make my instep pain go away

December 10, 2006 11:16 AM

What ski boot brands/models tend to have the most room for people with high arches, short toes, and somewhat wide feet?

I've tried on a bunch of different boots at my local ski store. The salesman there insists that 26.5 is the right size for me (I wear size 9 shoes but can't wear some brands because they're too narrow). My left foot is evidently more archy or taller than my right because even the best fitting boots I've found just crush my left foot.

I bought the one that fit the best when the shop promised to make it fit. Interestingly, it was a brand (Dalbello) that I'd never heard of.

The shop has twice now adjusted the boots (the boot, not the liner) to be more roomy (a process that involves them putting the boots in a crock pot and stretching them out, evidently). I just dropped the boots off again, where they're going to stretch the instep on the left some more.

If this doesn't work, I'm going to ask for my money back, I think.

Any suggestions? There aren't many ski shops in Chicago, so it's hard to go elsewhere.

I got some of those "smartfeet" footbeds and it didn't help. Would spending a chunk of cash for custom ones make a difference?

Is there another brand of boot, known for high-arch friendliness, I should be looking at? How much does instep height get larger as boot size goes up? Am I going to just have to get boots that are too big for me, because of my left foot?

posted by rbs to sports, hobbies, & recreation (11 comments total)

rbs, I am not quite clear on what kind of pain you are feeling. Are your toes bumping against the front of the boot as you ski (and become cold, etc) or are you getting some other type of pain, perhaps cramping?

I have instep pain from wearing ski boots, as well. It usually occurs during the first hour on the ski hill, before I've had time to relax into the sport. My foot cramps as though it was being wrung out like a wet rag.

It's horrible - I have to take my foot out of the boot to twist out the cramp, shake it out, then reinsert the foot into the boot and resume skiing. Terrible pain.

I had this pain last year, when I first got the boots. The pain was intense the first time I skied. The second time I skied - a week later - there was some pain in the first hour, but the rest of the ski day was pain-free. And the times afterwards, no pain at all skiing.

this year, the pain returned on the first day! And the second ski, a week later, there was some cramping as well - but less. I too have the green insoles. I think that maybe the insoles are pressing against a nerve in my foot - this has happened with new insoles in old hiking boots as well.

I think that part of your problem may be your foot getting used to a new boot. And maybe also some discomfort about relearning a favourite sport after a season away.

So here is my suggestion - wear the boots indoors for an hour, in the evening, as you read your email or sit at your desk. Get your feet attuned to the boot again. And work-in your boots. Inner linings stretch after a while - it's good that you are having your boots stretched by the store, but the boot has to mold to YOUR foot, too.
posted by seawallrunner at 11:42 AM on December 10, 2006

At this point, the pain is from the mechanical pressure of my instep/arch being crushed (and this is with the boots on the loosest setting in that area) and from the loss in circulation that that causes.
posted by rbs at 12:15 PM on December 10, 2006

my problematic ski boots are the women's Scarpa Matrix ATs, whereas my boyfriend is very happy with his Garmont Megaride AT boots. After years of downhill we switched to Alpine Touring so we can ski on the trails that we hike in the summer.

rbs, you say you are in Chicago - there are twoREI stores within 20 miles or so from the city: one in Niles, the other at Oakbrook Terrace.

REI sells ski equipment and their expertise in that area runs deep. Also, they have a wide range of ski brands and boots. It might be worth your while to go talk with them as you evaluate what to do with your current boots.

And in the meantime, wear your current boots for an hour every night for a few weeks, in addition to taking them to the slopes. I hope that your situation improves as the season progresses.
posted by seawallrunner at 12:55 PM on December 10, 2006

I have high arches and I love Dalbello.
posted by k8t at 1:21 PM on December 10, 2006

another advantage to REI--you can return any item you're not satisfied with (they call it Return Equipment, Inc,). See here. So go down there, try some on and pick one, then if you're not satisfied, return them for something different. Its their job to make sure you're happy. Agree with the advice to try them on for a while at the store, focusing on how they feel while you're flexed forward. And the first 5-10 days skiing are gonna kinda suck.
posted by alkupe at 5:21 PM on December 10, 2006

Do your boots have custom-moldable, heat sensitive liners? If not, you may want to get some that do. In my experience, this made a huge difference: having the liner heated and molded to your foot adds a lot of comfort.

