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

[lowsparkco]

Just made some moves with my downhill boots. Dropped an older Pro Tongue Intuition in a new pair of the Lange LX 130 boots. Damn those stock liners are junk. Then went with an LV Intuition new and back in the old BD Factors I keep around for work. Breathed new life into them. Home mold in the oven has really treated me well.

[bodywhomper]

the donut is ti balance the pressure, so less pressure on the ouch, but MORE pressure around the ouch.

If you re-bake the liners, you need to create a pocket for the ouch, so you need to ADD foam to the ouch durring the molding (not comforatable) then remove after the molding and you have a pocket FOR the ouch.

try step 1, and if needed go to step 2

I think step 1 did it along with vargas heel wedges. Took me a few painful days (bell to bell work days) with too small of donut holes to get it right. 2.5 hrs of walking and skiing today (post school day laps) felt pain free! Hopefully it’s temporary as I rebuild foot strength. Thanks for the help!

[mntlion]

I think step 1 did it along with vargas heel wedges. Took me a few painful days (bell to bell work days) with too small of donut holes to get it right. 2.5 hrs of walking and skiing today (post school day laps) felt pain free! Hopefully it’s temporary as I rebuild foot strength. Thanks for the help!

glad it worked.

[dcpnz]

Been experiencing unusually cold right toes lately and have also noticed a little pressure on lateral mid foot. Is there some blood vessel there that makes it likely these are related? In addition to possibly shell tightness there’s a slight upward curve in my footbed in that vicinity which could be a contributor but hasn’t bothered me previously in the several years I’ve had it.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I've got a pressure point below the second buckle on the inside of my feet. Both boots, but worse on the right. Pain builds throughout the day from negligible to pretty bad. It hurts more when walk than when skiing. Walking downhill is worse than uphill. As you can see in the pic the boots are a bit narrower at this point than they are fore and aft. On the right boot it is exacerbated by a small punch in the navicular area. Right boot also has a 6th toe punch and a thinned boot board. I have custom footbeds that have worked well on other boots. Is there a home remedy for someone with a heat gun and the willingness to fuck around?

Thanks.

[mntlion]

Been experiencing unusually cold right toes lately and have also noticed a little pressure on lateral mid foot. Is there some blood vessel there that makes it likely these are related? In addition to possibly shell tightness there’s a slight upward curve in my footbed in that vicinity which could be a contributor but hasn’t bothered me previously in the several years I’ve had it.

Any chance that the lateral arch of the footbed is pushing that point up a bit? So pressure is coming from the top, not the side? Does the same thing happen with other footbeds in the same boot?

[mntlion]

I've got a pressure point below the second buckle on the inside of my feet. Both boots, but worse on the right. Pain builds throughout the day from negligible to pretty bad. It hurts more when walk than when skiing. Walking downhill is worse than uphill. As you can see in the pic the boots are a bit narrower at this point than they are fore and aft. On the right boot it is exacerbated by a small punch in the navicular area. Right boot also has a 6th toe punch and a thinned boot board. I have custom footbeds that have worked well on other boots. Is there a home remedy for someone with a heat gun and the willingness to fuck around?

Thanks.

1) add 2-4mm of firm padding to your foot, where you want the shell bigger
2) heat up the shell in that general area, for 5 min in hot water (to the point that you can dip a finger into the water, but are NOT happy in it, but NOT burning you) Both inside and outside of the shell
3) Put your foot, with all the padding on, into your liner.
4) Stuff all that into the shell, make sure your heel is back in the liner, and the liner is back in the shell, and then buckle the CRAP out of the shell (like MAX out buckle tension) Let cool for 10 min.
5) remove foot, and all extra padding, and give your foot a chance to relax, and try on again.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

1) add 2-4mm of firm padding to your foot, where you want the shell bigger
2) heat up the shell in that general area, for 5 min in hot water (to the point that you can dip a finger into the water, but are NOT happy in it, but NOT burning you) Both inside and outside of the shell
3) Put your foot, with all the padding on, into your liner.
4) Stuff all that into the shell, make sure your heel is back in the liner, and the liner is back in the shell, and then buckle the CRAP out of the shell (like MAX out buckle tension) Let cool for 10 min.
5) remove foot, and all extra padding, and give your foot a chance to relax, and try on again.

