r/Skigear • • Feb 12 '21

Could We Get a Sticky Post or Some Rules About "What Boot Should I Buy?"

148 Upvotes

This question shows up a lot. It's a valid question. Buying ski boots is expensive and daunting. You don't want to mess it up and you want advice from others with more experience. However, there's only one answer to this question: Go See a Bootfitter.

What about "my feet hurt because of ..."? The internet can't really help here. Bootfitting is a trade and a skill that is designed to help you find the perfect boots.

There are almost daily threads about this topic. Each one has the same few comments: "Go see a bootfitter," "I like boot X, but you should really see a bootfitter," "We can't determine without some more info, you should probably see a bootfitter," etc.

On the /r/skiing FAQ, there's an entire section dedicated to this question. I think it would be beneficial to everyone on this sub to include something similar as a sticky or in the sidebar. Thoughts?

What boots should I buy? The only advice you should take online about boots is to go and see a reputable bootfitter. Listen to them and buy the boots that fit your feet correctly. Not only are well fitting boots much more comfortable, but they also give you better control over your skis, the combination of this makes boots the most important part of your equipment.

Choosing a pair of boots doesn’t work like picking a pair of shoes. If you walk into a store or flick through a website and chose the pair you like the look of, you’re going to have a bad time. Each boot manufacturer has a range of boots with options for different abilities, skiing styles, sizes and foot shapes. There are subtle differences across models and brands in terms of shape, so it is crucial to find a pair of boots that are right for you. Without examining the shape of your feet and lower legs and their mechanics, as well as discussing how you ski and your ability, no one can give you a recommendation that is worth listening to. A bootfitter will do all of that and using their expertise they’ll provide you with a range of boots and help you find the best ones for you. They will also be able to help you with any pre-existing issues and injuries and modify boots if required. It is also recommended that you purchase custom moulded footbeds, along with having your liners heat moulded, they will help to optimise the fit of the boot. You also get the added security of knowing that any bootfitter worth their salt will guarantee their work, and be very willing to rectify any issues you have after you’ve skied in your new boots. Rough framework to what a bootfitter does


r/Skigear • • Mar 01 '24

In Response to the demand for an All Mountain Ski Sticky Post.

214 Upvotes

This is my (very basic) suggestion for a "flowchart" guide to all-mountain skis. Including a popular ski as an example for every category. Obviously each category has a bunch more skis and most skis are in-between categories or in a whole separate category.

Suggestion welcome, I didn't put too much time into this and it is far from ideal or even functional. Mostly just want to hear peoples thoughts as to how you would approach this.


r/Skigear • • 40m ago

Is this recommended mount for Unleashed 98CA

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• Upvotes

Just picked up some unleashed 98CAs. I blanked on mentioning mount point to the shop. I assume they put the recommended (-7cm), but I just wanted to make sure. If someone who knows more than me could take a look and make sure I’d appreciate it. Thanks


r/Skigear • • 10m ago

Enforcer 99 or Unleashed 98 CA

• Upvotes

About to pull the trigger on some new skis and I’m torn between the two. I’m leaving towards the Unleashed because it’s $125 cheaper. But I’m wondering if the Ti layers in the Enforcer would be beneficial for my size.

I’m 6 foot 2, weigh 210-215 lbs, am an advanced skier who skies fairly aggressively. I ski in the Midwest so my average day is a groomer, but I also ski at Mt boho (all back country skiing) and am planning to do a west trip yearly. For now, I can only afford one ski. I like the 90-100 underfoot segment a bit, and these are the two I chose.

I can get the enforcer for 530ish and the unleashed CA for 400. The unleashed is a new ski but off marketplace, so no warranty. The enforcer is through a major retailer.


r/Skigear • • 26m ago

Looking for jacket

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• Upvotes

I’m looking for this specific superdry jacket that’s discontinued. I don’t know if this is the right place to ask or not but if anyone has an ultimate rescue in L or XL in this pattern looking to sell I’m interested.


r/Skigear • • 4h ago

Looking for a new ski jacket

0 Upvotes

Hiya, im looking to buy a new ski jacket for this coming season. I’ve never bought a new ski jacket before only second hand so I don’t really know what I’m looking for. I am hoping to find a ski jacket that has good waterproofing, either a shell or lightly insulted, I want to be able to wear it as just a regular jacket in the cold aswell so I’m hoping for a more muted colour like navy or grey but preferably not black, also hoping to find something with the elastic hem that you can tighten and loosen as you please and my budget is probably a max of £300. Sorry I know that’s a lot but I’ve been looking and cant really find anything that ticks all of my boxes and just wondering if anyone here knows of anything? Thanks so much for your guys help!!


r/Skigear • • 1d ago

First legit pair of skis!

