Don's Home Products Ski Boots
Skis | Boots | Bindings | Boot Binding Systems
last updated 23 Jan 2020

Guidelines
Do not get boots which are too stiff. This is the most common fault that young racers make when they purchase new boots. The boot may flex a little in the store, but outside when the temperature is well below zero, if the boot is too stiff.

Flex Ratings skis.com
Ability Level Flex Men's Flex Rating Women's Flex Rating Kid's Flex Rating
Beginner Soft 50 - 70 40 - 60 30 - 50
Intermediate Medium 70 - 90 60 - 70 30 - 50
Adv. Intermediate Medium or Stiff 80 - 100 70 - 80 40 - 60
Advanced Stiff 90 - 110 80 - 90 60 - 70
Expert Stiff or Very Stiff 100 - 130 90 - 110 70 - 90

Alpine Boot Guide - Alter Ego Sports ::

See also: REI How to Size Ski Boots
Boot Binding Systems

Bootfitters Sacramento:
Land Park Ski & Sports 4.7 (72)
Helm of Sun Valley 4.4 (47) Yelp 4.5 Sac Area Ken's Ken’s Bike-Ski-Board, Davis 4.7 [90]
Clarks Snow Sports, Rancho Cordova, Roseville 4.8 [110] 5 [80]

North Tahoe <Google Rating> [#]/ Yelp
Elite feet Northstar 4.6[11]/ 5 [45] (530) 562-8922
  & Squaw Creek (530) 581-6636
Olympic Boot Works, Squaw Valley Rd. 4.9 [46] / 4.5 [52] 530-581-0747
Willard's Tahoe City (530) 583-3356
Reviews:
Ski Boot Reviews - Ski Mag
High performance: Fisher RC4 Podium GT, Lang RS, Head Raptor RS, Solomon S/Max, Nordica ProMachine, Atomic Redster Club Sport

Comfort: Nordica SpeedMachine (best) $600, Dalbello Panterra, Rossignol AllSpeed Pro,

The Best Ski Boots | GearLab
Atomic Hawx Prime 120 S $600 (Editors Choice) lighter skiers should get less stiffness
Lang RX 120 intermediate/advanced, medium volume

Some ones recommended to me:
Dalbello Panterra 100 GS MS $549 (my new boots - Don't irritate my hot spots)

Materials, Designs and Standards Used in Ski-Boots for Alpine Skiing Sole dimensions | tetonGravity.com
You can improve comfort by heat molding your liner.
Some shops will do this.
Be careful not to overheat, because you can degrade the foam.
You can do it yourself - Skiing: How to Custom Mold Ski Boot Liners
Dalbello Myfit liners. | Pugski - Ski talk at a higher level
Heat Molding of Ski Boot Liners:
Most liners will mold to your feet over time as you ski.
You can speed up the process with heat molding.
Many shops will do this for you or you can do it yourself.
See:
(2) Skiing: How to Custom Mold Ski Boot Liners - YouTube
GripWalk is the new standard (2018)
GripWalk bindings are compatible with both GripWalk soles and Alpine soles (ISO 5355)
GripWalk soles are compatible with MNC, ISO 9523, WTR, and GripWalk certified bindings.
Terms:
AFD - Anti-friction Device BSL - Boot Sole Length GW - Grip Walk
Canting:
If you are knock-kneed or bow-legged your ski will not sit flat on the ground. A bow legged person will tend to catch an outside edge on a turn.

Women's boots are designed to allow for a slight knock-knee position, and men's allow for slight-bow-legged.

This can be corrected buy either
1. Putting a wedge shaped plate (cant) under the binding. Or
2. A cuff adjustment on boots with this feature.


Remove the footbed from the liner, and drop it into the empty boot shell. Have the athlete step into the shells and lightly close the upper buckles to approximately the same settings used when liners are in. No need to do up the power or Booster strap. Adjust the width of the athlete’s stance using the same method as when performing a traditional alignment analysis or drill. With ankles slightly bent and the leg shaft floating inside cuff, visually inspect for consistent spacing around the leg as it corresponds to the cuff. Hopefully, there are equal gaps in all areas. But, you may find that one side of the leg is much closer to one cuff wall than the other, indicating our earlier terms “bow-legged” or “knock-kneed”.
Your Straight/Forward Guide To Boot Cuff Alignment - Skiracing.com

You can get cant strips for under the binding from 0.5° to 4°
Most boot adjustments only go up to 1 or 2°

Canting Dalbello Panterra 100 The Dalbello Panterra canting adjustment provides 1° of adjustment.

Links:
ISO 9532
Sidecut radius and the mechanics of turning—equipment designed to reduce risk of severe traumatic knee injuries in alpine giant slalom ski racing | British Journal of Sports Medicine
Alpine Boot Guide - Alter Ego Sports ::