How To Buy Ski Boots – Do’s And Don’ts

Ah, winter the best time of the year for those that love to hit the slopes!  If you have a serious passion for skiing then you know the importance of having the right gear and what better way to stock up for next year that during the winter sales.  Most stores throw huge sales mid winter in order to let go of inventory before summer hits, sitting on product that won’t sell during the summer months doesn’t do them any good so now’s the time to look for the best bargains on all your ski gear.  If you’re contemplating a new pair of Ski boots before next winter consider buying now, sales offer you good prices and get you one step closer to next season!

A few things to consider before your next ski boot purchase –

1. Make sure you have the right size, since ski boot sizes are a bit larger than actual boot sizes you’ll actually have to try them on and walk around.  Have your foot fitted by a professional boot fitter and you’ll be showing off your skills in no time!
2. Ask around friends who have similar ski style what type of ski boots they have, they might know of a great brand you’ve never heard of before, trying different brands allows you to find what works for. There are four main factors that determine your skier profile. These factors include physical build, athletic ability, skiing history and future goals. You may want to purchase a boot that matches your skier profile.
   Your skier ability and style will be able to help you decide which flex, fit, and features you desire.
3. Make sure they aren’t priced too low, quality ski boots are made from durable materials which come at a cost.  If it’s too good to be true it probably is, there is nothing worse than being in pain or having frost bitten toes on the slopes.

Size
Ski boots are measured on a universal scale called Mondopoint. Remember the Metric system, you may have learned it in science class, maybe someday we will switch to it… Mondo (meaning world) sizing is the length of your foot measured in centimeters. You can determine your Mondopoint size by tracing your foot on a piece of cardboard with a pen, making sure to keep the pen vertical against your foot so there is just a slight border. Measure the traced outline from the heel to the longest part of the toes. Round off to the nearest half centimeter. (If you do not have a metric measuring tape, you can multiply the length in inches by 2.54 to find your Mondopoint size). If the tracing of your foot measures 26 cm (10.23 in), then your Mondo size is 26.0.

Ski boot manufacturers don’t make boot shells in every half size, so you should look for boots in either a 26.0 or 26.5. The difference between these two sizes is the liner and/or insole size.

Mondo (cm)	Men (US)	Women (US)	Europe	U.K.
15	8 (youth)	—–	25	7
15.5	8 (y)	—–	25	7
16	9 (y)	—–	26	8
16.5	9 (y)	—–	26	8
17	10 (y)	—–	27	9
17.5	11 (y)	—–	28	10
18.5	12 (y)	—–	29	11
19.5	13 (y)	—–	30.5	12
20	13.5 (y)	—–	31	13
20.5	1	—–	32	13.5
21	2	—–	33	1
21.5	3	—–	34	2
22	4	5	35	3
22.5	4.5	5.5	36	3.5
23	5	6	36.5	4
23.5	5.5	6.5	37	4.5
24	6	7	38	5
24.5	6.5	7.5	38.5	5.5
25	7	8	39	6
25.5	7.5	8.5	40	6.5
26	8	9	40.5	7
26.5	8.5	9.5	41	7.5
27	9	10	42	8
27.5	9.5	10.5	42.5	8.5
28	10	11	43	9
28.5	10.5	11.5	44	9.5
29	11	12	44.5	10
29.5	11.5	—–	45	10.5
30	12	—–	45.5	11
30.5	12.5	—–	46	11.5
31	13	—–	47	12
31.5	13.5	—–	47.5	12.5
32	14	—–	48	13
32.5	14.5	—–	48.5	13.5
33	15	—–	49	14
33.5	15.5	—–	50	14.5
34	16	—–	51	15

Pretty simple stuff right!  Next time you hit the slopes do it in style but make sure your boots have your back, do a little research and make your next trip to the mountain profound!

Do you have any other tips for getting the perfect boot?