footbeds and bootfitters

[Talisman]

And a little closer... Strands in Worcester. I've always heard good things about them for bootfitting and they're also the only ones who hit my skis with anything more mechanical than a flat file.

+1 on Strands with custom bootfitting. My feet are a strange size and shape made worse by multiple fractures of various bones. For awhile I contemplated having a toe amputated to improve boot fit and then I heard about Strands. Now after Starnd's I feel justified to a light a cigarette every time I put on my boots as they feel so good. Strand's cork foot beds are really warm too. The Strand's shop is a little rough, not every one is into bathing and late in the day the whiskey bottle drains quickly, but prices are good and they stand by their work.

 

[WJenness]

I have wide, flat feet myself, and like I said above, the A-Lines made a big difference in the fit of my boots.

-w

 

[automagp68]

+1 on Strands with custom bootfitting. My feet are a strange size and shape made worse by multiple fractures of various bones. For awhile I contemplated having a toe amputated to improve boot fit and then I heard about Strands. Now after Starnd's I feel justified to a light a cigarette every time I put on my boots as they feel so good. Strand's cork foot beds are really warm too. The Strand's shop is a little rough, not every one is into bathing and late in the day the whiskey bottle drains quickly, but prices are good and they stand by their work.

wow
super extream dude

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

How do you think they will preform for someone that has extreamly wide and flat feet with virtually no arch?
My biggest problem is the width. I get alot of presure from the outside waste or 'last" i beleive they call it?

Thanks

I've got a very low, but long arch and they've worked well for me. Without looking at your foot, just by going off what you've said on here, a foot that pronates (ankle rolls to the inside and arch collapses) also everts (twists outward) and the forefoot splays (spreads apart) so your wide, flat foot gets wider and flatter when you stand on it without any support...then add the force applied to your feet while skiing (up to 6 times your body weight) and you've got a big, flat pancake of a foot thats being smashed into the outside of the boot. So the first thing to take care of is the alignment at the ankle and that may solve the majority of your issues...once the alignment is taken care of, then its fairly easy to stretch the boot for width if you still need room on the outside. The good thing about the Aline bed is that you can try them on first and spend some time in them...a custom footbed has to be molded and ground before its ready for you to even feel for the first time...and at that point you are into the shop for some $$. The Aline was designed by a bootfitter specifically for skiing...and while it has some arch built into it, its not very high to start out...so if you can buy regular sneakers and don't have to have all of your shoes custom fitted, chances are pretty good that the Aline will work. If you spend the $60 and then go out and ski on them a few days and find it doesn't give you the relief you're looking for, you can take them back. But you also need to see a bootfitter to determine if you're in the right boot...best bet is for you to find a place that has a rep for good bootfitting, stocks Aline, and also does full custom beds in case you need to go that route. One thing to keep in mind is that footbeds don't always feel perfect your first time in them...sometimes it takes a day or so on the hill for your feet to get used to the support.

There have been a number of good bootfitters mentioned who can craft a quality custom bed, but its going to cost you $150+ while the Aline is only $60. Both Skidmarks and I own the best footbed casting sytem on the market...the Conformable HD Vac, but we're both skiing on Alines... I had a lot of time and money invested in the fully custom footbed process, I was a huge skeptic of the Aline when I first saw it...but then I skied on them...now they've been in my boots the last 4 seasons.

 

[riverc0il]

Anyone ever use Wilderness House on Comm Ave in Allston?

I got my customs done there years ago but that was before the ownership change and before their top fitter left. Word that I have read online is the Wilderness House is not what it once was.

 

[Brewbeer]

I had custom footbeds made years ago and it did immediate wonders to skiing ability/enjoyment. Go for it if you can, to me it was totally worth it.

 

[Mikec13]

+2 on Strands...I was there last weekend and they are incredible...eccentric but incredible...it is owned by twin brothers...Lief does the bootfitting and he is the guy to go to!!

 

[RootDKJ]

I'm using Superfeet Green footbeds in my boots. I pronate, and my podiatrist has told me I'd benefit from some custom footbeds, I just haven't done it yet.

The Superfeet's are better then the stock footbeds.

 

[skidmarks]

I'm using Superfeet Green footbeds in my boots. I pronate, and my podiatrist has told me I'd benefit from some custom footbeds, I just haven't done it yet.

The Superfeet's are better then the stock footbeds.

A varus wedge under your Superfeet may fix the pronation problem in your ski boot too.

