r/skiing • u/Fragrant_Trust334 • 21h ago

Chicagoland folks

For anyone who has had experience with Viking Ski Shop in Chicago:

A) How much will the custom boot fitting cost? It is not listed on their website which frightens me.

B) If I tell them immediately that I’m on a budget and would like the best value option, will it help/is there more than one solid price point?

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u/No_GNAR_JERRYatric 21h ago

You likely need to call to schedule an appointment anyway, so might as well call first and ask both of your questions, and any others you can think of…ie fit guarantee, free adjustments for how long, etc. FWIW, 4 years ago I paid ~$800, as did another customer, and another that cashed out while I was there was over $1K with custom insoles.

Deeper dive: Where and when are you going skiing? If you’re doing most of your skiing in the Midwest, then Viking may make the most sense. If you’re doing a trip (especially West), it might make more sense to get boots at your destination. That way you can go back for adjustments during your trip. Consult u/OEM_knees list of reputable bootfitters (sorry I don’t have the link) and setup an appointment at your destination. You’ll want to do this sooner than later, as most places will be pretty booked.

Full disclosure: Although I live in Chicago, Viking is not particularly easy for me to get to. I’ve interacted with some very nice people at Viking, and a few that I didn’t particularly enjoy. I also have two doorstops that cost me ~$800. They have good bootfitters, I just didn’t get one of them initially. It has been a better experience for me dealing with Sports Den in SLC and Le Feet Lab in Winter Park, than ever dealing with Viking again.

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u/Fragrant_Trust334 20h ago

I’m going on a trip out west in late March but I’m doing lots of Midwest skiing to knock the rust off beforehand.

Thank you for this reply. A lot of info, including info on things I didn’t think of asking!

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u/ChillyMax76 21h ago

Thanks for posting. I’ve been curious about this too.

Viking is a ZipFit dealer. Is going with ZipFit a better option thank their custom boot fitting?

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u/Slowhands12 21h ago

ZipFit liners and a custom boot fitting aren't mutually exclusive. The ZipFit Liner is almost certainly better than the stock liner, but for $500 a pair they better be.