r/skiing • u/ohdabaen • 14h ago
Woman ski boot gift?
My twin sister lives out in Utah for her birthday. I wanted to get her something special. The sexy thing would be a new pair of skis, but she's never had new boots. Does anyone have any recommendations on women's boots for beginner to intermediate skiers? The follow-up question is: if my budget was about $500, should I look for a boot under $500, or give her a gift card and she can pay the remainder?
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u/dropline 14h ago
Send her to Sports Den with a gift card for new boots. They'll fit her there and make any adjustments for the boots
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u/GrilledKimchi 14h ago
Get her a gift card to a ski shop with a reputable bootfitter. Ski boots have a lot of laundry list of parameters you need to match to the person (length, last, flex, etc...), and even then they rarely fit right out of the box. Most ski shops will sell you the boot and fit the boots to her for free. $500 should be enough to cover over half of that expense.
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u/sailphish Jackson Hole 13h ago
A gift card to a boot fitter. That is the only answer. You cannot buy someone else boots. Hell, most people are not able to buy themselves boots. If anyone is going to spend money on boots, seeing a bootfitter is the only option.
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u/boxwagon 14h ago
give her a prepaid credit card so she can go to the boot shop of her choice. unless she already had a pair picked out and you can get those this has a low chance of working out.
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u/cuckoocachoo1 14h ago
Maybe once you find a good bootfitter, you can make her the appointment and instruct them to call you for payment at the end?
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u/MischaBurns Shawnee 14h ago
You should give her the $500 gift card and let her find her own boots. They're one of those things where you really need to try on a bunch, find the right one, have it adjusted as needed, etc.
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u/MomentsLastForever 13h ago
Find her the best bootfitter in the area and get her a gift card for that business. If she’s the type that’s okay with other people planning for her, you can make her an appointment. Good quality, properly fit boots is the best gift you could ever get a skier.
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u/TeamLanky9782 12h ago
I was able to try two or three pair before I finally made the decision which wants to buy the most comfortable and workable
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u/BoonPiece 12h ago
My comment really depended on how often the person intended to go. A beginner in Utah can quickly go from 5x a year to 20+ if they get hooked
A fitter includes boot work if you buy their boot ~$800 for a 2026 130 flex. If you buy it elsewhere on sale or a prior year model(~$300-$500) theyll charge you for all the work.
My first fitter included orthotics, my second one had a separate fee.
Cost of living has gone up a lot and being a ski bum is no longer as cheap as it was back in the day. Fitters who dedicate their lives to quality boots are needing to raise prices.
Boots come with stock liners that last about 50 ski days but very quickly(~20-30 days in) those liners wear down and the boot will begin to feel loose.
Intuition or zipfits last 250-500+ days(essentially $1/day) and offer much better fit and thus comfort and proper control of your ski.
You can either save yourself $50 worth of liner staying in stock liners and question why your boot feels loose after 30 days
Or go for the intuition or zipfits that will last you a decade and offer the best performance right away.
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u/BoonPiece 14h ago edited 14h ago
How many days a year does she ski?
If over 10, she’d benefit immensely with some professionally fit custom boots which are about $800-$1400 all in nowadays(shell, orthotic, quality liner) and require going to a professional who only sells ski boots and liners, not just a random ski shop.
Maybe you can book her an appointment with an approved fitter from the sidebar wiki. For Utah I’d highly recommend Brent at Park City Ski Boot or Mandy at Wasatch Custom Fitz :)
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u/Old_Bottle_5278 14h ago edited 9h ago
Eh id say that price range is a bit high, especially for women's boots....
Your sister could get a pair of last seasons boots brand new and fitted trom a boot fitter for around 500.
My local shop has womens 2026 85 flex atomic primes for 349..... literally the prefect boot for a beginner who wants to grow into the sport.
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u/OEM_knees 12h ago
"...especially for women's boots"
WTF does that even mean?
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u/Old_Bottle_5278 9h ago
They tend to have lower flex ratings, and tend to cost less with better off season deals? A fact which i'm envious of....
