l was looking at the sports authority for boots around $150-$200. But l noticed that the buckles are mainly plastic with the exception of a few. Would l be better off finding some with metal? Any suggestions for not more than $300?

No matter what you do about price, and the plastic buckles vs metal, you need the pair that fits your foot the best. Your foot should not move in the boot. They must be comfortable enough to wear all day and not kill your feet. l wear Salomon, other instructors wear Head and Lange and Dalbello. Each foot needs to be considered for proper fit. Go to a professional ski shop and have the boots fit to your foot. The expense is one that is spread over about 4-5 years.

Like what was said, its definitely an important buy. Those boots probably r not the best. It is definitely better to go to a ski shop & have a boot fitted to you. All boots fit differently & its important to try different ones on. If u can wait a little longer u can probably find a solid off-season deal because stores will try to clear their stuff out. It also helps if u ask if they have any previous year models - those r usually substantially cheaper. l used to wear Salomon boots but l recently bought a pair of Nordicas (Speed Machine 8s) which were $350 so u could try looking into that. Its definitely a necessary expense & l had my last boots for 6 years so the money definitely balances itself out.