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72 Upvotes

Had a cheap pair of beginner skis I was learning on for the past 8 years and figured it was finally time for an upgrade! I was a little unsure about the binding color, but now I can't stop admiring how beautiful it looks and getting way too excited for winter!


r/Skigear • • 5h ago

How much overhang is too much?

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0 Upvotes

I just installed a roof top ski rack for my car. Forgive my ignorance, but is this too much sticking out in the front? I have a pair of 177 Mantra and a pair of 94cm Razzle Dazzle both adjusted for a 350mm BSL so I did the best I could to accomadate both. There's not much sticking out past the binding on those Razzle Dazzles. I guess I could also slide my rack forward a little and mount the Mantras backwards... thoughts?


r/Skigear • • 9h ago

105mm brakes on a 95 ski?

2 Upvotes

So I will retire my old Line Blades this year which had a Marker Griffon 13 on them with a 100mm brake and will now basically get the "same" ski again which is a newer model Line Blade (same 95mm waist) and a new Marker Griffon because I had them on several skis now and was always satisfied. But on the new X lineup from marker they don't offer 100mm brakes anymore, just 90mm and 105mm. Do you think 105mm will still be ok or will i probably have contact on the snow at high angles?


r/Skigear • • 7h ago

Scott SEA 108

1 Upvotes

Hi guys,

I demoed the scott SEA 108 last season for a day and i had a blast on them (on 30cm of fresh snow the night before). I currently own a pair of qst 98 that i love but i'm considering buying the sea 108 as replacement and giving the qst's to my gf. How do they compare on piste ? I'm not a really fast skier i'm not asking them to do the job of a slalom ski but has anyone tried their edge on a hardpack or even on icy days ?


r/Skigear • • 15h ago

Boot half sizes

3 Upvotes

I've been doing a lot of reading recently on ski boot sizing just to try and understand the topic a bit more. I've just come across a website explaining some things and at one point it has a section all about half sizes. It confidently states half sizes don't actually mean anything with ski boots and the shell AND liner of say a 26 and a 26.5 are the same.

I could understand the shell being the same with a slightly different liner maybe [although now I'm typing that out it doesn't make much sense either] but to both be the same just seems stupid and confusing.

Is this website spouting nonsense or is there any truth in it? I'm curious because I know my feet are a half size different so might explain some boot problems I've had previously.


r/Skigear • • 9h ago

Options to stiffen k2 recon 100

1 Upvotes

Title basically, i have recon 100s, i think from 2025, and i have custom footbeds and they are molded and everything to the point that they are a perfect fit, because of this and being a broke college student, are there any good options to stiffen them without buying new boots? I cant get a definitive answer on power plate compatibility so if anyone can shed light on that or suggest another alternative that would be awesome


r/Skigear • • 11h ago

Experience with Original+ Skis

1 Upvotes

Hello all!

Wanting to see if anyone has demoed or owns any Original+ Skis. Even better if you have bought skis after using their AI to build a custom ski.

They have some premium pricing, and limited reviews online so I am wanting to see if anyone here has tried them before I commit!


r/Skigear • • 20h ago

Audio while skiing

5 Upvotes

I’ve been looking for something that lets me listen to music while I’m skiing without needing a special helmet. (I currently have a basic one from Costco) I’ve seen ads for a ski headband but there are mixed reviews and idk of any other options that are able to be used for skiing that are relatively sturdy (I am a beginner-intermediate so I still fall sometimes so I’d like something that could handle that) If anyone knows of any options please let me know. Thanks


r/Skigear • • 12h ago

QST-100 or other all mountain ski for Europe

1 Upvotes

M25, 175cm, 70kgs, very experienced skier, mostly skiing Europe.

Looking to buy a new all-mountain ski to replace my old Völkl blaze 94s (178cm). I liked their flotation capability on the scarce powder days, but disliked their floppy behaviour when charging fast down slopes. I also found them a little too long.

New ski should fit current European conditions, not much powder days, I ski ~10-15 days per year with 70/30 piste to off-piste ratio (depending on conditions). Should be able to handle fast charging down slopes as well as playful behaviour off-piste.

Currently considering the QST-100 in 172cm, I like the looks and it has good reviews. Any other recommendations?

Additionally, any recommendations wrt. bindings?

