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Zoom with Larry and Boot Fitting Expert from Sturtevant's

Recorded on February, 11, 2025.

Weather with Larry and boot fitting questions answered by expert boot fitter, Brant Howell from Sturtevant's.


Weather notes followed by Boot Q and A with Brant.


WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

🌨 Weather Update: We're in early February, about halfway through the ski season, and we've had our ups and downs. We started off with a lot of snow, but January had a dry spell. The good news? We’re back on track with a favorable forecast for February.


Key Highlights:

  • Snow Water Equivalent (SWE): Washington is near or above normal in the southern half and slightly below in some central/northern areas.

  • Oregon and Idaho: Strong snowpack in Brundage, Sun Valley, and parts of Montana. - Forecast: Expect cooler temperatures and above-normal precipitation in the Northwest for the rest of the season.

  • Monday could be a potential powder day—snow levels around 3,000 ft with 3–8 inches of fresh snow.

  • If you're thinking about a SEASON PASS, we start to think about them in another month and a half or so, I'd go for it.


A few highlights from the transcript: Colorado and Utah have been sort of a mixed bag so far this season. Get further south. You notice this red area so southern Utah, Southern Colorado, have been kind of hurting. So that's how it's been going. Idaho has been doing very well. Brundage and Sun Valley and Central Idaho doing quite well. And then over here at Targhee and Jackson Hole. They've been doing quite well, too. So that gives you an idea of what's going on.


So if you look at November, we had a really good start here got above normal, really quickly, and by December we were really above normal. Christmas was above normal. And then January, we started to taper off a little bit. We got a little bit early January, and then lately it's flatline kind of mid January to right about now. We had a little bit about a week ago, but we kind of flat line there. So we went from above to near normal to below. And now we're starting to climb back up. So we're a little bit below, at least at this particular station. Now, some areas like Crystal and White, are above normal. Right now.


Baker is near normal. Stevens is just a little bit below normal. Snoqualmie's a bit below normal, but overall we're in much better shape than any of the other ski areas, or most of the other areas in the United States, although Oregon's doing really well, too, Hood area and bake and bachelor doing very well, so they've had a lot of good snow there, too.


Here's what the forecast is, in a general sense, for the rest of the ski season. That is the rest of February, March and April, and it's pretty much reflecting, La Nina, that is above normal precipitation here in the Northwest, below, in the southwest kind of in between, in California, equal chances, but below normal temperatures, too, in the Northwest, and that means, you know when the moisture does come, it usually comes with cooler temperatures. So that means high quality snow as well. And so far, I think you know, I think it's been kind of verifying pretty well so far. We won't know for sure until April first That's when we sort of sort out the whole mess.


Here's what the forecast is for El Nino versus La Nina. And again, we're in La Nina. That's the blue line. So 90% chance of going to have it. We've definitely got it still continuing, and you can see it's dropping off the chances of La Nina.


But if you're thinking about a season pass, we start to think about them in another month and a half or so, I'd go for it. You know. El Nino. That's the one that typically gives us problem neutral. All right. So again, this is that La Nina pattern. We're still in it for the next month or so, and then we've got to go toward this neutral pattern.


 

Boots with Brant

  • Toe pain

  • Black toe

  • Heel lifting for calf pain and loose heel pocket

  • Cold feet and liners

  • Tight buckles

  • Footbeds

  • Old boots or old liners

  • Forward lean angle, stance & control

  • High instep-tall feet + Cabrio boots

  • Boot heating-punching-grinding for AT boot

  • Flex for intermediate + beginners

  • Women's boots- small feet

  • Prepare for a fitting

  • Alignment

  • Slippery socks


Highlights from the conversation with expert boot fitter, Brant Howell from Sturtevant’s. With questions from the Powder Poobah subscribers. We cover everything from black toe to boot liners and other boot fitting tips that will improve your comfort and performance on the slopes.


"I’ve been fitting ski boots for over 30 years, and one of the most common complaints I hear is, ‘My toes hurt.’ This is often due to incorrect sizing or poor stance. Many intermediate skiers sit in the 'back seat,' which causes their toes to jam into the front of the boot."


Toe Pain: 

BRANT: Stretching a boot for more toe room is possible, but it must be done carefully to avoid compromising the boot’s integrity and safety. Toes get jammed up in the front of the boot for a variety of reasons, and usually what those individuals want us to do is give them more toe room, and it's possible.


