Tag Archive for: MasterFit University

Jon Weisberg

Short Swings!

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I’ve always believed in working with a competent car mechanic.

The same applies to a well-trained bootfitter. Many older skiers experience boot issues, and a good fitter can help overcome them. Masterfit is in the business of training people to fit ski boots. Their instructors include pedorthists, professionals with specialized training to modify footwear and employ supportive devices to address conditions which affect the feet and lower limbs. Graduates of Masterfit University populate ski shops around the nation and abroad. They can be located at bootfitters.com, which lists elite ski shops specializing in bootfitting.

Recently, in Masterfit’s typically low-key manner, the organization trained 275 REI employees in the skill of fitting ski boots. Most of them work in REI stores throughout the West, but employees from REI’s Soho (NYC), Framingham (Mass.) and Minneapolis stores also participated. Clearly, REI is upping its game when it comes to professional boot fitting. It will help them provide more complete service to REI members (Is there anyone reading this who is not an REI member?).

I remember being in a chain sporting goods store in midtown Manhattan several years ago where a salesperson with ZERO experience fitting boots was “helping” a customer with ZERO ski experience purchase ski boots. My tongue still hurts from biting so hard.

With this new development, boot shoppers can go to REI, seek out one of the people who went through Masterfit training, and proceed to get fitted with confidence.

Southern Utah Redux

Bear’s Ears. Courtesy: Chicago Tribune

Reader Alan Cort commented on last week’s piece about Patagonia‘s position against the administration’s reduction of Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments:

In regards to Bear’s Ears, also a shout out to Black Diamond, maker of a lot of really good outdoor equipment.  The following is from their latest customer email: Nearly 60% of our country’s climbing areas lie on federal public lands. We repeat, over HALF of our nation’s beautiful, wild crags are on public lands. That’s just one reason why we, at Black Diamond, believe that public lands should stay in public hands, and also why we strongly support the designation of Bears Ears as a National Monument.  Think how many ski areas, especially in the West, operate on federal public lands; ones that I’m sure every SeniorSkiing reader has a special attachment to.

Thanks for making that point, Alan.

One of the issues in southern Utah, where these monuments are located, is that county commissioners and state officials are opposed to Federal land ownership. They think they can manage these vast areas more effectively. Among other goals, they want to create a handful of jobs by opening these beautiful wilderness resources to the extraction industries (A uranium mining company is reported to have pressured the White House to reduce Bears Ears.) Last weekend, we visited Goblin Valley State Park, a wonderful area filled with human scale hoodoos. The State of Utah manages the park. Trails are ill-defined, people can walk wherever they choose, signage is virtually non-existent. By comparison, we hiked Arches National Park the day before, where all systems and operations were efficient and well run. The Utah locals seeking control of Federal lands are amateurs who don’t accept the idea that their backyards belong to all citizens.

CALIFORNIA

Santa-costumed skiers and boarders will participate in Mountain High’s annual Santa Sunday this weekend. The event raises funds for Protect Our Winters (POW), the climate change advocacy group for the snow sports community. Registration requires minimum $20 donation to POW. Receipt can be exchanged for a day ticket. Visit Santa Sunday for details.

COLORADO

Aspen Highlands opens Saturday with limited terrain. Pray for snow!!!!

MAINE

Maine resorts received 21″ of natural. Time to head north!

New York

Many upgrades at Whiteface and Gore (lodge expansions, upgraded snowmaking/grooming, etc.).

Lake Placid hosts World Cup Luge this weekend, FIS 2018 Freestyle World Cup aerials competition (Jan. 19-20), Empire State Winter Games (Feb. 1-4), USCSA Ski & Snowboard Championships (March 4-10), Lake Placid Nordic Festival and Loppet (March 18), and ECAC Hockey Men’s D1 Championships (March 16-17).

If you’re in the neighborhood the weekends of Jan 19 and 26, drop by The Sagamore Resort‘s (Bolton Landing) and hoist one at its Glacier Ice Bar & Lounge, featuring nine tons of carved ice.

The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is Feb. 2-11 and features a massive Ice Palace. The palace tradition dates to 1898. They feature tunnels and mazes and are decorated with flags, ice furniture and sculpture.

New this year is the Adirondack Snowshoe Fest ,Feb. 24 -25 in Saranac Lake. Races are scheduled for all levels. Lots of surrounding entertainment to take off the chill.

QUEBEC

Mt Tremblant reports recent snowfall and perfect snowmaking temps resulting in opening of all 4 sides of the mountain by end of weekend. 60 runs to be available! If you’re planning to visit over the holidays, don’t miss La Famille Grelot (December 23 -31), a feisty family of singing, dancing and acrobatic elves in the pedestrian village.

UTAH

Salt Lake City is promoting itself as an “apres cultural mecca” while skiing the state’s nearby iconic resorts. There’s theater, dance, classical music, jazz, professional sports, and art and natural history museums. More at Ski City USA.

