MissySki
Angel Diva
I've had heel lifts since last season, ever since I got my new boots and couldn't pressure the fronts of my skis to turn at all without them. This year I've been really struggling to get out of the back seat and it's progressively been getting worse to the point that my confidence has taken a major hit and I'm skiing much slower etc, I just don't feel comfortable or balanced AT ALL. I think I was in denial for awhile, but I can't be anymore.
So I've been researching and found that many people get in the backseat because of heel lifts. I also found that typically someone with super hyperflexible ankles like I have would want to have their toes raised above their heels not the other way around. This made me say hmmmm.. I've felt like my boots have too much forward lean for awhile, but it's really my stance in the boot because they are actually quite upright in general. I've also had an instructor mention this to me in the past.
This weekend I decided to play with my boots. So I took a run with the heel lifts removed, and it didn't make much difference. I felt mostly the same except my toes weirdly felt like they would lift up when I leaned forward and I've had that happen before and don't like it. Not that there is much room in my boot, but my toes unweight if that makes sense, and it did nothing good for my balance complaints. Mind you, my feet are freakishly flexible and have loose tendons etc., so any tiny bit of room and my foot can move in weird ways and feel very unstable (this has been one of our challenges in my boot saga).
Next I turned my heel lifts into toe lifts. I was very iffy on going out and trying to ski because it wasn't comfortable at all due to my toes then being clamped down from the top and bottom everything was so squished from stuffing the heel lift up there, almost no room to even wiggle at first. Well I go out and it's like night and day, I felt fantastic, out of the backseat and very stacked and upright. After a few runs my confidence was really coming back and I was zooming all around again. Eventually things relaxed and I could slightly wiggle my toes anyway. It wasn't comfortable, but I didn't mind it either, at least I could ski better than most of the past month!
As the day went on though, and I'd hit hard packed and icy stuff ( spring? More like winter Saturday!). My tails were hopelessly washing out. This was a major what the heck?? Very frustrating, I don't usually have problems on these conditions and it was like I could get no purchase and would be in a hockey stop position going down the mountain. I eventually had to stop for the day because the balls of my feet were burning, but I wasn't surprised they didn't like something shoved under there that wasn't meant to be there, and it was already 3:00 so I didn't mind stopping. Legs felt great with almost no fatigue too.
On the way home I was trying to figure out the tail wash out thing and read that this can happen when you are too forward. Seriously? So heel lifts and nothing in the boot puts me in the backseat and unbalanced and toe lifts too much in the front, but feel nice and upright and balanced. What gives??
I plan to go to my bootfitter and see if he can give me something quick and temporary to try for the remainder of this season. Maybe my heel lifts were too much to use as toe lifts? Any words of advice?
Also, has anyone else had the sensation of toes being unweighted even when you are weighted on the balls of your feet? I found I really liked my toes being pushed securely from the top of my boot with the toe lifts in there, not sure if that's weird.. I really hate ski boots sometimes, feel like just when you think things are good more problems come up..
So I've been researching and found that many people get in the backseat because of heel lifts. I also found that typically someone with super hyperflexible ankles like I have would want to have their toes raised above their heels not the other way around. This made me say hmmmm.. I've felt like my boots have too much forward lean for awhile, but it's really my stance in the boot because they are actually quite upright in general. I've also had an instructor mention this to me in the past.
This weekend I decided to play with my boots. So I took a run with the heel lifts removed, and it didn't make much difference. I felt mostly the same except my toes weirdly felt like they would lift up when I leaned forward and I've had that happen before and don't like it. Not that there is much room in my boot, but my toes unweight if that makes sense, and it did nothing good for my balance complaints. Mind you, my feet are freakishly flexible and have loose tendons etc., so any tiny bit of room and my foot can move in weird ways and feel very unstable (this has been one of our challenges in my boot saga).
Next I turned my heel lifts into toe lifts. I was very iffy on going out and trying to ski because it wasn't comfortable at all due to my toes then being clamped down from the top and bottom everything was so squished from stuffing the heel lift up there, almost no room to even wiggle at first. Well I go out and it's like night and day, I felt fantastic, out of the backseat and very stacked and upright. After a few runs my confidence was really coming back and I was zooming all around again. Eventually things relaxed and I could slightly wiggle my toes anyway. It wasn't comfortable, but I didn't mind it either, at least I could ski better than most of the past month!
As the day went on though, and I'd hit hard packed and icy stuff ( spring? More like winter Saturday!). My tails were hopelessly washing out. This was a major what the heck?? Very frustrating, I don't usually have problems on these conditions and it was like I could get no purchase and would be in a hockey stop position going down the mountain. I eventually had to stop for the day because the balls of my feet were burning, but I wasn't surprised they didn't like something shoved under there that wasn't meant to be there, and it was already 3:00 so I didn't mind stopping. Legs felt great with almost no fatigue too.
On the way home I was trying to figure out the tail wash out thing and read that this can happen when you are too forward. Seriously? So heel lifts and nothing in the boot puts me in the backseat and unbalanced and toe lifts too much in the front, but feel nice and upright and balanced. What gives??
I plan to go to my bootfitter and see if he can give me something quick and temporary to try for the remainder of this season. Maybe my heel lifts were too much to use as toe lifts? Any words of advice?
Also, has anyone else had the sensation of toes being unweighted even when you are weighted on the balls of your feet? I found I really liked my toes being pushed securely from the top of my boot with the toe lifts in there, not sure if that's weird.. I really hate ski boots sometimes, feel like just when you think things are good more problems come up..
). I too have had the sensation of lifting my toes in my boot. In fact, some instructors will teach women to purposely do this to get forward and to help weight the ski properly in a turn!
I'm hoping, like you, that I can fix the issue.
