 Poster: A snowHead
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Last time I bought boots is was from Surefoot in Whistler. Whilst the service was good, the boots (Tecnica TNT Icon) were fearsomely expensive, I could have bought them cheaper in the UK even with the pound strong against the CAD. Totalled over £1000 CAD for boots and footbeds. They should rename themselves Dick Turpin's.
However, I'm back in Whistler next week for a wedding, sorry for some skiing with a wedding in the way, next week. I've put about 8 serious weeks into the Tecnicas and I want (not necessarily need) some new boots.
So the question is, where to go? I was thinking Canski? I'm not going back to Surefoot.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As you've only got a week (and even then a wedding will get in the way) - I'd suggest these in the following order, which is different from my other post.
1st choice - Steve (big guy with tattoos all up and down his arms) in SnowCovers in the Marketplace.
2nd - CanSki Blackcomb (this branch only please) - ask for Alex or Erin.
3rd McCoos (the branch nearest the Whistler Gondola) - ask for George McConkey. He will sort you out with your feet, this man is a legend.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Nice one, I know all those places. I'm staying above Araxi so easy to get around. Is George McConkey as in Shane?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Relation. I think. Also Jim McConkey.
Although George is a legend in bootfitting, due to time constraints, Snowcovers will be a better place for you.
With George, he's not there everyday, you'll have to make an appointment (usually 2-3 days) - then he'll look at your feet, alignment etc., send you out shopping for 2 specific make, models & sizes, you bring the boots back, he'll chuck out the standard liners, customise some Intuition liners, tweak, etc. etc. etc. So not exactly a one day job.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I vote for Snowcovers, got my last 2 pairs from there. Great guys, good knowledge.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Sno Covers it is then. Time constraint is bad as well, arriving Thursday night, Fri and Sat there then flying back Sun. Schedule is Fri morn, boot fitting. Fri afternoon, try them out. Fri evening, adjust crippling boots. Saturday, try out again, more crippling boot adjustment. Saturday evening, wedding, Sunday, crawl back from brink of death, go home.
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flicksta, Comeon, all that snow, and you're only there for a few days?
Are you a man or mouse? Pull a sickie! Stay longer!
If Snowcovers don't have exactly the right stock (they should have, it's the start of the season!) - the Erin at CanSki Blackcomb used to fit at Snowcovers, he's very very good. Alex too.
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I know, it's gutting. Earliest opening of the peak in history I believe.
Fresh tracks on the Saturday - I'm going to go for death or glory. The Maden's are going to get it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| veeeight wrote: |
Although George is a legend in bootfitting, due to time constraints, Snowcovers will be a better place for you.
With George, he's not there everyday, you'll have to make an appointment (usually 2-3 days) - then he'll look at your feet, alignment etc., send you out shopping for 2 specific make, models & sizes, you bring the boots back, he'll chuck out the standard liners, customise some Intuition liners, tweak, etc. etc. etc. So not exactly a one day job. |
I've got boots from George and would recommend him.
He isn't around the shop all day as he tries to get out and ski most days. But he does tend to do a couple of fittings - one first thing in the morning and another couple "after skiing" - from around 16:00. The fittings take 2 hours plus.
Getting a same week appointment can be difficult - but if you phone ahead a week or two before you'll have your choice of time and day.
One quite strange experience is that he doesn't sell boots - he just fits them - so he'll send you off shopping. In most shops if you say that George is fitting your boots they'll hand over a couple of pairs for you to take back to him in exchange for holding your credit card. George then chooses one and bashes shell fits them - all before you've paid for them.
He uses the shopping window to tweak boots from previous days, if needed - so once you've had them fitted it's generally easy to have any minor tweaks done. Unlike most shops he does stuff there and then.
He charges around $50-60 CAD an hour, plus liners - though he doesn't always recommend them.
Once you've had your boots fitted by him he offers a, sort of, unlimited free aftercare service - I took my boots back two years later for a "10,000 mile service" - he remembered me (I'm not that memorable); remembered my feet and did nearly an hours tweaking for free.
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The difference between George and Snowcovers, so I'm told via many long conversations on chair-lifts, is that in SnowCovers they like to mould the original ski boot lining whereas George likes to fit "Intuition" liners. These special liners aren't great for world-class level performance skiing, so I'm told.
So which boot-fitter to go to really depends on what you want from your ski boot:
George: warm, comfy, great for the majority of skiers
Snowcovers: performance (i.e. boots can ber very 'snug' so you might need to loosen them while on chair-lifts and will probably take longer to wear in)
When I say 'performance' though, we're talking about getting down a race-course fast. I find that my race-course performance is poop although my snowcovers boots speeded my skiing up loads.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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You know it makes sense.
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Re intiution liners
1. They are very good liners, no doubt about that. George doesn't just stick them in, there is actually quite a bit of modifications he does to get a better performance fit (eg; sinus pads, tongue pads) to suit your foot.
2. The have a better ability to mould to the shape of your foot better than a stock thermo-form liner in most cases
3. Re the comfort/performance argument: If you're in pain/discomfort, you can't ski well. Don't think of the Intuition as a comfy slipper fit, they are not.
6. I suspect the performance difference issue only applies to excellent expert skiers, of course, of which we have many on this forum.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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veeeight, do you have intuition liners in your boots?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| veeeight wrote: |
| Don't think of the Intuition as a comfy slipper fit, they are not. |
That depends on your luck. My boots have been like slippers (in a good way) since the pain of the rapidly cooling Intuition liners subsided! Mrs PS's boots are similarly comfy.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Snowy, Well I thought I had a Morton's neuroma (and I even had a podiatrist agree), however I'm starting to think that I just have Morton's toe and all I really needed was the toe box to be blown out. I'm not convinced now that my feet are that dodgy. 
veeeight,
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If you're in pain/discomfort, you can't ski well.
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I agree!
George had already made my Intuition liners for my previous boots and he tweaked them for the new ones. Sorry, but I think they feel like warm, comfy, snugfitting slippers (and no boot flop!)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Snowy wrote: |
| veeeight, do you have intuition liners in your boots? |
Nope, Head's stock liner is a good match for my foot.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| veeeight wrote: |
| Nope, Head's stock liner is a good match for my foot. |
I suppose you must just like clients without boot issues then? I expect you cover a lot more miles when they're all happy. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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geetee, having read up on Morton's neuroma/toe (which I'd never heard of before today), it sounds like what you experience when either:
1. it's -20oC and you've got damp boot liners
2. it's the coldest day of the year in the UK, with frost on the ground, and your PE teacher makes you do cross-country in your shorts and t-shirt. 
i.e. either your toes feel like they're going to snap off, they're so numb, alternated with toes that feel like they're on fire coz they're so cold.
Is that right?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Snowy, I've never experienced 1 or 2 but to me it felt like the worst, most painful cramp ever under top of my foot near the 2nd and 3rd toes and the only thing I could do was to take the boot off. This, as you can imagine, could be rather inconvenient at times!!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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geetee - we all know that Mrs PhillipStanton is an absolute saint to put up with me 
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I went to George McConkey this year based on all the reviews I read. I can't say I'm 100% happy with the boots. Maybe I still need to run them in a bit. Went back multiple times, but I still needed to unbuckle the boots each time I got to the bottom of the run. I couldn't narrow down exactly where the pressure point was coming from, but my foot was in agony by the end. Hoping the boots will wear in, but just hope ppl dont expect to walk out with painless boots.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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xtreme_air, phew.......so pleased you answered. I've been waiting 5 and a half years to hear that. 
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FAQ
and I could say the same for Mrs PS 
