A Beginners Guide to Finding Comfort in Ski Boots

Wearing ski boots can be daunting for new skiers, though at Boot Solutions we’re here to help and have been solving boot problems for over 15 years. Here are our tips for making your ski experience that much more comfortable, and ultimately more worthwhile.

Choose your boots based on fit, and not on colour or reviews

Boots are more rigid than shoes and the fit is a lot more important due to the pressure being transmitted through your skis and snowboard. For these reasons it is crucial that you wear a boot that is the right size and shape for your foot. If a pair of boots is too big you will slide around in it and hit the end, while your shin and ankle move around and sometimes receiving shin bang (ouch!) This is why it is important to choose a pair of boots under the guidance of professional bootfitter, as opposed to choosing a pair based on your shoe size, reviews, and advertising. What is comfortable for one person may be hell for another, so be sure to see a professional and prioritise fit over all other factors.

Have a pair of Custom Footbeds made

Custom Footbeds stabilise and provide a solid foundation for your foot from the ground up, so that your foot doesn’t collapse or change shape when weight is applied. Without Footbeds it is common for feet to roll inwards (pronation), which can lead to the inside ankle bone pressing up hard against the inside of the boot which can lead to discomfort and sometimes injury. Other people may experience cold feet due to the blood not being able to circulate with the soles of their feet being oddly weighted, and installing Custom Footbeds often helps with this. Lastly most skiers report an increased feeling of control after having custom footbeds installed, so this is a product that that will likely lead to improvements in your skiing.

Don’t put up with intense pain or excess movement in your boots

It is natural for your feet to experience minor discomfort when you haven’t worn ski boots for a while, however if it doesn’t go away come and see a bootfitter to see if there is an easy solution to the problem. There are many things that we can do to improve the way your boots fit, as all ski and snowboard boots can be customised. Common modifications include stretching the plastic shell to accommodate a wider forefoot or bunion, deepening the ankle pocket to accommodate more voluminous ankle bones, tailoring foam to eliminate excess space and increase heel hold, adjusting the buckle placement, or adding aftermarket power straps to reduce the movement in your leg. If your boot is too big or too small it will lead to reduced control and comfort, so come and see us if you think this may be the case.

Wear proper fitting ski socks

Wearing the right socks makes a much bigger difference than many beginner skiers expect, as it is the only thing between you and your ski boots. Counterintuitively thicker isn’t always better, and a thin to medium thickness merino sock will usually provide the greatest combination of warmth and comfort. In term of thickness we recommend keeping your socks consistent, as if you have a thin pair one day and a thick pair the next you will find that your boots fit tighter and then looser, which leads to reduced comfort and control.

It's also important to note that you should never wear two pairs of socks in your boots, as this will lead to circulation issues and ultimately cold feet.

Invest in heated socks if your feet are always cold

Some people suffer a lot more than others and if this sounds like you, you should consider investing in heated socks. Most heated socks nowadays are easy to wash and include an accompanying iphone/android app that allows you to easily moderate your temperature. Our Lenz 5.1 Heated Sock and RC 1200 battery pack kit is priced at ¥51,200 and in our opinion is worth every yen.

Do not tuck your thermals/leggings into your boots

The bottom hem of your thermals absolutely cannot go on the inside of your boot, as it will result in an uncomfortable mark forming on the front of your shin where pressure is applied to the tongue of your ski boot. When purchasing thermals, ensure that they can be easily pulled up above your boot line, or choose a three-quarter or legless option.

Purchase a travel friendly boot dryer

Moisture will build up in your ski boots throughout the day and unless you dry them each day, it will eventually lead to smelly boots, cold wet feet, or both. By purchasing a boot dryer like the USB powered Therm-ic for ¥7990 you will easily be able to dry your boots out at the end of each day regardless of what drying facilities your accommodation provides, without the hassle of having to remove your liners.

Avoid leaving your boots in the car overnight

If you start the day with cold boots, the chances are that they will not only be extremely difficult to put on, but they will stay cold all day. Always bring them inside when travelling so that you can start the day with warm, dry boots.

Learn how to put your ski boots on properly

There are a few tricks that can lead to your ski boots going on much easier, so watch the video below from Blister for more information.

