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Help Needed: Crazy own heel to instep ratio?

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The flex number varies brand to beand so that makes it confusing. As an aggressive skier, with your stats, you should be able to fkex anything 90 to 110 without too much problem. Fitters can soften a boot if it is too stiff. I am 5’2”, 135 lbs, and a nearly 60 year old finesse skier with limited dorsiflexion... and I can flex anything in the 100 range. Is it possible you have dorsiflexion issues? That would also explain why you prefer binding with a slight delta angle. Maybe give heel lifts a whirl.

I have pretty flexible ankles. I can bend my knees down pretty low before my heels come up. No fitter tested it, I looked up some stuff some myself, and think i am good on that front. Heel lifts throw off my fore aft balance. The Lange was super upright with a higher cuff, maybe that contributed to being thrown in the backseat when I would try to get forward, not the flex.
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That's a HUGE empty space behind your heel. Talking both boots. Just sayin'.
@liquidfeet, thanks so much for sticking with this thread and giving me so much input. It's really helping me out. :smile:

I thought so too. The 23.5 was an improvement, but I still had "wiggle room" all over, and my heel was not locked down. I ordered a 22.5 in the 95 flex (thanks for the advice @mustski!) to give that a shot, should be here in 2 days. Thank goodness for liberal return policies!
 

WaterGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Are your stats similar to mine? I'm afraid I'll be too small to flex something very stiff, even at speed.

5' 4 1/2" 128 winter weight. Extreemly flexible ankles. Guessing probably close to 2x your age :wink:

Did you get current year Mach 1? It is 2% more upright, has cuff expansion and a better liner.....

Still think you may like atomic hawk ultra if you could try....
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
5' 4 1/2" 128 winter weight. Extreemly flexible ankles. Guessing probably close to 2x your age :wink:

Did you get current year Mach 1? It is 2% more upright, has cuff expansion and a better liner.....

Still think you may like atomic hawk ultra if you could try....

I got the 2017 version. My calves are skinny, so I don't think I will need cuff expansion. I'll see if I can find some Hawx Ultras to try on. I heard they are difficult to modify and the instep buckle has a weird placement. But that is just from some rando guy on the lift. So I'm considering the source on that one lol.
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
1519428704559272574373.jpg
Shell fit on the Mach 1 95 in size 22.5

Wow, the heel hold is insane! They fit better than any ski boot I have ever put on rightrout of the box.

Problem: my custom insole is too big. It makes my toes squished and distorts the forefoot shell a bit. The insoles can be trimmed (superfeet custom insoles), but they take up too much volume all over. Not a problem I have ever had before, so I am not sure if there is a fix for it.
 

WaterGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
What color superfeet ? The Superfeet carbon black custom vacuum fit is minimal. . Should be 69$ ish depending on what they charge for the custom fit.

Or maybe you don't need a custom footbed ..... I know that may not sit well w some but just saying not everyone needs it in every boot.
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
What color superfeet ? The Superfeet carbon black custom vacuum fit is minimal. . Should be 69$ ish depending on what they charge for the custom fit.

Or maybe you don't need a custom footbed ..... I know that may not sit well w some but just saying not everyone needs it in every boot.

They are the red superfeet custom ones. I have no arch whatsoever and overpronate. I have custom orthotics in my daily and running shoes too because when I don't it exacerbates my runner's knee. :\ However, I was actually wondering if they would be necessary in ski boots that are a more snug fit, since they probably won't allow my ankle to collapse as much.

I'm thinking the 95 flex might be too beefy for me, I can barely get ay flex out of them, and I was getting shin pain from trying. Isn't that an indication that they are too stiff?
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
For you ladies in stiff boots, how do you know if it will be too stiff for you? I've had fitters put me in too soft boots, saying that I need the lower flex because I am petite, and regardless of ability, I don't have the weight/height for a stiffer boot. Then I find myself overpowering the boot on the hill. I've also been told by boot fitters that I can handle up to 110 because of my ability. I've heard that you should be able to flex the boot until your knee is over your toes in the store, that you should be able to get a little in front of your toe, etc.....

Or is this just one of those conundrums that only time, money, trial, and error will fix?
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It's just a number. 110 in a man's boot is not the same as 110 in a woman's boot. And it differs between manufacturers. And if a boot fitter tells you they will stiffen up outside when it gets colder, have the boot fitter put them in the refrigerator for a while to test how stiff they can get in the cold.

I had a pair of Salomons with a 110 flex. I could collapse them to the point that the plastic on the front of the ankle was bending into my leg. My Lange RS 110 SC boots are perfect for me and much stiffer than the Salomon 110s.

I need stiff boots. I'm short and heavy with muscular legs. Mushy boots are not fun.
 

mustski

Angel Diva
Exactly. Ignore the number. If you have to work to flex the boot inside in the warmth, it is probably too stiff. If you are planning to add after market liners, remember that they will stiffen the boot further. Have you checked your dorsiflexion? I have poor dorsiflexion so I could never flex forward of my toes, but that actually means that I NEED a stiff boot to compensate. It’s counter intuitive I know but both super dorsiflexion and crappy dorsiflexion require a stiff boot; average dorsiflexion allows for a softer flex.

https://www.barefootrehab.com/know-your-numbers-ankle-pain-foot-pain-and-ankle-dorsiflexion/
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Exactly. Ignore the number. If you have to work to flex the boot inside in the warmth, it is probably too stiff. If you are planning to add after market liners, remember that they will stiffen the boot further. Have you checked your dorsiflexion? I have poor dorsiflexion so I could never flex forward of my toes, but that actually means that I NEED a stiff boot to compensate. It’s counter intuitive I know but both super dorsiflexion and crappy dorsiflexion require a stiff boot; average dorsiflexion allows for a softer flex.

https://www.barefootrehab.com/know-your-numbers-ankle-pain-foot-pain-and-ankle-dorsiflexion/
My heel wants to come up at the 5" mark, but I made it while keeping it down. So I think I am....borderline average? Is that a term?

