bootfitting questions

[Guest jschal01]

Having previously stated that "there's no such thing as rolling your ankle" for an "ELITE racer," I'm heartened that you now agree, as per the linked Harb post, that you can get benefit from foot and ankle articulation.

And Harb makes very clear that he's talking about flexible footbeds that roll with the foot, and that rigid, posted footbeds can hurt people's technique if they take away the ability to do this.

I will readily concede that rigid, posted footbeds can be a big benefit to some people, too. No need to be too heated, it's not like I drew an offensive cartoon of a footbed, or something.

[Kent]

And Harb makes very clear that he's talking about flexible footbeds that roll with the foot, QUOTE]

You're flip-flopping and changing the conversation. Before you mentioned that racers don't want footbeds. Then, you're trying to step out of the conversation by bringing in someone else's comments on a totally different forum.

Articulation of the foot and rolling ankles are completely different movements. To make matters worse, the benefits of performance benefits in snowboarding are different than skiing (far less).

Do a search on BOL regarding my post regarding posting materials (I know I wrote about it last year). You'll see that my comments at are all the same....

[Guest jschal01]

No, no flip-flopping here, what I said is: "a lot of racers...choose to use no footbed." Which is an accurate statement. Some use compliant footbeds, too. Some use rigid, posted footbeds. I made no global statement about what all racers, or "ELITE" skiers or riders, do.

And this was said in the context of the general sentiment of: the o.p. may or may not have a footbed issue, he should go to a bootfitter he trusts and solve the issue there. Without seeing his boots and feet in person, everyone can have an opinion about the likely source of the problem, but it is simple conjecture. And telling him to "run for the hills" unless the first thing the bootfitter does is tell him he needs a $200 custom insole was not the path I would take to help him out. Having him only get hit for $65 for the whole process I would in fact define as great service.

[Dr D]

lots of on and off advice flying around here. ankle inversion and eversion either way could cause fitting problems around the ankle. A collapsed arch tends to make the lower part of the foot wider. inserts or footbeds would be the answer for either all though I would tend to steer people away from the hard rigid variety for the aformentioned reasons pertaining to foot flex and heel movement.

there are several great inserts available out there that are milled out of foam hard enough to support without sacrificing flex and movement. I use Amfit in my office and they only run about 100$ so cheaper too. Another possiblity is footleveler's a chiropractic brand that is quite effective but in the $200 range.

I would recomend that you find a chiropractor who will adjust feet and get them checked any restriction in the way the bones of the feet move will be evident in spades at the end of the day in hardboots.

anyone who wants a custom mold footbed for their boots needs to remember that they take up a little space in the boot and will make the boot feel smaller. its a great way to fill up some space in a boot that is a little big

If anyone would like Amfits made email me I can send you a mold and get them made for you. you don't have to pay $200- $300 for a good orthotic.

stay away from the hard ones for this application!

[snow|3oarder]

So...after I tried the $65 fix, I decided that it was not comfortable enough. Not being able to go back to that particular bootfitter, I went to Surefoot in NYC. I went with the orthotics...for 190 - including lifetime adjustments and shell stretching - it seemed well worth it. I tried out the boots today and they are 95% ok. Phew! I can alpine snowboard again.