The ultimate goal of every ski crusade is to make it down the mountain without the assistance of a helicopter or stretcher. A ride in anything emblazoned with a large red medical cross is public acknowledgment of defeat and occasionally stupidity, like wearing the dunce's cap of the trails. Check with ski patrollers, instructors, even your lodge waiter. They can probably recommend someone.
Size is by far the most important factor in a good fit.
Generally, a new boot should feel almost too tight and too short. Like unpaid credit card debt, boots never get smaller inside, only bigger. Much like running shoes, certain boots fit certain foot shapes. Maybe you simply don't have an Alpina foot, but slipping into a Nordica is like finding a new skin. A good shop will carry at least 4 or 5 lines of boots, each with several different types to choose from.