“What did you say?”: things you can expect to hear in a ski boot fitting session
If you are excited about the prospect of taking up skiing, or even perhaps returning to the slopes after an extended period of time away, we can hardly blame you. Skiing can be an immensely invigorating and rewarding physical exercise, as well as – of course – simply a lot of fun.
However, it is essential that you source the right clobber for your skiing pursuit — and that gear will need to include comfortably fitting ski boots.
When it comes to ski boots, you might imagine the process would be as straightforward as buying a pair in your standard shoe size and calling it a day. However, we strongly advise that you instead book a ski boot fitting appointment – and the great news is that you can attend one right here at Ski Exchange in the UK area of Dry Drayton, just outside Cambridge.
With this service, we can essentially mould ski boots to your feet. That way, the footwear will feel neither too tight nor too loose — and once you are on the slopes, your boots won’t needlessly compromise your skiing performance or increase your risk of injury.
A beginner-friendly glossary on ski boot fitting words and phrases
Right now, your priority should be planning for the ski boot fitting. At this preparatory stage, it can pay off handsomely if you educate yourself on a number of terms that are bound to spring up as you converse with the fitter. Listen out for the following jargon…
• Footbed: After assessing the foot’s length, width, and stability, we will fetch a footbed — whether custom-made or prefabricated — that will stabilise and support the foot as well as fill volume underneath it within the finished boot.
• Shell: This is a plastic enclosure forming what can be seen as the “main” part of the boot. A shell can be formed from a single plastic sheet, although some areas of the shell can also be thinned, softened, or textured to enhance the boot wearer’s comfort.
• Heat moulding: We can use this technique on the shell to form it into a shape following that of your foot so closely, it will feel as though the boot was specially made for your foot — as indeed, it was. We will cool the boots so that the heat moulding fully sets.
• Cuff rotation: The word “cuff” refers to the shell’s upper part that, when the boot is worn, wraps around the shin. Once the heat moulding has finished setting, we will engage in cuff rotation as we make further tweaks to the shell in order to fine tune its fit.
• Canting: Otherwise known as “alignment”, this is a speciality service rather than one that all skiers will strictly require. However, by canting the boots inwards or outwards, we can ensure they match the leg alignment of the skier, as can prove especially useful for a racer or ski instructor.
If the ski boot fitting service that you are preparing for will be your first experience of such a service, just let the fitter know — as you certainly will be able to if the service is provided by Ski Exchange in the UK shop we run near Cambridge. You can easily use our website tobook an appointment with us.