Ski Boots Can Fit. Really.

A ski boot may look like a medieval torture device, but it doesn’t have to feel like one. The combo of function and comfort can be achieved.

Ever looked at a ski boot?

I mean seriously taken a long, studious stare at this somewhat medieval, rather arcane-looking piece of footwear?

They can’t be serious, right?

I mean, look at it: it’s heavy, unwieldy, cumbersome, and resembles some kind of a torture chamber for a hoof.

Just looking at a ski boot makes you think—that’s gotta hurt.

Yet, today’s ski boots can’t hold a candle to those of yesteryear when it comes to inducing discomfort. Or downright pain.

Yeah, sure, you can still buy ski boots that’ll kill your feet.

But, the combination of design, high-tech materials and pro boot fitters’ skills means you don’t have to.

All you need do is pay careful attention while you’re buying. And to take your time.

The foot is an intricate apparatus. As I wrote in a The Weekend Athlete’s Injury Guide (Berkley, 1993), "The foot is a complicated mechanism. Each foot contains 28 bones, 18 muscles, 30 joints, 31 tendons, and 107 ligaments. No wonder they get to hurting."

Ouch. Wow. When you consider that systemic make-up, it’s a wonder any footwear works. Not to mention ski boots.

Okay, it’s easy to see that ski boots might be functional. But, because they’re used in an outdoor and often frigidly hostile environment, it’s imperative that they be both warm and as comfortable as possible.

Time was that constituted a major challenge. Stories of ill-fitting, painful ski boots are legion. In the early, supposedly revolutionary, days of form-fitting foam boots I once had a pair (manufacturers’ name withheld to prevent embarrassment to them) in which the liner’s form-fitting foam hardened into distressing lumps.

I might as well have walked on a bed of nails.

I had another pair whose overly tight fit almost cost me a few toes to frostbite one extremely cold Canadian winter’s day.

But, today, it doesn’t have to be that way.

You can find ski boots that are both functional and comfortable.

"This is probably the harshest footwear environment that exists," says Steve Cohen of America’s Best Boot Fitters. "The whole key is that the boots fit snug—like a firm handshake. No gaps. If the boot fits well, the buckles should buckle in the mid-range. Then you can use the micro-adjustment. Don’t be afraid to experiment when using the boot’s adjustment. It’s like getting into a car to drive. You move the seat, adjust the mirrors etc."

See? All it takes is some research, some time, and reliance on a salesperson who knows what he’s doing. There’s a lot of knowledge out there. Now go and take advantage of it.

Related Article: Buying Ski Boots - A Primer