Best boot shop?

[HelmetCam]

Its time for a new set of boots. I have narrow & very flat feet and need a custom fitting.
My current set was done quite a few years ago at The Basin and they did a nice job.
Whats the best place on the access road to go nowadays?

[daytripper]

I have always used the basin, they are under new ownership now so hopefully nothing changed much

[RustyK]

Te-Pee Tim at the Basin

They had nothing in my size in may. So, I'll be looking to in October.

Have the Solomon S Pro's now. But they went to the dial system.

Might go with Nordica's this time. I always get new foot beds too.

Wide feet with big ankle bones that need to be pushed out on every boot.

[Captain Hafski]

Sure Foot!

Pro Tips:

Pre pick out a shell you like / fits your feet.
Go when they have the "early" [November?] 20% off weekend.

[Mister Moose]

It takes time, but try on a lot of different models and manufacturers. Each shop can only show you what brands they carry, so I would go to 2 or 3 shops to get a good cross section. There's been enough changes in boots that I switched brands the last time. And then there's flex within the product line. Brand A 120 flex is not the same as Brand B 120 flex. Do you care about grip walk vs older skis?

Sure, there's a few differences between the shops in K, and almost all have their fan base. Along with picking out the bootfitter is taking the time to get the right shell, and then working with the fitter to dial in the fit as you break it in. Don't marry the first pretty face you see. And while some sing the praises of Surefoot, I vastly prefer the hand assisted accurate foot positioning vacuum bag approach the better shops use for fitting a footbed. Surefoot is more like autocad.

[boston_e]

I'm sure most of the shops have good boot fitters as the Killington area is wealthy in good ski shops. We have always had good success with Aspen East ourselves. Just take your time and try on several and see which ones you like the most - keeping in mind that proper fitting boots might not feel great until they break in a bit. Last thing you want is something that feels good in the shop only to be swimming in them once they pack out a bit.

[HelmetCam]

Do you care about grip walk vs older skis?

I didn't even know this was a thing. Seems niche. Anybody have experience with this?

[deadheadskier]

It takes time, but try on a lot of different models and manufacturers. Each shop can only show you what brands they carry, so I would go to 2 or 3 shops to get a good cross section. There's been enough changes in boots that I switched brands the last time. And then there's flex within the product line. Brand A 120 flex is not the same as Brand B 120 flex. Do you care about grip walk vs older skis?

Sure, there's a few differences between the shops in K, and almost all have their fan base. Along with picking out the bootfitter is taking the time to get the right shell, and then working with the fitter to dial in the fit as you break it in. Don't marry the first pretty face you see. And while some sing the praises of Surefoot, I vastly prefer the hand assisted accurate foot positioning vacuum bag approach the better shops use for fitting a footbed. Surefoot is more like autocad.

Many of your points here are why I use Richelson's in Plymouth, NH and think Paul is the most exacting and very best in New England that I've experienced. Not sure a Killington based skier would want to use him as it is certainly convenient to have your boot shop be close to where you ski.

Instead of randomly trying a bunch of boots to narrow down your selection, Paul (for a fee) takes that time and guess work out of the equation for you. When you go to Paul, he hand measures your feet and lower legs in 9 different places. Before each season he gets in several models of boots from all the major manufacturers and measures those boots in the same 9 locations and creates a database. He then provides you a list of a half dozen or so models that most closely match your individual measurements and also have the performance characteristics you are looking for. You then go buy the boots wherever you want and bring them back to Paul for the finishing adjustments.

Paul can certainly also modify any boot within reason to work with your individual anatomy, but the results are always best when you start with a model that is very close to the perfect fit to begin with.

I'm not sure why other shops don't go through a similar method other than the market of people willing to pay $100 for the measuring service is probably small. I know for me personally, boots are the one piece of equipment I will pay a premium to get the best product possible for me. It is the most important piece of ski equipment one owns. All other pieces of gear I bargain shop for; typically online.

[boston_e]

Do you care about grip walk vs older skis?

I didn't even know this was a thing. Seems niche. Anybody have experience with this?

A lot of the newer boots have this "grip walk" sole... nice feature for walking around the lodge or if you boot up at the car - but the bindings need to be adjusted (or might not even be compatible??? not sure i'm not an expert) to fit with grip walk sole boots.

[Southside_Bobby]

It takes time, but try on a lot of different models and manufacturers. Each shop can only show you what brands they carry, so I would go to 2 or 3 shops to get a good cross section.

