...not much going on with the band these days. The riding video was pretty crappy with the weather and all, but I got a good interview with you and Jorg having a beer at Bumps.
..as far as my ski boot set-up goes, it's not what you'd think from first appearance. They look like full on race boots, and they are, but... The biggest difference is that my set-up allows a larger range of motion than a stock ski boot, maybe even more than some snowboard boots.
My set up usually starts by removing material from the back of boot. This allows the shaft angle of the cuff to be almost vertical. Stiffening fasteners/rivets are also removed so the upper cuff has two clear hinge points and flexes freely until buckled down. I adjust cuff flex by tightening or loosening my buckles.
The next step is that the foot has to be positioned correctly in the boot. Even without orthotics you can position your foot (shim's, heel-lifts, etc..) within the boot to suit your bio-mechanical self. Good orthotics are obviously important too but even those won't help if they aren't set in the right position within the boot. (same goes with the other adustments on the cuff and sole, ie; this all has to be done together).
Finally, with the foot positioned correctly in the boot, and able to stand in natural STANDING position, we ran some tests to determine what my BOOT canting needs were. From there I grind down the sole of the boot to match those angles. (I actually attach plastic plates to the boot sole and grind those if possible)
The end result is a boot that I can wear all day without having to unbuckle and they rip for both snowboarding and skiing!
My liners are super thin race plug liners yet I'm totally comfortable. My theory is that by having my foot positioned correctly, and my boot soles ground to my angles, I can ride off the bottom of my feet more and not have to push against the boot so much to get pressure to my edge.. seems to work!
..so that's my boot set-up.
