Not too long ago, a couple friends and I were talking about international ski trips. And one friend explained that he only took his ski boots with him on his last ski trip to Europe.

No skis. No poles. Just ski boots and apparel.

My other friend looked shocked. He couldn’t believe that anyone would go on a ski trip without their skis.

But it makes perfect sense to take just your ski boots, especially on international trips where it can be expensive to take large pieces of luggage, such as skis. That’s because your skis are less important than most people think.

Don’t get me wrong. Skis are important. But not as important as your ski boots. And less critical to having a good time than you might believe.

I’ll explain why. But first, let’s talk about ski boots.

What makes your ski boots so important?

There are two broad reasons why your ski boots are so important: comfort and control.

I’d argue that comfort is more important than control. But it’s fair to say that they’re equally important.

Regardless of how you rank the importance, here’s why these two things make ski boots so valuable to your skiing.

Comfort

The reality of ski boots is that they’re not that comfortable. Even the best fitting ski boots with the best liner will be less comfortable than a pair of sneakers.

A ski boot is a basically a rigid shell with a blanket inside. So it can only get so comfortable. However, poorly sized and fitted ski boots can get insanely uncomfortable, painful even.

If your ski boots are uncomfortable or hurting you, you’re not going to be able to wear them for very long. And it will be difficult to focus on your skiing technique if you’re in pain.

Well fitted, comfortable ski boots enable you to ski longer and focus more intently on skiing well. The right ski boots make all your ski days longer and better. And comfortable boots enable you to improve your skiing faster.

Skiing as much as possible and improving as much as you can is the entire point of going skiing. Good ski boots make that a reality.

Control

Without throwing out too many skiing buzzwords, well-fitted ski boots enable you to move your skis around more efficiently, which gives you more control while you ski.

If your boots are uncomfortable, it’s usually because they’re too small or too tight. But, you don’t want your ski boots to be too loose either.

If your boots are too loose, your feet will move around in your boots as you ski. So, when you move your hips, knees, and ankles to maneuver your skis, your feet have to move a few millimeters inside your boots before your movement start affecting your skis.

It might not seem like much to have a few millimeters of slop in your boots. But it it’s enough to make you tired faster. And it can definitely make you feel less confident in your skiing, because it will seem like your skis just aren’t moving the way you want them to.

Ski boots vs skis

So what does all this mean? And what should you do about it?

Well, skis get a lot of attention. But the reality is that you can make just about any ski work in any terrain and snow conditions, so long as you apply the right skiing technique. It might not be great fun. But it’s possible.

That’s why your skis are less important to having a good time than most people believe. It can be fun to goof around on sub-optimal skis and see what you can do.

However, it’s difficult — maybe impossible for many skiers — to apply good skiing technique with uncomfortable or ill-fitting boots.

That’s why my friend took just his boots to Europe. He could easily rent skis in Europe for less than the cost and hassle of flying with skis. And he could rent really good skis. It’s Europe, after all.

But — even if he couldn’t find skis he liked — he knew that he could make them work so long as he had his boots. I did something similar when I went to South America.

So, if you’re building your ski kit, start with your ski boots.

And don’t be shy.

Go to the ski shop. Try on some boots. Get them fitted, if need be. Make sure that your boots are as comfortable as possible and that they’ll continue to work for you as you improve your skiing.

If you spend your entire budget on ski boots, that’s fine. Just rent skis until you’ve saved up enough for your own. Even rental skis will feel better with your own boots than with rental boots.

Getting the right ski boots is tricky. There are a lot of ski boot brands and models out there. Invest as much time and money as you can in getting ski boots that feel great (or as great as ski boots can feel).

Otherwise, you’ll end up french frying when you should pizza. And you’re gonna have a baaaad time.