Boot problem or my feet?

[hammer]

hammer - what kind of stretches? It certainly couldn't hurt!

There are two types that I've been told to do:

• roll a tennis ball on the floor using your arches
• drop down on a knee and flex the toes back on your foot...not sure if it's needed but I try to keep the knee off of the floor

Good luck and be patient...

 

[tjf67]

Foot cramping, that is. Early season it's the worst, but then if I've been away for a while or if I buckle down too fast, I get foot cramps that hurt soooo badly. I have flexible flat feet (small arch when unweighted and pretty much no arch when weighted). I did pay for the $150 custom footbeds this time with my new boots that were done unweighted as they're supposed to offer more support. Been out in the boots twice now and I'm still getting foot cramps initially. It does seem to get better as the day wears on, though it sucks toughing it out for those first few runs. (Or in the case of yesterday, pretty much all my runs.)

So is this a boot problem? Or is it my feet? Are there stretches I could maybe do or strengthening? It's likely that part of my problem was being off skis for so long in the middle of the season. But this is something I really need to tweak out.

I have the same problem for the first couple of runs. My arches are on fire. I thinks it is just part of the sport. My boots have been tweeked no less than 5 times soo I think I have it as good as it is going to get without giving up performance. I could be wrong though i lose my toenails every year so I am not sure I know what I am doing. They grow back just in time for Novemeber

 

[Greg]

I have the same problem for the first couple of runs. My arches are on fire. I thinks it is just part of the sport. My boots have been tweeked no less than 5 times soo I think I have it as good as it is going to get without giving up performance. I could be wrong though i lose my toenails every year so I am not sure I know what I am doing. They grow back just in time for Novemeber

I do think initial cramping is just part of it. After my feet loosen up, everything is fine for the rest of the day. This year was a good year for me, boot-wise; I rarely thought much about them. I lost a toenail last season. Looks pretty fuggin' gnarley when that thing falls off. :blink: This year I held onto it. I kept them clipped very short all season. That helps.

 

[tjf67]

I do think initial cramping is just part of it. After my feet loosen up, everything is fine for the rest of the day. This year was a good year for me, boot-wise; I rarely thought much about them. I lost a toenail last season. Looks pretty fuggin' gnarley when that thing falls off. :blink: This year I held onto it. I kept them clipped very short all season. That helps.

They are not off yet. Just bubbled up. It alwasy happens in the srping from slamming them around. its a viscious cycle. I dont touch them cause that only makes them hurt. I let nature take its course till they start stinking like rotten meat then they get the rip. Usually end of June. HAHA enjoy lunch

 

[Greg]

They are not off yet. Just bubbled up. It alwasy happens in the srping from slamming them around. its a viscious cycle. I dont touch them cause that only makes them hurt. I let nature take its course till they start stinking like rotten meat then they get the rip. Usually end of June. HAHA enjoy lunch

Thanks. uke:

My nail just got real hollow sounding and brittle. It then just fell off on it's own. I think I actually caught it on something. Not all that painful. I got some ugly ass feet anyway so it just added to the display when wearing sandals in the summer...

 

[severine]

Oh yuck! Thankfully, I haven't had toenail problems!!!

There's definitely an instep issue that I think can be attributed to the height of the custom footbeds (the boots felt significantly different pre- versus post-footbeds) that I need checked out anyway. But it sounds like I'm not the only one with cranky feet.

 

[Greg]

There's definitely an instep issue that I think can be attributed to the height of the custom footbeds (the boots felt significantly different pre- versus post-footbeds) that I need checked out anyway. But it sounds like I'm not the only one with cranky feet.

Custom footbeds can take some getting used to. After all, what other footwear do you have where there is that amount of support up under your arch? If you're not skiing well-balanced on them, that may be adding to the problem. I don't mean to sound crude, but I think you just gotta live with it for a while. If the achyness eventually goes away after an hour or two, there's not a problem with the boot.

 

[severine]

Not crude at all. That's what I was looking for - an honest response as to whether I needed to work on my feet or have the boots worked on. The other issue I mentioned is a separate issue that needs to be looked at anyway.

I'll work on those stretches and see if I can get out for a couple more ski days this month so I can break them in some more. Though this weekend isn't looking good weather-wise.

 

[hammer]

Custom footbeds can take some getting used to. After all, what other footwear do you have where there is that amount of support up under your arch? If you're not skiing well-balanced on them, that may be adding to the problem. I don't mean to sound crude, but I think you just gotta live with it for a while. If the achyness eventually goes away after an hour or two, there's not a problem with the boot.

I normally didn't get out skiing all that often, but during the last month I was able to get out once a week...by the end of the month the "boot love" was not as pronounced during the first few runs.

As far as the "live with it" comment, I agree to a point but not entirely...I don't want to sacrifice performance, but when you don't get out as often you don't want to spend a chunk of your ski day with sore feet.