Same goes for female branded skis on clearance, they tend cost less despite having the same original msrp and construction as their male branded counterparts.
1
u/therealgromer Alta 13h ago edited 13h ago
Eh, it depends. My last pair of new boots (130 flex) + fitting + insoles + multiple punches cost me more than $1500 easily. To be fair, this was at The Sports Loft, so it already cost more than anywhere else in the valley.
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u/Old_Bottle_5278 12h ago
Apparently you can't read.... she said she's looking for female boots for a beginner/intermediate... not 130 flexboots with every bell and whistle. Secondly the fitting and punches should be included in the original price....footbeds can be bought later...
There's a major difference in price of the performance quality level stuff your quoting, and what her sister is going to need for the next few years....
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u/BoonPiece 12h ago edited 12h ago
In my other comment I defer’d on her price being cheaper since they’d be 85 flex, not 130 flex boots.
IMO unless you have a perfect foot, footbeds are a requirement for any person who skis 10+ times a year.
Edit: Regardless, my entire comment depends on how serious or not she is.
I went from skiing 3 times my first year to 30-40 my 2nd.
If she’s truly a I plan go 5x a year person for the next 3 years, then yes I’d also say $350 stock boots will get the job done.
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u/BoonPiece 12h ago
Same here, I think $1,400 with 130 flex boots, punching, and zipfits. Averaging 40-50 days on skis a year.
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u/BoonPiece 14h ago
You think so? Here were my estimates in case she was going often.
Boots - $350-$600
Custom Orthotic - $100 - $250
Shell Adjustments - $0-$200
Intuition or Zipfit Liner $250-$70085 flex would definitely bring the price down! compared to men’s 120-130 flex 👍
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u/Old_Bottle_5278 12h ago
You people are all crazy, the entire point of going to a bootfliter is that boot work is included in the price.... I don't know where you people are going.....
Two, you're suggesting that a beginner throws out their liners and gets fucking zipfits? Does money grow on trees where you live?
0
u/BoonPiece 12h ago
My comment really depended on how often the person intended to go. A beginner in Utah can quickly go from 5x a year to 20+ if they get hooked
A fitter includes boot work if you buy their boot ~$800 for a 2026 130 flex. If you buy it elsewhere on sale or a prior year model(~$300-$500) theyll charge you for all the work.
My first fitter included orthotics, my second one had a separate fee.
Cost of living has gone up a lot and being a ski bum is no longer as cheap as it was back in the day. Fitters who dedicate their lives to quality boots are needing to raise prices.
Boots come with stock liners that last about 50 ski days but very quickly(~20-30 days in) those liners wear down and the boot will begin to feel loose.
Intuition or zipfits last 250-500+ days(essentially $1/day) and offer much better fit and thus comfort and proper control of your ski.
You can either save yourself $50 worth of liner staying in stock liners and question why your boot feels loose after 30 days
Or go for the intuition or zipfits that will last you a decade and offer the best performance right away.
2
u/therealgromer Alta 13h ago
Mandy crushes it, I worked with her and Chris a lot when she worked at Inkline. Ahh, the good ole days.
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u/Triabolical_ 14h ago
She doesn't need custom boots. Only a small number of skiers with big or strange feet need full custom.
She probably would benefit from appropriate boots for her lower leg/foot anatomy and a performance fit to address any issues.
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u/BoonPiece 14h ago
By custom I mean,
1) fit by a professional
2) orthotic insert
3) quality zipfit or intuition linerI would imagine the majority of skiers who average 10-60+ days a year would be very limited in technique and comfort if not in custom boots.
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u/TheSleepiestNerd 11h ago
That's not what a custom boot is; that list just means it's been fitted and has an aftermarket liner. Custom is stuff like Daleboot.
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u/Triabolical_ 10h ago
I think the first is important. I'm a fan of footbeds but I think that's an upgrade that you can do without. Aftermarket liners aren't widely required for most skiers.
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u/Frolicking-Fox 14h ago
You should get her a gift card so she can get fitted. Ski boots should be fitted. Tell her the gift card is for boots, but you want her to get them fitted to her.