the answer to "WTF is wrong with my boots?"

[phil_dirt]

Nah, it was with my older floppy footbeds.

[zion zig zag]

<p>
I have a question about Tailors bunions, or bunions on the outside of the foot, behind the little toe. I have started to develop some from my touring boots and they can be painful while skiing and shortly after. I started to develop them last year in the same boots, in the same spots, but they healed over the summer and took this long in the season to come back. Boots are Tecnica ZGTP and I have custom Sidas footbeds, and I get the pain in both intuitions and Zipfit GFTs. From what I read on the internet the advice is always to make more room in that area so that the foot doesnt hit that spot. But I feel like the foot rolls to that side depending on how I am standing or turning, so its almost like there is too much room and the foot is hitting that spot by rolling inside the boot. Am I just wrong and the fix is to always widen the boot, or is it possible I need better support or something? I already have the boots punched to relive my Mortons neuroma issues.</p>
<p>
&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Edit: Im thinking about trying something like this to pad the area, but no idea how that would fit in the boot. Eh, looks like I cant link, but it&#39;s a soft gel cushion you wear that hooks over the little toe and pads that area.</p>

[mntlion]

the bunion is CAUSED by rubbing or movement or motion (shell too wide, or liners packed out, or footbed not supportive enough) To cure this you need to balance the pressure and stop the moving (add padding on either side of the pressure, or better footbed, or liner without 100+ days on it)

To accomidate the pain, a punch can help in the short term, but that makesMORE room and extra room is causing the problem to start with..

[zion zig zag]

<p>

the bunion is CAUSED by rubbing or movement or motion (shell too wide, or liners packed out, or footbed not supportive enough) To cure this you need to balance the pressure and stop the moving (add padding on either side of the pressure, or better footbed, or liner without 100+ days on it) To accomidate the pain, a punch can help in the short term, but that makesMORE room and extra room is causing the problem to start with..

Copy that, thats what I felt like was happening. GFTs and Tour Wraps are both brand new, so nowhere to go there. Must be shell fit, problem is, theyve both been punched in that spot to releive the mortons pain, so.....? Maybe the little gel pads will work for a while?</p>

[phil_dirt]

Ok, so I think I may have fixed my peroneal pain by removing some cork from the tongue. I posted this in the chicken feet thread, but this one seems more active, so i'll just copy pasta my question here:

Currently in atomic hawx ultra 26.5 with zipfit garas that have a bunch of cork put in them (I bough the LVs, but should have been in an HV). I'm still having trouble securing my heels. If I put cork at the bottom of the tongue where my instep meets my ankle I can take up some space, but that cork doesn't stay there. I have new custom footbeds. I tried putting 1/16 bontex shims in my boot, but it just crushed my instep and made my foot cramp, and didn't really take up the space where I needed it.

My foot is size 27 unweighted, and spreads to 27.5 when I stand. My ankles are super skinny, and my instep measures around 26.5. I have hypermobile ankles (getting surgery after ski season). Should I size down and punch the toes for length? This is not totally ideal because I'd have to remount a bunch of skis. Is there a different shell I can get into that has a lower instep/tighter throat than the hawx? Maybe I can get a hold of somebody with a fischer vacuum machine to take some space out of my shells? Maybe I should switch to the workhorse liner? Maybe make the move to plugs?

[mntlion]

ZZZ:

maybe adding a 2mm shim of foam on either side of the oachy bit to help balance the pressure (less on hot spot, but some on either side of it) and see if that helps?

[mntlion]

<p>
<span class="username">phil_dirt:<br />
<br />
Why NOT go to a 27 plug boot?&nbsp; you have a narrow foot, so get a narrow boot?<br />
<br />
If that is not enough, then try a 26 plug?<br />
<br />
An intuition HV/15mm or a foam liner might help ONCE you have a small/narrow shell?</span></p>

[phil_dirt]

Yeah, I mostly have avoided plugs because I don&#39;t view myself as that aggressive a skier, and also because I&#39;ve suffered plent of shin bang in the past, and I don&#39;t need a crazy stiff flex. The stiffness of the hawx ultra 130 has been just fine. IDK, maybe it is time to make the switch.

[mntlion]

plug = narrow. This is great if you want LOTS of control, or have a narrow foot.

You can get this narrow (93-97mm) shape in flexes from 110-150+ and like all boots this can be made softer

Shin bang is usually from boots that dont have even presure on the shin (not the right shape) rather then a stiff flex

[singlesline]

I feel like I have some fore/aft play in my left boot (Technica Mach1 LV 130). With the boot in a ski, if I alternate between flexing a bit and standing up/pulling back, I can feel a noticeable movement. Sort of a clunk back and forth. Clamping down the buckles seems to reduce it.

Could my ankle pivots be getting ovalized? I checked the bolts on the spine and they feel good. Can't feel any play when I am just holding the shell by itself.

Right boot seems fine (it is my bigger foot). 50ish days on them so starting to notice some packed-out slop feeling, but they shouldn't be toast.

[mntlion]

maybe the shell (odds are you can feel any play by hand etc)

try wearing a thicker sock on that "loose" side and see if it happens?

