Yet another boot fitting question

[queequeg]

So, my liner is packed out really thin in the heel, and I have bony heels -- but other than that my liners/boots are quite comfy now. I don't want to re-mold the liners (which feel pretty great now) and think that even if I do, the heel will pack out hard again pretty quickly due to the way the instep strap in the HSP tends to pull your heel back as you flex your ankle.

The instep strap is anchored to the static, lower part of the boot, so as you lean forward it pushes your heel back/down in the boot. Great for heel hold-down but can be a bit uncomfy once your liner packs out if you have bony heels like I do.

It's not that bad but after a few days of riding it can be a little painful.

What I would like to do is take some nice firm foam and just fit it behind the heel of my liner to provide a bit of padding. Anyone have any experience doing this? I was thinking of heading to the home depot to see if I can find a suitable material. I have a trip in two days so I'm trying to act fast.

Thanks!

[bobdea]

just hit a ski shop and ask for some boot foam and show them where you need it

should cost less than 10 bucks and that solution seems to stick on better than the similar stuff found at home depot due to better adhesives

I've had similar issues with certain liners

[pebu]

No experience here, but you can buy bootfitting foam at tognar toolworks here. (clicky) They also have tips and stuff. But what bobdea is saying makes sense. If it's gonna be that cheap, it sure as hell makes sense to have it done right.

[queequeg]

Maybe there are some ski shops here in the city that have it in stock still ... I'm guessing that surefoot will probably have some they can sell me. Maybe I can bring them the boots over lunch tomorrow. I'm leaving for Mt.Hood tomorrow after work, otherwise a tognar order would definitely be the way to go.

Otherwise, hopefully I can pick some up on the way to the mountain on wednesday morning.

cheers!

[carvedog]

If you are getting a hot spot on the back of your heel there are a couple of things that you can do. I have had a foam donut made that goes around the hot spot. You can also punch the boot out it with this medieval torture looking machine. Don't worry, your boot can't feel a thing after they hit it with the hear gun.

If you ride and it continues to irritate the bone you can grow bone spurs. My back heel bone now has a permanent extra little bump to it due to this. This is not an admirable situation as then you will continue to need custom boot fitting.

My foam liners don't seem to create the need for extra fitting. They cost $270 if I remember right. Without footbeds.

Take care of your feet and they will take care of you.

[queequeg]

I hear ya ... I probably ought to see a professional bootfitter about it. I'm hoping to do that this week but I also want to make sure that I have a stop-gap solution just in case.

Surefoot gave me some bootfitters foam to work with. What ended up working, was filling in the space above heel/ankle a bit where the achilles tendon is ... there just wasn't enough volume there so pressure was not being distributed over a great enough area. That said, I'll probably end up taking them to a pro to have it done more professionally eventually.

Thanks!

[queequeg]

Problem solved. Adding this for reference in case anyone experiences the same issue.

What I needed to do is fill in the area *above* my heel (behind achilles tendon/lower calf). with some bootfitters foam. I think part of the problem stemmed from my boot-softening mods (removing stiffness-inducing wings in the rear of the boot lower). I just filled in the are that I cut out with some foam and voila, the pressure is better distributed now and everything feels terrific.

Just went five days on them at Mt.Hood and my feet are as happy as can be. Took me all season to get them dialed in but now I know that I will be comfy next season with no issues.

Now that I am pain free, I am hoping to post an HSP knowledge sharing thread in the forum.