your ski boots

[Shadows]

summary: I'm going back to get my boots tweaked and/or possibly buy new boots.

 

i feel like every season ive been on skis has been better then the last - but worse as well. locations have been gettin better obviously, tricks have been going ok every year. gettin better here and there. recently ive been coming to the conclusion that i can only progress to a certain point - and then all the new tricks and ideas stop flowing.

 

had a 28.5 last season. got some money and this season got fitted to a 26.5.

i can already feel a better connection and power transfer to my skis which is awesome - i also dont get nearly as much shin bang as i did last year. i can control the skis much better, but my foot feels like shit.

i cant tweak my ankle/foot in the park without almost collapsing. cant work on grabs cause it hurts my foot, cant grip rails cause it hurts, cant sit on a chair very long cause it hurts, cant sit in a gondola very long cause it hurts etc... landing big switch any way other than perfect is asking to break my heel. theres a shit ton of pressure points.... the boot feels like im wrapped chain maille.

 

i just want one season where my boots feel like plush sheep with kittens laying next to it on top of a shag rug with velvet tips. I ski some of the best parks in the world now but every time i go to the mountain i have no desire to slay shit cause i know if i try to push it, my feet will get so screwed up i wont be able to ski the next day. ive already been on a snowboard more this year then skis.

Edited December 15, 2008 by shadows

[AtomicSkier]

Dan, most skiers in general aren't on the level that demand pure performance from their boots. My street shoe is a size 12, but I squeeze into a 27.5 in a Lange WC that's 98mm wide. I've had experience similar to you man, and it sucks. They are awesome boots, but at the same time, they suck.

 

I used to rock custom made (exact mold of my foot) footbeds from Nestor's with some custom modifications to the shell, liner, and insole. I walk on the insides of my feet, so my foot collapses big time in the boot. After skiing 14 days on them last year in pain, where I'd have to throw off the buckles as soon as I stopped moving at the bottom of the mountain, I used them opening day at Killington. I was like "wow my feet feel good". That was because they were completely numb. I also had a HUGE blister.

 

Went immediately to Nestor's when I returned, and got fitted for some ALine non-custom footbeds. I used to not be able to move my toes, but with the new footbeds, I felt like I had so much room. Instantly fixed 95% of my problems. I've got awesome support, and my screwed up feet fit great in some super small boots. I only unbuckle my boots on the lift, instead of completely removing the buckles. My feet still get cold, but that's due to my bad circulation. And this is a non custom vs custom foot bed! I'd take the non-custom ones anyway now.

 

I'd suggest taking them to a good boot fitter (like Nestors). Get some ALines for $95, and see how they feel. If they could get my weird feet (one is 1 size different, and much wider) to feel comfortable, I'm sure they could help you. Best $95 I've spent.

[Shadows]

funny you say that jeff, i got alines in them already - $65 fitted at nestors. i have a super high arch and it collapses a TON. my arch is completely supported, it feels great. my problem is pressure points around the side ankle bones and lack of cushion/protection on the heel bone..

i havent had my boots on for a while so theyve healed up a little but my feet used to have blisters, corns, bruises etc. it hurts to put slippers on haha.

these boot perform incredibly but just hurt my feet

Edited December 15, 2008 by shadows

[AtomicSkier]

funny you say that jeff, i got alines in them already - $65 fitted at nestors. i have a super high arch and it collapses a TON. my arch is completely supported, it feels great. my problem is pressure points around the side ankle bones and lack of cushion/protection on the heel bone..

i havent had my boots on for a while so theyve healed up a little but my feet used to have blisters, corns, bruises etc. it hurts to put slippers on haha.

these boot perform incredibly but just hurt my feet

 

Is the pressure point on the inside of the heel?

 

The $30 "fitting fee" must be something new

[Glenn]

I'm so glad snowboard boots aren't nearly this complicated to be comfortable and functional.

[AtomicSkier]

I'm so glad snowboard boots aren't nearly this complicated to be comfortable and functional.

 

I was never as good of a snowboarder as I am a skier now, so I never had uber high performance stuff like I do now. But if you're an advanced to expert skier who doesn't race, it's very easy to get comfortable boots. It's those that want instant response and awesome handling that have to suffer until they get them dialed in perfect.

 

I'm sure the same can be said for high performance snowboard boots, but to a lesser extent.

[Shadows]

Is the pressure point on the inside of the heel?

 

The $30 "fitting fee" must be something new

 

i have huge ankle bones. and a really skinny heel. so pretty much the entire back half of my foot is the problem. the insdes of my heel dont hurt. the outsides do - when you tweak your foot or roll your ankle to grab/grip rails it pushes your bone out you know

it feel like the ankle bone pocket/support in the liner is in the wrong position

Edited December 15, 2008 by shadows

[AtomicSkier]

i have huge ankle bones. and a really skinny heel. so pretty much the entire back half of my foot is the problem. the insdes of my heel dont hurt. the outsides do - when you tweak your foot or roll your ankle to grab/grip rails it pushes your bone out you know

it feel like the ankle bone pocket/support in the liner is in the wrong position

 

Oh its the bone on the onside? Ouch. I have the opposite problem. The inside ankle bone pushes into the boot, but has been corrected now with some additional padding. Take your boots to Nestor's and tell Pete Sr your problems. Don't screw around with those Thomas clowns.

