Hi all,
I know that online is not the place for bootfitting but as the new season approaches, I am looking for suggestions. Sorry in advance for the long post.
I got new boots in February as my then current boots were too big (2013 Head Vector 100, size 29). After trying every boot they suggested, I ended up getting a pair of 2017 Lange RS130 Wides (they did not have the regular ones) in size 27 with blue superfeet footbeds. This put me in a race fit but it didn't feel too tight and they stretched or punched the boots in areas that were causing pain. My feet were still falling asleep in them after about 20 minutes or so. My feet measure at about a size 27 when unweighted with the left foot being about 5mm longer and wider but my feet expand to a size 29 when weighted, again with the left being bigger.
I skied them a couple days and noticed an immediate difference in the performance compared to my previous boots, which was expected. My feet were still falling asleep fairly quickly and the pain pre-stretch/punch was back, like they never happened. I go back to the shop they redo the stretches/punches and heat mold the liners. Ski them a few more days and notice the same thing again along with very quick quad fatigue. Like 'having to stop every half dozen turns or so to rest' quad fatigue. Now, I can usually ski a full day and not get that kind of fatigue until the very end of the day when skiing hard all day so something did not seem right. Back to the shop, same stuff again (stretch/punch/liner) plus I ask them to check my cuff alignment and I remove the spoilers in the boots, thinking a more upright stance would help ease the quad fatigue. I think they thought I meant canting instead of cuff alignment as they had me stand on balance plates in my usual leg separation while skiing and determined that that was fine. I asked about the cuff alignment as every time they shell checked me in the boots, it felt like the cuffs were in quite a bit of contact with the medial sides of my legs. They suggested that I ski the boots more to work in the liner, which would give more space in the boot. I do that and on my second last ski day of the season, I ski for a couple of hours in the morning and then have to take the boots off due to pain. I rest for a bit in the lodge and then back out onto the hill, pain was gone and the boots felt great for the rest of the day.
Last ski day of the season, I figured the boots must be good to go and then pain is back again in all the same places as well as the numbness/feet falling asleep and quad fatigue. I didn't get back into the shop before they closed for the summer but the last time I was there, the fitter was talking about doing a custom footbed and grinding the boots so the shell couldn't revert back as it was doing with the stretching/punching.
Work done on the boots: They stretched mostly for width in the forefoot, a bit for length, along the 5th metatarsal, one side of the left heel to accommodate a spur, and over the navicular. They heated the liners two or three times with one time having foam inserts attached to my feet to get more space in problem areas, mostly the toe box and along my arches. Both the shell and liner did not seem to hold the modifications.
Pain was in the 1st phalanges of both feet, the 5th metatarsals (mostly at the head and base), and navicular areas, with the left foot requiring the most work. The navicular stretches seemed to help the 5th metatarsal pain areas as well. At times, it felt like my foot was being folded along the length of the 2nd metatarsal. Another couple of times, it felt like there was a bump under my middle metatarsal heads. They did some work on the footbed to try to accommodate these sensations. The last few ski days of the season, it felt like the boot was trying to twist my foot in such a way that the lateral malleolus was pressing into the liner/shell; this happened mostly with the left foot but occasionally with the right. The 1st phalanges of both feet felt like they were curling under, more prominently in the left foot, but this was helped some when they added some length. This seemed more like a liner issue though.
A few of the people I ski with think that the boots are not the right fit for me based on my being in pain. They think I should see about exchanging them for a different boot at the same shop or selling them and buying a different boot altogether. I think that based on the way they feel when I am skiing them that they will be the right fit once they are properly fitted. I am thinking of getting a custom footbed done first either way before doing any further modifications to the boot as my foot likely won't expand as much once a proper footbed is in place and it will also change any potential pressure points. Does this seem like the best course or should I listen to my ski buddies? Thanks in advance for any help!