Thinking about buying new Ski Boots? Bomb.

Over the past few weeks a few friends have been asking me about ski boots because i have a bomb pair myself. I'm not exactly a ski-boot expert like the crew at your local SureFoot, but here are a few of the things i have been telling people to think about.

Ski boots are a tricky mix of form and function. The perfect boot for you depends on the shape of your foot and the way you ski. The higher your arch the more necessary custom foot bed becomes. Conversely, if you have a really flat foot a custom foot bed will be more comfortable too. If you have a pretty neutral foot then you're probably fine picking up a generic footbed just to give it a whirl before you spend the dough. Footbeds can be a game changer for some people by increasing the amount of your foot that is in contact with the boot. The more the better. If you have a good foot bed, it can make getting to your edges a fraction of second shorter. Some people claim that it increases circulation in your feet also, but I've never experienced that. (Good ski boots are generally pretty flippin cold...)

The custom liners are a mixed bag. If you're skiing a lot, then you will pack out your custom liner pretty quick making your heafty investment into a pedestrian pair of boots broken in ski boots. I have custom liners and they are pretty comfortable, but i wouldn't ever tell you that they dramatically changed my skiing experience. The experience of getting them fit at the Deer Valley SureFoot was pretty cool though.

The thing with ski boots, like skis, you should consider the way you ski first to figure out how stiff of a boot you want. If you're a speed freak or on really steep terrain, then you'll want a stiffer boot so that you can control your skis at the higher-end of your speed range. If you spend a lot of time in the park, the bumps, or skiing powder, you'll want to consider a softer boot that you can flex easier and not bang your shins up too bad.

In the end, skiing will make your feet really cold no matter what you do so I don't usually get too hung up on the warmth factor. If warmth is a concern than buy yourself a really nice pair of camp slippers to change into at lunch which will let your feet stretch and the feeling return to your tootsies.

If you do go the custom route I recommend working with SureFoot. They are a good company run by decent and knowledgeable people and they carry all of the boots worth skiing in.