Ski Boot Width by Brand: Which Makers Run Narrow or Wide?
Is one brand really wider than another? We lined up the listed last widths of more than 800 adult ski boots across 15 makers. The answer is more interesting than the usual reputations.
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Skiers love to say one brand "runs narrow" and another "fits wide feet". There's some truth in it, but brand reputations are a blunt tool. Every major maker now builds boots in several widths. So we looked at the listed last widths of 821 adult ski boots from 15 makers, each with at least eight models in our catalog, to see how much the brands really differ.
What last width means
The last is the width of the boot's shell at the widest part of the forefoot. Makers measure it on a reference size, often a 26.5 for men's and unisex boots, and boots of the same model get slightly wider in bigger sizes. The common bands:
- 97 mm and narrower: low-volume performance and race fits.
- 98–99 mm: narrow to medium.
- 100–101 mm: medium, the most common fit.
- 102–103 mm: wide.
- 104 mm and up: very wide comfort fits.
The brands side by side
The "typical" column is the median last of each brand's adult boots. The range shows where the middle 80% of its models fall, leaving out the very narrowest and widest tenth.
| Brand | Boot models | Typical last | Middle 80% of models |
| Head | 12 | 96 mm | 91–100 mm |
| K2 | 92 | 99 mm | 98–103 mm |
| Kästle | 9 | 100 mm | 96–101 mm |
| Atomic | 126 | 100 mm | 96–102 mm |
| Lange | 53 | 100 mm | 97–103 mm |
| Nordica | 93 | 100 mm | 98–102 mm |
| Tecnica | 86 | 100 mm | 98–103 mm |
| Salomon | 63 | 100 mm | 98–102 mm |
| Rossignol | 76 | 100 mm | 98–104 mm |
| Roxa | 47 | 100 mm | 99–102 mm |
| Armada | 11 | 100 mm | 100 mm |
| Dalbello | 87 | 101 mm | 98–103 mm |
| Scarpa | 31 | 101 mm | 99–102 mm |
| Dynafit | 19 | 101 mm | 100–104 mm |
| La Sportiva | 16 | 102 mm | 100–103 mm |
What the numbers say
- Most brands center on 100 mm. Nine of the fifteen have a typical last of exactly 100 mm. The idea that whole brands are narrow or wide doesn't hold up well: the difference between models of one brand is usually bigger than the difference between brands.
- The range matters more than the middle. Rossignol, Dalbello, Lange, Tecnica and K2 all have models from about 98 to 103 or 104 mm, so most feet can find a fit within each of those brands.
- A few makers lean one way. The Head boots in our catalog lean narrow, with a typical 96 mm last, and many of them are stiff performance boots. The touring specialists Dynafit, Scarpa and La Sportiva lean slightly wide, at 101 to 102 mm.
- Narrow usually means stiff. Across all brands, boots with a last of 97 mm or less have a typical flex of 120, while boots at 102 mm and wider are typically around 95 to 100. If you have narrow feet and want a soft boot, or wide feet and want a stiff one, your list will be shorter.
How to use this
Start with your foot, not the brand. If you know your forefoot is wide, filter for 102 mm and up first, then compare brands within that band. Two boots with the same listed last can still feel quite different, because heel shape, instep height and the liner matter as much as forefoot width. Makers also measure in their own way, so read a listed last as a guide rather than a precise fit.
Some examples from this season, all current models stocked by many US shops:
- Narrow: Nordica Promachine 3 120, 98 mm.
- Medium: K2 BFC 100 BOA, listed at 100 mm with a 100–103 mm range.
- Medium-wide: Atomic Nexus 95 BOA W, 101 mm.
- Wide: Nordica Sportmachine 3 100 BOA, 102 mm.
For the other parts of the decision, see how to choose ski boots and our ski boot size chart. You can filter every boot by last width on our ski boots page.