If your feet are unusually wide for their length, it makes sense that the boots would need to be stretched. A shop I frequent specializes in tweaking ski and mountaineering boots to fit. They often use a process like you describe (heating and stretching the plastic), and I know it often takes several iterations.

If I were in your place, I would keep working with the shop that promises to make the boots fit, rather than go to REI (where the staff, in my experience, tend not to be that knowledgeable about unusual feet).
posted by medusa at 7:27 PM on December 10, 2006

I've made a lot of mistakes with boots, thanks to my grotesque feet and long search for a competent fitter. What follows is based on my experience:

First, take all of this with a HUGE YMMV. And also be aware that your friends (and even strangers like me on the 'net) who sound like they know everything about skiing don't know anywhere near as much as folks who've been fitting boots successfully for years. But we probably know more than most folks for whom selling (and possibly trying to fit) ski boots is a part-time, seasonal gig.

I can't answer your "best boot for my foot" question directly. If your feet are really unusual, a good shop with experienced fitters should direct you to a couple of models that they think they'll have the best luck adapting to your anatomy. A good fitter can just look at your feet and tell you (well, tell you their best guess - it always depends on how your feet feel in the boots.) k8t's comment suggests you're probably starting with a good candidate boot (though again, it's very user-specific.)

First, you're an improving skier, right? Keep in mind you'll have these boots for a long time (potentially 10 years or more unless you're out there every day) so you're doing the right thing by demanding a good fit. It may take even the best fitters (is yours a certified pedorthist?) several tries to get boots right. Don't give up on getting a good fit (though you may have to give up on this boot or this shop -- we'll see.)

Anyway, you've got the boots now so be persistent with the shop. If they promised to make it fit, they need to do that or take the boots back and let you try something/someplace else. Hopefully your credit card company will back you if they give you a hard time.

First, know that a good fitter is capable of doing major surgery on the boots to get the fit right. Stretching the boots is not uncommon (you should see what they had to do to mine - they used something approximating an anal pear [warning - yikes!] in the ankles) so don't be too freaked out by that. There will be a point where they can't stretch them any more without compromising the boot and they'll tell you if they get to that point. They might be able to cut away part of the inner boot to make more room, but with the new technical liners I think that's less popular than in the old days. Good fitters can also add more padding, grind the sole, move buckles, etc. etc. etc. Depending on where you buy the boots, and how major the work is, the cost may be included in the price of the boots or not.

If you want custom footbeds (and if you have sole or arch pain you almost surely do) those'll cost extra anywhere you go.

In the most extreme cases there are custom boot makers who start with a very tweakable outer boot and cast inner boots specific to each foot. These are very expensive so let's not go there yet.

Oh, and seawallrunner has a great tip - my first two or three times out every season, especially the first couple of runs, always used to be the worst. It improved a lot (but didn't go away entirely) after I got into the habit of putting on my boots for a couple hours at a time over the weeks leading up to ski season.

Okay, with all that background out of the way let's talk about your specific case:

make my instep pain go away

Custom footbeds almost always help that. If your shop doesn't offer them finding a reputable source for them can be tricky -- call a local ski club or the local universities' outing clubs and ask around.

I got some of those "smartfeet" footbeds and it didn't help. Would spending a chunk of cash for custom ones make a difference?

First, be sure you've removed the footbeds that came with the boots before trying the Smartfeet, o/w the fit will be all off. If that doesn't help then custom footbeds will almost certainly be an improvement over Smartfeet but no guarantees. I use Smartfeet on my backpacking boots and they're great for that but the stresses downhill skiing puts on your arches and soles tend to call for a more custom fit.

