School me on foot beds

[rigbone]

Hey mags, looking for some insight on footbeds. I bought a pair of the generic aftermarket footbeds for my last boots as my feet were sliding (they're like dr red or something). Solved that problem and now they're in my new boots. I've always considered going the more custom route, where you stand on that gel thingy and get the beds custom molded to the foot, they just look even more betterer than the ones I've got haha. Is that true? Am I going to notice a difference? I really don't have any issues with what I've got now, im thinking its just a grass is greener situation. Any info is appreciated. Thanks dudes and dudettes (if there are any dudettes here).

[rcamp]

I just bought a cheap aftermarket set of foot beds. Was certain the individual at the shop was going to try to sell me on more expensive custom beds. However to my surprise he did not. Said what he sold me was a good starting point and they were only $10 more then I found on line. His feeling was that I probably wouldn’t notice too much of a difference with because my feet are on the “normal” side. Not sure that helps much and other certainty know more then I but that’s my latest experience.


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[Benny Profane]

Spend some money, but, more important, ask around for the best fitter. And allow yourself hours to get it done. Hours.

[El Chupacabra]

I had been using expensive bootfitter made footbeds for quite a while, and just recently switched to $20 Sole heat mold at home ones. They fit about the same. My old ones were cracking from age.

IMHO the expensive ones are worthwhile if you have feet that require them - injuries, weird shapes, very high arches,... But I apparently have ordinary feet.

Hopefully you discuss it with an honest bootfitter and not one who just wants to sell you $200 footbeds.

[burrito]

Sole moldable footbeds all the way. Relatively cheap (compared with traditional custom footbeds) and multiple thickness/density options. I've been using them for something like 10 or 15 years. The best.
https://yoursole.com/us

[XXX-er]

I just bought a cheap aftermarket set of foot beds. Was certain the individual at the shop was going to try to sell me on more expensive custom beds. However to my surprise he did not. Said what he sold me was a good starting point and they were only $10 more then I found on line. His feeling was that I probably wouldn’t notice too much of a difference with because my feet are on the “normal” side. Not sure that helps much and other certainty know more then I but that’s my latest experience.

this is probably correct, if you can find your match it doesnt need to cost much i got some sole probably the red ones below that i paid 10$ for at a closeout/thrift store they so fucking cheap i bought them all



the foot bed quiver ^^ the top 3 are custom @ 300$ ish, the very top one is some kind of clear plastic (made in 82) you can see thru it, caused cancer in the guys who made them

the black sole is thicker, the red sole below it is the standard sole, second from the bottom is my first sole eva which has all the grey foam sanded off with a disk in a drill for more toe room and its still going strong

the green superfeet at the bottom i got in some used foot wear and it doesnt really work for my very flat foot which is not to say it isnt good it just doesnt do much for me so its in some rubber boots where it does a good job

if you got flat feet don't heat mold them imo

[JayPowHound]

Spend some money, but, more important, ask around for the best fitter. And allow yourself hours to get it done. Hours.

Benny is right.. depending on your feet.

If your boots actually fit well (and you ski well enough to know that) than you are probably fine with whatever aftermarket foot bed is working right now.

If you have any slop or need any improvement to your boot fit, find a fitter. They will tell you what you do or don't need. That might be a $300 custom bed with lots of boot work, or might be a different $30 surefeet with a little adjustment.

In the future start buying boots with this guy and you'll be right from the beginning, or will establish a scheme to tweak them until they're perfect.

[XXX-er]

And if you don't believe that a foot bed doesnt have to be soft to be comfortable

[Wes Mantooth]

I've had the same pair of surefoot insoles for almost 10 years at this point and they're super comfortable but that's primarily due to good fitting work in my resort boots and them being super broken in. I got new touring boots recently and put my surefoot insoles in those since my feet were sliding around a bit, but it became annoying to switch back and forth so I got some $50 generic footbeds (sidas I think?) for the touring boots. I don't notice a huge difference between the two, though the custom ones definitely cause less pain when I have the boots cranked down tight. At the moment it's not worth $200+ for me to get a duplicate pair of the surefoots for my touring boots. That said if they became my everyday boots for riding lifts I would spend more time and money getting them fitted right in general, insoles or no insoles

[fatnslow]

I paid $75 to a guy that showed up with a box of blanks, toaster oven and a grinder to a ski school I worked at about 25 years and still using them. I don't know if I would pay $200 if my current ones broke but if you take care of a hard orthotic/footbed they can last decades.

