Hint: It was expensive.
I wear a women’s size 5-6, which in the ski world puts me in an awkward in-between: too small for most adult boots, too big for most junior ones. For years, that meant cold feet, poor control, and a lot of unnecessary pain on the mountain. I have struggled with this particular gear issue for a while, and haven’t found a lot of online resources to help. (Also true for mountain bikes, but that’s for another day.)
And yes, to my hint, I solved this by throwing money at the problem. But if you want to avoid throwing “away” money at the problem, note my costly mistakes!
Renting for this size (5-6 US Women’s) can be a crapshoot. Rental shops usually give me junior boots, which are not as insulated or supportive. While I’ve heard junior race boots work for some, reviews are mixed and I cannot speak to it personally.
After one particularly miserable trip two years ago during which I spent more time stopping to relieve shin pain than actually skiing, I finally decided to figure this out for real. It costs a lot to ski, and getting it right is important or you’ll be cutting your days short.
I decided to skip the rental challenges and buy my own boots made for an adult woman. I found a pair of used Salomon boots with 90 (Medium) Flex, size 22.5 which should be equivalent to a Women’s 5.5 in terms of length.
Salomon customer service told me they do not make smaller boots than this.
The boots, with their “Golden Glow” accents, were sharp and I was excited to own a pair! Oo la la!
Unfortunately, when I took them to Breckenridge, my shins and legs were screaming in agony after the first runs of the morning. I was drowning in the boots and my shins were taking a beating. I tried filling them with inserts from a ski shop at the base, but to no avail. I was stopping constantly and in pain.
A boot fitter at base examined and explained.
Oh, they’re HV.
What is that? First time boot owner, I was not aware that “HV” on a boot means “High Volume.” These are meant to provide extra room in the forefoot and instep, making it ideal for wider foot shapes. At that point I wasn’t ready to give up my boot investment, so I spent money on some thick boot inserts to try to improve my situation.
The boot fitter also gave me a handwritten list of boots to search for to find the smallest of the small, even at the same numeric size (see list below). At the top of the list he wrote the numbers 21.5, which is the size I should be, though not all brands go down that small.
I went back out to ski another day after another attempt at skiing with the inserts in 22.5 HVs, and was still in pain.
As it was too painful for me to ski, and my friends and husband were still out having fun, I left the slopes and walked to Surefoot in Breckenridge.
Surefoot offers the service of filling these boots with foam that exactly fits the customers shins and feet. Of course, at a price. Custom insoles from Surefoot cost more than the boots themselves. Btw, this is not a paid endorsement and I am in now way affiliated with them.
I had to accept that even with the custom inserts, these boots were not working. I would have to buy a second pair of boots. Ugh, the costs.
Surefoot did have a pair on my list – Lange Shadows.
The ski industry doesn’t have tiny women in mind when they design their boots. And while it stings to pay a premium for something that should be available, I have finally accepted that I’m “out of normal range” and basically have to buy what I consider specialty gear.
At the time, as I was still in consulting, I had a salary that could mostly absorb this. Now in a different job, it would wipe out my budget for sports. (My present self looks back and says “Thank you!”)
I waited to report on these until I had used them on multiple days of skiing.
I can now truly say that I can ski without the constant threat of pain!
One note, when it gets warm (such as this year up to 40F in Angel Fire), the boots get a little loose. However, custom insoles are 98% working for me and I will stick with them with gratitude.
So, fellow tiny-footed skiers, keep your chin up! There are boots out there for us. It might take some research, painful trial and error, and/or a higher investment than those with middle bell curve foot sizes, but finding the perfect fit is possible.
P.S. Here’s that list of boots the boot fitter gave me:
21.5 - Low Volume or Snug Medium Volume - Flex between 85-95
Salomon Alpha or S/Pro (Not HV)
Atomic Prime or Ultra
Lange Shadow
Tecnica Mach 1 LV or MV
Summarized list of other women on the internet who have found solutions to this:
Flex-70 K2 Evolvers junior boot. 5’2’’ 110 lbs. Report was they were too flexible
Size 22 Dalbello Kyra
Dalbello KR-Lotus?
Nordica LaNina
Additional Readings/ Links
https://wildsnow.com/28528/talking-it-out-with-hadley-hammer/
https://www.powder.com/news/high-performance-ski-boots-tiny-feet
https://www.petitepoire.ca/gear/sports-equipment/ski-boots-for-small-feet.html
Happy skiing (and happy boot hunting!)