You wear a street shoe or boot measured in a US size. Ski boots are mondo point based on European measurements. A US 11 is a Europe 10 which is a 28 boot (2+8=10) I covered this in 3 different classes today on slope. Women are 1 more whole size down. The brand that fits your foot best is the one you should purchase. A proper fit boot should be tight, but not extremely painful. The boot liners will compress with use, this is normal. Add custom foot beds, and possibly some padding if they get too loose. The liners may be replaced with after market units. A high performance boot will have a liner made from a very dense material, an entry level boot will be softer and hence feel more comfortable to the user even if much control is sacrificed.