Boulder Outdoor Center Boot Fitting Tips and Tricks for Plastic Boots

Trying to figure out which boot is the correct size can be a challenge if you do not know the tricks.

Step One:
The first item to know is that almost all snowboard and ski boots are made in Europe. In Europe they use a different sizing chart than we do here in the USA, and their sizing chart is called Mondo and does not match up perfectly with the USA sizing charts. So the charts below will give you a pretty good idea of what boot size you should get, but it is not always correct.

Step Two:
The next step in sizing a boot is to make sure the shell of the boot is the correct size. You do this by pulling out the liner and putting your foot into the now empty shell. Slide your foot forward in the shell. You will now put your hand down the back side of your foot, inside the shell and measure the distance of the heel of your foot to the shell. This measurement should be 1 1/2 fingers to two fingers of space. If you have more or less distance between the inside of the shell and your foot, the shell is the wrong size. Try another shell size and repeat this size test until you have the correct size shell. Please note that most shell sizes will cover two foot sizes.

Step Three:
Get the correct size liner. Here is where you want to know how a liner is sized. Most liners are the same for two boot sizes and the only change is in the thickness of the footbed. It is good to know this because it can help in getting a good fit with your liner. Sometimes you can get a custom footbed that will make your boot fit much better. Some boots have a shim in the bottom of the shell that can be removed or you can add one to adjust the boot fit. Please note that you can change the fit of a boot by quite a bit by doing this, but you can not always make every boot on the market fit your feet.

Step Four:
Now that you have the correct size boot, you can work on fine tuning the fit. There are options based on the boot that you have purchased. Many of the new boots are now thermo fit and will be heated up to soften the liner, then you put the boot on with a extremely thin sock or nylon stocking, buckle them as tight as you can stand it and wear them around the store or house until the liner cools. Make sure you are walking around while the liners cool down. Your feet push out the spots that are too tight as the boot cools down. What you are doing is an accelerated break in. On older boots, your boots will be fully broken on or before day 10. Your feet will push out the tight spots of your boots.

Step Five:
Make sure you have mole skin with you when you are skiing or boarding. Even with a great pair of well fitted boots, your boots and feet need to get used to each other. During this time you may get hot spots or even blisters. Before you get a blister, stop and put some mole skin on your foot. This will keep you skiing/boarding and help push out the spot that is too tight on your foot. Mole skin is an adhesive backed fabric that sticks to your foot and can spread out the pressure from your boot.

Boulder Outdoor Center boot sizing and sales
The BOC has shims for inside of boots and extra foot beds. With these shims and foot beds, we can change a boot size by a half size. As mentioned above, boots change their fit by the foot bed. By having extra foot beds and shims, we can get you a better fitting boot. With this adjustability, at times the BOC will change a boot size by adding a thicker or thinner footbed or by adding shims. Custom footbeds will also change the fit of your boot. Our goal is to get you a great fitting boot. We will do everything in our power to make this happen.

Dalbello Ski boots Sizing
Dalbello boots change shell sizes on the half mondo shell size.
Example: Shell 26.5 and 27 are the same size shell and 27.5 will be a larger shell.

*Moleskin is recommended with the purchase of all new boots.

Alpina Sports/Crispi Boot Sizing
Each full size in the Mondo sizing is a different shell size.
Example: Shell 27 and 27.5 are the same, a 28 shell will be larger.

Lowa Boot Sizing
Men's boot shells break on the on the full size.
Example: Shell 8 and 8.5 are the same, a 9 shell will be larger.
Womens's boot shells break on the on the half size.
Example: Shell 7.5 and 8 are the same, a 8.5 shell will be larger.

*Moleskin is recommended with the purchase of all new boots.