Conclusion

Taking the right steps to find comfort in ski boots is not always intuitive for a new skier, however if you start the journey with the right fit, install custom footbeds and modifications, choose the right socks, use the correct technique to take your boots on and off, and start each day with warm, dry boots it will make your ski experience that much more rewarding.

For ski boot advice, products and service come and visit the professionals at any of our three Boot Solutions locations. We accept both walk-ins and appointments, to make an appointment click here.

Why Shape Matters

In last week's post, we looked at the important of choosing the correct size ski boot.  Today we are going to focus on boot shape. Many of the common problems related to discomfort in ski boots stem from a mismatch between the shape of the boot and the shape of the leg/foot. Many people have variations in their foot shape like bony prominences or small anatomical peculiarities that make it necessary for them to have some customisation done to increase their comfort and performance. 

For ski boots to be comfortable and perform optimally,   there must be a certain degree of compatibility between boot shape and foot shape. Incorrect shape can lead to many of the painful conditions that our bootfitters regularly encounter in their clients.

Boot shape is a highly personal thing: Some skiers want ultimate performance and are willing to forego a certain amount of comfort to achieve this by squeezing their feet into a smaller, narrower boot that will provide ultimate energy transmission from leg to ski. On the other hand, some skiers are happy to forgo a certain amount of performance to achieve a higher level of comfort. Going further with this, there are also individual tolerance levels that come into play; some people simply don't feel or distinguish discomfort in the same way that others do, or they have conditioned their feet due to many hours in ski boots.   

It is very difficult to perfectly match the shape of boots to each foot, as the manufacturers make a standard mould, and for this reason we often customise the boots to further match the individual shape of the foot. 

Many of the models that we carry in stock now have customisable shells, making it further possible to provide the ultimate in customisation. See our page on boot fitting options. 

Some common Foot/Boot Shape considerations:

Foot/Toe Length: People vary in the length of their feet and individual length of the toes. They may have longer first or second toes or they may have all toes of closer length to each other.

Toe Box Shape: The shape of the boot toe box should match the overall curve and shape of the toes as a whole. A couple examples might include a pointed shape vs a squared-off shape: The pointed shape might have a longest second toe and other toes that each fall sharply shorter in length compared to the other, producing a situation where a more tapered toe-box is better. Alternatively, the person with toes thar have a squared-off appearance due to less variation in toe length will require a boot that is more squared-off at the toe box, or may indeed need a slight modification to make the shell wider in key areas.

Width: All boot models fit slightly differently in width. Often the overall width of the boot is advertised and classified as an overall last size. Some boot company websites display last sizes in millimetres. As a general rule, boots classified in last size 98mm or narrower may be recognised as a narrower fit. Boots ranging from 99mm-101mm are medium and anything 102mm or above fall into the wider fit category. 

There are no hard and fast rules with regards to what last size one should ski in, however for general comfort with maximum performance, a closer fit is desirable.

Arch Height and Instep: The amount of space provided over the instep of the foot is a very important consideration. There are various anatomical structures over the dorsum (upper surface) of the foot, which require the boot to fit correctly to prevent impingement and pain.

If the boot is too tight over the dorsum, then the skier may experience symptoms that are due to nerve, and blood supply/return impingement. It is also common for people to have bony prominences over the dorsum, which rub against the tongue of the shell. These problems may be combated by appropriate selection of boot shell and liner combination along with further modifications if needed.

If the boot is too roomy over the dorsum of the foot and anterior ankle, then people may experience muscle and tendon pain, shin pain and soft tissue problems, from excessive rubbing and movement as well as incorrect conformity of the curve of the boot with the position of the feet.     

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Ankle positioning: Boot manufacturers will often place a small indent in the position where they envision the ankle bones to be positioned in the boot. Due to anatomical variation, every skier's ankles will be slightly differently positioned in their boots, meaning that sometimes these simply miss the spot, or are so far off so as to cause a problem. There is also often a hinge point in the boot with rivets close to the ankle bones that can cause a rub. The combination of correcting footbeds/orthotics, the choice of most appropriate shell and further modification as needed can overcome these issues.  At the front of the ankle it is important that the boot bends in concordance with how you foot bends - this is crucial to prevent lower shin bang!   

