Getting the Right Boot Fit

Even if you are not a National Team athlete, the right fit can be just around the corner for you. I caught up with Thor Verdonk, the Rossignol Alpine Technical Product Manager to get the low down how you can achieve your best results this season AND get the best boot fit possible.

Let’s start with the big concepts – your goal as an athlete is have your boots fit in the same way that an F1 driver has his seat fit. An F1 seat is designed for a driver pulling well over 4g’s in all directions (and over 20g when they crash), so comfort, performance, and safety are critical. No one wants to be sliding around in their seat when they drive at over 300kph, and you don’t want to be moving around in your boots as you hurtle down the course at 120kph. The secret to the concept lies in creating an equally minimal distance between you and the plastic of the boot, with a dash of padding thrown in for good measure.

One of the methods boot brands use to help get you started on the right foot is to create boots that are “plugged.” What exactly does that mean, you ask? When the boot is formed, the plastic is injected into a slightly smaller & less defined inner foot mold (the plug) allowing much more plastic thickness to be created. This significantly tightens up the inner section of the boot, and removes much of the comfort oriented sculpting that may have been present before in the regular mold. This also gets you much closer to the shell, and is what necessitates some custom work to make the boot usable.

While Thor can fit, cant, & lift junior program boots in about 45 – 60 minutes, he cautions that you should allow 2-3 hours for a competent shop to do the fitting. The time difference is likened to a mechanic being able to perform a similar job on the same brand of car every day, while your local shop needs to perform a wide range of overhauls on many different brands, and usually only for 3-6 months at a stretch.

So, what to look for? 1st, be sure your shop has the tools, the know how, and the credibility to do a good job. This is YOUR ski racing season, and you should endeavor to make it your best in every way possible. Shops should have all the tools you see in the photos here (photos of shop & tools that go with national team boot article).

Next up, size. “If it hurts, it’s probably the right size and needs to be worked on” says Thor. A few examples – all of Thor’s National Team athletes started at least 3 shell sizes above the shell they currently ski in – and one can bet they are more comfortable, too. In fact, there are no USST athletes on Rossi in a shell larger than a 7! For most juniors, Thor suggests going down 1-2 full sizes from your actual street shoe size.

To be even more accurate, follow these guidelines:

1. Length & volume needs are adjusted for with shell size
2. Pressure points are dealt with using punches, grinds, etc.
3. Relative flex in the boot is not the most important aspect – this can be adapted easily
4. Athletes should only have 1 finger (2 max for a very high volume foot) behind the heel when the bare foot is in the bare shell with the toes touching the front of the shell.
5. Thor cautions that in most all instances with juniors, all it takes is a little grinding to change a “no-go” into a perfectly comfortable fit
6. Your overall concept should be to “match your foot and customize a plastic shoe”. Don’t forget - the boot is an athletic shoe & your goal is to make the fit precise enough to allow you to perform athletically.
7. The progression from larger to smaller shell sizes is not a “one time shot”, but usually takes a couple of years. For the athletes that are identified and sponsored around J3 level, this means that as they grow, they may change boots, but often times the only time the size changes is to go down. For full grown adults & masters racers, the 1-2 shell size rule works perfect, and perhaps you will reach 3 shell sizes down after a couple of years.

Another area to really check out is the mechanics of the boot. Thor suggests that “younger athletes should stay with boots that are hinged, and offer a mechanical flex”. Thor points out that boots with a hinged, mechanical design (whether jr or adult) will have a stiffer plastic than boots with a mono-block design, where the flex comes from leverage and plastic distortion. Thor points out that the R2003 is a junior, non-plugged version of the full adult racing plug boot, but that it offers a similar fit and identical mechanics to the adult boot.

Canting is extremely important, as well. In recent years we have seen canting go from a backroom specialty that was reserved only for those guaranteed not to sue, into a commonly offered and practiced science & art. There are many methods to achieve the goal in canting , and you need to work with your coach and your boot technician to be sure that your needs are being met.

Finally, footbeds. Thor offers that footbeds are extremely personal, and you should choose or not choose a footbed based on your particular needs and foot mechanics, in conjuction with someone who has your best performance at heart. Avoid the “one footbed” fits all approach – your feet are not like the next persons, so why should your footbed force you into a particular mechanic that is not correct for you?