Boot Fitting Tech
During your assessment and before we start the fit we’ll assess the work needed to ensure your perfect fit. For those with an interest in the finer details, here are some of the adjustments that your fit might involve.
Ski Boot Footbeds
Having used Sidas’ range of technical footbeds since we started The Boot Lab, we have built a relationship with their team of experts and have created our very own footbeds using specialist materials that we have developed. The Boot Lab footbeds give just the right amount of support in just the right places. A footbed makes a vital difference to the comfort and fit of your boots.
In order to support your foot correctly, we will make your custom footbed using our special moulding equipment. The process involves capturing an imprint of the sole of your foot then heat moulding a footbed to this shape. We take this mould in a seated position so that we can adjust how your foot is positioned inside the ski boot. We then block the footbed in to provide support and to stabilise the footbed inside the boot.
A custom made footbed will improve both the comfort and performance of your ski boot.
Ski Boot Liners
During the boot fitting process, we will modify the original boot liners that come with the boot, by stretching, changing foam density, and relieving pressure points. These tweaks can really make a difference in getting the fit spot on.
If the boot we are fitting you with comes with thermo liners we will mould these to your feet. To do this we attach foam to your feet on pressure points and place foam toe caps on under your socks. The liner is then heated up in an oven. Once at the correct temperature it is placed back in the boot shell and we help you slide the boot on. The process is slightly uncomfortable as the foam and toe caps are taking volume out of the fit. Once the liner is cooled we will remove your foot and the foam, before you can test the final fit.
For most people the stock liner, which comes with the boot, is perfectly adequate. For those seeking a high performance fit, or people with very narrow feet we may suggest a different liner – either Intuition or foam. These both remove volume, preventing movement in the boot.
We favour Intuition liners which are the market leaders and we stock a large range of their products as well as our own custom-designed Intuition liners. We also stock Sidas foam-injected liners.
Shell Modifications
At the Boot Lab we have top-of-the-range Keyser boot press in each of our shops. Should we need to make adjustments to the shell of your boot during the fitting, we’ll use the different moulds to adapt the shape of the boot shell to fit your feet. By adding heat and pressure we can completely mould the shell, so if for example you have bunions rather than picking a larger boot we’ll stretch the correct size shell and make the boot fit your foot.
We also have a die grinder, which allows us to remove pressure points from the inner shell.
Aside from this, we can also replace parts of a boot, eg. buckles or soles and we can also reduce or increase flex, depending on the model of the boot.