Boot Issues!

[Zach]

I bought new boots at the beginning of the season. I have now ridden in them close to 20 times. They should be sufficiently "packed out" but every morning when I take my first and sometimes my second run, I have sharp pain in the arch of my right foot.

I have been to many many boot fitters, and no one seems to be able to fix it. If I ignore the pain, eventually it goes away. ( usually by the 3rd or 4th run) The only decent explanation I have gotten for the reasoning behind this is that the boots I have are more rubber then plastic. They have been stretched only to cause the same pain the next day. I have been told I have a wide foot. They sold me on super feet. etc etc etc.

My boots are Dalbello Aerro 57's. I picked them up on the cheap...I will NEVER again cheap out on boots. When I started this though...I didn't know if I was go gin to like it...Why am I going to spend 400-500 on boots.

Well, Its February now...I am counting the days till the end of the season. Not because I want it to end, But I want to sales to start on this years equipment.

Any suggestions on boots. I know people love the Full Tilts, and now I kick myself for not spending the extra money on them when I bought these crappy boots. Advice?

[ny300z]

that sucks man

ill just say this which i tell my friends all the time.

I always thought ski boots were supposed to hurt and it was just somethin you had to deal with to ski.

Then i broke my feet one day and decided to get full tilts for the next season.

problem solved. They are so comfortable i can leave them on all day and walk around all day without one pain.

Im sure there are other good boots that are just as good but like you said i would never cheap out on boots again.

[Zach]

should have bought em when I saw em at ski stop. First time I went in there I saw last years models...IN MY SIZE...less then 300! I kick myself every day for that one!

[ny300z]

should have bought em when I saw em at ski stop. First time I went in there I saw last years models...IN MY SIZE...less then 300! I kick myself every day for that one!

thats a good deal! i paid over $450 for mine

but dont sweat it you will find deals over the summer! glad to see u been going boarding a lot tho! ive only been on snow 3 times this year

[valmorel]

Ha ha, my fave boots cost me $4.00! If you have a wide foot, check out mid price Salomons. Full Tilts are aimed at narrow or medium width feet.

[shortydude]

My feet are darn near square. They have been measured as 10 4E's but nobody makes that wide of shoe/boot so I always have to buy a size 12 to get the room I need.

[valmorel]

Two boots that fit wide feet, Salomon Performa range, and Tecnica Rival. Both these names are old, and the boots will almost certainly have been re-branded, but you shop tech should be able to tell you their current names.

[Bluewing]

I am by no means a boot fitting expert, but in the past when I have had pain on the bottom of my feet or arch area it has been because I had the boots (both ski and snowboard) cranked down too tight and it was creating excessive pressure.

You might want to try a bit looser settings on your buckles to start - not so loose it creates a performance problem. After a few runs then try tightening the buckles down a bit.

In my current boots if I crank the buckles down on the forefoot of my right boot when I first put them on I get a pain in the top of my foot toward the outside. So when I put my boots on I leave the buckles looser - I walk into the lodge to use the restroom, walk outside to get my gear sorted and then I crank the buckles down to where I need them to ride. That seems to work.

[JohnBham]

Dalbello Blenders are also an older boot with a wide last (foot) I have a 2009 pair and they are pretty roomy in the front. I believe the boot that replaced them is the Voodoo......I think.

[bee]

1st. tennis ball foot massage, it breaks up adhesions in your foot, it was suggested before on this forum when I had a similar issues.

Superfeet are great insoles which ones do you have? what color are they? Can you use them in your sneakers comfortably? How did you size them?

Do you have wide feet or flat feet both can cause arch issues but they are different.

Do you pronate?


Use google to find out what I am talking about if you don't know. Basically you will have to become a boot fitter. Boots are made for people with "normal shaped feet". If you have flat feet and or pronate you have to address those issues before buying boots. You might need a heel wedge in addition to superfeet if you pronate badly. Maybe custom orthotics.

Or switch over to snowboard boots. Thats what I honestly did even after I bought FullTilts, custom orthotics, and hours with the dremel tool gently massaging the inside. Its a lot easier and imo a lot more fun.
You will still need to address the issues above but you don't have to have the precision that you would need in hardshell boots. If you do switch to soft boots I would consider waiting till next season since this season is almost over. I would expect the binding systems and options to change every year for a couple of years as people keep refining their systems.

Oh and different ski boots need to be customized differently. Sounds like you are having your boots punched wider? If so are they leaving them on the machine overnight, 5 min in the back and then just handing them back to you can definetly have the plastic rebound to original shape. Different plastics have varying amount of memory. Full tilts at least the older ones you use a dremel tool to widen. I like that because you can do it yourself and skip the boot fitter. Of course modifying your own boots is at your own risk. You can't hit the undo button and start over again.