 

[RootDKJ]

A varus wedge under your Superfeet may fix the pronation problem in your ski boot too.

I have those as well. I forgot about them.

 

[tylerjames]

mount snow just got the head boot fitter Green Mountain Orthotic Lab at Stratton Vermont. he's setting up shop in mountain sports in the main base lodge

 

[Beast_Ed]

There is only one master fitter with 25+ years experience on the east coast ... it's Hal at Northern Ski Works at Killington. He's done the entire Killington team, some members of the US team, etc. I spent $40 last year having him work on my tecnica's .. I can ski all day and seldom need to release the buckles to ride the lift. I wish I saw him years ago ....

 

[mattchuck2]

I'd get custom footbeds.

I got mine for $89 (here), and they fully guaranteed the work, so when my right foot didn't feel right, they made me a whole new footbed. I also have very flat feet and IMO, custom was definitely the way to go. Also, I just bought new boots, transferring my footbeds over, and they fit like a glove.

 

[foofy]

skidmarks & eastcoastpowderhound:

Do you know of any changes in the Alines since they came out? I was at a shop yesterday that carried them. The boot guy said they no longer are customizable under the arch, just the heel, and the material did seem different than what I currently have - harder and more plasticy.

He also claims not to be able to wear Alines himself, and as a result was very negative towards them overall. He was also saying (without knowing anything about my foot or skiing ability) that in a particular boot he grabbed off the wall (which I know is not the right boot for me), he could "roll my foot" in them without any footbed at all. So, I'm taking everything he's saying with a HUGE grain of salt...

 

[skidmarks]

Aline changed to the "Reds" last season. They work much better in a ski boot since your sock will now slide over their top surface. They also lost the metatarsal pin/post/nub and now use an alignment tab system instead of a series of pin/post/nub(s) under the heel.

I'm not sure what said Boot Guy was talking about but you can align a foot in a boot with just the stock footbed. You always will have better results with a better Footbed System.

 

[Geoff]

There is only one master fitter with 25+ years experience on the east coast ... it's Hal at Northern Ski Works at Killington. He's done the entire Killington team, some members of the US team, etc. I spent $40 last year having him work on my tecnica's .. I can ski all day and seldom need to release the buckles to ride the lift. I wish I saw him years ago ....

It's not like Killington has any shortage of really competent boot guys and you don't have to be part of that Masterfit U program to be good. I was sitting next to the wife of one of the co-founders the other day on an airplane. He's the Telluride guy and he was east doing clinics with the Stratton guys. Fred Coriell's Peak Performance handles an awful lot of the KSC and KMS racer kids. It's his core business. Dave Dutton continued to do Hannah Hardaway's boots for a couple of years after she was on the US team. Ray Garrett at the Basin is really good, too. One of my god kids is a KMS bumper. Ray does his boots.

Is "some members of the US team" Kristin Leggett? Her mom is the business manager at Northern and there's no way mom would be shelling out money to have another shop do her boots. I believe Northern started offering really good pricing to the KMS kids a few years ago so most take advantage of it. I think that's a really good way to give back. I think many of the other shops work similar deals. It's stunningly expensive to put a kid through KMS and a lot of the parents aren't exactly living the life of the rich & famous.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

skidmarks & eastcoastpowderhound:

Do you know of any changes in the Alines since they came out? I was at a shop yesterday that carried them. The boot guy said they no longer are customizable under the arch, just the heel, and the material did seem different than what I currently have - harder and more plasticy.

He also claims not to be able to wear Alines himself, and as a result was very negative towards them overall. He was also saying (without knowing anything about my foot or skiing ability) that in a particular boot he grabbed off the wall (which I know is not the right boot for me), he could "roll my foot" in them without any footbed at all. So, I'm taking everything he's saying with a HUGE grain of salt...

I haven't seen the latest generation but I've heard they've made the top surface less tacky so its easier to get in and out of your boot.

 

[skigearguy]

I have seen some good deals on the web for the atomic b-tech boots. they have a last of 104mm. that might be a good boot along with a intuition liner and custom footbeds of any kind would be ideal for a wide foot

 

[WJenness]

I had the b-tech 70s for the past two years...

I made the newbie mistake of buying them too big and not spending enough on them.

They were good to get me started, but I'm glad I'm out of them now.

-w

 

[automagp68]

Well

I got in touch with both Jeff in concord and Hal at Northern Ski works at Killington
Now i just have no idea which one i want to go to. Sigh