Ski boot shopping at Ellis Brigham
Today we went off to Ellis Brigham in Milton Keynes to buy my boyfriend, Dave, a new pair of ski boots. Having never experienced the Ellis Brigham service I was keen to see how good they were.
Ellis Brigham at Milton Keynes is next door to the Xscape snowdome. This means you can double up a trip to get your kit with a session in the snowdome. In fact if you’re thinking about buying skis or a snowboard and you want to test on the ski slope they’ll give you your session price back if you go ahead and buy the equipment.
So, back to the boots. We were helped by a fantastic member of staff called Gordon. Gordon was extremely knowledgeable about all the boots, seemed to have a good idea of what would work best, and asked all the right questions.
First up the usuals, foot measurements, volume test and then the first boot try. First off was the Salomon Mission RS8 at £220. The Salomon Mission RS8 is a mid level boot with a moderate flex. It has a reasonable volume, so a good option for those with wider feet. It’s a comfortable option so good for those that don’t spend much time every year skiing (1 week maybe) and don’t have the time to bed boots in.
Salomon Mission RS8 ski boot - £230
Second up was Atomic Hawx 100 at £285. These are a higher range boots, being suitable for intermediates to experts. This boot uses a more flexible plastic on the forefoot than most other boots, this is supposed to increase comfort and reduce strain in this higher range boot. I think it would be a really good option for those intermediates wanting to buy a boot that will not need to be upgraded in several years time.
Atomic Hawx 100 ski boot - £285
Third up was the Fischer Soma Progressor 100 at £280. This is a performance boot with a narrower fit than the Salomon or Atomic. I think this is the very reason why Dave immediately didn’t get on with this boot. This is probably a good option for intermediates with less wide feet looking for progressive boots that will last as harder terrain is explored.
Fischer Soma Progressor 100 ski boot - £280
Other boots tried on included the Salomon Impact 8 cs and the Lange Blaster 9.
After what was probably a good 2 hours in Ellis Brigham trying on the different options, and after much help from Gordon, the boot that was decided upon was the Atomic Hawx 100. This was down to comfort as well as the level allowing it to be used as a progressive boot for many years to come. Of course everyone will fit a ski boot entirely differently, these opinions are based on Dave’s own personal fit experience. If you are buying ski boots get down to a good ski shop, like Ellis Brigham, and get trying some ski boots on.
As for Ellis Brigham, we were extremely impressed with the service, mostly thanks to Gordon. No doubt will be back again soon for our next piece of kit.