Making a boot longer is very challenging and very restricted. You can't do a whole lot. You can gain a few millimeters in most cases, and some of these new, much lighter weight boots are easier to stretch. But we have to be careful about disrupting the symmetry of the toe area of the boot because it has to interface your binding.  If you disrupt that too much, then you could compromise safety. So we're always very conscious about what we can and cannot do with ski boots.


More often than not, toe pain comes from intermediate level and intro level skiers. They're still working on their technique, stance, and balance. And if that is consistently what we call "in the back seat" then yeah, your toes are gonna hurt for sure. That one thing that I, personally as a as a boot fitter, am pretty adamant about is controlling the flexibility of the foot within the boot. If you don't take measures to do that the best you can. You're always going to be fighting some issues, a variety of issues. (Also read: Black toe and Footbeds)


How do I prevent black toe?

Brant: Trim your nails before the season and make sure your footbeds offer proper arch support. A snug fit without excessive room helps prevent your foot from sliding forward and hitting the front of the boot.

If your nails are left long, it increases the sensitivity at the cuticle. One little nasty bump on the toenail, if your nail is too long, will cause a black nail.


Also, have a good footbed. If you're skiing in a boot that has an original stock footbed in it you're not doing yourself any favors. Your foot is going to slip around much more frequently. One mistake. If you get in the back seat a little bit, you apply a little pressure on the calf of your leg on the cuff of the boot that's going to shove your toe right to the end of the boot. If the boot is too big, you got a running start at a brick wall, so it's better to have a close fit, less volume in the boot toes comfortably and gently touching. The end of the boot is perfect, and then, having some arch support underneath you, so that your foot it's kind of like having a speed bump underneath your you can't slide over it, you know. It's pushing up on your arch, and it's keeping your foot from shifting fore and aft in the boot.

Heel Lifting: Heel wedges can be a game-changer

Brant said. "They help snug the fit, reduce toe pressure, and improve overall stance. The foam pieces or a heel wedge to elevate the heel, which helps create a snugger fit."


Q: From Steve, "Is there anything that can be done about overwhelming pressure in the back of the boot on the calves?" The daughter, age 19 is an intermediate skier, and from time to time it feels like her lower legs are getting choked off. She tries to loosen the buckles, but it doesn't help, so it's calves and buckles.

Brant: It would be guesswork on my part, I would need to see what the boot is if she is in a boot, that is for example, a men's product. That may be part of the problem. Is it insurmountable? No, probably not.


  • We can heat up the top of the cuff of the boot. The cuff is the very uppermost part of the boot. We can heat that up and stretch it a little bit.

  • We can elevate her heel inside the boot by putting a heel wedge. Typically, it's about a quarter of an inch thick at the thickest portion at the back that will elevate her, and as you can all tell, the muscle mass in your leg tapers as it gets closer to the ankle, it gets smaller as it gets closer to the ankle, so if we elevate the heel  we put a smaller portion of the leg in the cuff section of the boot so that can relieve pressure.

Q: Lisa says: "I have a narrow heel with a boot that has been fitted (by Otto). The boots are great, but my heel is still lifting. And it's a big problem. I don't know what to do, I've moved the buckles all the way over. Everything's as tight as it can get."


Brant:

  • There are some die cut foam pieces that we buy for bolstering the effectiveness of that liner. They have to be very strategically placed on that liner for them to be effective.

  • Your reason specifically, because of the shape of the heel pocket in a ski boot. If we elevate your heel up into the heel pocket it gets narrower, so it gets tighter on your foot. So that is, you know, the heel wedge. It's kind of a magic bullet that we use for a variety of reasons. When you elevate the heel in a boot, it also shifts your foot back and can reduce some of your toe, touch and gain you a millimeter or 2 of additional toe space. It can snug the heel, it can relieve pressure on the calf. That's why I call it the Magic Bullet.


Cold Feet and Liners: 

Q: From Lynn, "Are some liners warmer than others?"


Brant: Yes, some are warmer, Intuition liners are, in fact, considerably warmer than 90% of the production liners that come from manufacturers because simply they're using a superior foam material: to produce that liner, and they retain heat. Intuition Liners are made with closed-cell foam, providing superior warmth compared to most stock liners. They're a heat, moldable material, so they are heated up, so they become quite soft and stretchy. We put the person in there. We get a very, very customized fit. They're out of Vancouver, BC. 


