Ski Haus Offers Foundations for Performance and Comfort on the Slopes
Steamboat hosts a community that is centered around a wide variety of winter sports while also being well known for sending many high-caliber athletes into the Olympic winter games.
Whether you are hitting jumps, tucking around gates, bumping on moguls or wallowing in deep powder, you need the right skis and gear to make the most of the conditions, your energy and your training.
Owing to that fact, Ski Haus has become the premier retailer of winter sports equipment in Steamboat Springs, meeting the needs of both high level athletes and recreational skiers alike.
Amongst all the different pieces of equipment that a skier or snowboarder can purchase, few things are as important as the one vital component that links the body with the snow – the boots.
While bindings play an important role, it is the boots and their fit that transfers energy and movement from the rider to the skis or snowboard. Thus, a proper boot fit is essential to make the most of your time on the snow.
An uncomfortable boot can ruin a day on the slopes and make the ride up and down unbearable. A poorly fitting boot can cut off circulation, causing numbness and cold feet while a proper boot fit ensures warmth, comfort and performance.
A properly fitting boot transfers energy efficiently, thus making the most of every subtle movement while on the snow. The edge-to-edge transfer speed can be greatly reduced if a boot is too large, as the foot and liner slips around inside the shell of the boot instead of pivoting the ski onto its edge quickly. A boot that is non-efficient will tire you out faster and lead to weak legs earlier in the day.
Since opening in 1969, Ski Haus has sought to provide the best boot fitting experience for the community of Steamboat Springs. By offering a wide variety of ski and snowboard boots, and custom boot fitting, they have continually met the comfort and performance needs of customers for over five decades.
Douglas Steadman is one of several expert boot fitters at Ski Haus. As a lifelong skier and longtime resident of Steamboat, he has seen the benefits that can come with a boot fit in terms of comfort and performance.
John Camponeschi for Steamboat Locals
Steadman noted that beyond comfort and performance during the season, a poorly fitting boot can cause lifelong body issues, such as bone spurs, which can form with too much movement within the shell of the boot and particularly in the heel pocket.
“You definitely want to make sure you are getting a snug heel pocket so there is not much movement,” he said. “A lot of people can also get a sixth toe due to constant pressure as well.”
Steadman explained that a boot purchase at Ski Haus starts with the determination of the type of boot that a skier needs for their particular type of skiing.
Four buckle boots, known for their stiffness and performance, have come to stand alongside other high-performance offerings, such as boots that feature BOA systems and rear entry. The former distributes pressure evenly along the top of the forefoot, thus making pressure points minimal. The latter, which has become popular with elderly skiers, allows for a comfortable and efficient boot with easier entry than traditional boots.
“When customers come in, we have them try on all the boots that would work for their feet and then they decide which one fits the best,” said Steadman.
After determining the best type of boot for the customer, the next step is determining the proper size. Steadman explained that the “shell fit” of the boot is of vital importance, with most skiers wanting about “two fingers” of space between the heel and the rear of the shell when their toes are barely brushing the front of the boot with the liner removed.
“Not everyone’s foot is going to take to every single boot that is on the market,” noted Steadman. “It is an important process and we are willing to work with our customers to find exactly what they need.”
He also pointed out that buying boots online is not always the best option, as it is difficult to determine if the boot is what is needed for the skier or snowboarder.
“We have a saying around here that the wrong boot, at the right price, is still the wrong boot,” he said. “Spend what you need to spend on the proper fitting boot.”
Steadman also noted that winter sports boots purchased at Ski Haus come with their “Boot Fit Guarantee”, which means that so long as the initial boot fit is proper in the eyes of Ski Haus fitting staff, they will do all that they can to ensure that the boots end up working for the customer, even if that means a boot swap after the initial use.
John Camponeschi for Steamboat Locals
Check back in with Steamboat Locals in December for part two of our Ski Haus boot-fitting series, where Steadman and the Ski Haus staff dive into the custom fitting options that are available to the community of Steamboat Springs.