Sweet. Thanks. Time to break out the lobster pot....

[mntlion]

Sweet. Thanks. Time to break out the lobster pot....

Please ship me lobster as a tip

[eastcoasttreehugger]

Could really use some advice on my touring boots that have gone wacky after a shell mold.

Hawx Ultra XTD 120s
Bought new before this season, I skied/toured on these for a few days without doing any work - downhill mode was fine, not quite a 120 flex, but good enough for my needs. However I was getting pain on my heel spurs and some other hot spots, so took it in to get the liners + shell heat molded. First time doing a shell mold. Bootfitter just put some small pads on my heels and we did the mold.

Wait a few days and take them out to go skiing - touring is fine. But now, when I go to tighten the buckles for downhill mode, I have to take both top 2 buckles to their tightest setting (before was roughly on the middle buckles), and I'm still feeling some wiggle room around the calf. I try cinching the power strap tight, but its just one of those elastic things thats hard to really get tight. In addition (and I'm not sure if its the looseness, or the plastic is just a lot softer), I feel like I have no control in these things anymore, lateral stiffness seems gone and I just feel really sloppy.

Did the bootfitter overdo the shell mold?
Can I improve things by sticking a booster strap on it (have one on my resort boots and like it but worried this is a more serious problem)?

Any advice appreciated

[mntlion]

odds are the liner just got squished more durring the molding (was going to happen with use anyways) and now the boot is just more stretched out feeling and looser in the calf.

Maybe move the buckles over a bit?
add padding to tounge to bulk the liner up?
try adding a booster?

Odds are the boot fitter did nothing wrong, and just speed up what was going to happen in a few more days of use?

boots might jsut be the wrong shape/too much volume/too big for you?

[eastcoasttreehugger]

odds are the liner just got squished more durring the molding (was going to happen with use anyways) and now the boot is just more stretched out feeling and looser in the calf.

Maybe move the buckles over a bit?
add padding to tounge to bulk the liner up?
try adding a booster?

Odds are the boot fitter did nothing wrong, and just speed up what was going to happen in a few more days of use?

boots might jsut be the wrong shape/too much volume/too big for you?

Thank you - i'll try moving buckles, padding the tongue.
I think the boot is not the problem - still feels pretty snug in the foot area, its just the calf/tongue (I guess mine are skinny) that has a problem. For reference my resort boot is the Hawx Ultra in the same shell size (the lower foot fit feels very much the same though I've only done a liner mold, not shell mold on those) - those are working pretty well for me. I dont think I could go smaller/narrower in a touring boot without a world of pain - I fit into a 27.5 and am wearing 26.5

[Bamski]

General question for the fitters of TGR:

Are (small) heel lifts ever a good move? Conditions here have been bad, so I’ve been tinkering with my AT boots at home. I tried skiing a familiar loop with a 4mm lift in (Radicals are super flat in general) and found that I felt pulled to the backseat - almost like my balance point for driving my skis got smaller.

I have a short BSL and run a binding with a 8mm delta. I’ve pulled the lifts out - but it got me wondering what problem they’re meant to solve.

[mntlion]

General question for the fitters of TGR:

Are (small) heel lifts ever a good move? Conditions here have been bad, so I’ve been tinkering with my AT boots at home. I tried skiing a familiar loop with a 4mm lift in (Radicals are super flat in general) and found that I felt pulled to the backseat - almost like my balance point for driving my skis got smaller.

I have a short BSL and run a binding with a 8mm delta. I’ve pulled the lifts out - but it got me wondering what problem they’re meant to solve.

Sure: anything is good if it works for you.

Are you talking 4mm heel lift in the boot? or under the bindings?

Either is fine, see if it helps you, and if it does great. If it makes it worse remove and MAYBE go the other way?

[Bamski]

A 4mm wedge stuck to the bootboard under my liner.

[Duffman]

Bumping my earlier question in a shorter format.

