If you only go skiing a few times a year, you may have heard of the Fischer Vacuum Fit System and thought, ‘it’s probably just for pros’…well, I can tell you first hand, it’s something that anyone with a hard to fit foot should consider. The system isn’t just for pros, it’s for anyone who wants the perfect ski boot fit. Fischer has made ski boot fitting an extremely reliable process, and although it hasn’t removed the human element of boot fitting, it will certainly change the way you feel about putting your boots on.
I’ve been skiing for decades and have gone from leather lace up boots through leather buckle to plastic buckle boots, the (in)famous Scott super light boots and back to the traditional 4 buckle overlap boots. Never in my life has my ski boot fit been as completely comfortable and functional as in my new Fischer Vacuum RC4 Pro 130s. Never.
To begin, I was shell fit for the proper size boot. This involves removing the liner from the boot and putting my foot into the shell. Having been in race fit boots in the past, I was skeptical about the size of the boot, but I put my faith in Chuck to set up my boot fitting just right. Next we put the liner back in and tried the boot on to make sure there was sufficient room fore and aft.
The next step was to place padding on my foot in the places I traditionally had discomfort and pressure in other boots. Padding was added to my toes to insure that I’d have room to move them. This padding compensates during the molding process for the additional space needed to alleviate hot spots. Then I put my socks on over the padding to hold it all into place and put the liners on. They have laces that have to be put on before they are inserted into the boot shells.
Now comes the ‘magic’. The shells are put into an oven and heated until they are soft. Once heated, my feet (in the liners) are put into the shells and I step up onto the machine that will form the shells. Prior to heating the shells, I stood on the machine to find the proper placement of supports to help me hold the right position to allow the boots to adjust to my body position. Once the boots had been heated, the cooling and pressure layers are added to the outside of the shells and attached to the machine. Pressure is added and the shells begin to conform to my feet. It takes a number of minutes for the pressure and cooling to do its work. I step off the machine and remove the boots carefully to ensure that the structure is maintained.
After waiting the required 24 hours, I put the boots on again. The superb fit and alignment are unbelievable. I’ve been skiing a number of times ranging from hard packed early season snow to 2 feet of fresh powder. The performance that I now get from boots that are formed exactly to my feet is phenomenal. The comfort is incredible. I don’t need to touch my buckles between runs because the fit of the boot is so good. There is nothing like the fit of the Fischer Vacuum boot.
You owe it to yourself to consider the Fischer Vacuum Fit system for your next pair of boots. Whether you have wide or narrow feet, high volume or low. The Fischer Vacuum Fit system can make a difference in your comfort and your skiing. Stop by or call our ski boot fitters in Breckenridge, we’ll be happy to walk you through the process and answer any questions you have.