Also, the footbeds' primary job is to spread the load correctly over the sole of your foot. If you're looking to them to add volume, that's best done as part of the fitting process in conjunction with custom footbeds.


The shop has twice now adjusted the boots

I take it you've skied in these boots at least once They shouldn't have let you leave the shop with boots that didn't fit comfortably (that is, room to wiggle the toes, toes not jammed up against the front, and heel lifting < cm when flexing.) after that you'll want to ski in them even two days before bringing them back for further adjustment. br>
There are two reasons for this: first, boots can pack down a lot when you use them - this will change the fit, as will the colder temperatures on the slopes. Second, the dynamic loads will bring out more fit problems (especially in the ankle, heel and arch) than you will notice from spending a half-hour or so walking around/crouching/otherwise beating up on the boots on your trial fitting in the shop.

You may have to repeat this several times before it's all ironed out. A lot depends on your patience and the willingness and abilities of the shop to accomodate you; though I've heard of shops who value their reputation making adjustments years after a purchase for no or very little charge.

Interestingly, it was a brand (Dalbello) that I'd never heard of.

Don't sweat it. Dalbello is a well-respected brand.

There aren't many ski shops in Chicago, so it's hard to go elsewhere.

There are some other, albeit expensive options -- email me if you want more details but let's try to get it done locally.

Somebody else mentioned REI. Don't get me wrong - I love REI and miss the store they used to have in New Rochelle, NY - but unless things have changed there a lot I wouldn't go there to buy ski boots. I know because I bought a pair there once and neither I nor they knew anything, really, about fitting boots and I spent the next 5 years in pain until I found a good fitter and correct boots for my feet. They may be good for AT boots (I don't know - I bought my Scarpa Matrixes at EMS) but keep in mind fit issues on AT boots are different than for downhill boots.

I tend to believe it'll be pretty much the same story with any major discount ski shop or sporting goods store (esp chains.) One major danger sign is if they have anybody under 25, or anybody who doesn't know every model inside and out, sellling boots. If you think that's an ageist comment, email me and I'll elaborate.

Am I going to just have to get boots that are too big for me, because of my left foot?

Don't do that. If things are really that bad, get the custom boots or you'll be all over the place in the right-foot boot and you won't have any control on that side.

loss in circulation

Unless you're a downhill racer (and note, they only keep their boots buckled for a few minutes at a time) that is completely unacceptable.
posted by Opposite George at 10:10 PM on December 10, 2006

They shouldn't have let you leave the shop with boots that didn't fit comfortably (that is, room to wiggle the toes, toes not jammed up against the front, and heel lifting < cm when flexing.) after that you'll want to ski in them even two days before bringing them back for further adjustment. br>

Yikes! That should look like this:

They shouldn't have let you leave the shop with boots that didn't fit comfortably (that is, room to wiggle the toes, toes not jammed up against the front, and heel lifting less than one cm when flexing.) After that you'll want to skin in them one or even two days before bringing them back for further adjustment.

Less-than signs are not your friend in html formatting!
posted by Opposite George at 10:18 PM on December 10, 2006

i haven't skied in a long time, but i bought a pair of snowboard boots from viking ski shop at fullerton & kedzie last year, and they worked with me extensively on the fit. they bill themselves as fit specialists. if the boots you're currently trying to fit don't work out (and if you're not already shopping there), maybe give them a try.
posted by chrisege at 10:30 PM on December 10, 2006

chrisege: that's where I've been going.
I figure I've got time for one more back-and-forth before I leave for my chrismas holiday out west (where I'll be skiing a lot).

anyway, thanks, all.
posted by rbs at 10:53 PM on December 10, 2006

I'd go for the custom insoles then, assuming they don't impact the shop's ability to get the clearance issues sorted out.

Yeah, it's gonna be bucks and ultimately a gamble, but custom insoles will almost certainly not make things worse and might improve things significantly. Just bring your current insoles on your trip just in case there is a problem, in which case you can have the shop redo the custom ones when you get back.
posted by Opposite George at 12:13 AM on December 11, 2006