Report on buying my new ski boots

GetJim,
Thanks, I think you're quite right. But it is all very confusing :shock:

My actual instructions say this, under 'ski boot care':

'Ski boots are not designed to be of comfort for anything other than skiing. We recommend you always open all buckles when walking around in your boots, or if sitting or standing tall, this will maximise circulation and relieve pressure.
When walking step gently in your boots. This will help to avoid bruising the foot plus minimise wear-and-tear along the sole of the boot. The thickness of the sole affects the interface within the ski binding (DIN safety standard) and is therefore very important. Cat Tracks are rubber sole protectors and may be worn if regular walking is unavoidable in your boots.'

Anyway, all I've done with them so far is try them out in the shop, ski on them in the Snow Dome, and put them back in their special wheelie bag - so I can't have wrecked them yet :D

I was also given instructions about not drying them out on pipes etc. in case of melting them.

Does anyone think it matters which way up they are stored - lying flat or standing up?

Maybe I will just leave them nice and safe in their boot bag until the next time I go to the Snow Dome - or possibly take them out now and then for a little cuddle :lol:

Internet photo of my boots. If you click on it, the photo gets bigger.




Ally

Ally, try doing the ironing in them, flex forward as if you are skiing, and move between feet regularly. There is 1 item on the Profeet list, that I don't agree with. If you have your boots undone when walking around in them, there is a good chance that you will catch the buckles on lift station stairs (or similar) and the clips can get bent. I do know that CEM suggests closing the clips loosely, and he had to replace clips for me and my OH due to us having bent buckles :oops:

Also, if you walk around with your boots undone, they you might get toe bang and rubs as your feet will not be held in a good position in the liner. Personally, I think it's easier to walk about with my boots done up, not skiing tight, but definitely fastened.

Modern ski boot foam has memory, don't leave it too long before you run them in )

bandit wrote:Ally, try doing the ironing in them, flex forward as if you are skiing, and move between feet regularly. There is 1 item on the Profeet list, that I don't agree with. If you have your boots undone when walking around in them, there is a good chance that you will catch the buckles on lift station stairs (or similar) and the clips can get bent. I do know that CEM suggests closing the clips loosely, and he had to replace clips for me and my OH due to us having bent buckles :oops:

Also, if you walk around with your boots undone, they you might get toe bang and rubs as your feet will not be held in a good position in the liner. Personally, I think it's easier to walk about with my boots done up, not skiing tight, but definitely fastened.

Modern ski boot foam has memory, don't leave it too long before you run them in )

Thanks Bandit,
I think you and GetJim are right, and it's okay to stand in them for a short while, with legs in the ski-ing position (I'm afraid I don't 'do' ironing but I'm sure I can think of another suitable activity).

When I have to walk in the boots I will try doing so with the buckles done up as lightly as possible, and failing that I'll try them undone (but carefully, after your experience).

It looks then as though I'll have to return as soon as possible to the Snow Dome before my boots 'forget' how to ski :lol: Do you think their 'memory' will last until the end of June? Also, I want my muscles to 'remember' as well, or I'll be snow-ploughing again :D

What was your verdict on the correct position for storing ski boots?

Ally

Store your boots in their bag or box, with the clips done up, nothing inside them, and nowhere near central heating pipes or similar. If you got the plastic bags with them, pop them in those, if not don't worry. Don't put them in a loft, mice like ski boot liners and find them useful :mrgreen:

I reckon if you try them on once a week, they'll be fine until you can ski again at the end of June.

Snapzzz wrote:Ally, will that boot bag pass as hand luggage when flying?

Snapzzz,
It occurred to me that you might have been thinking of buying one of these bags yourself. So, I thought about it some more, and actually measured my wheelie boot bag as best I can (it's difficult to be entirely accurate). It looks more like a soft mini-suitcase than a bag. The actual box bit of it is 56 cm long, but the little wheels stick out a further 2 cm making it 58 cm long. It's also 36 cm wide and variable depth, but about 23 cm with my ski boots in the main compartment and my gloves and salopettes in the second compartment.

EasyJet and British Airways both seem to specify a maximum hand luggage size of 56 X 45 X 25. So I think my boot bag might just pass - in that I think it would fit in that metal open measuring box they usually seem to use because I think the wheels would stick through and they might not object to that. But it would be a bit touch and go. The few times I've flown they only check the flight bags that they think are too big, and they might think mine looks okay.

I suppose I could ask Profeet if they reckon it complies with the flight bag rules. I would have thought they'd designed the bag to be okay, because the dimensions are so close to those required.

Bandit,
Thanks again. I won't put my nice new boots in the loft - I didn't buy them so that they could become a 'mouse house' :lol:

Ally

Hi AllyG, I've not been around for a good few weeks and so just catching up. Good to hear you got your new boots and I'm guessing that means that your poor toe is all better. Thanks for the report :D

Ally, let the boots air out after use, before you put them away in a bag. If the they are really damp, pull the liners out to make sure they are thoroughly dry, and put them back in before storing them.
If you want to look really hardcore, put a piece of duct tape in front of the first buckle, to stop snow getting in :wink:

Hi Eljay,
My toe is much better thank you - not completely healed but greatly improved.

I was going to put a photo of it up on here, but poor Pablo didn't think he'd be able to bear the grossness of it, so I didn't :lol:
It was all black and blue looking and then the nail fell off and it looked even worse. I have just done an 8 mile hike today on the Coastal Path and it is a bit sore, but not too bad.

I still haven't found anyone who's heard of someone breaking their toe in a ski boot. I even asked my Profeet boot fitting technician, and he hadn't either. So it is still quite a mystery. Next time I'm in the surgery for something I might ask my GP to get the hospital records and see if the radiologist thought it was broken, as well as the radiographer. I don't think I've got osteoporosis or anything like that, because my orthodontist had a careful look at the bone density in my jaw for my dental implant (and I would have thought all my bones would be the same, although I may be wrong).

Have you got any news to start a new thread with?

Ally