SKI BOOTS
Basics
Ski boots play a central role for the equipment of alpine skiers. The lack of wearing comfort when buying a wrong model can not only influence your skiing behaviour in a negative way, but may even cause pain. The ski boots of the youngest generation are therefore equipped with very flexible foam liners. However, also with older models not only stepping in and out, but also walking and standing should be easy.
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Size
The choice of the right size belongs to the most common sources of error when buying ski boots. With a suitable model, you should still be able to move your toes easily after closing the clasps and shifting your weight forward toward the bootleg of the shoe. When standing upright or leaning slightly back, your soles should not slip forward inside the shoe. The presumption, ski boots should be bought one size bigger in order to enhance the wearing comfort because of the thick ski socks is a misbelief: In order to close a bigger shoe, the clasps must be overly tightened. The resulting pressure cuts off the blood circulation of the balls of your feet and toes. Your feet may feel cold or go numb.
Function
Your sales assistant knows: Ski boots that do not fit well can disable you to carry out the motion sequences you have already learned, because they irritate the impulse transmission from skier and ski. Besides wearing comfort also the technical functions of the shoe must be considered. In order to allow a good technique, the skier’s skills, stature and calf circumfence must be taken into account. A good ski boot boasts the right proportion between the length of bootleg and soles, influencing the ski behaviour in a positive way. Impulse transmission happens without the loss of energy and the skier’s knees do not go tired so easily. For this purpose, also the boot’s shell should be as close to the foot and leg as possible. In order to avoid sore spots, the cuffs of the boot should be softer for unpractised or short persons and harder for good skiers or tall persons.
Correct fit
Thanks to the technical progress during the previous years market leaders have been able to improve their products radically. So today it is possible to find the right boot for every shoe indeed, due to foam liners and special thermal insoles. Through body heat the materials adapt themselves perfectly to the individual shape of the foot. In case of need, the wearing comfort can also be enhanced notably by exchanging the boot’s original insoles with individual new ones that were modulated by an expert.
Did you know?
The awareness of having to step into damp or wet ski boots the next morning can spoil the upcoming ski day already in the evening before. Best solution: a ski boot dryer!
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