If you are suffering from Raynaud syndrome and that you know, you'd have to see a medical professional to get that clinically diagnosed. But if that is the case, you typically are not producing heat in your extremities. Your circulatory system is just not doing it for you. Those kind of situations you need an artificial source of heat.  Oftentimes, like Andrea put heated footbeds in there are heated socks that can be bought. None of them are cheap. I will tell you that, it's an expensive add on but well worth it. If you want to get out and enjoy skiing on a cold day, and you suffer from that syndrome. Heated socks too!


More Boot Fitting Tips

Tight buckles:

Q: People asked about pressure points and buckles, and someone said "my boots are fine, but when I get to a steep I have to crank them down again. Is that okay? Or should my boots be the same on different slopes?" Brant, as a former ski instructor and a boot guy you can help.

BRANT: I think if you've got a good footbed or good foundation in the boot underneath your foot, and we think you should remain fairly stable in the boot without having to crank your buckles.


If you've got a footbed in place your foot should remain fairly stable, your foot and your ankle should remain fairly stable when you're edging. If you feel like you need more from the boot when you get into a challenging slope, or what have you. Then I would recommend that you get that additional pressure from the upper buckles of the boot rather than down on the foot. And if this is a fairly consistent problem or issue, we do have volume shims that we can put inside your shell underneath your liner to kind of snug everything up. It is not my favorite practice to fit boots with buckle pressure. That tends to do nothing more than shut down blood flow potentially increase pressure on certain nerves. All of those things can cause you to feel numb cold.


Boots & Liners: 

Liners typically last about 5 years for regular skiers. Replace them when you notice decreased performance or increased buckle pressure. If your shell is still in good condition, you can replace the liner with an aftermarket option like Intuition or Sidas."

BRANT: The 1st thing on a boot that's gonna give up is the liner. It's the softest part of the boot. So liners typically a production liner from most boots, even a very high end boot. We like to measure the longevity in skier days of activity. If you ski 20-25 days a year you can probably expect about 5 years out of your liner before your liner starts to give up. When it starts to give up, you'll notice the buckle pressure. You will feel an uncontrollable urge to clamp the buckles down tighter, and that's usually an indication that the liner is starting to give up the ghost. It's starting to thin down in certain areas it's starting to compress the foam that it consists of will compress.


How do I know if it's boots or the liner?

BRANT: If your boot shell is still in good shape and if the buckles are sound. They're still tight, and they're not loose and rattling around on the shell. That happens when rivets start to stretch out, what you can do is to replace your liner. There are a lot of aftermarket liners on the market. A lot of them are heat, moldable foams. Some of them are heat, moldable cork that's actually in a soft resin when it's heated up. 


If the liners old, AND you're starting to see some significant wear on the sole of the boot, particularly the heel you know if it's an older product, it may or may not have a replaceable sole piece. If that's the case, then when that wear starts to get to a certain degree, you're going to need to replace the whole boot. It doesn't become cost effective to put a new liner in an old boot like that. Also check your buckles, you know, take them in your hand and wiggle them back and forth. If there's movement, then that's not a good sign for longevity. If they're sound, if they're still tight and secure on the shell and you're not seeing that wear on the on the heel of the boot on the sole. Then the shell is probably fine. Put a new liner in it and carry on.


Forward Lean & Ski Control: 

Q: Tom asks: "Please talk about boot forward, lean angle, and how it relates to stance and control."


BRANT: Modern boots have a more relaxed forward lean (11–12°) compared to older models (16–18°), reducing fatigue and allowing for a broader range of motion. "It’s important to flex your ankle to stay balanced and in control.


Ski boot designers, probably 10-12 years ago, started relaxing what used to be a very aggressive forward stance angle to the tune of, neighborhood of 16 to 18 degrees forward lean angle in the boot. There was a time when that was necessary because we were skiing very long skis, 205 cm, 207, 210 cm long skis that had relatively compared to today's skis, very little shape and we wanted and needed to be in a more aggressive stance on that type of a ski to get things done to get the carving effect out of the skis. We don't need that anymore.


What caused the change in boot design was the change in ski design and when you're in a boot that addresses your leg in a 17 or 18 degree angle it's gonna do nothing but just wear you out quick. It's like putting you in a squat position all day. If your stance angle is 11 or 12 degrees instead of 16 to 18 degrees. you can stand up and relax your leg muscles much more often throughout the course of the day. It's absolutely essential to flex your ankle when you're skiing in order to stay centered in order to stay balanced while in motion. You have to flex your ankle. If you don't, you end up in the back seat and you end up fighting the whole game. You're just you're fighting every element.

