Thanks for the great questions, a little info about me and then an attempt to answer your questions.
My last pair of boots were from when I was racing (nothing fancy just rec stuff in college) 20+years ago. They were an old pair of Technica Explosives. I have had experience with race boots from Dalbelo to Lange. Last year I demoed skis and fell in love with Volkl Kenja 88s, the last pair of skis I bought before that werw a pair of straight skis - 198 Lacoix Quadras. So... I would rate myself as an expert skier that's a little rusty. I've just never really followed the equipment and relied on the boot fitter at the ski shop to help direct me. When I started the journey last year I thought I would try a low volume boot as I thought I read it can help keep your heel in the pocket and I have always had a lot of lift there - skinny ankles and heels I guess. It didn't help that I didn't do my due diligence to try multiple shops and different boots. Surprisingly, I wanted a flex of 90+ and it was shockingly hard for me to find locally. Everywhere was sold out or didn't carry it. Which is how I landed in the Solomon S/Pro alpha. ok, so back to your very good questions...
@HMSCster I have some questions for you - for clarification.
---After you bought the boots, how many times did you ski with them before taking them back to get them altered?
I needed them altered after one day of skiing. At the mountain, they did a minor adjustment to address a pressure point (ground out a bit). But didn't want to do more because they were concerned my foot might be swollen from the pain the previous day. The third day, I skied with so much pain that I had to stop after lunch. Yes, these were three days in a row. I only got one more day on the snow about 3 weeks later - again there was pain.
---What was the problem that made you seek bootfitter intervention? Was it discomfort from the boots fitting so tightly, or was it real pain in certain spots? If spots hurt, where were those spots?
It started as pressure points. The second day I felt my feet going numb and aching all the way into my calf. I had minor pressure in the toe box, that just seems to have gotten worse. A couple months ago I was reading about feet swelling do to various injuries and it wasn't until this week that I put 2 and 2 together about recurring toe injuries - likely undiagnosed turf toe in both feet.
---You "had the toes heated." Does this mean the bootfitter stretched the toe box plastic outward to make more room for your toes? Or do you mean something else by "heated," maybe having to do with keeping toes warm?
The boots were heated and I was given a little half sock to protect my toes from the heat. I was told to slightly wiggle my toes in the boot and that would mimic a break in period of a few days for the boots. W
---Are you hoping compression socks will change the shape of your toes to make them shorter or narrower by squeezing them so that they will fit into the tight toe box with no pressure or with no pain? Or are you hoping the compression socks will do something else, maybe having to do with circulation which relates to toes being too cold?
My feet are always cold - even in summer. I thought compression socks might reduce the amount of fabric int he boot with my foot and keep the blood flowing to prevent swelling which I assumed might also be part of the issue with the boot. Perhaps that was a really bad idea.
---You had "work done to alleviate pressure across the foot." Was this pressure towards the middle of the foot rather than down at the toe box? Was this pressure pushing down on the top of the foot, or was it pushing inward along the sides of the foot?
The first boot fitter did a light grind to ease a pressure point at my big toe and little toe. The second gave me more space in that area too, but I don't recall what he did.
---It sounds like you have tried to put one boot on but could not get the buckle buckled. How about the other boot? Does it fit any better than that one? Does each of your boot's buckles rotate around a rod connected to the buckle, so that the rotating helps the buckle make a tighter or looser fit at that spot? If the buckles rotate, you might be able to make that ornery buckle behave better and reach far enough to clamp properly.
The plastic part that covers the foot was spread so far that the two pieces didn't overlap. I loosened the buckle (twisting on the rod) to its lowest setting (the second one) and it did close. But it was SOOOO tight that after 10 min I just wanted to throw the boot off. It felt like my foot was being squeezed - hard - and was starting to get numb again. My feet were warm going into the boots, which is a rare thing for me since my feet are often very cold, even in summer.
---A related question ... Before the work was done, did you ski these boots? How many times? How did that go? What particular problems did you notice?.
I did not ski them before the first heating. They felt tight, but I assumed it was normal for a low volume boot as this was my first experience with that. Also, I know it sounds terrible, but I wonder if somehow when I bought them I walked out with the wrong size... Honestly, there was a lot happening in my life at the time health-wise that there is a good chance I was not making sound decisions.
---And after the work was done, did you ski with them again to see if the bootfitter's work made any good changes? If yes, what improvement did you notice?
I live in MD and barely got 4 days on snow last year. Every day there was pain and every day I had my kids with me - their dad doesn't ski and they are not ready to go on lifts on their own yet.
---Did you remove the liners at the end of your last skiing session? If yes, did you have trouble getting them back in the shells? Or did someone else remove the liners and put them back in?
Only time the liners were removed were at the boot fitters. Normally I store my boots with the loosest possible buckles buckled and put them on the shelf in the utility room.
I'm asking because I think your answers may help people pinpoint what's going on. Ski boots are made to be custom altered to match your foot's anatomy. The plastic shell can be punched out or cavities can be ground of to make room for bulging boney parts of the foot. Some skiers choose to get boots that are quite "snug," meaning far more tight than our regular shoes. Then they get the bootfitter to alter things to make room for the too-tight spots. The result can be a very comfortable boot that actually helps you ski with more control
I'm wondering if this is what you are dealing with. You could have been given a "performance fit" boot, rather than a boot that offers you a "comfort fit." The first makes it easier to ski well but requires bootfitter alterations for most people. The second kind of fit allows a bit of wobble between the foot and the boot, which means a wobble between the foot and the ski. So the skier can end up with wobbly skis. Most skiers assume their misbehaving skis are due to their lack of ability, but often it's the boots that aren't snug enough.
After thinking this through, I think there are a few areas where I went wrong. 1) I have had a semi-chronic issue with pain in my bog toes. Everything I have read indicates turf toe, but of course I have been too busy/lazy to go to the doctor. 2) I should have tried on more boots and not settled. We were getting ready to go on our first big family ski trip with the kids and friends that I kind of got obsessed about getting my own gear. This led to bad choices. Thanks anxiety! 3) I should have just rented boots until I could take a ski day to myself to try things on at my local mountain and get fitted there.
With all of that in mind,
@liquidfeet, is there more you feel I could do now? Or do you think I am a lost cause? Hopefully, that came across as sincere, as it is meant to be. Just as I do appreciate your time and willingness to help me and others sort through boot fitting. Frankly, I find this way harder than so many things about this sport.