Heel contour and retention: Heel retention is a desirable aspect of a well fitting boot. The heel retention in ski boots is achieved through a combination of the shape of the contour inside the shell, as well as materials used in the liner to effect a good heel hold. All boot brands have different combinations of these in the various models.  An often overlooked circumstance is the fact that behind the ankles, either side of the heel is where a considerable number of anatomical structures exist: The main nerve, arteries and veins as well as the tendons all pass by the heel and into the foot. For this reason it is very important that the boot fits well in this area! Not too tight, not too loose. It is important to note that for anatomical/mechanical reasons, it is sometimes impossible to keep the heel from lifting, regardless of how firm the boot is in this area. In this case, modifications can be made to help combat this problem. 

Forward Lean:  The amount of forward lean or angle that the boot is set on  compared to the surface the skier is standing on plays a significant role in your skiing style. Thiswill be further discussed in next week's post about Flex, however, for some people the forward lean is an important consideration: People with limited amount of natural ankle flexion, or people who are just learning to ski might want less forward lean in their boots. On the other hand, skiers who are likely to be flexing their ankle a lot in their skiing action, such as bumps skiers or instructors might prefer a boot with more forward lean. There are some circumstances where the forward lean of the boot is a crucial consideration in the overall comfort and performance.

Upper Cuff Volume: Narrow, slimmer-legged people require boots with less volume in the upper cuff and/or more padding. People with wider, more voluminous calves/lower legs often require lower cuffed, wider fitting boots in that area. 

Boots can easily be modified to provide extra padding or more room around the calf area provided that  the overall starting shape is within acceptable limits.  

Tune in next week for our article on understanding ski boot flex. 

Choosing The Correct Boot Size

The correct boot size is one of the most crucial things to get right!

While shape and flex are  important factors when choosing the correct ski boot, for this article we will focus on size considerations. Having the wrong size may lead to many problems and ultimately the premature need to have new, correctly sized boots fitted. Incorrect sizing from another retailer or boots purchased online is the number one problem encountered by our boot fitters.  

There are many considerations to be made depending on the shape of the foot and the skier type as well as personal preference, however, as a general rule, the boots must be as close to the correct size in length as possible. Ideally the skier will have just enough toe room to keep warm and prevent the toes from pressing into the end of the boots. Quite often your ski/snowboard boot size will be smaller than your shoe size.

When a ski boot is brand-new, the liners have not been fully moulded to the contour of the shell, and so it is very common for people to perceive the out-of-the box fit as too small. All good bootfitters will double-check the available room that your foot has by removing the liner and placing the foot in the boot shell. This enables them to examine the interface between the foot and the interior shell of the boot, taking into consideration not only the length, but also the width and height of the boot, as this ultimately determines the fit.

Other considerations:

1. Your foot size may change with added orthotic support. 

Your foot type can also have some bearing on the right size for you: Some people's feet can splay significantly without innersole support. The addition of a custom footbed/orthotic can often significantly alter the size of the foot due to splay-reduction to the point where a smaller size may be more appropriate.   This is a consideration any master bootfitter will take into account after assessing your feet.     

2. Not all boot brands and models have the same sizing standards! 

Most boot companies display the sizes of their boots in mondopoint, which is a standardised measurement system, however, there is slight variation from brand to brand and model to model which makes physical assessment of the foot in each boot a necessity. In some circumstances, you may have a foot which suits two different sizes depending on the different models. 

3. Ski boots are often made in full sizes

Ski boots generally change their shells in full sizes. Most companies make boots that go up a full size for each change in sole length (the actual length of the plastic shell from heel to toe), ie 26/26.5 = 305 mm, next size up 27/27.5 = 315mm, 28/28.5 = 325mm etc. This means that essentially there is little difference in half sizes in ski boots.  Some brands chose to split the half sizes, ie 27.5/28= 320mm, 28.5/20=330mm etc. 

