One Stop Ski Shop in Steamboat Springs, CO on 11th st.

We all get tired of soulless, big box retailers, full of fluorescent light, and a sterile feeling of Orwellian doom. Or at least I get tired of lifeless chain stores. It’s especially frustrating when one of these stores dominants your favorite industry. We might say they’re a necessary evil, or some kind of evolution. But screw that! Buy local…during mud season.

I really enjoy small outdoor shops, and small ski shops. One Stop Ski Shop on 11th street in Steamboat Springs, CO is a great example. When you walk in you are immediately greeted by one of a rotating cycle of shop dogs, and the ever-present owner: John Cole. John is a super laid back, friendly guy, but he knows exactly what he’s talking about with 30 years of boot fitting experience.

Custom footbeds are extremely important for ski boot comfort, and performance. John show us why.

I decided to have John build me an insole for this season. If you don’t ski in a custom foot bed then you are genuinely missing out. Ski boot comfort is the absolute crux of a comfortable ski day. You want the inside of your boot to match your foot. Most importantly the support gives you a much more direct connection to your ski edge, and prevents pronation so your ankles don’t bang into the inside of the boot cuff.

The process is pretty simple. Essential they make a mold of your foot in a neutral position. Then they build up support around this mold with foam. Now it might be simple, but it is NOT easy. The trick is that your boot fitter needs to mold your foot when it’s in the perfect, neutral position. Also, working with foam and choosing various densities becomes an art. John is one of the great wizards of this esoteric art form.

So check out One Stop Ski Shop in Steamboat Springs on 11th street. Check out the videos. John shows us the Apex boot system. I haven’t tried it yet so I will reserve all judgment. He also shows us Zipfit Liners, which have an outstanding reputation and look very promising.

I can’t wait to ski my new Dalbello Lupo ID 130 boots this season with custom foot beds by John

Cole at One Stop Ski Shop. -Aaron

We spend some time to learn a little bit about the history of One Stop Ski Shop. MagpieGearReview.com

Zipfit Liners look super promising. I have heard a lot of high praise from users. Jon Cole from One Stop Ski Shop in Steamboat Springs Colorado runs us through the features. MagpieGearReview.com

John from One Stop Ski Shop in Steamboat Springs, CO explains the Apex Ski Boot System

Atomic LiveFit 130 Overview With John from One Stop Ski Shop Check out the full series at MagpieGearReview.com