What changed with ski development was the much more aggressive geometry that the skis have the side cut that makes a ski turn. Essentially, we can stand up and relax a lot more readily on, and you get a broader range of vertical motion, too. It helps you be smoother on the snow.


High Instep (Tall Feet): 

Q: From Kristen, "How easy is it to make more room for a high in step for vertically thick feet?"


Brant: "Sometimes we grind the Zeppa board (the boot’s internal floor) to reduce pressure on the instep and create more space." Talk to a boot fitter about a CABRIO style boot.

Cabrio boot
Cabrio boot

We often remove material from the Zeppa board or size up slightly to avoid crushing the instep. Sometimes we grind the shell, but that depends on the boot material.


For somebody that has what I deem a tall foot, when we measure, if we actually measure your in step and that measurement does not correlate fairly closely to the measurement of the overall length of your foot then we have to sometimes split the difference when we're sizing a boot. But then there are other things that can be considered. We can remove a little bit of material off the top of the what's called a Zeppa board. It is an artificial floor in the boot that can be removed. If you grind a little material off of that, sometimes you can drop the foot enough to get relief. Sometimes we find that we need to size somebody up. If I measure your foot and you measure a 25.5 in overall length and then I try to put you in a size 25.5 boot, and your instep is being crushed before you even buckle it. And that is not a good scenario.


CABRIO style boots

BRANT: Now I'm probably talking Greek to most of you, but I have a cabrio boot here. I can show that show you how it differs from a conventional boot. For example, this boot shell is a more conventional boot from Lange. This is a 4 buckle, the boot. See if I can do this. It spreads right there and down in the lower part where your foot lives. It is a an overlapping closure and 4 buckles, 2 on the bottom, 2 on the up on the ankle, and the leg to hold the boot on you. Those boots are a bit more difficult to put on, especially if you're aging like me, and you're losing some of your flexibility, it becomes more difficult, and hence the reason that I invested in another boot and got a cabrio style boot.


Back to the question about the instep, the really tall foot. This is oftentimes a really good solution for that type of a foot, because by design this boot does not close with an overlap, it is open. The lower part of the boot is open all the way through your instep area, and how the boot actually closes is with a 3rd piece, and that's where the name cabrio comes in. CABRIO.


Boot punching, grinding and heating

Q: From David, my Scarpa  F1 XT touring boots are made of some high-tech grilamid polymer. Can this stuff be pushed out to widen the boot a bit?


BRANT: If if you want my explanation to that. A grilamid is the name of the plastic, it's a very stiff and very lightweight plastic, and the reason they use that material is for those boots that are designed as a hybrid that can go uphill as well as downhill. And of course, for going uphill just like any other activity, like a lightweight bicycle. For example, you know it's beneficial if that product is lighter weight. Well, they do that with the grilamid. And there's another material called Pbacks and you know most ski boots are made out of…. and I'm talking Alpine ski boots. Most of those ski boots are made out of a polyurethane plastic, and there are variations of that.


The only problem I have with grilamid personally, as a boot fitter is that it doesn't have a lot of rebound. In fact, that material has no memory. So, if we heat up that material and push it out, we have to be really ultra careful, because if we go a little too far we can't bring it back with polyurethane. If we don't like the result that we got when we stretch and shape that plastic, we can reheat it, and it will largely come right back to its original shape. So polyurethane is usually the favored material to work on for boot fitters that are customizing and shaping shells.


I will say this. It is an extremely rare occurrence that we sell a ski boot to somebody that doesn't need some form of modification, almost. I'm kind of a rare exception to that rule. But ski boots typically don't fit anybody right out of the box.


What’s the ideal flex for beginner skiers?

Q: From Joe, "is there a specific type of boot you would recommend for a beginner to intermediate skier. Who's now getting back into skiing after a multi-year break?"


Brant: "A softer flex (70–100) is perfect for beginners or developing skiers. Advanced skiers might need a stiffer boot for greater control.


How do you determine flex on a boot? What are the good markers to determine how stiff or how soft a boot to buy. It is very, very critical in your skiing technique to be able to flex your ankles. If you can't flex your ankles in the boot, the boot is not there to stifle all movement. It's there to protect you from injury. The movements that you make, the flexing movements are going to increase or decrease the pressure that you're applying to the ski when the ski is edged and moving through the snow.


