Should I risk buying (x-country) ski boots second-hand or overseas?
August 28, 2013 9:25 PM Subscribe
I need to buy (NNN) cross-country ski boots for classic-style skiing, mostly day tours in the back country. My local ski shop sells them for $200 (for these) or $400 (for these). Those are their only two options. Ebay often seems to have boots for about $50 (with $50 extra for postage to Australia). If I know my size in one brand (from hiring boots in the past), how transferable is it to another boot in the same brand, or to another brand I haven't tried? Is it madness to buy ski boots without trying them? Alternatively, I am likely to be in Minneapolis in January. Should I wait and look for boots there? Are they heaps cheaper in the USA?
Up until now I have hired Alpina boots in this style from a gear co-op I belong to. I am mostly happy with them, except that size 41 rubs on my toes (slightly too big) and size 39 digs into my right heel and takes the skin off by the end of the day (slightly too small?) I am hoping that means size 40 is exactly right, but my gear coop does not have a pair in size 40. They also get very wet inside, but I can suck that up and use gaiters more often.
I think the gear coop's boots are unisex (or all men's?), and I see on ebay that Alpina seems to have women's boots too. (I am a woman). Will the fit be very different? What about the sizing?
No one on ebay is currently selling this style of Alpina boots in size 40, but I am happy to wait and lurk until next season. Yesterday was probably my last ski trip for this season.
If I buy in the USA, presumably I'll have the same issue with returns as I would off ebay - ie. postage is about $50. Unfortunately I've found I can't really tell whether boots are comfortable and really fit well until I actually go skiing in them.
All this said, what would you suggest I do? Buy one of the local options while the end of season sales are on? Wait until January? Lurk on ebay and buy a pair like the ones I've been hiring? Lurk on ebay and buy something else? Specific brands and style recommendations would be great if you think I should buy something else. I care mostly about comfort. They do not need to be very warm. Skiing conditions here are generally above 0 C. I would prefer to pay $200 or less, but could stretch higher if there's good reason to.
Up until now I have hired Alpina boots in this style from a gear co-op I belong to. I am mostly happy with them, except that size 41 rubs on my toes (slightly too big) and size 39 digs into my right heel and takes the skin off by the end of the day (slightly too small?) I am hoping that means size 40 is exactly right, but my gear coop does not have a pair in size 40. They also get very wet inside, but I can suck that up and use gaiters more often.
I think the gear coop's boots are unisex (or all men's?), and I see on ebay that Alpina seems to have women's boots too. (I am a woman). Will the fit be very different? What about the sizing?
No one on ebay is currently selling this style of Alpina boots in size 40, but I am happy to wait and lurk until next season. Yesterday was probably my last ski trip for this season.
If I buy in the USA, presumably I'll have the same issue with returns as I would off ebay - ie. postage is about $50. Unfortunately I've found I can't really tell whether boots are comfortable and really fit well until I actually go skiing in them.
All this said, what would you suggest I do? Buy one of the local options while the end of season sales are on? Wait until January? Lurk on ebay and buy a pair like the ones I've been hiring? Lurk on ebay and buy something else? Specific brands and style recommendations would be great if you think I should buy something else. I care mostly about comfort. They do not need to be very warm. Skiing conditions here are generally above 0 C. I would prefer to pay $200 or less, but could stretch higher if there's good reason to.
Response by poster: Okay, they do exist in size 40, so maybe my ski shop could order them in. (This ebay listing doesn't ship to Aus.) I'll stop answering my own questions now.
posted by lollusc at 9:35 PM on August 28, 2013
posted by lollusc at 9:35 PM on August 28, 2013
Best answer: Total madness, don't do it. XC boots are one thing you have to try on because all of them fit differently, and they are notorious for chewing up your feet. Plus touring boots have the ankle cuff and it's imperative that you make sure the plastic does not rub on your ankle bone. You really need to put them on and walk around for a while in them and let the padding warm up and practice rolling your ankle to and fro (to simulate snow plowing down hill when your ankle is canted inwards for a while) to make sure they aren't going to scrape on the bony parts of your ankle.
If you're going to MN I would keep borrowing and go to a really good ski store that has lots of brands and very experienced staff. Go mid week and plan to spend a couple hours. They can cut shims and punch out the shell and do all kinds of stuff to make them fit better. Ideally you would buy them and ski in them enough to pack the insulation out a bit then go back and have any weirdness taken care of.
Alpina boots are notorious for leaking btw. I have two pairs. They both leak. They are nice and warm even when wet so I've given up caring about it.
posted by fshgrl at 10:36 PM on August 28, 2013
If you're going to MN I would keep borrowing and go to a really good ski store that has lots of brands and very experienced staff. Go mid week and plan to spend a couple hours. They can cut shims and punch out the shell and do all kinds of stuff to make them fit better. Ideally you would buy them and ski in them enough to pack the insulation out a bit then go back and have any weirdness taken care of.
Alpina boots are notorious for leaking btw. I have two pairs. They both leak. They are nice and warm even when wet so I've given up caring about it.
posted by fshgrl at 10:36 PM on August 28, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for the advice! So, know a good ski store in Minneapolis? I most likely won't have access to a car, and I'll be staying in Downtown West.
