Snow is on our doorsteps and it’s time to get your gear out and checked over, from your ski jacket, pants, gloves, mittens, helmet and most importantly, your ski boots.

Winter weather can be harsh on your apparel and equipment.

If you’re a skier, say one who skis more than 20 days per season and is considered an avid skier, skiing blue to black diamond trails, you really want to take a serious look at your boots. How old are they? How many days did you ski in them last season and the season before and have you skied aggressively on both groomed and un-groomed trails, and maybe even ventured into chutes and some tree skiing?

Have you felt your feet getting cramped up or complained about how your feet and ankles hurt after a day on the slopes? Maybe it’s time to consider getting a proper boot fitting.

The Downilll Supply Co., located at Sugarloaf Mountain, could be one place to start. The ski shop carries a full line of clothing for adults and juniors, rental gear and other equipment such as skis, snowboards in the moderate to higher price range.

Anna Drumster, a certified boot fitter at Downhill Supply Co. at Sugarloaf Mountain. Photo by Dan Cassidy

Anna Drumster is a graduate of Carrabassett Valley Academy, a private ski and snowboard academy at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain. She is also a certified boot fitter, dealing with both moderate to high-end boots.

Drumster begins with a series of questions to find out what, if any problems the skier is feeling or experiencing. “Most boots today are customizable, she said. The customer chooses a pair of boots after being measured, I then remove the liners from the pair of boots and heat them for about six minutes,” she said.

In fitting the foot, this will be the tightest the boot will ever be, according to Drumster. “Once the boot is heated, the liners are replaced into the boots. An aggressive skier will want a higher flex, as they most likely will increase the number of days and the number of trails they want to ski, and let’s not forget footbeds to be placed in the bottom of the boot, Drumster said.”

The shop carries many popular brands of ski boots in many sizes, styles and fashion colors. “Today’s boots are much warmer than they used to be,” she said.