Skidreamer
Certified Ski Diva
Hiya ladies, can we please talk all things feet and ski boot? I thought I'd have a bit of fun with the title of the thread as these are part of the issues that plague me. No skiing for me here in Australia in Lockdown Land for most if not all of this season, I had been wanting to dive further into my feet and ski boot issues this year but it's difficult if I can't even get onto the snow this season in the first place. But it's always fun to learn, do research and still be involved in skiing even if only remotely.
So, a bit of history. In my 50's, 5'7", 150 pounds, will always be just an intermediate skier. My skiing varies wildly depending on the conditions and my confidence, I am 2/4 bad intermediate, 1/4 good intermediate, 1/4 advanced intermediate (on the best days). Over the past few years I've invested in all good gear. 2 years ago I upgraded from basic skis to amazing skis, they really feel like clouds on my feet. Essentially everything now feels perfect, except the boots.
I wonder whether the situation with my boots is simply as good as it gets, taking into account my very interesting feet. One of my feet is quite normal, the other has bunions on the inside and outside, which essentially make that foot 1cm wider than the left. The left is about 90mm and the right is 100mm. I'm not sure about how my arches sit in the scheme from normal to collapsed, need to ascertain that I guess. I was also told years ago by a physio whom I went to see when I had a running injury, that one of my legs is significantly longer than the other. Explains lifetime back issues and pain (99% under control), probably a mis-aligned pelvis, one calf muscle visibly larger than the other, and whatever else. The bunions are significant (thanks Mum for passing those on), but well-managed and don't cause me pain in general life. I have orthotics in my runners which are excellent.
My boots, I bought about 3 years ago, now at the perfectly broken in stage IMO, are Salomon X Pro 90's. Sizing has always felt correct to me. Got them home and researched and realised I had bought a boot for perhaps a more advanced skier than I am, having not paid much attention or understanding at the time to the numbers. Husband was concerned the relatively stiff flex might be too much for me, but even on the snow, they don't feel stiffer than any other skis I remember having worn over the years. After using them a few times, we took them to a respected bootfitter (STM Bondi, for those who know Sydney/Aus - and this was not where I bought the boots from) - had individual footbeds made, and had the shell blown out a little over the main inside bunion on the deformed foot. I felt no noticable difference from the footbeds at all, maybe some improvement in general feel from the blow out for the bunion.
Really, the pain I feel after a few hours in the boots, is and has always been, pretty equal in both boots, despite the grossly different shapes of my feet. So after a few hours I get a screaming burn in the ball and sole of both my foot. I try to adjust by loosening the clips over the top of the feet, while having the ankle clips comfortably tight. This helps a little. I'll stop at tea breaks and lunch breaks and if the weather is fine, fully take my feet out for a while to give them a break.
I was thinking this season I might trial some performance brand boots by hiring, just to see how some other brands feel. I'm so wary about buying another pair, if I did so it would be going the full route of being assessed at the start by a top bootfitter so that's a serious investment which I won't consider doing until I have a season where I can actually use them straight away extensively.
Thoughts/ideas/experiences/suggestions? Maybe this is just as good as it gets for me for all day skiing? Considering I've accepted the level I'm at as a skier, do I maybe try some boots with softer flex afterall? Any brands of boots out there that you would absolutely rave about in terms of comfort? Many thanks...
So, a bit of history. In my 50's, 5'7", 150 pounds, will always be just an intermediate skier. My skiing varies wildly depending on the conditions and my confidence, I am 2/4 bad intermediate, 1/4 good intermediate, 1/4 advanced intermediate (on the best days). Over the past few years I've invested in all good gear. 2 years ago I upgraded from basic skis to amazing skis, they really feel like clouds on my feet. Essentially everything now feels perfect, except the boots.
I wonder whether the situation with my boots is simply as good as it gets, taking into account my very interesting feet. One of my feet is quite normal, the other has bunions on the inside and outside, which essentially make that foot 1cm wider than the left. The left is about 90mm and the right is 100mm. I'm not sure about how my arches sit in the scheme from normal to collapsed, need to ascertain that I guess. I was also told years ago by a physio whom I went to see when I had a running injury, that one of my legs is significantly longer than the other. Explains lifetime back issues and pain (99% under control), probably a mis-aligned pelvis, one calf muscle visibly larger than the other, and whatever else. The bunions are significant (thanks Mum for passing those on), but well-managed and don't cause me pain in general life. I have orthotics in my runners which are excellent.
My boots, I bought about 3 years ago, now at the perfectly broken in stage IMO, are Salomon X Pro 90's. Sizing has always felt correct to me. Got them home and researched and realised I had bought a boot for perhaps a more advanced skier than I am, having not paid much attention or understanding at the time to the numbers. Husband was concerned the relatively stiff flex might be too much for me, but even on the snow, they don't feel stiffer than any other skis I remember having worn over the years. After using them a few times, we took them to a respected bootfitter (STM Bondi, for those who know Sydney/Aus - and this was not where I bought the boots from) - had individual footbeds made, and had the shell blown out a little over the main inside bunion on the deformed foot. I felt no noticable difference from the footbeds at all, maybe some improvement in general feel from the blow out for the bunion.
Really, the pain I feel after a few hours in the boots, is and has always been, pretty equal in both boots, despite the grossly different shapes of my feet. So after a few hours I get a screaming burn in the ball and sole of both my foot. I try to adjust by loosening the clips over the top of the feet, while having the ankle clips comfortably tight. This helps a little. I'll stop at tea breaks and lunch breaks and if the weather is fine, fully take my feet out for a while to give them a break.
I was thinking this season I might trial some performance brand boots by hiring, just to see how some other brands feel. I'm so wary about buying another pair, if I did so it would be going the full route of being assessed at the start by a top bootfitter so that's a serious investment which I won't consider doing until I have a season where I can actually use them straight away extensively.
Thoughts/ideas/experiences/suggestions? Maybe this is just as good as it gets for me for all day skiing? Considering I've accepted the level I'm at as a skier, do I maybe try some boots with softer flex afterall? Any brands of boots out there that you would absolutely rave about in terms of comfort? Many thanks...