Ski Boots
How our service works:
Hike and Ride brings over 10 years of boot fitting experience to every appointment. Finding a pair of boots that not only matches your foot shape, but also your skiing ability, injuries and flexibility (amongst other things) really is an art form. After 11 seasons fitting in the UK and France we’re still learning the craft, but we want to share our expertise with you as much as possible.
On average we’ve found an appointment takes about 2 hours from start to finish. This of course is only a guide as some people just click with boots while others, for whatever reason, need a little bit longer to find a comfortable fit. We’ll never rush an appointment and stay with you as long as is needed.
Fitting ski boots involves aligning your foot in the boot and giving you a stable base in order to control your skis. This usually requires a footbed of some description (think about building a house and it’s foundations- it’s very similar!). To do this, Hike and Ride have put together a series of boot fitting packages that will allow you to match the right fit to your needs.
When you call us to a face to face appointment, at a time and place that suits you, you have a choice of what aftercare you package with your boots that best suits your needs. Everyone wants value for money, especially given the current economic climate and that’s why we think it’s right for you to have the choice as to what kind of package suits you best. Because everyone’s values and needs are different. There are several factors that come in to play here- ski experience, injuries, budget and previous boot experiences just to name a few. So the choice of coverage you need is up to you!
Please rest assured that we’ll talk over all these options with you before you commit. After your assessment we’ll talk you through what the assessment means and what we think will work best for you.
We’ve packaged up our offer to you as having been boot fitting for years, we believe this is one of the best ways to bring you maximum value, whatever the package you choose.
Our consultation packages begin with the Core Package and all include the following:
- Phone or video consultation before your appointment
- Travel Time up to 3 hours or 150 miles on a round trip
- All trip expenses including petrol, tolls and parking prices
- 1-1 appointment and expert advice
- Comprehensive foot analysis- size, shape, range of motion all explained in a way you can understand and adapt to any future ski, shoe or walking boot purchases anywhere.
| During your first appointment | CORE | Core Value | GOLD | GOLD Value | PLATNIUM | PLATNIUM Value | |
| Travel, petrol, parking (up to 3hrs round trip) | Included | £ 50.00 | Included | £ 50.00 | Included | £ 50.00 | |
| 1-1 Comprehensive Foot Analysis (40 min) | Included | Included | Included | ||||
| Persionalised Ski Boot Recommendations | Included | Included | Included | ||||
| Personalised Hiking Boot Recommendations | Included | Included | Included | ||||
| Boot/Binding Compatibility Check | Included | Included | Included | ||||
| Boot and Liner Modifications | Included | Included | Included | ||||
| Rail System Binding Adjustments | Included | £ 25.00 | Included | £ 25.00 | Included | £ 25.00 | |
| Drill Mount Binding Adjustments | From £50 | From £25 (subject to correct mounting tools being available) | £ 25.00 | Included (subject to correct mounting tools available) | £ 50.00 | ||
| Pre-Moulded Footbeds | Included | £ 50.00 | - | - | |||
| Custom Made Ski Footbeds | - | Included | £ 110.00 | Included | £ 110.00 | ||
| Ski Socks Included | - | Le Bent | £ 28.00 | Falke SK4 | £ 38.00 | ||
| £28 RRP | £38 RRP | ||||||
| Comfort Fit Guarantee | - | 12 months from purchase | 18 months from purchase | ||||
| During any Refitting appointments | Onsite Post Fit Modifications/Tweaks | £25 per half hour | Included | £ 25.00 | Included | £ 25.00 | |
| Addional Petrol Charges | £9 per half hour of travel from first revisit | £9 per half hour from first revisit | From second visit | ||||
| Buy Back Option (after first tweak) | Refit Only - upgrade to custom Insoles £75 | Refit Only | 70% of purchase price (18 Months) | ||||
| Extras | Extras | 50% off one pair of Le Bent socks | £ 14.00 | 50% off one additonal pair of socks | £ 19.00 | 50% off selected boot bag | £ 17.50 |
| 50% off one additional pair of socks | £ 19.00 | ||||||
| 50% off 1 Pair of Superfeet insoles - £50 RRP | £ 25.00 | ||||||
| 50% off first ski service - £25 Value | £ 25.00 | ||||||
| £25 gift voucher for your next H+R purchase (Over £50) - £25 Value | £ 25.00 | ||||||
| Price | £115 | £139.00 | £160 | £282.00 | £210 | £ 409.50 |
Who Do We Think Each Package Might Be For:
Core:
- Those inquiring about ski boots wanting expert advice but perhaps not ready to buy but want to be pointed in the right direction
- Individuals who know exactly what they need and want and nothing more
- Individuals with custom footbeds that can be taken from their existing footwear into new boots
- People wanting peace of mind that they’re being fitted by someone with a lot of experience but perhaps have a tighter budget
- Those who have brought their boots elsewhere and just want them fitting
Gold:
- Individuals who’ve owned boots previously with little or no aftercare requirements.
- Individuals that don’t suffer from any injuries that may cause problems with ski boots
- Individuals committing to their first purchase wanting a little peace of mind
- Budget conscious with a boot fit guarantee included
Platinum:
- Those who want complete peace of mind with their purchase
- Those that have had difficulty in the past getting their ski boots to be comfortable
- Those with significant injuries
- Racers or performance skiers
- Individuals who would like to add in more socks and a boot bag at a discounted rate
- Some people are really straight forward to fit and don’t need aftercare, some need a minor adjustment for things to be perfect, while others take tweak after tweak to get it right. Everyone is different. Therefore the level of care you need should also be different. We’ve also learned that we are human and although we try our very best to get it right first time, it doesn’t always happen
- People’s feet change shape over time. Changes can occur because of a range of things. Our body’s ligament and tendon strength, injury, diabetes, pregnancy, high blood pressure, weight loss or gain, overuse injuries. We fit to foot shape in front of us and cannot guarantee that in 5 years time your foot will hold that shape, but adjustments can be made to boots to insure a good fitting boot becomes a great fit!
- The old saying you get what you pay for. Yes, there are retailers here in the UK that will get you out on the slopes slightly cheaper, but we also know at those retailers you may be fitted by someone who’s been hired just for the current season with little to no experience. On the flip of that, there are some retailers that charge far greater amounts for their services. We’ve tried to hit a middle ground, all while offering you a great service in a location that suits you (we’re happy to give you specifics at your appointment should you need some reassurances). After a decade boot fitting we can safely say that even we are still learning the ropes
- We’ve built our service around being totally honest and transparent with you. And we will continue to do so- both before the fitting and throughout the whole process. Should we not have a boot in stock that works for you, we won’t go through with the appointment till we have something in that suits. That way, you can rest assured you’re getting the correct service for your needs. After all, we want to see your smiling face back with us again soon (just not too soon!!). We’ll also give you our honest thoughts on which package, footbeds, socks (etc) suit you best and our reasoning behind this and allow you to make an educated decision. We’ve packed the gold bundle full of added extras too, wanting you to get the very best from our service without being pressured to spend more than is necessary