What's the best way to add instep height right under the 2nd buckle catches (medial instep) when I don't want to add any height over the toes. This is in a Cochise 130. Grinding the zeppa or insole would add toebox height also ,which is already borderline high for me. But that instep spot is a ton of pressure with both the stock liners and my older intuition ProWraps , eventually causing pain and cold big toes.

It's not the cuniform bump, it's right behind and medial to it.

Thanks!

[mntlion]

thing/grind the tounge of the liner where you feel you need more room

move the tongue up higher (if its detachable)

you CAN get that area stretched up, but the shop needs some unique tools (inflatable bag that an take heat)

[gregL]

Are (small) heel lifts ever a good move? Conditions here have been bad, so I’ve been tinkering with my AT boots at home. I tried skiing a familiar loop with a 4mm lift in (Radicals are super flat in general) and found that I felt pulled to the backseat - almost like my balance point for driving my skis got smaller.

Heel lifts are a fast way to (sometimes) reduce vertical heel movement "that'll be $25, please" and were a favorite in my resort town shop, but I almost never use them now. Even a "small" heel lift alters your delta and bends your foot, not ideal for most people. Once in a while I'll do it in combination with flaring the cuff for a "big calf lady" who likely won't notice the performance hit. IMO you're much better off narrowing the fit around the achilles with J bars or a better liner, especially in a touring binding (unless a race type tech binding with 0 ramp); you definitely would prefer not to add heel height in anything with 11mm or more of differential (i.e. ATK non-race, Dynafit, Plum).

[Duffman]

Heel lifts are a fast way to (sometimes) reduce vertical heel movement "that'll be $25, please" and were a favorite in my resort town shop, but I almost never use them now. Even a "small" heel lift alters your delta and bends your foot, not ideal for most people. Once in a while I'll do it in combination with flaring the cuff for a "big calf lady" who likely won't notice the performance hit. IMO you're much better off narrowing the fit around the achilles with J bars or a better liner, especially in a touring binding (unless a race type tech binding with 0 ramp); you definitely would prefer not to add heel height in anything with 11mm or more of differential (i.e. ATK non-race, Dynafit, Plum).

My active dorsiflexion kind of sucks despite daily stretching and rolling, so i need a lift or my Achilles get worked and I cant keep even weight on the bottom of my foot and can get heel lift no matter how tight the heel pocket it. Stiff upright flex and a lift is a necessary evil for me

[ApexSkua]

What's the appropriate way to mold the liner from a Lange RS 130?

[mntlion]

What's the appropriate way to mold the liner from a Lange RS 130?

ski it for 5-10 days.

[ApexSkua]

ski it for 5-10 days.

Rad. I'm getting some heel lift, should I wait or better to get some of those foam L pads now? These boots aren't brand-new, I got them used from a guy who only used them a few times

[mntlion]

Rad. I'm getting some heel lift, should I wait or better to get some of those foam L pads now? These boots aren't brand-new, I got them used from a guy who only used them a few times

Oh, its a used boot? It wont change much then

Heel lift, is NOT going to get better sounds like the boot is not the right shape. Maybe too long, maybe too wide? but heel lift is NOT a good thing and will only get worse

[cl1953]

Salomon smax 120. Moved up to 26.5 this season after loving the performance fit of 25.5 but crushed my big toes. The new boots, with 40+ days, are hard to keep my foot way back and big toes are rubbing and blistering on the liner. Have heel lifts which helps. If I buckle down I lose the blood flow and get numb toes. Using boot heaters by the way.
How can I just make more room in the liner for big toes?
Can I heat area with hair dryer and try stretching with screwdriver handle?
Other thoughts?

[mntlion]

Salomon smax 120. Moved up to 26.5 this season after loving the performance fit of 25.5 but crushed my big toes. The new boots, with 40+ days, are hard to keep my foot way back and big toes are rubbing and blistering on the liner. Have heel lifts which helps. If I buckle down I lose the blood flow and get numb toes. Using boot heaters by the way.
How can I just make more room in the liner for big toes?
Can I heat area with hair dryer and try stretching with screwdriver handle?
Other thoughts?

yes, heating the liner and stretch might help

Does you heel feel like its moving around?

If you are moving around in the 26 sounds like its too big/wide for you? Maybe a narrower 26 would be better? Or back to 25 and make more room in lenght?