One cannot emphasize enough on how important it is to wear the correct size ski boots for cross country skiing. For starters, a perfect fit will ensure that you stay comfortable, warm, and perform at an optimum level, during cold temperatures and high physical exertion. This guide aims to educate you on everything you need to know about cross country ski boots’ sizing and fitting.
How Should a Cross Country Ski Boot Fit?
Choosing a size smaller than regular can be useful. This tighter, athletic fit ensures the feet remaining stable and grounded, to make glides or maneuvers effectively. Don’t choose a bigger size than normal, boots may get loose, uncomfortable, additional room may lead to blisters due to irregularity in warm temperatures.
Cross Country Ski Boot Size Chart
More often than not, cross country ski boots can only be found in Euro sizing. This makes it difficult for Nordic skiers who are non-Europeans or who do not understand Euro size to easily find and choose the best fit for themselves. To make life easier for all those Nordic skiers, you can either learn or understand how Euro sizing works or go for the easier option, i.e. take your foot measurements and refer to the size chart for boots as reproduced below. This size chart will give you the Euro size and the relative or comparative sizes in the US (for men, women, and kids). We also provide you with a Mondo point size for a global audience who are used to this.
Mondo point (Mondo means world) was developed in the 1970s by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to simplify the measurments of shoe size across the globe by creating a universal footwear sizing system. Mondo point is an official calculation of your foot length and width in millimeters.
We hope you find this ski boot sizing chart helpful and convenient in finding the proper size.
| US Men’s | US Women’s | US Kids | Euro | Mondo point (mm) |
| – | 4 | 4 | 35 | 223 |
| – | 4-1/2 | 4-1/2 | 35-1/2 | 225 |
| 4 | 5 | 5 | 36 | 230 |
| 4-1/3 | 5-1/3 | 5-1/2 | 36-1/2 | 233 |
| 4-1/2 | 5-1/2 | 6 | 37 | 235 |
| 5 | 6 | 6-1/2 | 37-1/2 | 240 |
| 5-1/2 | 6-1/2 | 7 | 38 | 245 |
| 5-2/3 | 6-2/3 | 7-1/2 | 38-1/2 | 248 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 39 | 250 |
| 6-1/2 | 7-1/2 | – | 39-1/2 | 253 |
| 7 | 8 | – | 40 | 255 |
| 7-1/2 | 8-1/2 | – | 40-1/2 | 260 |
| 8 | 9 | – | 41 | 265 |
| 8-1/3 | 9-1/3 | – | 41-1/2 | 268 |
| 8-1/2 | 9-1/2 | – | 42 | 270 |
| 9 | 10 | – | 42-1/2 | 273 |
| 9-1/2 | 10-1/2 | – | 43 | 275 |
| 9-2/3 | 10-2/3 | – | 43-1/2 | 280 |
| 10 | 11 | – | 44 | 283 |
| 10-1/2 | 11-1/2 | – | 44-1/2 | 285 |
| 11 | 12 | – | 45 | 290 |
| 11-1/2 | 12-1/2 | – | 45-1/2 | 295 |
| 12 | 13 | – | 46 | 297 |
| 12-1/3 | – | – | 46-1/2 | 300 |
| 12-1/2 | – | – | 47 | 305 |
| 13 | – | – | 47-1/2 | 308 |
| 13-1/2 | – | – | 48 | 310 |
XC Ski Boot FAQs
How Tight Should Cross Country Ski Boots Be?
Cross Country Ski Boots are meant to fit the widest area of your foot comfortably. They should never be too tight. If you have bought a large size ski boot (for whatever reason), your foot is bound to be moving around inside, and you will not have any control.
The tip of your toes may not touch the front part of the boot if your socks are thick, and that is fine as such if you are comfortable with it. If you are looking for a long term performance boot, then always ensure that it gives you a snug fit. A recreational fit that is slightly loose will be more comfortable and more apt for non-competitive skiing. Your safest bet is a snug fit.
With continued usage, the liner of the boot may stretch and break-in. Once that happens, try buying a thicker pair of cross country socks to ensure you don’t get blisters and that there is no loss of performance.
The heel area is meant to be the most important part. The heel needs to stay securely fastened inside the boot, particularly at the time of kicking and gliding. If this is not ensured, you can easily develop blisters on your heel that can be very painful and discomforting. This will spoil the skiing expedition or perhaps more that you were meant to enjoy.
Always try the size of the boots before you pay for it in a store. If it is an online purchase, make sure you keep it in original condition until you have ensured it is the right fit for you, and do not try them outdoors in the snow until then.
Try using the same socks that you would wear for skiing and before lacing it up, do stand up and try adjusting your feet and size to check for the right fit and comfort. This will also give you an idea of the width of the boot vis-à-vis your feet’s width.
Kick your heels back to ensure that your heel is back in the foot. You can now lace up the ski boots and give it a proper try by walking and moving around. See where your toe is once all is in place – ideally, they should slightly be brushing the front of your boot for a perfect skate and fitness cross country skiers, and a bit more room would suffice for recreational skiers.
What Size Cross Country Ski Boots Do I Need?
Cross country ski boots are measured in European sizing (almost invariably) and there are rarely any exact conversions of the relevant US size. The fractions in the European sizes do not provide much assistance vis-à-vis the typical XC ski boot dimensions. The guesswork is then confined to picking your closest size in Euro and then rounding off to the next whole number to get as close to your right fit as possible (e.g. US Men’s 10.5 converts into Euro 44.5, so you should look for a Euro 45 size).
Please refer to the ski boot size chart above that is meant to ease the math involved in selecting the appropriate shoe size.
What Does 3 Point Cross Country Ski Boots Mean?
3-Pin cross country ski boots are also known as NN (Nordic Norm) or 75mm. The name is derived from the fact that 3 pins go into the ‘duckbill’ of the ski boot, and also a bail that can be lowered to lock over the duckbill.
This type of boots is meant to be used for off-track/backcountry touring skis as they have wider shoe tips (more than 90mm) and waists that are wider than 60mm.
This used to be the standard binding for all cross-country skis but was considered to be over binding for current recreational cross-country skiers, who now use more versatile and thinner track skis, such as NNN.
3-Pin bindings do not incorporate cables into their making and have been serving the ski boots segment for decades. They are compatible with standard 3-Pin boots.
Are Downhill and Cross Country Ski Boots the Same?
Downhill and cross-country skiing are performed in completely different conditions. For such reason, they require their respective set of unique equipment.
If you look at it from a purely technical perspective, the variance between the two skiing types is that in downhill skiing, the whole boot is attached to the ski with the aid of the binding. In cross country skiing, only the toe part of your boot is fixed to your ski.
Cross country ski boots are way cheaper than downhill ski boots, as the latter needs to be fitted.
Conclusion
A pair of cross country ski boots should fit in a similar manner and size as your traditional athletic shoes would.
It is important to find the perfect pair for your feet to avoid being uncomfortable and frustrated throughout the trip. Needless to say, this will also have a major impact on your performance if you are into competitive skate skiing.
Once you have bought them, try wearing the new boots frequently and do some practice to find your perfect pair, before the real deal. Depending on the model of the ski boot, cross country ski boots may require 5-6 outings before they start adjusting to your feet. It is difficult to return these products once they are used out in the snow. For such purpose, always try them at home without damaging them for a few hours or so to ensure that they sit nicely and comfortably under your feet.
