"Our senior bootfitters are all bootmakers, who work in the factory making boots. The first thing we all learn as bootmakers is the bones of the foot and how the foot works. It is the basis for all good boot fitting and good boot making.

When I started the Altberg Boot Company in 1989, I made hiking boots, and at that time outdoor shops did not measure feet. I couldn't even buy a foot measuring device, so I made my own - see photo.

During the next ten years a quiet revolution took place in hiking boot fitting… Brannock foot measuring gauges became common place, and it was the independent retailers who led this revolution.

The most important thing in boot fitting is the last, i.e. the footshape upon which we make the boot. Over the years I have developed 5 width fittings and 4 different footshapes, and at the factory we use these options to try give the customer the most appropriate choices." - Altberg senior bookmaker and founder.