New boots

One of the most important piece of skiing equipment in the arsenal of skiers is ski boots. Without good fitting boots, it really doesn't matter what skis or what snow conditions are like, if you have ill fitting boots then your enjoyment is massively affected. My alpine boots tend to last for two winters, about 40 weeks, before their performance is reduced.

Most people often delay replacing their ski boots because their current ones feel comfortable, even amongst my colleagues. It's a big day when you walk into a shop and say "I would like a new pair please". Simply because it can be a gamble, you are trusting the boot fitter with your comfort, and certainly in my case, skiing performance. I can't deny it was any different this time when I walked into a local shop called Freeride. I didn't care what colour or make they were going to be, they had to fit and perform, that simple. Almost two hours later I nervously walked away with a new pair. And after three skiing days later, with a couple of tiny minor tweaks by the boot fitting staff, I'm very happy and relieved. No blisters, no pressure points, no tears during the day, and no constant fiddling with the clips plus additional performance. Result.

After teaching the Bolderos, Nicky and Sue, and then Martin, James and Andy this week I decided to take a well deserved day off. I popped lower down the valley to Les Allues and had a walk around this traditional village with my camera. It was the second day in a row of snow and overcast weather, so I opted for some close up photos.How strange to see my own monument already !?! This week appears to have very low temperatures forecast and further heavy snowfalls during the middle of the week. Perfect conditions then to continue testing my new dancing shoes.

Martin