Now things are a lot more complex - but good fit is still key to boot performance.  Unfortunately you can now make way too many boots fit with thermo fit liners but that does not mean you will get good boot performance.  Because the liners will make almost any boot comfortable you need to be much more careful with the fit now.

Step 1 - get an idea of your foot size.  Telemark and Alpine Ski boots are sized based on the Mondo Point scale.  It is really the most rational of all foot sizing measures.  It is based simply on the length of your foot in centimeters.  So I measure a little over a 28 cm foot and I wear typically a 28.5 shell in a ski boot.  To measure your foot put a piece of paper on the floor up against the wall.  Stand on the paper with your heel against the wall.  Make a mark on the paper at the end of your longest toe.  Measure the resulting length in cm and you have your mondo point size.  Telemarkski.com has a great page which outlines this method and provides the sizing charts for Garmont, Scarpa and Crispi.

Step 2 - fit the shell.  You want to be in the smallest shell you can get.  This means about 1 cm between your heel and the back of the shell with your toes touching the end.  Don't smash your foot up against the front of the shell slide it forward gently until it touches.  Then have a look at your heel in the boot.  You should have about 1 cm between your foot and the back of the shell. Forget fingers. There is no way you can get your hand back there at all if the shell is the right size.  Have a look with a flashlight or use a dowel or something similar.  Fundamentally you want to jam yourself into the smallest shell you can.

Step 3 - fit the liner.  Use a very thin sock - ie a liner sock not a thick ski sock - dress socks work too.  If you have the right shell size the liner will be tight before you thermo form it.  Try on the liner outside the boot.  It should be tight and your toes should be right at the end.  Basically the boot fit and liner fit should be tight and borderline uncomfortable with the right size boot before you thermo form them. 

You have to fit your big foot if you have one for obvious reasons!  With as small a shell as possible you have to fit for the larger foot or the boot won't fit both feet.

Step 4 - get a good footbed! Throw out the crappy one that comes with the boots (depending on your foot this may not apply to Intuition liners so get a shop who knows the liner and ask).  Green Superfeet work well as an off the shelf footbed.  Some people like to trim the little grey plastic fingers on the front of the Superfeet footbed.  Personally I don’t  see much advantage either way. Make sure the footbed is long enough in the arch, regardless of the shoe size on the liner box.

Step 5 - thermo form the liner.  You want to use a sock that is really thin.  This allows the liner to pack out a bit after it breaks in and then you can use a thicker ski sock later to fill the space.  Use toe caps while thermo forming the liners! This creates space in the front of the toes and pushes the heel back into the heel cup.  I like the hard toe caps as they create plenty of space for your piggies.  If you have the right size boots thermo forming will hurt.  Sorry to break it to you but it ain't going to be fun!  If you don't want to do this yourself get a reputable shop to do it.  For those of you brave enough to do your own there is the iconic TTips video - cooking with Big Tim.

Disclaimer - If you cook your liners using the following information and the liners are no longer usable I take no responsibility. If you are not confident in what you are doing go to a reputable shop.

Garmont Liners - 15 mins at 250°F (120°C) in a convection oven.

Black Diamond Liners - use the BD approved heat pipe blower.

Scarpa/Intuition Liners - use Intuition heat pipe blower or a convection oven.  The Scarpa and Intuition Power Wrap liners are different.  The Scarpa variant is 6mm soft and 6 mm high density foam while the Intuition liner is 3mm soft and 12 mm high density.  If you are using a convection oven @ 120°C heat for 8-10 min for the Scarpa and 12-15 min for the Intuition.  If you have any questions about the Intuition liners call Intuition.

Insert the foot bed into the liner and make sure it is flat.  Then insert the foot into the liner and carefully into the boot.  Some form of shoe horn will help get the fragile hot liner into the shell.  Do not use the laces while thermoforming the liners.

Step 6 - throw out the stock “power” strap.  The velcro “power” strap that comes with most telemark boots is not ideal.  Replacing it with an elasticized power strap, such as a Booster Strap is a good investment.  The content free website aside the booster strap allows a much better connection between the boot and your shin.  This is especially advantageous for telemark skiing.  Scarpa T-Race boots currently ship with booster straps as standard equipment.

So the big question - why fit the boots so tight?  Won't my feet be cold, etc?  Perversely the opposite is true.  With a good performance fit for the boots your feet will be warmer.  This happens because you can ski your boots with looser buckles and still get good performance.  If you are tightening your current boots as much as you can then they are very likely too big or you have picked a boot brand that will not fit your foot.