[Beder]

I can't feel the difference between my custom cork footbeds and green Superfeet...except the plastic gets very cold and the cork does not.

[XXX-er]

I put a custom maybe 2 or 3rd from top and the red sole one in each boot and went skiing for the day

I couldn't remember which was which till I took the boots off

[PeachesNCream]

I had been using expensive bootfitter made footbeds for quite a while, and just recently switched to $20 Sole heat mold at home ones. They fit about the same. My old ones were cracking from age.

IMHO the expensive ones are worthwhile if you have feet that require them - injuries, weird shapes, very high arches,... But I apparently have ordinary feet.

Hopefully you discuss it with an honest bootfitter and not one who just wants to sell you $200 footbeds.

Where are you finding $20 Sole footbeds?

[El Chupacabra]

Someone started a thread on it a little while ago - bought some Chris Davenport Sole footbeds for $20, less a discount code that I found.

Edit: here -

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app

[whyturn]

I like my aline black in my alpine. Also have green superfeet in touring boots


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[XXX-er]

Someone started a thread on it a little while ago - bought some Chris Davenport Sole footbeds for $20, less a discount code that I found.

Edit: here -

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app

those are made by sole

sole has or had a model that is thinner than the red

maybe purple is the new red ?

imagine bragging you have foot bed deal ?

[L82thegate]

No brag on my part, just a PSA some have found beneficial. If I could get my size, be on a second pair in no time. Why pay full price when you can get discontinued but high quality footbeds for less than half price? I use the reds and these. Hands down the Davenports are better.

[jerlane]

Someone started a thread on it a little while ago - bought some Chris Davenport Sole footbeds for $20, less a discount code that I found.

Edit: here -

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app

Damn, hard to go wrong for $18 and free shipping!

Pro tip: I’ve been able to use FSA dollars for orthotics in the past. Even custom orthotics made for ski boots. “Durable medical equipment.”

[volklpowdermaniac]

I’ll chime in for the Sidas crowd. Had a pair of the Sidas full custom (180-200ish)made for me about 11 years ago. For a long while I couldn’t find anyone making them in the mtn towns I lived in. Every time I tried to replace with something else - surefoot, sole, cheap ones, expensive ones) they felt trash. Finally hooked up with GregL who thankfully was still doing the Sidas full custom and had a second set made for the touring boots. They feel just like being at home again. Perfect. Meanwhile the original ones in my
in my alpine boots are still seemingly going strong 11 years and 5 boots later. Thankfully I can now have a new pair made as needed! Anyways, the way I see it the cost was tolerable given how long they’ve lasted but I generally agree it doesn’t have to cost a lot as long as it works with YOUR foot.

[RShea]

They have Sole cork footbeds also. Sole Active Thick with Met Pad - Cork Customizable Orthotic.

[Dee Hubbs]

Does anybody still do Superfeet Korks? (Colorado) I found a few new in package blanks in my garage from my old shop. Wondering if it’s worth the effort to try to track down a boot fitter that would bake and fit these?
I know the new Superfoot program is now the Custom Carbon, but is it still an unweighted, vacu bag system, and they’d still have the equipment?

[Shredhead]

Jack Rafferty has probably done as many as anyone. He works out of Aspen Sports in Snowmass.

Got some blanks cheap on here and just baked them myself. They’re still better than any off the shelf footbed.

[Benny Profane]

I had a pair of Sidas made for me last season that I am very happy with. Very. They were 179 retail marked down to 129 because I bought the boots from the store that fitted me. That's a great value. I use superfeet green in every shoe I own, because of plantar fasciitis issues I've had for a while, and, they're ok for everyday, including hiking, but, no match to the Sidas. As I said, allow a lot of time, dont rush it. It could only take an hour, but mine was more, because one had to be reheated and molded again.

[the_flying_v]

Another vote for Sidas over here. Worth the loot.

[gregL]

Another vote for Sidas over here. Worth the loot.

We are a SIdas shop, but it isn't so much the brand as the knowledge and skill of the bootfitter.

I have customs I've made from Sidas, Masterfit (Instatprint), DFP, etc. from different models of blanks and with different materials for the posting and they are all fine. I don't fit any off-the-shelf footbeds as my foot is flatter than any of them.