ladies ski touring boots...high arch/instep...any recommendations?

[swissiphic]

Asking for a friend...average ankle volume, average calves, high arch/high instep, average forefoot width.... any recommendations for current model or older model ski touring boots? Stiffness ratings not to important so anything that fits will do.

[auvgeek]

What size? Size 24 or larger = many options. Size 23 = some options. True 22 = only a few options.

One thing to consider (if she has a 22-24 foot) when getting advice like this, is that the smaller sizes don't necessarily fit the same way as larger sizes. And few boot fitters or mags wear a size 22 or 23, so they haven't tried on the boots in those sizes. My wife often runs into the issue where everyone tells her a certain boot is supposed to fit a certain way (especially compared to other boots), but that's just not her experience in the size 22/23. (And then instead of taking her feedback, many bootfitters act like she must be wrong so the cycle continues for the next customer.)

All that said, I'd recommend Zero G Guide Pro W as a shoot-from-the-hip starting point. But really, women's boots have come a very long way in the past few years, especially for women with size 23-24 feet.

[mntlion]

I would also vote for cochise.


some odd sizes, but good prices.
http://blizzardskioutlet.com/browse....at=33&season=2

[gregL]

None of them really has a "high" instep, just like no touring boots really have a "narrow" heel, but the Zero G Guide Pro W and Salomon MTN Explore W are both fairly relaxed and have bootboards that can be ground 2-3mm for more height. If you can find them, the old Atomic Waymaker or any of the Black Diamond boots (i.g. Shiva) were go-to solutions for tall insteps, but they both fit like boats.

[XXX-er]

Mens sizing doesnt kick in till 25 so IME 24 pretty much IS a womens boot which means unmanly colors and soft flex fo azn man with small feet BUT did I mention I love the Mercury & Vulcan Cuz they are generic and go down to 22

not sure about the ONE but its probably worth looking at

[swissiphic]

Thanks for the feedback all. Luckily, our local shop stocks the technica zero g guide pro w, the cochise i think 105 and the potentially the solly mtn explore w. We'll go take a looksy.

[gregL]

. . . Mens sizing doesnt kick in till 25 . . .

Plenty of men's boots are made in a 24/24.5 shell, but few retailers stock them.

[XXX-er]

And i don't blame them but thats like the same only different

[Eluder]

The Zero G/Cochise tend fit a high instep with some work.

[turnfarmer]

Any input on how the Atomic Backland fits high insteps? Does the memory fit work for cuniefotm bumps?

[westoxified]

MTN Explore will crush a high instep. The Zero G/Cochise tend fit a high instep with some work.

This is not true. The MTN has more instep room than any 98mm or 100mm Salomon. It is on par with the tecnica but narrower.

[swissiphic]

MTN Explore will crush a high instep. The Zero G/Cochise tend fit a high instep with some work.

Odd comment about the mtn explore...i owned the mtn lab and the instep height was skyscraperish for my lower instep feet...unless the last's relative dimensions r different, i would assume same with the mtn explore w. Actually forgot about the mt. explore option for the friend...good thing the local shop stocks it.

[auvgeek]

Atomic Hawx XTD 110 W might also be worth trying on, if your local shop stocks it. IIRC from my wife's comments, they have an average instep.

[gregL]

Atomic Hawx XTD 110 W might also be worth trying on, if your local shop stocks it. IIRC from my wife's comments, they have an average instep.

Hawx Ultra XTD has a slightly higher than average instep but really small ankle diameter, which some people confuse with the instep - it certainly makes getting into and out of the boot a challenge, especially in the cold. Once it's on, the height over the cuneiforms is relaxed if you have an average diameter ankle - I'm on the third buckle notch with a moderately tall instep. The last is 98mm, but the volume is really about average and the shape changes when heat molded if needed.

Two seasons on the MTN Lab and I never had an instep issue, whereas with many other boots I need to do radical liner-ectomy mods and/or grind the bootboards and/or use super thin footbeds right out of the box.

[Eluder]

This is not true. The MTN has more instep room than any 98mm or 100mm Salomon. It is on par with the tecnica but narrower.

I shouldn't have worded that so strongly. I agree that it certainly has more than other Salomon boots. I have found the instep hight lower than the tecnicas. With your foot just in the shell there is less room, at least with my foot. The coshise has a thick tongue though so it feels tighter than it is out of the box. The mountain lab/explore also has a pretty big heal pocket.

I was able to get some room in the instep on the Hawx through memory fit but it does open up the boot a bit on top. Ultimately for me I couldn't quite get it to work. Though likely could have with some more liner volume in the cuff and some thinning of the boot board.

[samthaman]

Check out the Scott Celeste if you're looking for a more touring specific boot than the Technica and Salomon/Atomic offerings.