My Credentials: Been skiing my whole life, raced a bit in high school, was an instructor for a few years, currently a volunteer patroller, like skiing fast and aggressive, and I'm a pretty strong guy.
Foot measurements (going from memory): 27.5 modo point, moderate arch (true to 27.5), R width: 104mm, L width: 102mm
Backstory: While working as an instructor in 2018 (skiing 6+ days/week), got fitted by one of the "best" fitters in Whistler. After measuring my foot (wider than normal), the options he gave me were the Head Raptor 140 (96mm) and Atomic Hawx Ultra 130 (98mm), both low volume boots. I ended up going with the Atomic, which had a painful break in process... I probably returned to have him punch out the toe box half a dozen times before I was no longer in severe discomfort, and the process left me with foot blisters/inflammation that took weeks to heal. I've since learned that first gen Hawx Ultra had a notoriously tight toe box, and yet one of the most reputable fitters in town saw nothing wrong with putting me in it.
3 Years later, I decided I needed a new pair of boots, so I went to one of the most reputable boot fitting shops in Whistler, a place where racers and pros go. I said I wanted a comfortable boot that I could ski aggressively in, and they pushed me towards a Fischer RC4 140 (96mm last) and Nordica Promachine 130 (98mm last), with the logic that they could create more space in these low volume boots if they needed to, despite a 4-6mm last discrepancy between those boots in a 27.5 and my wider foot (I'm accounting for the 27.5's being bigger). Upon further investigation, I've heard that excessive stretching of the entire footbox (something that was required to make those boots fit, think 6+mm throughout the whole forefoot) can structurally compromise the integrity/flex of the boots. In hindsight, I find it interesting how MV boots, which can still have decent heel hold, were never even presented as an option. The shop almost had this unspoken aura of "if you're not in a LV boot, you're not a serious skier."
Anyway, I ended up going with the Fischer. Only to snap my leg in half before day 10 on a rather innocuous drop. My boots were cranked tight because the upper cuff did not fit properly, and the shell had zero give whatsoever, it felt like a rock... So I snapped my shin over the top of the boot. My surgeon even supported my theory that the stiffness of the boots (which were made even stiffer due to what I perceive to be faulty fit and subsequent overtightening) contributed to my injury.
I then had a total of 5 surgeries, and it was 4 seasons before I could ski again. Last fall, I finally was at a place where my leg was ready to get back on the slopes, but I didn't want to do it in THAT boot that I broke my leg in.
So I go back to the shop where I bought them. I tell them I spent almost $2000 on a high end performance boot, custom footbeds, modifications, and boot heaters (I have bad circulation, I need them). And I ask about their fit guarantee. They string my along and imply they'll cut me a deal on another pair of boots, which I go to the Promachine because they suggested it once again (I originally thought it felt better than the RC4 but they pushed me towards that boot). They did my measurements, and showed me a few more LV options (Mach1 130, Lange Shadow 130). Little did I realize then, the foam in the Promachine that felt so good/compressible in the shop was hiding one big issue, the Promachine has a notoriously low instep... I buy the boots, where they offer a measly $50 off (I had been led to believe it would be more in the ballpark of $500 off), but by that point we'd already committed to heat molding them. The shop also tried to convince me that the custom footbeds I'd only skied 9 days in (in the RC4) would not be suitable for the Nordica and they suggested I pay another $300 on another set of custom footbeds, with the only explanation they could offer being that "your toes might hang off the end a bit".
So, I went and I skied on the Promachine this past winter. While they were tight initially, I initially thought that was fine as they'd pack out (they didn't), but I did notice they felt wholistically very tight across the instep and the arch. I also noticed that for every chair ride, if I did not unbuckle the bottom two buckles (they were already on the loosest setting), my feet would both go completely numb. I've come to realize, this boot has a notoriously low instep height, and I have not been able to go back to that shop because I do not live nearby. The forefoot was also tighter than I would have liked, and another punch or two sure would be nice, but the effectiveness of this would be limited by the plastic memory (it would likely need more punches over time), there is not one tight spot, it's all too damn tight for my wide foot. If I go back, they will probably offer to grind down the baseboard or the custom footbed, and hope for the best, but I see this as a band aid solution for a boot they never should have put me in in the first place. And a band aide solution that may harm the insulative value of the boot (thinner base board).
I am not alone in this. My parents (ex racers) went to the same fitters (before these negative experiences I've had), and they were pushed towards a 96mm last performance boot (Tecnica firebird 140/120). Both have needed extensive work done, and they often have dealt with numbness/pressure points that have gone unaddressed by the shop. My dad mentioned going in to get them punched, getting charged $60 (hello "fit guarantee" ), and then not feeling like the punch alleviated the pressure, probably because it was incredibly stiff plastic, in a narrow mold, that just doesn't want to be stretched as far as the shop claims they can easily do.
The long and the short of it is, I went to a reputable boot fitter because I believed that was the best thing to do to have a good fitting pair of boots. I'm now out $3000 and still don't have a pair of ski boots I'm happy with. I feel as if I'd have been better off picking a random 130 flex MV boot based off what's on sale, (Nordica Speedmachine, Tecnica Mach1, Lange Shadow, Hawx Prime) in a 27.5, and throwing my old custom footbed in with an intuition liner that I heat mold myself with toe caps for extra space.
I'm almost certain that strategy would've left me happier than dealing with this whole fiasco, and I think I am not alone. I believe there are serious "boomer" mindsets still in the boot fitting space where folks are unnecessarily pushed towards LV fits even when their foot shape doesn't call for it, because it allows fitters to justify the steep rates that they charge.
Sometimes I feel like "go see a boot fitter", without any room for nuanced discussion, is parroted ad nauseum on this sub without any acknowledgement of the downsides of that advice.