[Shadows]

adam worked with me (i think). im going back sometime this week. it just sucks because when i was originally gettin fitted i was complaining about totally different pain points. they all went away and the boot broke in a little, but it broke in some other problems too

[AtomicSkier]

adam worked with me (i think). im going back sometime this week. it just sucks because when i was originally gettin fitted i was complaining about totally different pain points. they all went away and the boot broke in a little, but it broke in some other problems too

 

Adam and Pete Jr are good, but Sr doesn't screw around when it comes to boot fitting, so I usually goto him. Obviously he's the most experience, especially with race/top perf stuff.

[Shadows]

sr. always seems super busy so i never asked him. he seems like more of the business side anyway. didnt even know he fitted boots

[Justo8484]

funny you say that jeff, i got alines in them already - $65 fitted at nestors. i have a super high arch and it collapses a TON. my arch is completely supported, it feels great. my problem is pressure points around the side ankle bones and lack of cushion/protection on the heel bone..

i havent had my boots on for a while so theyve healed up a little but my feet used to have blisters, corns, bruises etc. it hurts to put slippers on haha.

these boot perform incredibly but just hurt my feet

 

is it getting you right on the back of your heel landing switch? kevin had sorta the same deal and he just kinda ground out a deeper heel pocket in his and maybe padded the achilles a bit and that seemed to fix his problem. as for the ankle thing, maybe try a donut on it to start? you do have goofy feet.

[Shadows]

yea i talked to kev about it for a little. his heel looks worse then mine actually. his is scary lookin.

but yea, right on the back of the heel.

i dont think a donut would help cause the pocket feels fine. i just feels in the wrong position.

Edited December 15, 2008 by shadows

[method9455]

Ski boots are so god damn hard to find the perfect pair. Dropping 2 whole mondo points is very extreme. If you had shin bang originally then it was obviously too large but you might have been better a half point bigger. If it was one or two pressure points I would say a little grinding would do it but if its all over then the shell is probably just too damn tight.

 

My favorite boots this year are Dalbellos but previously I had been a fan of Tecnicas, but I generally have a wide foot. Putting on a pair of langes makes me cry. I would usually try on every boot over the course of the first few weeks at my shop each year, and of the 25 boots we had, about 3 would fit me well and usually from the same brand. My advice to you is to try on no more than 3 boots a day, and spend about 20 minutes in each boot. Once you find the best one, come back the next day and try them for 20 more minutes. You just get no feel out of it if you only put them on for 5 minutes at a time.

[Papasteeze]

your foot sounds similar to mine. Try fitted Kryptons?....

[ColoradoHigh]

I got custom foot beds for my boots. I have more control for my skis now. No more rolling of my foot when carving. My feet get numb after getting on the lift, so I just un-buckle the bottom to buckles and get some more circulation going.

[moe ghoul]

I'm always tweaking my boots. I got my first custom footbeds last year and they resolved all my pain issues. Then I went out to Blue this year, 1st time out, and the same right foot pain came back and I had to stop. I realized that I was wearing a thinner ski sock that I hadn't worn in a while. On my 3rd trip to Blue last Tuesday, I wore a thicker sock. Problem solved. It's a constant battle for some people. Boot liners and footbeds adjust and wear out, lose there elasticity, etc. I'm convinced that your ski boot is never the same as the last time you skied.

[RootDKJ]

Last season, I would have to tweak the buckle tightness ever few runs, to balance the response / comfort level. So far this season, my boots have been cooperating with me, and besides from a buckle popping off once or twice, they have been pretty good.

[Johnny Law]

Intuition liners my friend, it would also help if we knew what boots you are rocking. Plugs in general just aren't going to be super comfortable, the liners are thin and the shell is wicked stiff. Riding park for instance, on Dober's or WC 150's is asking for trouble.

 

If you already have them try to pick up a lower flex pair, plugs can be lots of fun when you need to crank turns. That said a boot in the 100 flex should be fine for free riding and park unless your a fatty or have horrible mechanics.

 

I have a bunch of boots that are used for different things, I've worn one pair for as many as four days consecutively, only time I took them off was to sleep. Not great but not bad at all.

[Shadows]

stopped by nestors real quick for 3 hours.

boots feeling better now. got to get on some snow to see whats up.

ive spent at least 15 hours now trying to get these dialed

[toast21602]

who needs ski boots when you can just duct tape your feet to the boards?

[AtomicSkier]

stopped by nestors real quick for 3 hours.

boots feeling better now. got to get on some snow to see whats up.

ive spent at least 15 hours now trying to get these dialed

 

hehe...i've spent some good quality times there If the boots feel better, it's worth it.

[Shadows]

ill spend as much time as it takes. i want these to be good.

[Schif]

Its stuff like this that makes me a little apprehensive about trying to make the crossover this year.

[Shadows]

Its stuff like this that makes me a little apprehensive about trying to make the crossover this year.

 

like jeff said earlier. finding comfortable ski boots is easy. you just lose performance. youll be fine if youve never skied before.

people that need the performance are the ones that have trouble.