Ski Boot Fitting Camp with Sidas and Salomon
I found out back in May that come August our ski hardware staff would be treated to a privileged visit from Jules Mills. Jules is a professional ski boot technician working out of Chamonix with 20+ years fitting experience, 6 of which spent working in Salomon, Rossignol and Lange's World Cup race departments fitting/designing ski boots for the likes of Bode Miller and contributing to numerous 'podium finishes' in the process. So you can imagine my anticipation on the lead up to August and that's despite the fact I've got almost five years experience myself!
So to go into a bit more detail, the event took place in picturesque Kendal and was actually a 2 day ski boot masterclass with training not just from Jules but also from Sidas and Salomon. I'm sure you'll have heard of Salomon before but Sidas are better known across the snowsports world for their Conform'able products. The Conform'able series includes their highly successful moulded footbeds which can be found in the bottom of many a comfortable ski boot! Founded in 1975, Sidas specialise in providing personalised insole products for both enhanced sports performance and every-day comfort but also for the professional podiatry and orthopaedic markets. Consequently they're always guaranteed to have a wealth of advise to pass on to us ski boot fitters!
Although there were many familiar faces in attendance it was good to see some fresh ones so we started the Monday morning with coffee and introductions. After quickly going over the outline for the two days Jules kick-started by taking us through detailed foot analysis and how the results critically affect your choice of boot shell shape (the shell is the outer plastic part of the boot and the shape varies from one model to the next). Next up was foot moulding techniques for footbeds with the Sidas team. This was watched with particular attention as following lunch we were let loose on each other, putting those techniques into practice. Finishing the footbeds was then done under the guidance of the Sidas team. The pressure was on though because each footbed was then scrutinised to within an inch of its life and it was first round at the bar that evening for the loser! I'm glad to report the Sidas team struggled to pick a 'loser'! Jules then wound the day up going over boot modifications, showing us how surprisingly minor modifications are often all that is needed to remedy the most common of problems - let's just say don't be too surprised if your boot fitter pulls out some lipstick the next time you visit! Finishing off, Jules enthralled us with an insight into the 'behind-the-scenes' world of ski boot design for both retail and World Cup level. For instance did you know that 'all in' it costs around three-quarters of a million pounds to produce the factory mould for a size run of a boot model; or that when celebrated World Cup competitor Luc Alphand was claiming his World Cups in Downhill and Super-G throughout '95-'97 he was doing so with his feet a whole 16cm above the base of his skis (think platform skis and boots)!? The FIS have since restricted this to 9.3cm reminiscent of F1 safety regulations.
An early start, and some good times in the bar the previous night, meant coffee was certainly foremost on most people's minds to start off the second morning. Once settled down Salomon launched into an introduction of their upcoming '10/'11 season ski boot range. This included a refresher on their unique 'Custom Shell' boots and their capabilities. The 'Custom Shell' is present on selected Salomon boots and consists of heat activated moulding panels built into the exterior shell around the forefoot area. The boot shells are placed inside a special Salomon oven after which, with the feet then inside the boots, the panels will accurately conform to the forefoot shape. Used appropriately, the process acts as an extension to a skilled boot-fitter's existing 'toolkit'. Another highlight of the new range is Salomon's reinvestment in last year's successful Quest boot, expanding it into its own range to make it accessible to a broader range of skiers. With the Quest boot Salomon have effectively filled the gap between 'regular' downhill ski boots and touring boots by pulling off the difficult task of designing a walk mode that doesn't compromise a downhill boot's performance. The result is a ski boot that can be skied just as hard as most other downhill boots but with the added bonus of a tour/walk capability.
Taking us up to lunchtime, Jules took the opportunity to show us a ski boot liner custom foam injection. A foam injectable liner is designed to replace the liner that comes with a ski boot with the intention that once 'foamed' the new liner will be a much more accurate fit to the foot than the original. The liner starts out with empty pockets around critical areas such as the heel/ankle area and forefoot; small clear tubes connect directly to these pockets on the exterior of the liner and then run up behind the calf and out of the top of the boot. With the foot in the boot, recently mixed foam akin to home cavity insulation is connected to the clear tubes and promptly expands to fill the liner around the foot and then sets. The result should be a very accurately fitting liner but also one that has a firm grip on the foot due to the rigidity of the foam. To round up the course after lunch Sidas stepped back up to cover their other insoles for both everyday footwear and also sports footwear (Man-City and Liverpool football clubs being among their customers). Whilst they have many similarities with the ski footbeds, the interesting part was learning about the subtle differences. In the shop we are often called upon by the footwear department to make these insoles so once again we were let loose on each other to get some practice in. During this period Jules also made some spare ski boots available so we could experiment with his modification techniques to our heart's content! Seemingly no sooner than the course had started we found ourselves wrapping up with heartfelt applause for our mentors and fond farewells. As much as anything I feel I have made some very good friends and indeed some very helpful contacts too! Without question, a very rewarding couple of days!
Dave Casey (Manchester's Castlefield branch)