So far I think the 85 flex boot will be plenty, it stiffened up a good bit when I tossed it in the freezer. But unfortunately I can't find the 85 flex in a 22.5. And the liner in the 95 is better and can be ground down, which I would need a small spot done near my ankle. If it comes down to it, I may go with the 95 and just get the customization done. I can already tell I would need a shim, ankle wrap, and instep padding on the 23.5, so no better off there than in my original boots.

I have a pair of Salomon xmax coming my way to try on too, so maybe that will be a better fit.
 

WaterGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'd stick with the 95. As you say better liner. The plastic is different than the 85. Thats why it may feel different.

Also have you thought about how you may have been compensating with your old boots? Maybe what you feel as shin pain is actually the fact that you are able to use your boot correctly. Maybe your shin just needs to get used to actually being on the tounge.

FYI I have last years Mach 1 105. I don't see much diffrence in todays 9 degree vs 35 degree weather regarding flex. Perhaps the 85 boot was more reactive to the temp changes. I do beleive that the 95 is closer to the 105 just less one or two bolts on the back and a bit different plastic mix. The 95 was DD's 2nd choice boot, I did ski it last year when she demo'd and it is much softer than the 105. Comperable to the 95 was the 90 hawk ultra.

Solomon different fit. May work for you with the lower instep.
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Let me see if I can describe this accurately...

I think with my old boots I was compensating by over pressuring the tongues, which came up higher on my shin. I think I was relying on my boots too much because my feet slid around inside and my ankle flexion didn't translate into the boot. My foot ended up just moving inside the boot, and I maxed out my dorsiflexion before the upper cuff would get much pressure. So I would either press all my weight into the cuff to get a little flex (and lose fore-aft balance, but gain being more forward), or keep fore-aft balance on my feet (but stay upright and not be able to flex the boot). The result was that I ended up skiing in a fairly static upright position, and absorbing bumps and staying balanced took a lot of concentration in rough conditions.

At least I think that was what was happening from what it felt like.

The bootfitter put heel lifts in, which I feel messed up my balance more and I couldn't stay on the sweet spot (oh crap too forward, oh crap now i'm backseat, continue ad nauseam). I took them out, but then I couldn't flex the boot as well and had extra slop to deal with.

Total sum of what was done to try to make my old boots work:
3 shims
custom orthotics
ankle wraps
3 felt pads per boot tongue where the instep meets the leg
heel lifts
lack of heel lifts

I think my boot ended up being too heavily padded on the inside with fit aids for my movements to correctly translate to first my boots then my skis.

At least that is my theory.
 

WaterGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Have you checked your dorsiflexion? It’s counter intuitive I know but both super dorsiflexion and crappy dorsiflexion require a stiff boot; average dorsiflexion allows for a softer flex.

https://www.barefootrehab.com/know-your-numbers-ankle-pain-foot-pain-and-ankle-dorsiflexion/

Wow this is interesting! Did this with the fam we all have over 6. However I’m at 8.25 which would explain why I like stiffer boots. Nothing like 40+ years of cranking my heels down in a stirrup to get some flexibility. Lol. I think it helps w surfing also ;)
 

volklgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Did you ever actually measure your feet yourself? I found it very telling and ended up downsizing into a 23.5 even though my long foot measures at 24.0.
 

SquidWeaselYay

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Well, in the good news department, Salomon xmax 110 in size 23.5 has the best instep fit I have ever felt. The 22.5 was way too small, couldn't get my foot into the stock liner in the boot whatsoever. She'll fit in the xmax 23.5 is bigger than the 22.5 in the Mach 1, but overall fit was much, much better.

In the atrocious, tragic, horrible news department...I am out for the rest of the season. X-rays show a stress fracture on my left sesamoid. Crutches for 4-8 weeks. And there is 8-12 inches of snow coming tomorrow.

C'est la vie.
 

contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Well, in the good news department, Salomon xmax 110 in size 23.5 has the best instep fit I have ever felt. The 22.5 was way too small, couldn't get my foot into the stock liner in the boot whatsoever. She'll fit in the xmax 23.5 is bigger than the 22.5 in the Mach 1, but overall fit was much, much better.

In the atrocious, tragic, horrible news department...I am out for the rest of the season. X-rays show a stress fracture on my left sesamoid. Crutches for 4-8 weeks. And there is 8-12 inches of snow coming tomorrow.

C'est la vie.
:eek: Oh no! How did you discover that? I'm so sorry to hear that.

Salomon BSL are short, so it's not a surprise that the 22.5 felt REALLY short. I always liked the way my Salomons fit and felt, but you should flip them over and compare the width of the toe box to the Tecnica. They are quite a bit wider...be forewarned, once that liner packs out...
 

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