I don't think this point can be overstated. A shop can have the most talented boot fitter in the world, but if they don't carry a lot of different brands, choices can be limited.

Which shops near K carry the largest selection of boots?

[easyrider16]

If' you're into Fischer, Brian at Forerunner is a pretty good boot fitter and has a fancy vacuum bag machine that will mold the shell to your foot.

[Captain Hafski]

Re: Grip Walk Soles / Bindings. And, correct me if I am wrong here butt:

- Grip Walk is the next generation of having a 'rounded' boot sole to make walking easier. The front and rear ends of the sole are angled up a bit. I find them to be a great innovation and believe the replaceable boot front / rear wear surfaces last longer as a result of this design.

- The previous generation of these soles was "WTR". The bindings that supported the WTR sole design had two settings, "WTR" and "Alpine". They would work with the older flat sole boots and the newer WTR ones. There was an adjustment on the toe piece that changed the height of where the toe of the boot sole rested.

- Older bindings that do not support WTR or Grip Walk will not work with Grip Walk soled boots.

- Grip Walk bindings will work with Grip Walk soled boots. Obvious, I know.

- I am pretty sure Grip Walk soled boots will also work with the older "WTR" bindings with the toe piece adjusted to the WTR setting.

So - When buying new boots, it is probably best to get Grip Walk soled boots and, if need be, replace older bindings that do not support them.

[Mister Moose]

Just take your time and try on several and see which ones you like the most - keeping in mind that proper fitting boots might not feel great until they break in a bit. Last thing you want is something that feels good in the shop only to be swimming in them once they pack out a bit.

My latest boots felt toooo tight for roughly 10 ski days before the liners self molded / broke in. Get the fit right for hard spots, toe box and other problem foot issues, but blood pressure cuff fullness/tightness is not at all the same as a burning spot you can't stand. Tight is where it's at. That's why boots have buckles.

I didn't even know this was a thing. Seems niche. Anybody have experience with this?

Pre grip walk skis won't be compatible with grip walk boots. Some boots have swap-able soles. Most grip walk bindings will work with flat sole DIN boots, but not vice versa.

Many of your points here are why I use Richelson's in Plymouth, NH and think Paul is the most exacting and very best in New England that I've experienced. Not sure a Killington based skier would want to use him as it is certainly convenient to have your boot shop be close to where you ski.

There's a few of this caliber of fitter around. One other is in Stowe. One in Boston. They tend to be low volume, high flex rating specialists, and also will take on a recreational skier with special needs.

[deadheadskier]

Not sure about the Boston guy, but Stowe you are likely referring to Benny Wax. He is excellent and helped me out some 25 years ago when I lived there. Also somewhat local to Killington is Shon Racicot at Boot Pro in Ludlow.

Richelson does specialize in the high end like you say. He does most of Dartmouth Ski Teams boots.

I wear a 9.5-10 street shoe. For as long as I've been fully grown, I had skied a 26.5 prior to meeting Paul. He stepped me down to a 25.5 and punches out the problem areas in my toe box. It typically takes me 2-3 return visits to get it just right. It's tedious and painful , but the results are amazing. If I were a competitive racer in a plug style boot , he would possibly put me in a 24.5. He says many D1 or WC racers drop 3 shell sizes down from their street shoe size. I couldn't imagine going any smaller than I do.

[jimmywilson69]

If' you're into Fischer, Brian at Forerunner is a pretty good boot fitter and has a fancy vacuum bag machine that will mold the shell to your foot.

I've been using the fischer vacuum fit boots for nearly a decade. I got my 2nd pair last year. I had the first pair re-vacuumed one time and it was like getting a complete new fit. Both liner and shell get heated and then the vacuum pressure fits to your foot shape.

As to whether the shell stretches, I'm not sure so much the plastic, but I feel like the buckles do as there was definitely more play in the buckles of my old fischer boots at the end than compared to the beginning.

I Believe other boot brands have gone to heat moldable boots, but not sure about the vacuum.

I am in the 120 flex now compared to the 110 and there was definitely a difference. I'm only 5'7" 180 lbs, so I wonder if they are stiff enough for a larger person who skis aggressively. My buddy has same boots, and he is 6'0 200 and says they are for him. We both ski aggressive. They are undoubtedly not as stiff as a Lange 120.