A softer boot would be more appropriate for a developing skier. Whether that means a beginner or a good intermediate level skier. And then I guess I should identify for you what the flex index ranges. When you buy boots in today's world you can expect to see an adult product start at the lowest flex of about 70 or 80, 70 for women, 80 for men. The 90 becomes stiffer, a hundred becomes stiffer, yet 100,120, 130 is about the stiffest boot any recreational skier would need. There are a handful of products out there that are like 140. A World Cup racer Lindsey Vonn, for example, is going to be skiing on a 150 flex boot. But it's a world cup racing boot, and they have to be literally sculpted on the inside to fit that particular foot and 99.9% of us recreational skiers don't need anything remotely close to that.



Q: What boots work for petite women with small feet?

Brant: Lange and Dalbello offer true-to-size options down to 21.5 for aggressive female skiers. Shop early in the season for the best selection. There are a couple of companies out there that actually make a true 21.5. I don't know off the top of my head of anybody else yet that is making a true 21.5, you know. That's about the smallest boot you can get for an adult skier and that would have the kind of performance features that an aggressive skier would want. You just have to shop early in the season, because most buyers don't buy a lot of those. They'll buy a couple, and when they're gone they're gone, outside of special order, that is.


Final Thoughts from Brant

"When preparing for a boot fitting, bring thin ski socks and avoid tucking in your base layers to prevent pressure points. Wear pants that can easily be pulled up to your knee. Make sure your toenails are trimmed.


Bonus Tip: If you experience difficulty removing your boots at the end of the day, let them warm up in the car for a while before trying to take them off.



What is a Shell Fit?


Shell fitting is important, with liner out of boot put foot inside shell.  It is easier for your shop to make the boot bigger that make the boot smaller. With an ideal fit (like a firm handshake) you should have consistent pressure on the shin, a tight heel fit and toes should be touching the end of the liner.  Sturtevant's Bellevue and Ski Mart in Tacoma focus on custom boot fitting.


Boot liner with cork
Boot liner with cork

Liners and footbeds


Ski technology has changed in the last few years. Ski boots today are in general more upright with less forward flex stiffness. With new ski technology a stiff forward flexing boot is not as important but good lateral support is.




The liner composition in new boots is typically more comfortable and is heat moldable to better fit different shapes. This applies to high performance boots as well. Comfort and the ability to ski all day is a good thing.


What do footbeds really do?  And do I really need them?



Ski boots typically don't fit anybody right out of the box. We need to do a few things. A footbed is certainly a number one on my list addition to a ski boot. If you're not doing that to your boot, whatever that boot is, you need to reconsider because a footbed, if if we don't have a good footbed underneath your foot. Your foot is quite literally a loose cannon in that boot. So when you buy your boots they come with a standard foot bed that is basically flat, correct.


The standard footbed is very flimsy and relatively nondescript in their shape, and they just don't have any integrity. They're intended, from the manufacturer to be thrown away and replaced with something better. Whether that is an off the shelf drop-in trim to fit whatever you want to call it, type of a footbed that is still a far better upgrade than, or or a better upgrade than just going with the original and then, of course, the ultimate depending.

Intuition liner
Intuition liner

Foot beds are truly one of the best stabilizing factors anyone can do for ANY shoe or ski boot with very few exceptions. 


I help people by by asking, How much do you ski if you ski 20 days a year, or if you know, money isn't a big object for you, the ultimate is to have a custom footbed done, and there are a lot of different programs on the market at Sturtevant’s we sell predominantly Sidas. Their company out of France. The reason that I love them is because we're able to get a tremendous amount of definition with that format and they're they've got a lot of integrity built into them as well.

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How do I know if I need an alignment?


Alignments are necessary if you are knock kneed or bow legged. 


Knock kneed can cause soft edges more inclined to a skidding turn and leaving the skier pointed up hill at the end of the turn making it more difficult to link into the next turn. Bow legged can cause the opposite effect as knock kneed. The skier will have a very grippy edge and hard to release at the end of the turn.



PRO TIP: If you have a hard time getting your boots on...try a Boot Horn. This little magical piece of plastic makes it easy to slide your foot inside a boot.




What kind of socks should I wear in my ski/snowboard boots?


SLIPPERY SOCKS...are a real thing. Bridgedale Easy On Socks for men and women. We have seen the same for kids.

Socks, either wool, acrylic or a blend that wicks moisture away from the skin surface to prevent blisters and retain heat.  If the boots are tight, a thin sock is recommended.  For a looser recreational fit a lightweight to medium thickness is good for some more cushion and warmth.  Stay away from cotton, it does not move moisture as well and your feet will have a colder clammy feel.







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