toe bang (what you experienced) even if youre riding backseat. I'd suggest taking them to the bootfitter and see what he/she says after they take a look at it
Mar 20 2020 1:14PM
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oldmanski
Posts: 1251
ClosesChidei had a problem when i skied powder and i was wayy back seated my toe nail kinda hurted but i think that totally reasonable
other than than no i cant complain and racing boots are definitely not the most comfortable


TRVP_ANGELa well fitted boot should not give you toe bang (what you experienced) even if youre riding backseat. I'd suggest taking them to the bootfitter and see what he/she says after they take a look at it


Good advice TRVP......... and your name is orange now?

Sounds like you have a decent fitting boot now, you may just need to do some minor adjustments or fitments to get a little better fit if you are toe-banging. Good luck homie
Mar 20 2020 1:42PM
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teamdummy
Posts: 1075
A perfectly cooked Intuition liner is a little piece of heaven on earth.....
Mar 20 2020 2:49PM
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tomPietrowski
Posts: 6465
Young_IMPCI feel the same. My boots fit without issue- no pain, no heel lift, toes at the front, and the shins at the tongue. I did crack the shell though, so we’ll have to see if I can warranty a replacement. While you would get better performance out of a custom fit, I think it’s then a question of whether it’s worth it to you.

inb4 Tom and OneNerdy come out of the woodwork to chastise me for not having a custom insert


How could you ski in such an awful fitting pair of boots especially at this time in the world!!!

Only Joking.

So its an interesting topic. If your boots don't hurt do you need anything else? Well it depends. Technically no you don't, if you can comfortably wear your boots and they don't hold you back, go for it. Number one is getting out and skiing (when we all can again) and having a rad time.

But could your boots fit and perform better? Probably yes. Does this mean you have to have it done, no of course not, but if you have the option and the money it will never hurt to have it done. But be warned once you do get boots fitted to the very highest level its really hard to go back from that and just use stock boots again.

So overall do you need custom work? Possibly not.
Should you get custom work done? Maybe
Should you enjoy skiing above all else? Yes!
Mar 20 2020 2:54PM
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shin-bang
Posts: 3838
The response in the ski when you have footbeds is totally
unrivaled to having a boot with no footbed. As mentioned, once you go to a good custom footbed, you’ll never want to go back.
Mar 20 2020 4:24PM
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