Fitting Leather Ski Boots

[jooleyen]

I am assuming that burly leather xc boots should not fit like plastic alpine skiing boots. This is all I seem to be able to find info on regarding ski boot fitting.
I have finally gotten myself a pair of high quality ski boots to go with some nordic backcountry skis, but I am not sure which size to pick. I usually wear a size 9 in shoes and prefer a snug fit for athletic activities, so I got a size 9.5 and 10 (US) in my ski boots knowing that I would want room for extra socks. These boots are the Alico Mod Double telemark boots (http://www.sierratradingpost.com/alico- ... n~p~72194/).

When wearing my preferred sock system, the 9.5 is pretty snug and I don't think I would want to put on another sock because it would be pretty difficult to wiggle my toes. The heel lift is really minimal. I don't expect zero heel lift since these boots are extremely stiff right now.
With the size 10, my toes have more wiggle room, but so does my entire foot. The heel lift is more noticeable even if I wear thicker socks.

So I am not sure which size to choose. How do you like your boots to fit? Will the leather stretch meaning a snug(ger) size 9.5 would end up fitting looser once the boots are broken in? Or do I need a size 10 to fit more socks in for more warmth, but will end up with less control while skiing?

[connyro]

Have you tried messing with different footbeds? That is a good way to take up extra volume in a boot without sacrificing toe space: thinner footbed for when you want to wear more socks and thicker when you don't. Those Alico doubles are great boots. The liner is pretty warm and my ski buddy who uses them never seems to have cold feet, and I think he is using only one pair of socks. I like my boots pretty snug personally and I only use one pair of socks. Leather boots will generally stretch, even from the start to finish of a ski outing, but those Alico leathers don't really seem to stretch much because they are really burly and thick.

[MikeK]

I like mine to fit as tight as I can tolerate, but that's just me. That said, it's not quite as horrific as a plastic boot which feels like a cast - but snug enough to feel like it's part of my body. Also it's going to be tough for you to tell initially on a boot with a stiff sole like that, but I like to know how it feels when I flex, like a kick or a tele stance.

Boots like that tend to soften up in the sole a little bit, but it won't affect the fit much.

Also FWIW I only wear one pair of summer weight socks in my boots - sometimes liners. I never have an issue with my feet being cold if I'm moving. I was riding a T bar earlier this year and I wasn't doing enough work and my feet were ice though.

[1EyedJack]

What others have said, but also make sure you won't get the dreaded Toebang from going too short.

[jooleyen]

Thanks for the great replies. All of your advice pretty much tells me the smaller 9.5 should work best. It's encouraging to hear that they should be warm - especially when moving. They hug my feet pretty well, but I still have room lengthwise for my toes. I am going to experiment with insoles/no insoles. In the past year, I have noticed that it seems like my right foot fits differently from my left. I think no insole is nice with the right foot while the standard insole should do well on the left.

[1EyedJack]

i have had good luck w/ Superfeet insoles. Variety of thickness, etc.

www.superfeet.com

[jooleyen]

I have to sand the bill down on these. They won't fit in my voile 3 pin cable HD bindings. I read that this was a problem, but it's no big deal to me.
My question is, should I only sand it as little as possible so that it barely fits into the binding on the first notch, or can I sand it more so that I can latch it to the second notch? I ask because my bindings on my other pair of XC skis require a thinner bill and I'd like to use these boots with all skis. Of course, if it's advantageous to have the bill as thick as possible, I will dedicate these boots to only the beefier bindings.

[jooleyen]

Another issue I have just found...
When I was mounting the 3 pin bindings on my skis, I centered the front screw and put my old, crappy ski boot in the binding until my heel was centered on the heel plate. Then I drilled the two back holes and finished mounting the binding. I noticed the binding wasn't straight, but my foot somehow was. Well, now I have found that these new boots are wider and have a different shape, and my heel is no longer centered on the heel plate. So this means I have to redrill the two back holes on the binding to make the binding inline with the ski. When I put it where it should be, I can see about half of the already drilled holes in the ski thru the holes in the binding toe plate. Can I fill these holes with epoxy or something and then redrill them?

[Bri7]

There is a sale going on right now at sierra trading post. If you use coupon code XFJ47116 you have an extra 45% on certain item. Unfortunately, the mod double does not apply. However, Alico's little brother the backcountry nordic touring does apply. At almost 100$ you can't really go wrong with a pair of leather boots.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/alico- ... rFamily=27

I bought those this summer. They are really large compare to other ski boots and shoes. I had to use an extra sole and an extra pair of socks to make it work. I guess it is better than too small...

[MikeK]

I was hoping some more of the DIY type would chime in about fixing your binding issue, but if it was me, and I'm not at all knowledgeable about this, I wold plug the old holes with wood dowels and epoxy, let it harden up real good, then re-mount the bindings.

Just FYI, 3 pin bindings never look straight, they aren't symmetric. I'm sure you know there is a left and a right.

I would just line the back holes up square to the ski, and if your boot isn't perfectly centered, then so be it... should be closed enough.