Europeans don’t like custom footbeds?

[Pass Rat]

Consequence of the above is that many adult WC racers don't use custom footbeds, and the average Hans looks at the WC racers and says 'If custom foot beds were necessary, the WC racers would use them.'

Additionally, the racing rules about height of the foot above the snow may also discourage WC racers from using custom footbeds.

What?

WC racers certainly use custom footbeds. They use what amount to completely custom boots and a key component of any custom fitting boot is ensuring your foot is adequately supported on the bottom. You could punch and grind to kingdom come but if the foot isn’t supported it’s not going to work. WC racers spend countless hours every single year working on bootfitting and getting their boots correct.


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[dunfree]

Apparently Seattle is the gold fucking standard for ski Bootfitting as I’d be comfortable asking pretty much anyone at any of the local shops to perform tasks you all have mentioned.

active people, mountains, money. it's also been a big-ish market for touring ski gear for 30+ years.

i gotta ask - are there really 300+ people getting touring boots punched in Seattle each year? "daily" and "bunch of people" is 3 shops, a 3 month season, minimum... that's lots of punched boots.

[waxman]

What?

WC racers certainly use custom footbeds. They use what amount to completely custom boots and a key component of any custom fitting boot is ensuring your foot is adequately supported on the bottom. You could punch and grind to kingdom come but if the foot isn’t supported it’s not going to work. WC racers spend countless hours every single year working on bootfitting and getting their boots correct.


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You could firm that up by saying "most" WC racers use foot beds. I've been in boot rooms where WC were getting work done and seen no footbeds or "crappy" stock ones being used.
Of course I've also seen skis taken out of the plastic, mounted, waxed, and then sent right out to snow with no tuning because "that athlete can't tell he difference and I've go too many skis to tune" from the tech.

[Gaperious Basterd]

Well, a 2.5 G turn for a 220 pound racer is 550 lbs on one footbed maybe 40 times a race.

Maybe there’s not much that can resist that.

Go to the gym and place 550 lbs on your footbed. See if it can support it.


One of the reasons I am amused by any ski footbed (custom or otherwise) that is not posted with some material.

LOL, like this piece of plastic is just going to sit there like a sculpture on display at a museum and never take any weight... and all that void space beneath it is just gonna be void space.

Seriously... even a weekend warrior on the groomers going 15 mph... you think a non-posted footbed is going to withstand the forces applied? Hell no.

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[gregL]

i gotta ask - are there really 300+ people getting touring boots punched in Seattle each year?

Easily. I probably do 50-60 pairs a year and there are other good shops, plus the independent bootfitters who don't actually sell boots.

[gregL]

. . . When the Dynafit Product Manager for boots and the euro sales manager visited a few years ago, they were blown away when we told them we punched about 75% of the Dynafit boots we sold . . .

[toast2266]

One of the reasons I am amused by any ski footbed (custom or otherwise) that is not posted with some material.

LOL, like this piece of plastic is just going to sit there like a sculpture on display at a museum and never take any weight... and all that void space beneath it is just gonna be void space.

If I was skiing groomers, I'd have my footbeds posted.

But skiing fast through chop and jumping off of stuff is pretty painful with a posted footbed, at least for my foot. I need the suspension that an unposted footbed affords.

[JRainey]

There's a small shop in my town that only does shoes and boots. They push custom footbeds on everyone, and most people are your average euro skier. But we also have one of 4-5 ski middle schools in Austria and they handle all their boots, these are the schools the world cuppers come from. There's like 100 boots sitting around on the shop floor at any one moment in the winter, and like 50 the rest of the year.

The owner is a bit of a guru and punches everything himself (part of the reason for the boot backup), I would say mixed with attitude of not talking down to customers, and listening to concerns, they are one of the best shops I've come used.

I've also had instaprints made in St. Anton, but that's a pretty international destination.

If I think of the bigger sporting chains, they are just trying to throw people in whatever boot fits relatively well and fulfills customers' ski identity niche. Those stores sell a fuck load of boots though.

Interesting in peoples thoughts but they do a milled foam footbed. I don't know what the consensus is on that. Personally I like the performance as much as instaprints, comfort's better, and they way 20g. The foam is very dense, so it's more like a cork footbed under the arch. They do a foot scan to get the info for the milling, but also as info to inform shell punches. I've heard people poopoo the foam insoles, but I'm picky and I love them.

[onenerdykid]

Interesting in peoples thoughts but they do a milled foam footbed. I don't know what the consensus is on that. Personally I like the performance as much as instaprints, comfort's better, and they way 20g. The foam is very dense, so it's more like a cork footbed under the arch. They do a foot scan to get the info for the milling, but also as info to inform shell punches. I've heard people poopoo the foam insoles, but I'm picky and I love them.

The doctor for the Boston Celtics does this, and the footbeds are amazing. I never liked the idea until I saw his work. Super light, well balanced, and thoroughly accurate. When done right, these can be super awesome.

[Ocean]

What?

