OK. As far as the boots go, a simple test is to buckle the boot. You should be able to wiggle your toes easily with the boot tight. Your heel should not lift when you drive your knees forward with the boot flat on the floor (flex your knees forward slightly bent). Your toes should no more than barely touch the front of the boot when you do this flex test.

I don't have enough information to answer the second question since I don't know what kind of skis you have- the new parabolics require a different stance and technique than old straight boards. Current equipment is much easier to carve a turn.

FWIW, a couple of hours with a pro early in the day can pay big dividends even in a short ski trip. You might see if you can buy an hour lesson just as a refresher- it will make your vacation much more enjoyable.

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Dave

'05 325xi
'10 E70 35d
'85 911 Carrera
'66 911 Work in progress
'91 Chevy C1500
'95 Jeep Cherokee
‘18 Jeep JLU

The best advice is to trade in you skis and take up snowboarding. I skied for 20 years before I took up snowboading, never looked back. However, if you ignore that, try this.

It might be worth taking your boots to a boot shop first thing and make sure they fit properly. They can always be adjusted. Some people wear to thick of socks, thinner socks are better and you feet will stay warmer with more circulation.

As Mackskibum said, not really enough information for the second question but make sure you maintain the proper stance in your turns. If you are leaning back that will kill your legs.

Good luck!

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2003 X5 4.6is

yeowzer has it correct on snowboarding. I started on skis and did it for about 4 years, now I've been boarding for 5 years. Skis are fun, but not as challenging as snowboarding. Plus the boots are more comfortable!

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95 M3
03 X5 3.0
06 X3 3.0 Sport

I forgot it was winter down under.

1) Assuming the boots are the correct size, the buckles should be just tight enough to stop your heels from lifting when walking. You can go a tighter but it all depends on the boot and the shape of your foot/lower leg. Your sore toes may be due to your technique as well. Using the proper technique you should be able to carve easy turns with all the buckles off.

2) There is no way anyone can give you enough information in a post to help you here. Showing the proper parallel turn technique is a visual/feel thing. Take a 1 hour lesson with a qualilfied instructor. My guess is that you are sitting back on your skis. This makes it very difficult to carve a turn (thus your abrupt hockey stop technique) and it pushes your foot forward in your boot (related to sore toes).

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Wake up every day that would be a start.

LVR, refernce Q1, answers from Mackskibum and rayxi are on the mark. To add to their answers, when you put on your boots, before tighting them up, gently bang the heel into the ground a couple of times. This will cause your heel to move right to the back of the boot before tighting. When it comes to tighting, you should feel a firm but comfortable pressure around the foot, ankle and lower leg. The boots should be kept at room temprture overnight as this makes putting them on easier. Also don't feel that you have to have them as tight as possible at the start of the day, you can always tighten later on. The fact that you toes are so sore yet the front clips are loose leads me to believe that the boots maybe to small but more likely you are clenching your toes during turns. This is down to bad technique.

Q2. Again the answers above about needing a lesson or two are again on the mark. But that said, you are not keeping your body supple. When turning, the shoulders should always remain facing down the hill. A technique to practise this to imagine that you have eyes in your shoulders and they must always look down the hill. Doing this while you turn will cause a twisting motion through the stomach so as the skis turn left and right, your shoulders continue to face down the hill. When doing this you should notice that your weight is brought over the lower ski which will increase the amount of edge you are putting into the hill. I hope that makes sense.

Finally, to carve a turn as opposed to slidding, you need to apply pressure to the front of the boot. A lot of people bend between the knee and hip. This causes a bum down action and puts the weight towards the rear of the ski. You should bend between the knee and ankle and feel the pressure on your shine. This will ensure your weight is in the correct postion and also give you a lot more control in the turn.

Don

Hey guys, many thanks for the replies. You were right, toe soreness was technique based.

I banged my heels into the boots as suggested and they were way easier to get comfy, whereas before I was trying to use the clips to pull my feet back.

With my posture, I was too far back and steering with my toes whilst my weight was on my ankles. Took your advice and had an awesome day in fresh snow. Stayed more upright and just used my edges, didn't get tired and went way faster.

Made my last day on the snow a blast... Thanks again!

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PREVIOUS

2006 E53 X5 3.0D
2004 E53 X5 4.8is
2004 E53 X5 4.4 Sport
2011 E70 X5 3.0D with Aero kit
2009 E71 X6 50i Sport
2009 E70 X5 50i Sport
2007 E60 540 M Sport LCI (All time favourite car)
2007 E70 X5 4.8i Sport
2005 E53 4.8is
2003 E53 3.0 Sport

Nothing like an enjoyable day on the slopes. Where were you skiing?

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Wake up every day that would be a start.