Figuring Out Your Size Of Ski Boot

A topic that will unite athletes and fans of all sports is that of shoes. Of course there may be some discussion in terms of which brands are better than others, but some generally accepted guidelines are that no matter what type of shoes you are wearing, you have to make sure that they are designed for your sport and that they fit. This is especially true for more extreme activities such as skiing. For some sports like basketball your regular shoe size will usually be more than enough to determine your basketball shoe size. Not the case for determining your size of ski boot.

- What Kind of Skiing Are Your Doing?

It is important to first and foremost figure out what kind of skiing you intend to be doing. The boots may vary according to the type of skiing you do, but also based on the amount of skill that you have currently. If for example you are looking into alpine skiing and you are very advanced and looking at more complex courses, the boot you need will be different from that of an absolute beginner. Once you have figured out what kind of boot you are getting, the rest becomes easier. Women's boots are different from men's boots, etc.

- Sorting Out The Size

Ski boots are sorted based on the mondopoint system of determining shoe size. That means that all you need to do when looking at a ski boot and its size is figure out how big or small your feet are in regular sizes. At that point all you need to do is add the numbers and the decimal in the mondopoint size you have been given. For example mondo size 27.0 is the two plus the seven plus the zero. Or a size nine. There are ski boot size calculators available free online if you are interested in double checking your answer or would like to know your mondopoint size before going to the store.

- Width and Flex?

Mondopoints aside, two other factors that skiers need to sort out is the question of how wide the boot is as well as how much flexibility you can find within the boot. If you are a very accomplished skier your boots will likely be quite narrow. As counter-intuitive as it sounds since smaller ski boots aren't comfortable, this is actually a good thing because the smaller boot allows skiers to have greater control than a wider boot. For beginners though getting comfortable is the first key. The same things goes for flexibility. A skier who is using an advanced ski will need to look for stiffer boots whereas beginners should be looking more at boots with more give.

In some respects, having proper boots in skiing is just as important as having the right skis. You need to shop and figure out the size of your ski boot by first being aware of what type of skiing you and knowing what kind of skier you are. The boots are labelled according to the European mondopoint system and sorting out the appropriate size for you is a simple matter of adding all the numbers plus the decimal. The stiffer and narrower your boots are, the more advanced they are supposed to be. As complex as it can seem at first glance, sorting your size of ski boot is a very straightforward process.