I also have a black toenail from falling backwards in the trees and jamming my big toe into my boot. I was told by an experienced skier that it was a sign of a good-fitting boot...next time, though, I'll keep the toenails trimmed and the boot bucked down.

 

[Warp Daddy]

all good adice so far --- keep em loose for a few runs

One caution however be careful NOT to OVERTIGHTEN buckles . This can sometimes result in a very painful condition common among skiers and some runners called Morton's Neuroma . It's an extremly painful bump between the 3rd and 4th toes which results from TOO tight ski boots and prolonged skiing often on hardpack

One of my younger ski buddies 37 yrs old and a very serious and strong skier got it this season and is still suffering after cortisone treatments . He has NOT skied since January . So snug yes tightening to the max --no way

i used to really clamp em down but no longer

PS glad to hear you're making that trip to A/B

 

[Greg]

As far as the "live with it" comment, I agree to a point but not entirely...I don't want to sacrifice performance, but when you don't get out as often you don't want to spend a chunk of your ski day with sore feet.

Well, I should clarify that I don't know exactly what degree of pain Carrie is in. We all have different pain tolerance too. I would also say that 3 or 4 runs, or perhaps an hour is not a chunk of your day. If there still is significant pain after that, you should pursue whether there is something that a boot fitter could do to fix the problem.

 

[mondeo]

I think I'm going to take my boots in though and see if they have any recommendations. The fit was guaranteed and they know more about boot fitting than I do. If there's anything they can do that will help, it's worth a shot.

If I remember correctly, you had these done at Alpine Haus (fits the hour from Torrington bill, at least)? I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but they close for the season next Sunday. I need to get in there soon and replace the pants I just ruined on Sunday (no more spread eagles for me until I lose some more weight...)

 

[ckofer]

I usually don't suffer too much from skiing but ice skating kills me the first few times and since I go seldom that nearly always. I don't know, as Carrie questions, whether it's my condition or the skate in this case. The pains are similar too. I wonder if you could condition your feet by skating between trips or pre-season. There is a chance that you are straining some undeveloped muscles/ligaments/et al and encouraging inflammation. If it agrees with you, a few ibuprofin early in the day may help too.

 

[severine]

If I remember correctly, you had these done at Alpine Haus (fits the hour from Torrington bill, at least)? I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but they close for the season next Sunday. I need to get in there soon and replace the pants I just ruined on Sunday (no more spread eagles for me until I lose some more weight...)

Good to know! Looks like I won't have many opportunities for tweaking this season.

ckofer - Now that you mention it, I always hated ice skating because my feet would hurt. Probably related.

 

[mondeo]

ckofer - Now that you mention it, I always hated ice skating because my feet would hurt. Probably related.

I think we're onto something here... (with my grand total of 5 times skating in my life.) My conclusion, based on the fact that the pain only starts when I start skiing, is that it's due in part to the way the foot is loaded. Also, I've noticed that it's much more pronounced on long cruisers/crossovers/slow trails, and in conditions (crud for me) that I find myself struggling more with. So not just underdeveloped muscles, but possibly also due to not practicing good, efficient technique (skiing fast or in moguls forces me into a zone where I have to have better technique.)

 

[severine]

UPDATE:

Went to Alpine Haus today and Eric helped me. He said it's common with the custom footbeds for people to need them shaved down a bit due to instep (which was the other problem I mentioned). He helped me with another spot where I was having a pressure point, but we were real conservative in adjustments today as he felt I still needed several more ski days in them before the liner will really start packing out and settling in.

I asked him about the cramping. He felt that going from a very recreational boot to something that is more performance-driven (Salomon Performa 4.0 to a Nordica Olympia Beast 10) is part of it. That there's an angle to the boot that's more aggressive than what I'm used to and so my feet will need some time getting used to that. He also stated that his feet act up when he hasn't been skiing in a while (so again, I'm not the only one with cranky feet). Basically, I just need to spend more time on the slopes and get used to not only my boots, but skiing again. Which we laughed about seeing as it's the wrong time of year for that. So he was honest that I'm likely to have unhappy feet at ABasin (especially since it's spring skiing=warm feet, though he suggested some things I can do to mitigate discomfort). They will do everything they can once they reopen (recommended that we wait until something like Sundown is open so I can test out the tweaks over a series of days) to get it right though. He feels the boot is right for the shape of my foot, that it's not a width issue (but there may be other things to tweak out once the boots are used more). I appreciated his honesty, and the fact that they have a 1 yr fit guarantee (so if they can't get these boots right for me for some reason or other, even if it's next season, they'll get me into one that does work).

I know, I kind of went off on a tangent. I guess I'm just trying to share that I had a very satisfactory visit today - and that those who were leaning toward it's a foot problem, not boot, may be right. I'm working on stretching my feet more. I'll be sure not to buckle up right away. Thinnest socks possible for now. And wear my boots more to get my feet acclimated.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Warp Daddy]

Nice customer service and great feedback for you ! Relax and Enjoy A/B take pics !