VERMONT

Some resorts received as much as 24″ of fresh this week. Current trail conditions and weather alerts at SkiVermont.com; resort information, deals and events at Resort Finder.

OTHER

 

R.I.P. Bruce Brown, the documentarian who brought us The Endless Summer and On Any Sunday died earlier this week in Santa Barbara. He was 80. For many of our generation, his surfing films and motorcycle films stirred a fantasy of the possible.

 

 

Free, Last Minute, Online Gifts for Senior Skiers

These magazine subscriptions are available free to SeniorsSkiing.com subscribers:

  • One year (six issues) subscription to SKI Magazine (U.S. residents only).
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To register, click the Subscriber-Only Content at the top of the SeniorsSkiing.com Home Page.

  • For SKI Magazine, go to bottom of form and click on: Click Here For Free One Year Subscription to SKI Magazine and follow directions.
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Jon Weisberg

Snow Sports Leaders: Steve Cohen, CEO, MasterFit Enterprises

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[Editor Note: Steve Cohen, CEO and co-founder of Masterfit Enterprises, oversees the Masterfit University Training Centers, the America’s Best Bootfitters organization of top ski bootfitting shops, and Masterfit’s insole and bootfitting products lines. He created the annual national on-hill boot testing program in 1988 while serving as executive editor of Ski Magazine. He is a senior contributor and co-authors all the boot content for Ski and Skiing magazines and their websites, and for the America’s Best Bootfitters website (www.bootfitters.com).]

Steve Cohen, CEO, MasterFit

Experienced skiers advise that ski boots rank most important. Why is that?

Boots are both the suspension and steering link between the body and the ski. If your boots don’t fit comfortably and efficiently transmit power between foot and ski, you’ll never ski to the best of your ability.

What’s more important for comfort and performance: boot liners or boot insoles?

Both are important. But the liners that come with most quality ski boots are pretty good and bootfitters are great at making comfort and fit modifications to them.

The insole is a critical fit, stance and performance component. But the dirty little secret of the ski boot world is that the insoles that come in most ski boots, even the most expensive ones, aren’t very durable or supportive. In fact, boot companies expect skiers to upgrade their insoles so they see it as a place to shave cost.

Think of your boot insole as the foundation for the entire boot. If you aren’t standing on a stable, well-balanced platform, all the joints above that are so crucial to executing a ski turn—ankles, knees and hips—will be out of kilter. That can lead to pain and make it difficult to execute turns.

Explain the importance of Masterfit University and seeking out a shop with an “America’s Best Bootfitter” designation when getting boots fitted.

Would you rather go to an auto mechanic with professional training or one who figured stuff out by trial and error? Masterfit University is where ski retailers send their personnel to be trained in the science and art of bootfitting by the world’s elite bootfitters.

The shops that earn the America’s Best Bootfitters mark of distinction are the best of the best. They have elite skills, knowledge and a complement of specialized tools to provide the best in boot sales and service.

Do you recommend custom insoles for ski boots, or are off-the-shelf models sufficient?

Depends on how often you ski and your aspirations. What we call drop-ins or cut-to-fit models definitely provide better fit, stability and comfort than stock insoles. They’re great for skiers on a budget and those who ski infrequently or at a casual pace. But if you have a complex foot problem, stance issue, ski frequently, or aspire to ski at an advanced level, custom insoles should be inside your boots.

How frequently should skiers replace their boots?

That’s a function of how often they ski. Full-time instructors and others who ski daily will replace their boots every year or two.

For recreational skiers, figure 150-175 days of use or 7-8 years. Whichever comes first. The boot’s shell is subject to incredible stresses in every turn. The plastic eventually loses resiliency and strength and can even crack or explode. The padding in the liner also compacts and loses its resiliency. Components like buckles start breaking. I like to have a transition season where I phase out a boot and break in a new one.

If you frequently walk on hard surfaces with boots, all the guidelines above can be tossed out. Once your soles start wearing thin or losing their shape, it can affect how your binding releases. That’s serious stuff. Your binding may not hold you in when it should or it might not release when it should. Both are dangerous situations. Your boot/binding interface should be inspected and tested periodically by a certified shop.

What should older skiers be looking for when they’re shopping for a pair of boots?

A good bootfitter to guide them. Older feet have more problems and need someone with experience and skills to help in the selection and make modifications and accommodations. Older skiers might also want to consider a softer boot than they used in the past as well as one designed for easy entry/exit and easy to close and open buckles.

Masterfit organizes the annual event where the coming season’s boots are evaluated. The results appear in Ski, Skiing, and at the America’s Best Bootfitters website and inform ski shop sales personnel around the country. How is this information relevant for older skiers?

We have a lot of exceptionally-experienced skiers who are 50+ testing boots for us. Their experiences and feedback gives older skiers a reference point from which to start a boot search.