buying ski boots in North East

I need some help.

I have decided that given the fact that I have major problems with the burning in my feet, I have decided to buy my own boots. part of this is to save the embarrasment in the ski hire shop of keep going back and also the time wasted in the shop rather than skiing on the slope. I know insoles arent going to make my feet better so I am going for comfort. At the minute the doc thinks I have "burning feet syndrome" but I am not convinced of this. I think I have erythromelalgia. I have low iron and so he is treating me for that first but personally I have had this foot pain for so long I dont think iron tablets are going to make any difference, but I am willing to try anything.

anyway, I digress.......getting back to the fact that I am giong to buy my own ski boots. I was thinking of going to snow and rock or to LD mountain centre. does anyone have any suggestions of where the best place to go for buying ski boots is in the NOrth East? would prefer Newcastle but can get to Sunderland or Durham and I suppose at a push I could go to Middlesbrough/teeside etc but I am thinking if I have to keep going back to shop to tweak them or anything I need it close by.

thanks in advance for your suggestions

I don't have any helpful advice/info but I'd be more drawn to LD Mountain Centre. A friend bought some skis from Snow and Rock by the metrocentre, and the shop refused to set the bindings - they didn't want to be held responsible, and told him to look it up.

I assume a one-off incident but it doesn't create a good impression. But if you go to that snow thing in Castleford/Leeds I believe you can test out the equipment from the shop to see how you like it, so that might help you get the right pair. Probably worth a trip to get the right pair.

wow, that doesn't sound good. i have only been in to snow and rock once and I was slighlty underwhelmed. I want to be able to go home with the boots and have a walk round in them and make sure that they dont bring on my burning feet, as what happened when i went skiing in Feb. Even though the ski hire shop were really helpful and patient it was just soooooo embarrasing! certain boots brought about the burning in my soles immediately. I know some people who have burning in their feet experience the pain only when on the slopes, I dont think that is the same in my case as I felt the burning in the shop. I like the idea of the fact that Leeds have a place to try them. How does it work? does this mean that you could buy a brand new pair of boots that may have been tried by a dozen people so really they are then second hand? The only thing I would be bothered about is if I had to take them back, its a long way to go. do you think you could have a word with Sunderland council and get them to knock that indoor slope up a bit quicker? lol

I've bought helmet and salos from LD in Newcastle before and the guys in there were really helpful.

Somebody recommended Sayers in Yarm for skis and ski boots(apparently on the High Street there. I decided against buying ski boots for the time being but Sayers were highly recommended. Bit of a trek for you mind!

I have just got my own ski boots for xmas and I got them from reynolds outdoor centre in Sunderland. The guys in there are experienced skiers and really know what they are talking about. They're very patient as well and i tried on at least 6 pairs of boots before i found one i was happy with. I also went to snow and rock in the metrocentre and wasn't impressed at all, I found them very arrogant. Hope this helps.

I bought some new boots at Snow and Rock at the MetroCentre between Christmas and New Year and had excellent service.

My wife and I were in there for nearly 4 hours as they worked hard to make sure we got what we needed. Asked a lot of questions about skiing skill, style, previous problems with boots etc etc. They also made custom footbeds for me as I have a real problem with over pronation (I look ridiculous on a treadmill).

I agree that it could be the case that if you get the wrong guy you could have problems but there were two of them working that day and both were being very attentive to each of the customers they had in.

I bought my previous boots in resort in Livigno a few years ago - dirt cheap but no real "fitting" per se. I wouldn't have liked to lose 4 hours out of my skiing holiday to get fitted so glad I had them done at home with no language barriers or time constraints, plus they are nice and local if I need adjustments which was the only thing that put me off Ellis Brigham at Castleford X-Scape.

You'll definitely see a huge difference in your skiing from having your own boots no matter where you get them from!

Andy

I'm a boarder now but still have my skis and boots. I got my boots a few years ago from Nevisport in Newcastle. They were very helpful, made sure I had the right pair and then used heat to mould the insole to fit my foot perfectly. Your own boots is the best investment you can make when skiing. It's all about comfort. Hope this helps.