Finding a comfortable and good-fitting ski boot is an elusive goal for many older skiers.
Finding a comfortable and good-fitting ski boot is an elusive goal for many older skiers. According to responses to our reader surveys, 25% of you plan to purchase new boots in any given season. Reading the comments is revealing: “Want to find a painfree pair.” Looking for something that doesn’t hurt, Finally!” Hope to find a boot that helps my skiing AND is comfortable.”
We asked Steve Cohen and Mark Elling to help identify those boots most suitable for older skiers. They’re the ski boot authorities who organize America’s Best Bootfitters Boot Test, the annual evaluation of next season’s crop of new boots. Steve is a principal of Masterfit, the host company for the test. Mark is Test Director, responsible for organizing this highly complex and detailed event and writing the consolidated reports. Testers included bootfitters, retailers, instructors, coaches, patrollers, and other skiers;many of them seniors.
Last Spring, these men and women tested more than 100 models. They based evaluations on performance, value, easy on and off, warmth, and convenience of buckles and other adjustments. They also paid close attention to models with custom molding capabilities, which allow an experienced bootfitter to fit difficult foot anatomies.
Reading these reviews helps demystify confusion about boot selection. Regardless of how much you plan to invest in boots, work with a trained (preferably certified) bootfitter. Find one you like and stick with him or her.
Reviews are categorized as Men’s or Women’s, each according to foot width and All-Mountain (no “walk-mode”) or On-Off Area (with “walk-mode”). Men’s and Women’s listings each have 24 boot recommendations for seniors. The highest scoring models in each category appear at the top of that category. Abbreviated boot test results are available free to SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers. They appear under the Subscriber-Only Content box at the top of the Home Page.
In depth reviews are available at http://www.bootfitters.com/reviews, where the best boots for older skiers can be found by clicking on the Recommended for Seniors filter.
