# Boot size/waist width issue?



## NWBoarder

IMO, the best thing you can do is get the boots you want and then see if the board will work. If it's easily returnable then it should be no problem for you. A little overhang won't kill you, but a lot might.


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## chinds4

How do you suggest seeing if the board will work once I get the boots without actually taking the board out on the mountain? It's easily returnable now because it is still completely wrapped and all, but I doubt they'd take it back once used.

Thanks NWBoarder28


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## that_guy

I'd ask also for advice at the shop you get your boots at.

That said, if you are going to buy boots, you might look into the Burton ones that reduce your footprint on the board. Also keep in mind that with the binding in place, your foot is going to be elevated several cm relative to the base of the board, and you're also likely to be riding at an angle (20 degrees-ish, maybe less, maybe more) which is also going to reduce the probability of toe drag.


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## NWBoarder

chinds4 said:


> How do you suggest seeing if the board will work once I get the boots without actually taking the board out on the mountain? It's easily returnable now because it is still completely wrapped and all, but I doubt they'd take it back once used.
> 
> Thanks NWBoarder28


Just get your new boots, shove them into your bindings, then lay your bindings over the plastic on the new board angled roughly in your stance and you should have a feel for how they will be. Between the elevation from your bindings and the actual overhang, you should know if the board will work or not.


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## chinds4

Thanks for the help guys. I definitely will be asking a lot of questions when I go into the shop to get my boots. And I should also add that I do not have my bindings yet either.

I know some boots are made smaller than others, and I'll look for them, but is this also the case for bindings?

And does anyone have suggestions for boots/bindings that are smaller on the board?

Thanks again for all the help


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## mwl001

Salomon F series boots. Give them a try.


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## david_z

I wear 11 ThirtyTwos and didn't have any problem with overhang on a Burton X8 which I think the waist was 254mm. But it never hurts to get all the gear together in one place, since your boots might be bigger or smaller footprint, etc.


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## chinds4

david_z said:


> I wear 11 ThirtyTwos and didn't have any problem with overhang on a Burton X8 which I think the waist was 254mm. But it never hurts to get all the gear together in one place, since your boots might be bigger or smaller footprint, etc.


How big of a difference does a few millimeters make when it comes to waist width? Would changing from a board with 251 to a board with 255 or so be worth it at all?

Thanks guys


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## david_z

251 is less than 10 inches across at its narrowest point which seems quite narrow to me but then again I've been riding 265s for the last decade. 255 really isn't that much bigger...

At the end of the day we're talking in millimeters, there are 25.4 of them per inch. So the waist difference between your K2 Believer and my NS Legacy, 15mm, is only about 0.6" -- literally the width of my pinky finger. 

At size 11, you're right on the cusp of "wide" and if your boots have been made in the last 5 years they probably have a footprint-reduction technology to reduce drag anyways. A pinky finger one way or the other isn't likely to wreck you.

A few things to consider: remember your feet are not at the narrowest point, so you probably get a few mm's more play depending on your stance. Also, the optimal amount of overhang (both heelside & toeside) is _not_ Zero - you need some overhang to be able to apply pressure to your edges effectively.

251 probably be OK.


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## that_guy

david_z said:


> At size 11, you're right on the cusp of "wide" and if your boots have been made in the last 5 years they probably have a footprint-reduction technology to reduce drag anyways. A pinky finger one way or the other isn't likely to wreck you.
> 
> A few things to consider: remember your feet are not at the narrowest point, so you probably get a few mm's more play depending on your stance. Also, the optimal amount of overhang (both heelside & toeside) is _not_ Zero - you need some overhang to be able to apply pressure to your edges effectively.
> 
> 251 probably be OK.


Good points, and if I recall correctly you use 32 boots, which are not exactly known for footprint reduction or bulk reduction- they tend to run on the bulky side of things.


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## chinds4

david_z said:


> 251 is less than 10 inches across at its narrowest point which seems quite narrow to me but then again I've been riding 265s for the last decade. 255 really isn't that much bigger...
> 
> At the end of the day we're talking in millimeters, there are 25.4 of them per inch. So the waist difference between your K2 Believer and my NS Legacy, 15mm, is only about 0.6" -- literally the width of my pinky finger.
> 
> At size 11, you're right on the cusp of "wide" and if your boots have been made in the last 5 years they probably have a footprint-reduction technology to reduce drag anyways. A pinky finger one way or the other isn't likely to wreck you.
> 
> A few things to consider: remember your feet are not at the narrowest point, so you probably get a few mm's more play depending on your stance. Also, the optimal amount of overhang (both heelside & toeside) is _not_ Zero - you need some overhang to be able to apply pressure to your edges effectively.
> 
> 251 probably be OK.


