How are ski boots SUPPOSED to feel?

[Abbi]

I had to stop skiing at lunchtime yesterday - my feet were is so much pain in my boots that I couldn’t continue. My arches were killing me... cramping and miserable. I went to the boot fitter recommended by @newboots bf and was there for 3.5 hours. He created new custom foot beds for me.... seems that my former pair, which were 8 years old, had deformed slightly in the arch and were not fitting my foot properly anymore. I’m hoping for a better boot day today. Anyone skiing I the northeast.... bundle up! It’s COLD!

I thought you and your class stopped at noon yesterday. And then I figured out it was the whole group not just your section. I’m glad you got down to have the new footbeds. Those guys are great and generous with time and advice.

I’m staying inside at home for an extra cup of coffee, at least before I venture onto the slopes. It’s up to -7, apparently! Before the wind, of course! I’m also waiting to see what my next-door neighbors at the ski club are doing. It’s sort of works out to be a challenge, if they go it makes me more likely to get moving! And I have to knock snow off the car.

 

[SallyCat]

FWIW, I have found that doing good, thorough calf stretches and rolling a golf ball under my foot before putting my boots on significantly reduces bottom-of-foot pain. It works for my regular boots, which have been very carefully fitted, accessorized, and curated like expensive hot-house flowers, as well as my AT boots, which I bought online for $100 and couldn't be arsed to do anything to.

I do two calf stretches on an incline board: one just leaning forward and one where I bend my knee with the foot on an incline.

 

[CarverJill]

I too have the foot falling asleep issue but now its mostly the pad of my foot right behind my toes. I'm on my second pair of boots that were carefully fit and researched. The most current pair were fitted by a well known master boot fitter in Vail and I still have an issue. TBH if I wear super thin socks (ie my old sock liners) I have less of an issue but if I have a sock thats a tiny bit thicker (the Smartwool Ski Light) I loose circulation. To me that proves my feet are just a bit too squeezed. I rarely buckle either of the lower buckles on my boots. So maybe you just need to get the boots to pack out and give you a bit more space. I'm sure a bootfitter can help you do that faster as well.

 

[HikenSki]

I get numb toes in my right foot if I am not careful about placement of the tongue. If it's sitting on that veiny area around the inside part of the ankle, my toes will go numb and foot will become quite painful. I then have to stop, unbuckle the whole boot, let circulation return, and then rebuckle watching the tongue position. What a PITA, but at least I know from trial and error why it happens.

 

[Cantabrigienne]

I find that my feet ache when the going gets icy + I habitually pop a pre-emptive Advil (or even better, Aleve or 25mg of Voltaren) before I ski. If I don't, then feet tend to hurt regardless of condition. One time I forgot to take any of the aforementioned NSAIDs before skiing when I went to Cannon & you can imagine I was in agony after the first run and ran straight into the base lodge in search of Advil.

I have custom footbeds & liners & my boots have been all pimped out by a bootfitter of some repute (George McConkey in Whistler) and yet my feet will ache if I over-tighten boots too early in the day. I always warm up with boots loose, but quite often make the mistake of over-tightening on the 2nd or 3rd run of the day. That's a good tip upthread about pushing the tongue down, I need to do that more consistently as it seems there's no good reason why I should feel so loose in the ankle area. Ditto for rolling out the fascia under your arch etc with a golf ball.

 

[liquidfeet]

@Cantabrigienne, ..."my boots have been all pimped out by a bootfitter..." Love that!

I went through many pairs of poorly-fitting boots before I got my current pair. These do fit well, finally. They are two sizes down from recommended length, and are narrow and low volume which I've desperately needed but never had before. I've had tons of punching and grinding done on these boots, put aftermarket liners in them from day one, got new custom footbeds, the whole shebang.

I'm princess-and-the-pea sensitive. My previous ill-fitting boots caused such pain that I once had to leave a lesson I was teaching because I couldn't even side-step up the bunny slope. Someone else took over my lesson while I went to the nearby bootfitter for relief. I once was on crutches night after night after skiing because of lingering pain from another pair of boots. I've had ingrown toenails caused by yet another pair of bad boots. Those toenails then had to be eliminated by surgery (don't ever, ever let that happen to you... the surgery that gives relief is horrid!)

Why did all these things happen to me? I didn't know what boots were supposed to feel like, and the bootfitters profiled me as a casual skier looking for a comfort fit despite what I told them. Comfort fit just doesn't come close to what I ended up getting. For someone who skis often, skis all day long, and skis somewhat aggressively, a "comfort fit" ended up being quite painful.

