Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Looking for bootfitters skilled in Tele stuff in the NH/VT area. Anyone have experience or recommendations?

thanks,
Murray

I have some experience with said inquiry... sadly, no recommendations. I've stymied bootfitters of note here in VT, and in SLC, for decades. Someone with less irregular issues can surely offer suggestions.

if your boots are burly 4 buckle NTN, I don't think you need a specialist in Tele. a fitter who knows alpine and AT should do just fine. it really just comes down to: foot bed, heat molding the lining if required, lining pads if required and buckle adjustment. I don't see these variables as as being unique to Tele boots.

Have you talked to the guy at S&W in Concord, NH? They have a specialist. He was very helpful getting some alpine boots set up for my kid. And they at least used to carry tele boots.

bauerb wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:40 am

if your boots are burly 4 buckle NTN, I don't think you need a specialist in Tele. a fitter who knows alpine and AT should do just fine. it really just comes down to: foot bed, heat molding the lining if required, lining pads if required and buckle adjustment. I don't see these variables as as being unique to Tele boots.

Agree with a 4-buckle. Shell fit: length, last, volume. Easy enough to learn for the infrequent purchaser of boots, and definitely old hat for an alpine bootfitter.

Main difference is that in an alpine boot, the foot is much more static... in tele boot the foot is much more dynamic with the heel lift and bending at the bellows/ball of foot. That being said, I think it's even more important to lock down the heel in the pocket, and any hotspots / protrusions / rubbing areas are properly mitigated. Things you can "get away" with in an alpine boot are magnified with the dynamic nature of the foot in a tele boot. Again, everything an alpine bootfitter can tend to.

Thanks for all the replies. It is for my new TX Pro NTN boots, so I'm sure any store working with AT stuff would likely be fine, but I was really hoping to work with someone who knows tele. That balance between efficient comfort for long tours, and locked-in control through the full dynamic range of motion of a tele turn is a tough thing to get right. My old setup was so soft and loose that I never really worried about precise fit, but the new gear can be driven so much harder that even little flaws make themselves known. Well, if anyone comes up with suggestions, I'm all ears. Thanks Teletalkers.