Thanks a lot for this David Z, I've been worrying about overhang but this boosted my confidence on everything.

I'll make sure to look for boots with the footprint reduction technology when I buy them.

If I had done more research on all of this before I bought my board I would have realized that I probably should have bought my boots/bindings first. lol


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## david_z

that_guy said:


> Good points, and if I recall correctly you use 32 boots, which are not exactly known for footprint reduction or bulk reduction- they tend to run on the bulky side of things.


Yeah, still rocking 32s. They're not the smallest but they've changed the profile in the past few years and I think excessive overhang is less of an issue than it maybe was in the past.

What the OP is going to want to look for in boot profile, since I'm not sure of "footprint reduction technology" is really the technical term: the sole should kind of have a taper especially on the toe but probably a little on the heel too, _almost_ like those hideous Skechers "Shape-up" shoes that Joe Montana is pimping these days. It will not be as pronounced as those uglies, though!

This allows them to construct, for example, a size 11 boot with an effective footprint that might really measure like a size 10. 

Check out the attached picture (excuse my crappy photoshopping job) that kind of shows what I mean. The boot on the left is a Burton Sabbath, and the one on the right is a 32. You can on the Burton there is curvature which reduces the footprint. There is none really on the hell of the 32, and only a little bit on the toe.


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## that_guy

Interesting, I thought Burton actually did something with the thickness of the shell / liner- didn't Salomon do that for their F-series (with apparently cold boots as a result)?


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## david_z

They may have done something with the shell/liner, too. I read something along those lines for Salomons but I'm not an expert


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## chinds4

Okay thanks a lot, I'll make sure to look for that.
If I need to, which I may not even have to from the way it's looking, I'll get toe/heel risers. I know some people say that they dislike them because of the different feel they give etc. etc. but since I haven't riden this board yet and I'm used to terrible rental boards I don't think it'd make much difference to me.


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## Guest

interesting comments. Im going to buy a board (after years of renting - really terrible but I have learned snowboarding on them so thank you ) and I had similar question as You. I have 10,5 US size of my shoes (hope boots also) and i dont know if I have to buy a wide version of snb.I dont like wide things generally  
Isnt here an option to move whole binging as back as possible so then there will be a danger of heel overhang?  hm maybe I will buy boots first, check how much milimeters are they and then use some physics and maths
while browsing online shops with boards.


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## david_z

you shouldn't have any problem with 10.5 boot unless you're on a super narrow board. You will not be able to move the bindings "back" because the inserts for the binding mounts are pre-drilled, centered on the board.

Again, you want some overhang on each side in order to apply correct pressure to the edges. My boots are probably about 12" from end to end, so that's about 305mm. That leaves me about 40-50 mm, or approximately 1" overhang on each heel and toe.


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## Guest

It Is Better To Go With The Wider Board And Not Have To Worry About Overhang I Have A Size 12.5 Boot So I Know This First Hand And I Ride Duck.


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## david_z

NTF said:


> It Is Better To Go With The Wider Board And Not Have To Worry About Overhang


This is definitely not always true, especially for the riders here with sizes 10.5/11 boots. If the board you get is too wide (yes, this is possible) then you will have problems. You'll have difficulty pressuring your edges and the board will be slower edge-to-edge.



NTF said:


> I Have A Size 12.5 Boot So I Know This First Hand And I Ride Duck.


With a size 12.5 pretty much everyone will agree that you'll be better off with a wide board  but sizes 11 and smaller probably not.


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## that_guy

I'd also really check if your boots are really going to be size 11- get them fitted properly, and you might be surprised what size ends up fitting you the best, it might just be a smaller size.

My feeling is that a lot of riders are wearing a pair of boots at least a half size too large.

And as for the wide board, too wide and you'll have steering problems, it's also about quickly and reliably going from edge to edge.


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## chinds4

Hey guys. This past weekend I went to a local boardshop and tried on some boots to get an idea of what is comfortable for me size-wise. It turns out that I can wear a 10.5 pretty comfortably. My foot is right in between 10.5 and 11 so it really just depends on the boot. 

Now I'm really not worried at all about having too much overhang becuase I'll probably be wearing 10.5 boots.

I almost bought a pair of 2010 Rome Bodega's.
Rome Bodega Boot | Rome Snowboard Design Syndicate 2010

Anyone have any experience with them?


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## that_guy

Cool, glad it will work out. Your boots should fit snug with a pair of thin snowboarding socks, you might even be able to squeeze into a 10 with no problem. The boots will likely pack out a bit after use, so keep that in mind.


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