WC racers certainly use custom footbeds. They use what amount to completely custom boots and a key component of any custom fitting boot is ensuring your foot is adequately supported on the bottom. You could punch and grind to kingdom come but if the foot isn’t supported it’s not going to work. WC racers spend countless hours every single year working on bootfitting and getting their boots correct.


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Article about WC racer's use of (basic non custom) footbeds by Matt Schiller...

https://www.skiracing.com/premium/do...-use-footbeds#

[XXX-er]

I been using the sole footbeds at yoursole.com for about 15 years, they are a hard foam so you can grind the bottoms which i do for toe room, they are heat moldable in yer oven but I don't mold them, they feel enough like a custom FOR ME that if i wear a custom footbed in one boot and a sole in the other I can't tell the difference , they seem to last a long time and they are only about 40$

[smooth operator]

I live in Davos (Switzerland) and have all my bootwork done at Heierling. They are very very skilled and racers from all around come there to get their boots done. The first thing they do is put people in a footbed, racer or not.
They are expensive though, so their clientele is mostly pro's, very serious skiers and rich people. Switzerland has a lot of the latter apparently.

[XavierD]

Well, a 2.5 G turn for a 220 pound racer is 550 lbs on one footbed maybe 40 times a race.

Maybe there’s not much that can resist that.

Go to the gym and place 550 lbs on your footbed. See if it can support it.


One of the reasons I am amused by any ski footbed (custom or otherwise) that is not posted with some material.

LOL, like this piece of plastic is just going to sit there like a sculpture on display at a museum and never take any weight... and all that void space beneath it is just gonna be void space.

Seriously... even a weekend warrior on the groomers going 15 mph... you think a non-posted footbed is going to withstand the forces applied? Hell no.

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There is also a foot in the equation. It’s not just a floppy mass of flesh. Footbeds assist the foot, not replace it.

[galibier_numero_un]

I live in Davos (Switzerland) and have all my bootwork done at Heierling. They are very very skilled and racers from all around come there to get their boots done. The first thing they do is put people in a footbed, racer or not.
They are expensive though, so their clientele is mostly pro's, very serious skiers and rich people. Switzerland has a lot of the latter apparently.

This is the one thing that puzzled me about the reported dearth of capable European boot fitters - the long tradition of boot making from companies like Heirling, Strölz, Raichle, Henke, Kastinger, Koflach, Galibier, etc.

Did most of them die without passing on their craft to the next generation?

... Thom

[::: :::]

They push footbeds on everyone

The first thing they do is put people in a footbed, racer or not.

this was sort of my impression here locally anyway

not sure of the reason why...could be completely above board (so to speak)

[Gaperious Basterd]

I been using the sole footbeds at yoursole.com for about 15 years, they are a hard foam so you can grind the bottoms which i do for toe room, they are heat moldable in yer oven but I don't mold them, they feel enough like a custom FOR ME that if i wear a custom footbed in one boot and a sole in the other I can't tell the difference , they seem to last a long time and they are only about 40$

I tried a SOLE footbed once. It didn’t work out for me (the “molding” is minimal). But it’s a well-made insole for sure.


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[XXX-er]

yeah the sole don't really mold very much but I don't mold them cuz I want the support of my flat feet,

I also have some green super feet that came in some used boots and I don't like them so maybe they will work for you

I think there is a foot bed out there for everybody not necessarily custom

[gregL]

Did most of them die without passing on their craft to the next generation?

A lot of the best bootfitters in Seattle have either just retired or are on the verge of retiring, and few have passed on what they know to younger fitters.

[Chugachjed]

yeah the sole don't really mold very much but I don't mold them cuz I want the support of my flat feet,

I also have some green super feet that came in some used boots and I don't like them so maybe they will work for you

I think there is a foot bed out there for everybody not necessarily custom

Green superfeet is money for me. Soles always gave me cramps.

[Sashko]

Looks like you guys know some good bootfitters in Europe. Could anyone recommend such in Livigno? Going there in a month and want to make few punches on my boots.

[JRainey]

The doctor for the Boston Celtics does this, and the footbeds are amazing. I never liked the idea until I saw his work. Super light, well balanced, and thoroughly accurate. When done right, these can be super awesome.

Yeah, I love them. Have them in my hiking and running shoes too, with different density foam. I have Morton's Neuroma issue that was flaring up bad, and when I first got the insoles they like they weren't supportive enough (hiking/walking) but then my Morton's got better.

You might know them, Sander Shuhe in Schruns. They sell a ton of atomic boots...

[XXX-er]

Green superfeet is money for me. Soles always gave me cramps.

did you try midol ?

but that just proves my point that they are all different and you just need to find the right one for maybe 50$

the custom molded foot beds were 300$

[Jacques Strap]

Euros might not like 'em, but Aussies apparently do.

[SB]

Good video.

[gregL]

But skiing fast through chop and jumping off of stuff is pretty painful with a posted footbed, at least for my foot. I need the suspension that an unposted footbed affords.

"Posting" no longer means fully filling the void under the arch, as with the old Superfeet Corks. Our standard custom includes 1/8" cork posting that allows the footbed to flex but adds some structure and stabilizes the heel. Most other shops do something similar.