Do you use custom footbeds?

[Skiiboot]

A good footbed should last between 400-500 days of skiing, there are some that will not last half that. They should go in 3-4 pairs of boots.

Jeff

[mergs]

I do...

I found my experience with them similar to RiverC0il, nice but not the dreamy end result I was told would happen. Frankly I think a couple of my riding buddies overhyped them to me.

On the plus side, I actually find that they stabilize side to side movements, and limit heel lift somewhat,

On the downside, I find the padding on the custom fbs so thin that the sole of my feet hurt badly by the end of the day. thus i tend to leave in the factory footbed and put the custom fb on top of that (for padding). is that a faux paus? dunno. (it makes a snugger fit but i don't know if that is limits the intended performance of the custom fb at all.)

Would I get another set? Probably but I would talk to the fitter more about my specific foot issues so he could fit me better next time.

[JimG.]

Originally Posted by mergs

I do...

I found my experience with them similar to RiverC0il, nice but not the dreamy end result I was told would happen. Frankly I think a couple of my riding buddies overhyped them to me.

On the plus side, I actually find that they stabilize side to side movements, and limit heel lift somewhat,

On the downside, I find the padding on the custom fbs so thin that the sole of my feet hurt badly by the end of the day. thus i tend to leave in the factory footbed and put the custom fb on top of that (for padding). is that a faux paus? dunno. (it makes a snugger fit but i don't know if that is limits the intended performance of the custom fb at all.)

Would I get another set? Probably but I would talk to the fitter more about my specific foot issues so he could fit me better next time.

Sounds like you had a less than great bootfitter.

-Stabilize side to side movement and limit heel lift? Good footbeds eliminate side to side movement and heel lift.

-Leave in the factory footbed and put the custom bed over it? A well fitted boot/footbed would leave zero room for you to put the factory footbed in.

-You tell the bootfitter what your feet need? Oh no, the bootfitter is the one who tells you what you need.

I suspect that Steve's less than enthusiastic response is also related to a poor boot fitting.

Most folks I know who go to my bootfitter have the same response I did...there is skiing before footbeds and there is skiing after footbeds. The two experiences are totally different and once you get those footbeds you simply can't imagine how you skiied without them.