Ski Boots for Narrow Feet

Narrow means a last under about 98 millimeters, measured across the forefoot at a size 26.5. The narrowest boots we fit are 96 mm: Salomon's S/Pro Race, Atomic's Redster TX and Remedy, and Head's junior Raptor WCR. Lange's RS and Shadow LV shells are 97 mm. At 98 mm you have Tecnica's Mach1 LV and Mach Sport LV, Atomic's Hawx Ultra, Nordica's Promachine, Salomon's S/Pro Alpha and Head's Formula LV. Dalbello's Cabrio LV and K2's Revolve Pro are 99 mm. A scan tells us which of those fits you before you try one on.

Low volume, written LV on the boot, is a shell built narrower and shallower than the same model's standard version. It is not only the forefoot. A low-volume shell also has less room over the instep and a tighter heel pocket, which is what a thin foot needs. The letters are each brand's own rather than an industry standard. Tecnica calls 93 to 98 millimeters low volume, Lange's LV is 97 and Atomic's low-volume Hawx Ultra is 98. Read the millimeters, not the letters, and get your own feet measured first.

Most people go by how boots feel, which is unreliable, because a boot that feels loose is often too long rather than too wide. A scan settles it. Both feet are scanned in the store and your fitter reads length, width and arch in millimeters, then compares those numbers with the lasts on the wall. Width is only half of it. Instep height and heel shape decide as much as forefoot width, and plenty of skiers who describe themselves as narrow are really low volume through the instep.

Heel lift means there is more room in the boot than there is foot, usually above the instep and behind the ankle. Cranking the buckles does not fix it and it makes your feet cold. Two things do. A custom orthotic holds the foot in a neutral position so the heel sits back in its pocket instead of sliding forward. A custom liner is then foam-injected around your foot while you stand in the shell, filling the space a stock liner leaves. That is volume the plastic cannot remove, and it is what stops the lift.

Not necessarily. Weight and volume are different measurements. Lightweight boots save grams with thinner shells and a walk mode, and they are built on lasts of every width, so a light boot can be a wide boot. Race boots go the other way. They use the narrowest lasts and dense polyurethane shells, and they are not light. Atomic's own specs put the 96 mm Remedy 130 at 2,312 grams and the wider 98 mm Hawx Ultra XTD 120 BOA at 1,860. If your foot is swimming, ask for the last width.

No. Ski boots and liners are fitted in store only. The shell has to be chosen on your foot, and a custom liner or orthotic, if you add one, is built the same day. That matters more for a narrow foot than for anyone else, because the fit is decided in millimeters. Browse the models here, then book a fitting at any of our 29 stores. If the store does not have the model you want, we will track it down.