Does it happen inside too? or just when skiing?

happens with any/all skis? (not just a binding adjustment)

Toes and heels are all intack and not worn/loose?


Are the boots still red? If they are not red they will not work (even if you have added zip fit liners to them)

[singlesline]

maybe the shell (odds are you can feel any play by hand etc)

try wearing a thicker sock on that "loose" side and see if it happens?

Does it happen inside too? or just when skiing?

happens with any/all skis? (not just a binding adjustment)

Toes and heels are all intack and not worn/loose?


Are the boots still red? If they are not red they will not work (even if you have added zip fit liners to them)

Thicker sock helped but about the same as clamping it down hard. Happens on multiple skis. I could make it happen inside, but the boot needed to be clamped into a ski to get enough leverage.

Today I clamped the shell into a ski, buckled it up, and was able to get it to move by hand with a fair amount of force. Seemed like the play was coming from the bottom of the spine.

I took that bolt out, but it took a lot of force to unscrew (was definitely not loose). I suppose there's a little play in the hole of the carbon spine, but I think that's how it comes (not ovalized or anything, just not going to be a friction fit on the screw).

I opened up the pivots too. Maybe the inside pivot had a little play between the insert nut and the shell, but not enough to be what I was feeling and might not even be play once it is tightened down.

Put it all back together and cranked on that spine bolt...put my liner and foot back in and the motion is gone. So maybe it was just a loose bolt in the end? We'll see how it holds up to skiing.

[mntlion]

odds are just a glitch in the matrix

Did you eat the red pill? it only works with red boots?



Glad its all solved

[DoubleBogey]

Ok, so I think I may have fixed my peroneal pain by removing some cork from the tongue. I posted this in the chicken feet thread, but this one seems more active, so i&#39;ll just copy pasta my question here: Currently in atomic hawx ultra 26.5 with zipfit garas that have a bunch of cork put in them (I bough the LVs, but should have been in an HV). I&#39;m still having trouble securing my heels. If I put cork at the bottom of the tongue where my instep meets my ankle I can take up some space, but that cork doesn&#39;t stay there. I have new custom footbeds. I tried putting 1/16 bontex shims in my boot, but it just crushed my instep and made my foot cramp, and didn&#39;t really take up the space where I needed it. My foot is size 27 unweighted, and spreads to 27.5 when I stand. My ankles are super skinny, and my instep measures around 26.5. I have hypermobile ankles (getting surgery after ski season). Should I size down and punch the toes for length? This is not totally ideal because I&#39;d have to remount a bunch of skis. Is there a different shell I can get into that has a lower instep/tighter throat than the hawx? Maybe I can get a hold of somebody with a fischer vacuum machine to take some space out of my shells? Maybe I should switch to the workhorse liner? Maybe make the move to plugs?

*** I am not bootfitter
I had a similar issue with my left foot in my Zipfits. The circumference of my left ankle (measured around the back of my heel and over the top where my ankle flexes) is quite a bit smaller than my right. I added cork to that area and noticed the same thing as you, in my case the cork wanted to move up my shin. Instead of adding cork to a black hole, I used self adhesive 5mm thick soft foam and cut it to the right shape and stuck it to the inside of the tongue in the exact right spot to hold my heel back. It has worked very well. I don&#39;t think the adhesive will last forever and I have to be a little careful when putting foot in the liner, but theres no discomfort and it feels pretty solid.
HV Garas only have 20 percent more cork than LV models throughout the entire liner for each foot, so I wouldnt sweat not going with the HV.

[123ski]

Im looking for detailed advice on a frustrating ski boot issue Ive been experiencing. Current Boot Setup:

• Boot: Lange RX 130 LV (2019 model), size 27.5
• Liner: ZipFit liners; recently, the shop has added about as much cork as they possibly can.
• Days Skied: Approximately 60-90 total days on these boots.

Detailed Foot Shape and History:

• Feet measure exactly 275mm in length, approximately 91-93mm wide in the heel/ankle area, with a low instep, low arch, and wide forefoot (roughly 107-110mm).
• Previously skied in Dalbello KR2 boots (size 26.5). Loved the overall fit, particularly the middle buckle placement, but consistently lost toenails due to the shorter shell (my feet measured 272mm back then). I wished they were stiffer and found I prefer the overlap boot feel with a booster strap.

Initial Experience & Recent Issues:

• Initially, I loved these Lange RX 130 LV boots&mdash;excellent performance, immediate comfort, and they ALMOST felt stiff enough for me. Really liked the suspension, especially once I added the WC booster, which I place under the overlap. They felt great even earlier this season.
• Suddenly, about 20 ski days ago, I noticed significant issues: excessive slop, a noticeable softening (much easier to &quot;World Cup&quot; into them than before), and an inability to achieve a snug fit despite increasingly tighter buckling. Adding cork to the ZipFits didnt resolve this.
• Excessively tightening the top two buckles narrowed the forefoot feel, causing uncomfortable pinching around the &quot;6th toe&quot; area, even with lightly secured bottom buckles. I then had the boots punched. However, even with the top two buckles extremely tight, the instep felt sloppy, forcing me to clamp the midfoot buckle far tighter than comfortable, aggravating bunionettes (&quot;6th toe&quot, which Ive compared via X-ray back to 2008. Theyve never been problematic before, and visually appear identical to today, though my forefoot may now be 1-3mm wider.