[Zach]

1st. tennis ball foot massage, it breaks up adhesions in your foot, it was suggested before on this forum when I had a similar issues.

Superfeet are great insoles which ones do you have? what color are they? Can you use them in your sneakers comfortably? How did you size them?

Do you have wide feet or flat feet both can cause arch issues but they are different.

Do you pronate?


Use google to find out what I am talking about if you don't know. Basically you will have to become a boot fitter. Boots are made for people with "normal shaped feet". If you have flat feet and or pronate you have to address those issues before buying boots. You might need a heel wedge in addition to superfeet if you pronate badly. Maybe custom orthotics.

Or switch over to snowboard boots. Thats what I honestly did even after I bought FullTilts, custom orthotics, and hours with the dremel tool gently massaging the inside. Its a lot easier and imo a lot more fun.
You will still need to address the issues above but you don't have to have the precision that you would need in hardshell boots. If you do switch to soft boots I would consider waiting till next season since this season is almost over. I would expect the binding systems and options to change every year for a couple of years as people keep refining their systems.

Oh and different ski boots need to be customized differently. Sounds like you are having your boots punched wider? If so are they leaving them on the machine overnight, 5 min in the back and then just handing them back to you can definetly have the plastic rebound to original shape. Different plastics have varying amount of memory. Full tilts at least the older ones you use a dremel tool to widen. I like that because you can do it yourself and skip the boot fitter. Of course modifying your own boots is at your own risk. You can't hit the undo button and start over again.

Ill google and figure out what you are talking about.

As for snowboard boots...I have rockers and a pair of boots that feel like sneakers. I do not however like the way the rockers handle. I feel like I have no control with the rockers on. I have tried them a few times ( see my other threads) I do however love the way the boots feel.

As for the tightening to much. I have done that as well. I try not to tighten to much, then take an easy run, and tighten them down further, although I have felt like I was going to "fall out" of my boots at one point, so I am much more careful about that now. The pain of a "to tight" boot is different then this pain. Like I said...been to many boot fitters. They messed with my boots, cut a little plastic off the bottom of the super feet (Blue super feet btw) which helped a bit. Although in the 20 or so days of skiing I have done so far this season...only once (one day 2 weeks ago) did my boots not hurt. I was very happy that day and thought maybe my boot issues were finally solved...I was not correct as three days later when I put them on again...the pain was back. Like i said though, its only for the first couple of runs, but id rather it not be at all!

[JohnBham]

Ill google and figure out what you are talking about.

As for snowboard boots...I have rockers and a pair of boots that feel like sneakers. I do not however like the way the rockers handle. I feel like I have no control with the rockers on. I have tried them a few times ( see my other threads) I do however love the way the boots feel.

As for the tightening to much. I have done that as well. I try not to tighten to much, then take an easy run, and tighten them down further, although I have felt like I was going to "fall out" of my boots at one point, so I am much more careful about that now. The pain of a "to tight" boot is different then this pain. Like I said...been to many boot fitters. They messed with my boots, cut a little plastic off the bottom of the super feet (Blue super feet btw) which helped a bit. Although in the 20 or so days of skiing I have done so far this season...only once (one day 2 weeks ago) did my boots not hurt. I was very happy that day and thought maybe my boot issues were finally solved...I was not correct as three days later when I put them on again...the pain was back. Like i said though, its only for the first couple of runs, but id rather it not be at all!

One thing to get a quick idea about how your arches are is to go to the Dr. Shols Custom Fit Orthotics booth that they have at Walmart. It'll do a little pressure map of your feet shows where you have high/low pressure at, as well as it'll tell you if you have high arches, low arches or normal arches. It may also show places that most pressure is placed than others. Maybe that might help you.

[Biggie275]

Try atomic live fit boots with super feet insoles . This has made all the difference for me this season.

[shortydude]

I tried the whamadyne Walmart foot mapped Dr. Schols orthotics in my ski boots this year. They sucked, they do a good job in my street shoes but hurt my arches in ski boots. I replaced them with green extra wide superfeet insoles which were much better for me.

[JohnBham]

I tried the whamadyne Walmart foot mapped Dr. Schols orthotics in my ski boots this year. They sucked, they do a good job in my street shoes but hurt my arches in ski boots. I replaced them with green extra wide superfeet insoles which were much better for me.

That is a thought, I'd think they might be too soft give too much no?? I only used it so I knew which super feet to get for my boots.