My holiday in Courchevel 1550

Its been said time and time again - if you are going to ski at least once a season, you really should invest in boots. Ally certainly goes regularly enough to make it a sensible option.
SOOOO many people on here say the best thing they ever did was get a pair of their own boots that fit perfectly, yet I see Ally is still renting boots.

I have to agree with Pabs. Your problems with falling over, not managing certain technicalities, and the pain you are now in must all be connected with ill fitting boots. You said yourself your first pair were the wrong size. I would wager the pair you ended up with were simply not the right fit for you.

You will not believe the difference a well fitting pair make, and I have to agree that you are being held back because of this issue with boots.

Time to invest, Ally. Well, it probably was many years ago come to that.

Hi Tony,
Well, seeing as you have now taken charge of my life (at least in the boot buying department) where would you like me to go to buy my boots?

Ally

Ally
The only negative ski experiences that I have personally endured were all caused by using hire boots. I agree with Tony H on this one, you really should buy a pair of correctly fitted boots.

Finn

AllyG wrote:Bandit,
That's the whole problem. It's not like buying ready made boots. I don't suppose anyone would want to make me a boot that fits me, let me try it out (on a snow dome if in the U.K.), and then have me say that (perhaps) it doesn't make any difference.

Generally the people who have the complaints don't get them properly fitted. Or they do, just by someone who doesn't know what they are doing :lol:

If you can get to Ellis Brigham (not that I would recommend them, bad experience) they will fit you boots and you get 2 weeks to make your mind up and if you don't like them you get 70% of your money back. Unless you can get a strong recommendation for someone specific at EB I would avoid and go somewhere you are guaranteed to come away with well fitted boots.

Buying skis is not essential as you can usually hire whatever you like but boots are a very personal thing. I think the level your skiing is apparently getting to (taking slalom lessons and venturing off piste - don't really know the standard required) I think you will approach the point very quickly where they become a necessity.

Don't plan on getting a pair for £40. A more reasonable budget would be between £150 and £300.

My £40 boots were indeed a bargain, although the Euro was better value then, and it was April, so plenty in the sale.

I was impressed with the shop, as they didn't try and sell me the most expensive pair, and actually telling me they wouldn't suit my foot shape!

The more I wear them, the more comfortable they get, and I find they fit into my suitcase too.

(They're Tecnica superfit or something like that.)

Thanks for that - the other thing was that they can go in your suitcase so you effectively have nothing else to carry about, if you put them at the bottom (of a wheeled bag) there is pretty much no additional weight to wheel.

Ally, we have just bought boots after hiring for the last 3 years. We are going to Les Carroz next week by train. We have invested in a couple of wheeled cases and will put our boots in with all our other clothes. I know they will weigh a ton, hence the wheels! I will let you know how it goes with (a) improving our skiing and (b) lugging them around in our cases.

We went to Ellis Brigham in Covent Garden and the guy took his time with us. Plus as Pabs said if you're not happy they will buy them back for 70% of the cost.

Allie

Tony_H wrote:How dare you take charge of Ally's life like this.

Tony,
I asked you for some help, and all you did was roll your eyes at me :roll:

Everyone else, thank you very much for your advice. I was entirely serious. It seems to me that buying boots that fit well is very difficult. A friend of mine bought boots at our nearest ski boot fitting shop (the ski slope at Pembrey 50 miles away) and found them total agony when she tried using them on her ski-ing holiday, ditched them and hired boots instead.

I am wondering now if we go to Tignes again in October on the glacier with the Edge to Edge camp, whether they'd fit me some and let me try them out at Tignes.

Boots I could fit in a suitcase would be a very good idea. Everyone else was totally right about my helmet, I found it really comfy and no problem at all and it went in my suitcase. In fact, the only problem I had with it was that I couldn't talk on the phone because I couldn't fit my mobile under my ear flaps. I must have looked a bit stupid as well, in that Olympic slalom course at Courchevel, because half way down, when we entered the second course, my goggles fell off my helmet and were dangling by the strap at the back. Hopefully that bit wasn't videod!

I am writing my commentary on the pistes at Courchevel but I will paste it in to one of the earlier reports.

Ally