So how do my current, "pimped out" boots feel? Just fine, thank you. Fit like a glove. The solution was me finding the right bootfitter.

 

[mustski]

@Obrules15 Have you ever worn compression socks while skiing? I can def wear them prior, but curious if wearing them while skiing might help as well.

Boot doc makes compression ski socks. They are expensive though. Probably other companies make them as well. They don't seem to make any difference for me; I wish they did. I have a very sensitive artery in both my feet. I have to unlatch the toe and instep buckle while riding up on the lift otherwise I will lose circulation by the time I get to the top. It is also possible that you are tightening all the buckles too much. This is fairly common when someone has skied in boots that are too big. (ask me how I know this!) We become accustomed to latching them too tight. Try leaving them loose for the first few rides up. Tighten only the top buckle and your strap for the ride. Tighten the ankle at the top and leave the feet buckles loose for a few runs.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Word at this year's SIA: Atomic is re-introducing for 2020 a line of REAR ENTRY BOOTS in several different stiffnesses. They are aiming at people who just can't hack the torture of 4 buckles and/or don't like 3 piece shells, or perhaps aiming at the rental market at the lower end??
Anyway, stay tuned. Intriguing.

 

[mustski]

@MaineSkiLady I have been following this development also. As I *cough* mature ... it is harder and harder to get my boots on and off. If Atomic can bring the rear entry boot into the 21st century, I'm all for it!

 

[knolan12]

Picked up my boots Thursday and from trying them on in-store, I could definitely feel a difference. There's still a spot by my right big toe that I think might be problematic, but they told me they'd rather make the adjustments slowly and didn't want to widen that section too much before I go skiing again (totally fair). I'm going to go up to Pat's Peak in NH Saturday to try them out so fingers crossed they're good to go. We're going to Stowe in two weeks and I don't want to buy the super expensive lift ticket and be miserable in my boots so I still have time to make adjustments if it doesn't go well Saturday. They did the adjustments for free since I bought the boots with them which I definitely appreciated!

 

[knolan12]

Me again complaining about my boots haha

My feet were numb again (like sitting there for 15 min before a lesson, toes were going numb). I think I need to get my toe box widened a bit. When I put on my boots, I can immediately feel both big toes pushing against the edges on both the sides and tops. They end up being tender throughout the day from pushing through into the sides. Also, the inner sides of my calves feel a bit tender in spots, but not sure if that's normal or should be addressed. I do have muscular calves/wear wide calf knee high boots so I think it might be too much lining (I only wear socks in my boots, no base layers).

I tried playing with the buckles, but to no avail. My ski instructor also said that my cuffs weren't aligned to my legs and to get those calibrated, but that didn't sound like it might affect my feet? He gave me ski tips to get the pressure off my feet which I'll def try as well.

Anyway, do these modifications sound like normal requests? I'll pop to the Ski Monster tomorrow if yes. We're going to Bretton Woods next Mon/Tues so I want to make sure I can really enjoy it

 

[SallyCat]

@knolan12 Do you have insoles in your boots that provide decent arch support? If so, can you reduce the thickness of the front-of-foot part of the insole?

 

[NYSnowflake]

If all else fails you could try this unconventional solution!
https://www.pugski.com/ams/dr-stran...nd-use-snowboard-boots-to-solve-a-problem.33/

 

[skiwest]

Has anyone found any "solutions" for the bottom of your feet aching in your boots? Mine kill for the first few runs and then usually settle down a bit, although they're never "comfortable." The ache can be so severe that I just want to lie down on the slope. I have high arches and I don't have custom footbeds, but I'm a bit skeptical that they'll make a difference since I've only seen moderate (at best) improvement from putting new insoles (Smartfeet and similar) into my regular shoes.

 

[MissySki]

Me again complaining about my boots haha

My feet were numb again (like sitting there for 15 min before a lesson, toes were going numb). I think I need to get my toe box widened a bit. When I put on my boots, I can immediately feel both big toes pushing against the edges on both the sides and tops. They end up being tender throughout the day from pushing through into the sides. Also, the inner sides of my calves feel a bit tender in spots, but not sure if that's normal or should be addressed. I do have muscular calves/wear wide calf knee high boots so I think it might be too much lining (I only wear socks in my boots, no base layers).

I tried playing with the buckles, but to no avail. My ski instructor also said that my cuffs weren't aligned to my legs and to get those calibrated, but that didn't sound like it might affect my feet? He gave me ski tips to get the pressure off my feet which I'll def try as well.