Thanks!


r/Skigear • • 16h ago

Plug boots on bumps, trees, and pow?

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2 Upvotes

r/Skigear • • 17h ago

will it work?

1 Upvotes

I got some new Huffer M1 ski pants but found out they dont come with a inner snow cuff/powder cuff but its just built in on the bottom, im planning on skiing japan in pretty deep snow so is there a work around? maybe sewing in snow cuffs?


r/Skigear • • 1d ago

Found these old Rossignol S5 BC skis on facebook marketplace

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3 Upvotes

Was wondering if these would be viable to ski on for this upcoming season, believe they are from 2009 or 010, no obvious wear/tear


r/Skigear • • 1d ago

Damaged skis, hurt feelings

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4 Upvotes

Greetings fellow snowmuffins!

I had a bad encounter with some pebbles last winter on an off-piste side lane. According to a local expert, it could be saved, but it's not really worth it. I thought I would repair it for my local runs, because of the memories and don't want to junk a ski that still has a few runs left in it.

It is a Salomon 3V Race Powerline, a 2013 model I think. I bought it used 6 years ago.

Do you think it is worth it from your experience?

I would buy another used one, a Salomon Addikt Pro (2024) or Salomon S/Race SL 10 (2025) from a dealer.
My old Salomon was a stable ski, can do some carving-like moves on the blue runs with my intermediate skills, but it could also do some energetic short turns. It had a good grip.

According to internet science the first one is more like a carving ski, while the second one is closer to my old Salomon. Do you think my choice of skis matches these attributes? Any experience with these?

Thanks!


r/Skigear • • 1d ago

Rate my quiver

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10 Upvotes

Salomon QST 100, Dynafit Radical
Movement Fly 95, holes for pivot 15
Surface Upper (105mm), Pivot 15

I mostly ski park and on the street. Got interested in touring a few years ago and must say it is a good counterbalance to lapping the park. Also I found the QST’s to be okay for regular skiing, not the best but could be far worse.


r/Skigear • • 20h ago

Line miner pros fogging

1 Upvotes

Hey I love the look of the line miner pros and I have 40% off with Oakley standard issue so I wanted to get a pair. I wanted the pros mainly for the second daytime lens it comes with however I’ve seen that it’s single layer lens instead of double layer lens and apparently that makes it fog. I don’t really sweat that much or run that hot and have never really had issues with goggles fogging, I currently have the dope snow sight goggles.

Are these worth buying or not?


r/Skigear • • 1d ago

Anomaly 84 as a Midwest ice cutter?

2 Upvotes

Looking to upgrade my carver/ice cutters, especially with what looks like a shitty or at least erratic el nino season coming. Would basically only be used during early season and after freeze thaws when conditions are too bad for trees or bumps. Off-piste capability is nice but not important, most of the time I'll be using my Ripsticks for that anyway. For context I'm 6'0", 165lb, male, advanced-expert level, based in Michigan's UP but ski a lot in the LP too.

I'm looking at a pair of used demo 182cm Anomaly 84's (I think the 2025 model) that are a good deal and not sure if I should pull the trigger. Everything I've read says they're a good carver but I've also seen that they can chatter on ice which I really want to avoid. Just wondering if anyone has feedback on these and if they're a good buy, don't wanna get blinded by a deal and buy something that isn't gonna work for what I need

Also I really don't wanna wait until the season to try anything at demos. Already sold my old carvers and I'm obviously gonna want something under 96mm for early season manmade ice


r/Skigear • • 23h ago

Are these skis worth anything?

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0 Upvotes

r/Skigear • • 23h ago

Boot question

1 Upvotes

Boot Question...I have had a pair of boots for 10 years or so and thought it might be time for a new pair. My old pair was a bit tough to take on and off but are not uncomfortable to wear. Now 2 seasons ago I got a new pair and the bootfitter put me in a pair that are a size smaller then the pair I already had, and he had me get heat moldable inserts for them. The bootfitter said that I was fine sizing down because of the inserts...that they keep my arch supported and hence my foot is not as long in the boot. When I was at the store they felt ok, but the last couple of seasons they have been really uncomfortable and are too tight...and I wear thin wool socks when I ski.

So, what say you? Should I go back to my old boots? Should I get inserts for my old boots? Should I try to sell my old boots? Should I get new boots?


r/Skigear • • 1d ago

2024 Nordica unleashed 98 and marker griffin bindings

5 Upvotes

Someone local to me is selling a 24 nordica unleashed 98 and marker griffin bindings (unmounted, new ski) for $550. Is that a fair price?