I’m going to start by saying that boots are one of the items you really should buy new. I know that is a very odd thing for someone running a second hand gear store to say, but they are one of the single most important pieces of kit because how comfortable, warm and dry your feet are is going to dictate how long you can ride for. Like bindings it is worth weighting your budget in this direction because that extra £50 goes a lot further on boots or bindings than it does on a board.

With that in mind a very good pair of boots with only a few weeks up to a month of use will still be in good shape and worth looking at. A lot of boots use Thermofit liners and this means that when you heat the liners up they will swell up, then you put your feet in and do the boots up tight and the liner will shape to your foot. While it will never be quite as effective the second time it is possible to remould Thermofit liners, the key things to know though is that a convection oven will not work on reheating the boots. A pair of straightening irons used carefully inside the liners will go down well but need to be guarded.

Personally though I would say if you are investing in new or second hand boots go the whole hog and take them to a professional boot fitter in either TSA/Ellis Brigham or Snow and Rock or a decent local shop that have a boot fitting expert and look at getting the liners moulded/remoulded and get fitted for some decent orthotics. The first thing any fitting expert worth his salt will tell you is that properly fitted orthotic footbeds will do your posture, joints and feet the world of good because they level and support your feet in a boot and allow your feet, ankles and knees to work as they should rather than compensating for a badly settled boot or foot issues like low arches etc etc.

Now I'm going to thoroughly finish the job of making sure you don't buy here. Bear in mind that all brands have a different fit so if you are buying your first pair of boots get down to a store and try at least three different brands on. The big names worth trying are Thirty Twos, Burton Salomon, Northwave and Vans. Personally I have always gone for Thirty Twos as the top end boots are very light and very stiff, I like that because I'm more of a powder and lines man. If you're learning or looking for a park boot then you'll want something a bit softer.

Any Questions you know where to find me ed@snowshed.net, sorry if it takes a bit of time for me to get back, but as long as your questions sensible and even if it isn't but is funny then I promise to reply.

Happy Boot hunting

Ed