9 Best Ski Boots For Narrow Feet (2024)

Written by

Timo Holmquist

Foot type is critical for skiing. If you slip your feet into the wrong boots, you could be dealing with toe bruises, hot spots, blisters, shin pain, and sore calves. Read on to discover the best narrow ski boot options, how to measure your own foot width and some tips and tricks for finding the perfect pair of ski boots.

Consider this your narrow ski boot primer.

My Review Process

I’ve been skiing for over a quarter century and have had my fair share of awful-fitting boots. I also have narrow feet, which made it difficult to find the perfect pair. In fact, for the first few years, I could barely ski a full day without pain creeping in. I’m here to steer you away from constant foot pain so you can ski all day and all season long.

As boot technology advances, so has our understanding of how critical the correct boot fit is. With tons of options available, every foot can find the perfect pair of ski boots. However, the best fit depends on your foot shape and style of skiing. For my low-volume narrow-footed friends, the options below are all worth considering.

Do I Need Narrow Ski Boots?

The importance of boot fitting cannot be overstated. Finding out whether or not you need narrower boots is a good move.

The first way to tell is by how your feet feel. If your heel and the pad of your foot are sliding around in your boots, narrower is better. Often, if your boots are too big, you’ll end up with heel blisters or toe bruises. Your feet should not be moving inside of your boot.

Please also keep in mind that new boots are always going to feel tight. As you move around in them, the liners compress, creating more room. Good boots have a memory fit or heat-moldable liners that mold to your foot profile.

How To Measure Proper Boot Width

Measuring is a less painful way of finding out the proper boot width.

First, place a piece of paper underneath your foot and grab a pen or sharpie. Then, line your foot up so that the widest part of your foot on the big toe side is flush against the side of the paper. Once you’re lined up, find the widest part of the pinky-toe side of your foot (should be just below the base of your pinky-toe). Make a mark on the paper.

Draw a straight line from the mark to the side of the paper. That distance is your last measurement. Remember to record in millimeters! Narrow boots have a last width between 96-100 mm.

If you still aren't sure, visit a boot fitter to get properly fitted.

Narrow Ski Boot Buying Guide

Choosing the right pair of skiing boots for narrow feet is something you'll want to get right first time. Our buying guide below will help you choose a pair that's right for your feet - any your wallet.

Price

A pair of ski boots is expensive, so it’s a choice you want to get right. In general, you’re looking at boot prices between roughly $400 and $900.

Since most people have feet on the average to above average scale, narrow boots are also generally harder to find. The selections above represent the best opportunity to cater to narrow feet without endless searching.

Size

If you don't have a boot fitter or specialist boot fitting store nearby, check out our ski boot size chart.

Ski boots rely on mondopoint sizing, which is the length of your foot in cm. Depending on the country you live in, you may need to convert shoe size according to our size chart linked above. Make sure you know your foot size before committing to a pair of boots.

It’s also important to note signs that your ski boots may be the wrong size. In a companion piece, we cover how ski boots should fit for pain-free skiing.

Flex

For the best skiing experience, proper flex ratings matter. Flex ratings generally run from 0-130. A lower number means the boot is more flexible, while a higher number means the boot is stiffer.

Stiff boots with a flex rating between 110-130 are great for aggressive and experienced skiers. You want to feel the resistance of the boot holding you in place as you're hauling down the slopes. For beginners and intermediates, this doesn't matter as much as comfort.

Boot flexes between 60-90 prioritize comfort so you can feel good about skiing a whole day without pain. Flex ratings between 90-110 offer more support while still retaining a bit of plush comfort. The best boot for beginners is likely a 90 flex or less.

Last

The last width, often abbreviated to last, is a measurement across your foot between the ankle and the toes. With this measurement, you arrive at your foot width.

A last width between 96-99 mm is generally considered narrow for a pair of ski boots. A 100 mm last can work well with average and slightly below-average foot widths. Anything over 100 mm last width is for wide feet.

Please see our guide on the best ski boots for wide feet for larger ski boot options.

High Volume & Low Volume

You may notice some ski boots have a series of letters and numbers after the boot name. Usually, the number is somewhere between 70 and 140 and refers to flex. However, you may also notice HV and LV.

HV stands for High-Volume, which is another way of saying a larger foot. LV stands for low-volume or narrow foot. Look for LV in the title if you want assurance that the ski boots are, in fact, narrower. If all else fails, hunt for the last width.

Summary

My pick for the best overall boot for narrow feet is the Tecnica Mach 1 120 LV, with the Fischer Ranger Free as a close runner-up. For the advanced, performance-minded skier, the Lange RX 120s are fantastic as well.

Beginners will enjoy the comfort of the Rossignol Pure Elite 70, while intermediate-level skiers should find the Alltrack Pro 100s great for sustained happiness. The K2 FL3X Revolver Pro is a great park pair of boots that also supplies long-term comfort for narrow-footed skiers. And don’t forget the adjustable and dependable Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 CT GW for both in and out of resort boundaries.

I’m happiest on long backpacking trips into little-known pockets of wilderness, skiing down backcountry mountains, and on all-fours, scrambling the rocky spines of alpine ridges. When I'm not adventuring in the outdoors, I'm most likely writing about them.