Finding the best bootfitter

As a podiatrist and also one of Australasia’s leading ski boot fitters,  Ned Buckley was asked to contribute to an article on www.snowsbest.com about finding the best boot fitter.  You can read what Ned had to say below, or read the full article http://www.snowsbest.com/finding-the-right-boot-fitter/

Boot fitters need to be able to wear many hats. They need to have good personal skills and be able to communicate with people and relate to them on a very personal level.

They must have good product knowledge. There are hundreds of models and multiple brands and often boot shops will carry many models so that they can fit the different foot types and skier types. A good bootfitter needs to know each model intimately.

They must also be good technicians, as boot fitting requires specific manual skills.

They must be creative as everyone is different and so the bootfitter is often required to think laterally, or outside the box when coming up with solutions for individual problems.

They must have a thorough understanding of the human foot and lower limb from both an anatomical but also biomechanical perspective specific to skiing/snowboarding, so that they can identify the cause of certain problems that different people face in ski and snowboarding.

They must be good diagnosticians.

What questions should the customer ask a boot fitter?

Do you provide a custom fitting service? Although there are many models out there to suit the different foot types and skier levels, in many occasions the boots will need further modifications to make them customised to the skiers needs.

Does your service include moulding of liners and shells? Many boot models have customisable liners and shells which may be adjusted at the initial fitting to ensure maximum comfort.

Do you make custom innersoles? Most good Bootfitting shops will have the option of providing custom innersoles. Custom innersoles help to align the foot and ankle in the boot as well as to help evenly distribute pressure on the foot which equates to a positive effect on the level of comfort and performance.

What level of after-purchase support will I receive? Most good boot shops will have policy that includes some level of after purchase support. This ranges from a basic returns-due-to-fault policy through to a full fit guarantee where extra work is provided as part of the original price.

It is very common for small modifications to be needed after a couple days skiing so it is best to understand what level of service the shop provides for this kind of thing.

What questions should the boot fitter ask the customer?

If buying a new pair, the boot fitter should be firstly asking questions aimed at understanding what kind of skier the buyer is and their intentions/expectations so that they may most appropriately match the options for the clients needs.

How often does the person go skiing? How long have they been skiing for? Where do they like to go skiing? What terrain do they like most? Are they aggressive or just cruisers? Are the primary objectives for the skier comfort? or performance? or a bit of both?

The boot fitter should also ask a few questions relating to previous experience with boots: Have they owned boots before? If so what models? Did they have any issues with comfort or performance in previous boot models? If so the boot fitter want to elucidate some information about the previous experiences as it will help them to better understand the clinets needs

What do you think creates black bruised big toe nails?

1. Ski boots are too big in length or width: the foot slides in the boot and the toes are repetitively traumatised or the boots are too small and the toes are jammed at the front of the boot causing repetitive trauma.

2. The wrong socks are being worn: too thick and the sock will crowd the forefoot and add the toes will sustain trauma.
Skiing Powder can cause black toes. People lean back when skiing powder as they are trying to keep their tips up. This causes the toes to be pushed forward in the boots and resulting trauma causes the toes to go black.

3. Falling backwards: one decent fall where the person has landed on the back of their heels can cause the foot to slide forward forcefully causing a black toe.

4. Very rarely toes can go black from frostbite which is a serious condition.

What are the  pros and cons of footbeds and liners?

FOOTBEDS

No matter what the foot shape is, or what the particular individual mechanics of the foot are like, foot beds can help to stabilise the foot in the boot in a way that makes the skier more confortable and at the same time ensuring that energy is transferred evenly and efficiently. Foot beds are recommended for most skiers in most boot and liners types.

Footbeds fall in to two categories:

Off the shelf premade types. There are plenty of brands and models out there offering different levels of support from different materials. These do an OK job for the most part, and some types are better than others.

Fully customised. These come in the form of an innersole that starts out from a flat blank material and which is then moulded to the skier’s foot. Often a reinforcement called a posting material is added to the heelcup and arch areas and then made to fit the contour of the boot in a way that ensures the foot is in a position of maximum stability for skiing.

There are multiple systems and various brands for making custom footbeds. Qualified health professionals such as sports physicians and podiatrists also make devices similar to custom foot beds, called orthoses. Custom footbeds are completely personalised devices that fit the skier’s foot perfectly and so these have the potential to provide maximum support.