The plastic rubbing is what's worrying me, though, since the size 39 Alpina boots I've been hiring chew up my right ankle due to a sort of protruding plastic seam that isn't well padded, and it takes about two hours into a ski trip for it to start to hurt. So I'm pretty sure I wouldn't notice in the store even if I do the walking around and ankle rolling, etc. So I guess I'll have to go on a ski trip while I'm still over there, so I can take the boots back if I have problems. Oh well, there are worse things!
posted by lollusc at 2:29 AM on August 29, 2013
The plastic rubbing is what's worrying me, though, since the size 39 Alpina boots I've been hiring chew up my right ankle due to a sort of protruding plastic seam that isn't well padded, and it takes about two hours into a ski trip for it to start to hurt. So I'm pretty sure I wouldn't notice in the store even if I do the walking around and ankle rolling, etc. So I guess I'll have to go on a ski trip while I'm still over there, so I can take the boots back if I have problems. Oh well, there are worse things!
posted by lollusc at 2:29 AM on August 29, 2013
A proper boot fitter can easily fix problems like that. What they can't do is change the overall shape of the last - that's why it's essential to go to a place that has lots of selection, and understands how to fit boots properly, since different brands suit different feet. This is why you really should not buy them without trying them.
Regarding prices, they are essentially set by REI* with smaller shops matching as best they can. Your shop and REI both have sales on at the moment, but the base price of the Alpinas is about a third lower in the US! I wouldn't actually buy from REI unless you can't find anywhere else - their selection is good and their service OK, but the slightly higher prices at a good independent shop will be more than worth the extra attention your feet will get.
Definitely have a ski while you're there to test them out and iterate the fit if needed, but yeah, you should do that anyway! I suspect there'll be snow...
posted by Pre-Taped Call In Show at 3:16 AM on August 29, 2013
Regarding prices, they are essentially set by REI* with smaller shops matching as best they can. Your shop and REI both have sales on at the moment, but the base price of the Alpinas is about a third lower in the US! I wouldn't actually buy from REI unless you can't find anywhere else - their selection is good and their service OK, but the slightly higher prices at a good independent shop will be more than worth the extra attention your feet will get.
Definitely have a ski while you're there to test them out and iterate the fit if needed, but yeah, you should do that anyway! I suspect there'll be snow...
posted by Pre-Taped Call In Show at 3:16 AM on August 29, 2013
Best answer: As for Minneapolis ski shops, I've bought from both Hoigaard's and Gear West and have found the staff very helpful and knowledgable at both places. Hoigaard's will be much closer to where you are staying. I've also heard good things about Finn Sisu, but can't vouch for the store personally.
Once you have boots, go test them at Wirth Park. It is in the west metro, rents skis, and has a variety of trails. There is even a metro transit bus that goes there. They have snowmaking at Wirth so you can test your boots even if we are having a bad January.
posted by Area Man at 3:44 AM on August 29, 2013
Once you have boots, go test them at Wirth Park. It is in the west metro, rents skis, and has a variety of trails. There is even a metro transit bus that goes there. They have snowmaking at Wirth so you can test your boots even if we are having a bad January.
posted by Area Man at 3:44 AM on August 29, 2013
Best answer: This AskMe thread had some more advice on Twin Cities ski shops. I forgot about Midwest Mountaineering, but my wife bought some new classic skis and boots there late last season and had a good experience. You'll see that at least one MeFite also shops there. It might be a good place for you because it is relatively close to downtown and easy to get to by bus (it is near the University of Minnesota's west bank campus).
posted by Area Man at 4:31 AM on August 29, 2013
posted by Area Man at 4:31 AM on August 29, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I think I have a plan!
Fshgirl, a Russian girl on my ski trip yesterday showed me what she says everyone does in Russia to combat leaky boots - she put her feet into plastic bags before putting them into her boots. It totally worked: at the end of the day all of us had wet feet except her. She said it doesn't make her feet sweaty either, but I think it might for mine.
posted by lollusc at 5:32 AM on August 29, 2013
Fshgirl, a Russian girl on my ski trip yesterday showed me what she says everyone does in Russia to combat leaky boots - she put her feet into plastic bags before putting them into her boots. It totally worked: at the end of the day all of us had wet feet except her. She said it doesn't make her feet sweaty either, but I think it might for mine.
posted by lollusc at 5:32 AM on August 29, 2013
I would never recommend that anyone else buy boots online without trying them on... but I did it myself and I'm very happy with the boots I got. However, I ordered from a shop that let me order several pairs and return the ones that didn't fit (which was a good thing, since I ended up keeping a size 38, which I don't think of as my normal size). I'd never order from e-bay unless I'd tried on that exact model of boot somewhere else.
I do like the women's boots, because they tend to be made with a narrower heel. I hate it when my heel slips while I'm skiing.
My new boots do not leak. My old boots had started to leak, but they were more than ten years old. I don't think they leaked when they were new. I think skiing with plastic bags on my feet sounds horrible, but I admit I've never tried it. What kind of socks are you wearing? I find that with a good wool and/or synthetic sock it hardly mattered that my feet were wet in my old boots anyway.
When you're buying your new ones, look for ones with a removable insole. My old ones didn't have that, and I hadn't realized how nice it was until I got my new ones (even non leaky boots will be damp inside by the end of the day from my own sweat).
posted by Kriesa at 6:24 AM on August 29, 2013
I do like the women's boots, because they tend to be made with a narrower heel. I hate it when my heel slips while I'm skiing.
My new boots do not leak. My old boots had started to leak, but they were more than ten years old. I don't think they leaked when they were new. I think skiing with plastic bags on my feet sounds horrible, but I admit I've never tried it. What kind of socks are you wearing? I find that with a good wool and/or synthetic sock it hardly mattered that my feet were wet in my old boots anyway.
When you're buying your new ones, look for ones with a removable insole. My old ones didn't have that, and I hadn't realized how nice it was until I got my new ones (even non leaky boots will be damp inside by the end of the day from my own sweat).
posted by Kriesa at 6:24 AM on August 29, 2013
You can get neoprene overboots for slushy or cold conditions
posted by canoehead at 8:10 AM on August 29, 2013
posted by canoehead at 8:10 AM on August 29, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lollusc at 9:26 PM on August 28, 2013