Anyway, do these modifications sound like normal requests? I'll pop to the Ski Monster tomorrow if yes. We're going to Bretton Woods next Mon/Tues so I want to make sure I can really enjoy it

I always need the forefoot of my boots stretched, this is a very common adjustment (with my current boot the fitter wanted me to ski them before doing it because of packing out.. yeah excruciating..). Aligning the boots with your legs should have been done initially as well (assuming your boots have this capability), but I had to adjust my own this offseason when I realized mine weren’t either.. In my case it was obvious but a bootfitter should do this for you too if it’s not in your case. It may be that the alignment could be causing you pain on the side of your calf even if it’s really off. In my case the insides of my calves were being pinched due to the way the boot was tilted, much better once they followed the shape of my leg more, but not sure of that’s what’s causing your pain. In any case, yes very reasonable requests for a bootfitter.

 

[angelaskis]

Has anyone found any "solutions" for the bottom of your feet aching in your boots? Mine kill for the first few runs and then usually settle down a bit, although they're never "comfortable." The ache can be so severe that I just want to lie down on the slope. I have high arches and I don't have custom footbeds, but I'm a bit skeptical that they'll make a difference since I've only seen moderate (at best) improvement from putting new insoles (Smartfeet and similar) into my regular shoes.

I have this same issue at first before my feet warm up but then they relax feel totally supported by my custom insoles. Mine cost on the higher end ($200) but i really do feel the difference and would recommend taking the plunge and getting them custom.

 

[HikenSki]

I have high arches and I don't have custom footbeds, but I'm a bit skeptical that they'll make a difference since I've only seen moderate (at best) improvement from putting new insoles (Smartfeet and similar) into my regular shoes.

I'm a bit odd in that I have higher arches but low instep. I've never had success or felt the need to add special insoles in my running shoes. I always felt like they negated any cushion the shoes had. I do however like the support of footbeds in my ski boots. I find they support my arch and help keep my heel in the pocket. I have $50 ones, nothing special.

 

[MissySki]

Has anyone found any "solutions" for the bottom of your feet aching in your boots? Mine kill for the first few runs and then usually settle down a bit, although they're never "comfortable." The ache can be so severe that I just want to lie down on the slope. I have high arches and I don't have custom footbeds, but I'm a bit skeptical that they'll make a difference since I've only seen moderate (at best) improvement from putting new insoles (Smartfeet and similar) into my regular shoes.

I have very flat feet (so kind of opposite of you) and have major burning pain under the balls of my feet skiing without custom footbeds in my boots. I even had this in snowboard boots when I rented to try it for a day.. so much for those boots being so comfortable for me without extra work as well lol. Also, I used to have heel lifts in my ski boots that put a lot of my weight onto the balls of my feet, with those it didn’t matter that I had a footbed, feet still burned. Lastly, how’s the room in your forefoot? I have a wide forefoot and usually stretch new boots in that area in small increments so we don’t do too much at once.. that process sucks because if your foot is being squeezed there, it also cause burning pain in the ball of your feet.

So I can’t guarantee that a custom footbed will fix all of your problems since there can be other variables adding to it as well, but these things helped relieve my pain. Do you have heel lifts? If so, I’d try removing those first and see if it makes a difference without causing issues with your skiing. If not and you also aren’t squished up front, I’d explore the custom footbed option if your bootfitter thinks this might help with your specific foot anatomy.

And yes the burning pain can make you want to get off of your feet in the middle of a ski trail, the burn can be excruciating!!

 

[Pequenita]

One of the things to watch out for is foot swelling. Vacation diet might change your feet enough to lead to numbness. These days I'm a huge fan of compression socks, that way my feet stay the same size!

Although, whether a trick that works for one person will work for another varies. The one time I skied with compression socks, my feet went numb. And they never go numb.

 

[knolan12]

Thank you all for always validating that I am not crazy haha I feel like I've gotten to the point I'm overthinking this a lot, but the fact that I need to keep taking breaks to wake up my feet cuz they hurt so much and my husband doesn't have any issue and keeps going is driving me nuts hahaha

I'll definitely swing by the shop to chat with them tomorrow about all of your suggestions! Scrolling through this thread reminded me that the front part of the boot was bothering me last year and they wanted to hold off, so I think it's probs time to make a little modification. They did switch out my footbeds from the factory one to another pair, but they aren't custom and I actually can't tell you what brand they are.

Thanks everyone!!