• Typically, I lightly secure the bottom buckles, focusing primarily on tightening the top buckles and booster strap to firmly secure my ankle and calf.
• I was having issues with both feet, but recently a punch on my right foot has helped the bunionette not be painful. The left foot is still painful, depsite several punches. Both feet still struggling with slop.

Medical History & Adjustments:

• Significant impacts on ski seasons include a partial foot break (2021) which hasnt notably changed my foot shape (3rd met), emergency open heart surgery (2023), and missed season due to pericarditis (2024). I suspect these issues have altered my foot shape&mdash;smaller ankle/calf but wider forefoot. I miseed half the season in 2021 and 2023 respectively. So these boots have fewer days on them than they should. Theyve always been stored indoors.

Current Experiments:

• I own the Fischer Ranger 130 LV (havent toured in a few years) .. just took them in for a small 6th toe punch. Tried on zip fit with these and felt like it had better heel retention. Will try skiing this boot later this week (but not my favorite inbound boot). At home the heel retention improved somewhat, but bunionette pain persists just standing in the boot.. hence the punches this week.

Questions & Boot-Fitting Considerations:

• Can ZipFit liners compress this significantly over this timeline? Are there any enhancements possible beyond maximum cork fill?

Considering New Boots: Im actively considering:

• I dont really want new boots, but will buy some if that makes skiing better for me.
• Fischer RC4 LV (current year model) - might be interesting to wait until after I ski on the Rangers this week.
• Salomon S-Pro
• Upcoming Atomic Remedy (interested in any early insights)
• Armada boot. Wish this were LV.. but that middle buckle is damn interesting
• Dalbello (but ive heard their quality has gone to shit) ... so also Roxa (but worried about stiffness)
• Ideally Id find a nice 140-150 flex shell ...
• Also.... is my best bet to find the narrowest heel pocket possible and just blow out the toes once I find a good heel fit (even if that means removing some cork)?

Any detailed insights, advice, or experiences with similar issues would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

[mntlion]

1) What is the shell fit like in mm Can you fit a 15mm pen behind your heel?

2) Footbeds? I assume you are using a full custom?

3) How does it feel with the stock liners (same shell and same footbeds) just change one thing and see what part of the system is not working

4) all liners pack out wtih time, how many days on the zips?

5) If you have to replace the shell, find a boot fitter to work withyou, and get any 95mm or less shell and make the front bigger. maybe in 26? maybe in 27

6) boots will soften in spring (snow firmer in am, we are stronger, warmer temps, etc)

7) is this a FIT thing (shell volume and size) or a flex thing ?

[123ski]

1) What is the shell fit like in mm Can you fit a 15mm pen behind your heel? 2) Footbeds? I assume you are using a full custom? 3) How does it feel with the stock liners (same shell and same footbeds) just change one thing and see what part of the system is not working 4) all liners pack out wtih time, how many days on the zips? 5) If you have to replace the shell, find a boot fitter to work withyou, and get any 95mm or less shell and make the front bigger. maybe in 26? maybe in 27 6) boots will soften in spring (snow firmer in am, we are stronger, warmer temps, etc) 7) is this a FIT thing (shell volume and size) or a flex thing ?

1) I will try this when I get home, its been a while since i shell fitted myself ... but my recollection when I bought the boot was a perfect shell fit
2) Yeah, full custom DFP
3) I&#39;ll try this as well.. good news is stock liners are brand new
4) Got the zips with the shells, so maybe 10 more days on the zips than the shells, but recently have been adding a lot of cork
5) Do you think its worth waiting to see how my heel/calf muscle returns after a full summer of cycling before buying a new boot that may be too narrow long term?
6) This isn&#39;t just a warm temp thing, unless its 5F or colder, I&#39;m flexing straight through the boot
7) I think its a fit and a flex thing... because when I flex through the boot, my heel lifts easier and the front of the boot compresses the top of my bunnionette

[123ski]

so shell fit on both boots (Fischer Ranger & RX130LV .. both 27.5)
Fischer allows for 16mm of room behind the heel, Lange is more like 17.5mm (took several devices and inserted them, and then measured them)
Interesting that my shop sized me up to a 27.5 when i was previously in a 26.5 KR2 (although i did constantly lose toenails in those boots)
Is your gut that I need to return to a 26.5?

[mntlion]

need 26. Maybe with a toe punch, make with blocking the heel back a bit more, maybe with a more supportive footbed.

but yes. 5-15mm range is what a goal is.

[ezramec]

Used a heat gun to spot heat and then punch my medial malleolus. It warmed up the whole cuff a bit, so the cuff flaps are a bit looser than the other boot. It feels fine, so assume there is absolutely no reason to quote-unquote fix this, yes? https://imgur.com/a/6wk2uoX

[mntlion]

your fine. Go ski