Custom footbed making is a highly technical process that requires the bootfitter to have sound knowledge in identifying different foot types and understanding foot mechanics as well as technical skills for producing a good mould and manufacture of an accurate device.

LINERS

Most ski boots come with a liner that the manufacturer has made for that shell. Depending on model, the liners than come with the boot can be highly mouldable. In many cases the fit is very good with the liner that the boot was made for, and so in many instances skiers are extremely happy with this set up.

When looking for a liner for the ski boots, having a high capacity to mould to the foot is a desirable thing. Different after-market liners exist that are designed to replace the liners in ski boot shells, usually with the intention to provide a more moulded and hence better fit.

The most common types of liners include fully injected foam liners (Sidas, Bootdoc, Surefoot), preinjected cork and oil based (Svenfit, Zipfit) and heat mouldable foam types (intuition, Sidas). Having an aftermarket liner inserted into the pre-existing shell is not always better, however, may be a good option if the skier is looking for higher level of precision in the fit.

Usually a foot bed accompanies a moulded liner and the bootfitter will recommend foot beds to be made in conjunction with the liner moulding. There are many pros and cons for the different types of liners out there.

Fully injected foam liners provide the most accurate moulding, and hence ensure that the fit is closest to the foot shape, however, they tend to be cold and hard on the feet. The injection process is quite technical and so requires an experienced fitter to ensure that mistakes are not made in the process.

Mistakes are difficult to fix once injected as the foam sets hard. Injected liners can be expensive to have fitted and sbadly moulded foam injected liners can be a costly mistake.

Injected liners often take quite a bit of skiing in before full comfort is appreciated and so are generally not recommended for the recreational and occasional skier. Some ski shops just specialise in this type of boot/liner combo.

The guys that do a lot of them generally do a good job, however, when things don’t work out, it is often very tricky to fix and the best option is to start again. Some people who regularly ski in this type of liner swear by them. Others simply cannot tolerate that level of precision in the fit. Some people are better off in this type of liner due to particular issues with their feet.

Heat moulded foam liners such as the Intuition liners are the warmest and most general in fit. The impression that the liners take of the foot is good, but not as accurate as the injected type.

As the materials are soft, there is less chance of having major problems if the right model has been chosen for the boot. These liners come in varying densities, thickness, and shape and so it is important to have the bootfitter recommend the right model for the skier’s foot and boot model.

This type of liner takes the least amount of time to ski-in and can be very comfortable after only a short while skiing. These liners do well for people who don’t ski a lot, or whose objective is general comfort and warmth.

This type of liner is also a good option for people who like to do a bit of hiking, as they are usually seamless in design, ensuring that friction is minimised. The fitting process for this type of liner is less technical than for foam liners, however, it is best to have an experienced fitter do the job as there are multiple errors that can be made which can result in less than optimum performance and comfort.

A downside to this type of liner is that they generally  ‘pack out’ more quickly than other types. Each time the person skis, the structure of the foam is put under pressure, which leads to eventual breakdown.

The upside is that this type of liner is less costly than the other types and so changing the liners out more often is not such big deal. Many manufacturers are using this type of liner as the standard liner that comes with the shell and so a customised option is available without have the expense of buying an extra product.

The cork and oil based reinjected liners are great option for people wanting a more accurate fit without the problems associated with foam injected liners. These liners tend to have most of the moldable material based around the mid-to-rear foot and on the shins, resulting in a good tight fit in the places where it is best to have maximum support whilst leaving the forefoot and toes free to spread out.

These liners are the least technical to fit and usually fully remoldable, meaning that if a mistake has been made, then the process can be repeated multiple times to get it right. This type of liner can be a little cold to ski in however and newer models are using highly insulating materials to combat this problem.

These liners have a long life-span if well cared for. More material can be added for a tighter fit and conversely it can be removed to make more space. One complaint that has surfaced with fitting these liners is that the density and amount of materials that have been preinjected is not always accurate and so the fit can vary from liner to liner.

The density of the material in these liners is also susceptible to variations in temperatue and so tends to feel softer when it is warmer.