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A Great Fit: Find The Right Technician

The problem

Spurred by fears of legal risk, the industry defined a protocol for mounting and adjusting bindings more than 30 years ago. Boot fit procedure, unfortunately, remains as chaotic today as ever. No general protocol exists; anything goes.
 
Approaches span a spectrum from mega-sale crude— "What's your shoe size? Use extra socks!"—all the way to expensive on-hill and in-lab sessions with renowned gurus who set up shop at premier resorts armed with exotic theories and more technical gear than you'd find in a forensic laboratory.

Given that boots are central to the skiing experience and that accurate fitting and alignment are complex undertakings through which experienced boot techs remain uniquely qualified to shepherd individual skiers, we set out to discover whether a de-facto protocol exists among, at least, top tier technicians.

The Solution

We contacted six of the best known boot pros in the U.S. to ask how they do what they do. We weren't interested in the particular methods this or that technician uses to stretch shells or pad liners, but rather in how top pros diagnose customer needs, communicate with clients during fitting and how they organize the process itself. Our contextual question: "How can skiers help you do your best work?"

What we found was encouraging, if short of defined protocol. Each technician has his own approach to the three crucial areas, but agree that these are the key elements of the fit/alignment process. All six feel strongly that client-technician teamwork is requisite for good outcome. Boot fitting is not something the technician does to a customer, nor should skiers dictate solutions like demanding a specific fix-punch out here-or a particular model based on advertising or endorsements.

As Jeff Bergeron of Boot Fixation in Frisco, Colorado, puts it, "The technician has but two tools with which to satisfy your boot needs. The first is his own expertise; the second is your feedback." All agreed that just as they must exercise skill in getting to know and understand customer needs, so for top results must clients understand how to work with a technician.

What follows flows from our "virtual round table" discussion with Bergeron, Corty Lawrence of Footloose in Mammoth, Footwork's Tim Hutchinson, South Paris, ME, Greg Hoffman who operates The Green Mountain Orthotics Lab at Stratton, VT, Master Fit University co-director Jeff Rich, proprietor of NYC's U.S. Orthotic Center, and Steve Bagley of Superior Ski at Snowbird, Utah.

We didn't sit down with all six players at a single location-we interviewed each by phone-but for clarity we've consolidated major points. While each technician approaches tasks uniquely, overall similarity of advice was striking and consensus on most critical issues was clear.

We did not focus specifically on new boots-most of these pros' clients seek solutions for existing problems and two members of our panel don't even sell boots-but the techniques are the same for new or old.

Who is who?

As corollary, we discovered identifiable hallmarks of expert technicians: they listen, observe and guide and possess vast knowledge of boots, biomechanics, human nature, communication skills, ski technique and modification procedures. This alone is worth the price of admission.

This time, we examine establishing good communication. In the next issue, our panel members describe ways to pin-point causes of pain or discomfort, to differentiate between real boot problems and issues which masquerade as boot problems and the steps each takes to resolve the real problems, which are not always obvious. Getting to know you "Teamwork," Tim Hutchinson explains, "is essential. The more information I get from the customer, the better the result will be."

Our panel unanimously agrees that technician and client must establish a good relationship built on mutual understanding of needs, goals and procedures. The technician needs to know about you: how you ski, where you ski, how long you've skied and how often you go, what terrain and conditions you prefer and which you avoid, what other equipment you use, what your skiing goals are, what your perception of the problem is and your anatomical configuration. You need to know how to describe the problem and both must establish a common technical language.

First things first

Rapport is essential. If you encounter an instance in which you simply do not like the technician's personality, find someone else, regardless of his reputation or skill. Tell me, Doctor, how bad is it? Our panel speaks as one on the issue of foot and physiological examination. All agree that close examination of the foot, along with observations of whether the client is short, tall, long-legged, bow legged or knock kneed, or displays any other unusual physical characteristic, reveals encyclopedic data to the trained eye.

"I watch them walk as they enter the shop," says Corty Lawrence, "and you learn about a person's foot from the initial handshake. Are the fingers long and bony? Is the hand small or more pudgy? This will tell you a lot before you even look at the foot."

Physiological examination, of course, is the crux of the matter. The competent tech will examine both feet and both ankles, observing static configurations, how they bear weight and will manipulate feet and ankles to discover degree of mobility or rigidity. He will consider the biomechanical composition of the body, what super-coach Harald Harb calls the kinesthetic chain.

Jeff Rich takes this procedure to the extreme, just short, as he puts it, of Voodoo.

"People are products of their lifestyles; you are what you do. We see a lot of exotic professionals here and we've learned to anticipate difficulties based on a person's calling. Camera operators, for example, assume a specific stance while they work-typically, the right foot is flatter than the left and the right hip is rotated forward. Fencers' back feet are likely pronated while the front foot is neutral. Runway models exhibit similar characteristics. Desk bound executives often develop lower back and calf problems which affect stance, gait and fore/aft balance."

Just the facts, Ma'am

Brimming with boundless potential for miscommunication is the sensitive issue of skill level. According to Steve Bagley, "People tend not to get their ability level right. Some exaggerate, others underestimate their skills."

Hoffman concurs. "Everyone's an expert," he says with a chuckle. "We as individuals are the only ones who don't know what we look like. What we're feeling on the hill and what others see can be two different things."

Lawrence suggests a simple series of objective questions designed to discover skill level with minimal risk to the ego. "I ask how they like to ski. Long, slow turns? Bumps bashing? High speed arcs? Where do they ski? Front side? Backside? One clue for me is to listen to words the client uses. If she complains about having trouble in 'deep stuff' on a fluffy powder day, this tells me about her level. Does the client describe hard pack as 'ice'? Does he find every condition 'great'? I learn from the way people talk about their experience.

Jeff Rich offers the most succinct advice: "Gentlemen, check your egos at the door! Ladies, speak up!"

Our panel agrees as well that information about other equipment-skis, bindings, old boots- contributes mightily to an effective process. What do you like about your equipment? What do you dislike? Do compatibility problems lurk in the mix? What does "tight" mean?

In the next installment, we discuss shell fitting, how inner boots force bad sizing, how to isolate boot problems from other problems, the nature of pain, what not to expect from boot modification, how top technicians structure the actual work process, how to achieve simultaneous high performance and comfort and what you should expect to pay for boot service.

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