by Kiwi » Tue Mar 24, 2009 1:03 am
Monsterman
Welcome to the nightmare.
This does not answer your question but you may find it interesting. These ideas may be complete rubbish. I am no boot fitter or have any experience or training. I expect I will have the errors of my ways pointed out.
Harald and Diana did my wife's boots and alignment. The fit is so good she keeps these boots with her on the plane etc. I, on the other hand, will be going to Dumont next year.
In the interim dealing with boot fitters has forced me to experiment. I know there are great boot fitters but I haven't found one in NZ and unfortunately I cannot drive to Dumont.
I have a wide, across the Metatarsals, high volume foot (thick ankles) with a narrow heal, politely referred to as strong feet, they could be more flexible which is something I now constantly work on.
As for the arch I read what Harald wrote in ACBAES 1 and think I might be more flat footed than is at first apparent. I have learned my feet and their fit in a boot is very deceptive. After my experience with Head I can say that there are definitely boots that work for you. Others do nothing positive and some work against you.
I went through the typical — you have wide feet so you need a wide fitting boot. I've concluded that is too general and if you hear this run. Feet seem wide in places and narrow in others. A good boot fitter I imagine is able to select a boot for the narrow parts of the foot and adjust quite a lot for the wide areas by stretching etc. Everyone knows this but I found it can not be this simple.
My experience with the generic wide boot suggests you get a flex of about 100 and a fit that is way too large when the overly thick liners inevitably pack out. This is definitely not the way to go. I did and ended up skiing so badly I could just about blame the boots.
If you try Atomics be warned that their sizing doesn't go to halfs they just have thick and thin liners to fill the range, Jay explained this to me when he told me my boots were a size and a bit too large. Hope I got this right. Bored yet? just grab another tinnie.
In frustration, with "wide boots" I went to two reputable boot shops in NZ and got a set of foot beds made by each. They are so different you wouldn't believe they came from the same foot. Worse both are two rigid as HH explains in ACBAES 1.
After beating myself up and hurting my left foot I took Harald's advise on the forum (yeah so I am a little slow) and went and bought the SS Raptor from Head, slightly wider than their more advanced boots and only 110 flex but not a "wide boot". It does have a comfort liner, thicker than the high spec boot. Still they are a size and a half smaller than what the other boots the boot fitter sold me,..jeesuz; and I thought the devil was in the detail ( not to criticise Satan) . With a little bit of work on the edge, not much, they felt fine even with the best of the bad foot beds in and I skied way better. I know this through video and because even Nugget said so and he and I never lie or exaggerate. Everyone knows the All Blacks are the best rugby team in the World.
Well I thought I would ski the boots without any base canting. Straight away I saw my right foot pronating inward to much while my left was good. It took good fitting boots to figure this out and I did it all by myself, hmm. I haven't addressed the base canting yet, I will dial this in shortly. However it led me to discovering a slight rotation in the pelvis I am now working on. I really need to go to Dumont. Although its a whole new story, it is correctable and finding it is actually a blessing.
I recalled at this time that Steinmark, I think, had "strong feet" and didn't use foot beds so I took them out of the Raptors. Well stone the crows I skied better. Even more surprising the boots may actually be a little to big in volume without the foot bed!! I can still ski all day in comfort. So I'm going to try the higher spec Raptor and really thin socks. I was told I had typical Kiwi feet and would never fit a top end boot now I question this.
My conclusions:
A foot bed can distort the whole 'foot to boot relationship' both in terms of volume and width. Getting the foot beds right is No.1 otherwise do without them if you can. I would definitely get to a Harb Alignment specialist to make the foot bed.
Get the stiffest highest spec boot you can, just watch the forward cuff angle is not to great and have ankle movement in the boot in order to pressure the boot. HH has discussed this on the forum and in ACBAES 1. I am not convinced these new bi moulded plastic boots are as good as a boot constructed out of one plastic.
Boot volume may be the most important measurement after length of fit.
Make sure the narrow part of the foot ( the heel ) fits, then the space around the front of the ankle and top of the foot before considering if you can fix any pressure points width wise. I have come to be weary of packing the lining to get a firmer fit around narrow areas of the foot.
I would sand a couple of mm off the rear of the zappa board if I needed more volume around the ankle and top of the foot.
I did not realise how small the adjustments can be to actually make functional changes.
I would get the toe box ground out or punched if I felt uncomfortable around the toes.
Heating then stretching or punching seems common place and although I could practise with a heat gun and expander I do not have experience with the heating and cooling properties of plastics and boots are expensive.
To conclude I still do not know much about boot fitting but I do have better boots than I did.