Heel Lifts

[Greg]

Hawkshot99 was nice enough to shoot some over to me. I just duct taped them onto the bottom of my liner for now. Seems like they do help me keep better shin pressure. Anyone else use them? Looking forward to trying them out and putting on the ski boots definitely fed the jones.

 

[roark]

Hawkshot99 was nice enough to shoot some over to me. I just duct taped them onto the bottom of my liner for now. Seems like they do help me keep better shin pressure. Anyone else use them? Looking forward to trying them out and putting on the ski boots definitely fed the jones.

ramp angle is tricky. fwiw, when I saw Jeff he actually shimmed up the toes a bit. I notice the lack of angle when I ski my AT setup with freerides - feels like I;m in the backseat more often.

Ultimately, I dunnno. Try it out, see if it works.

 

[RootDKJ]

I have them in my boots. Seems to help (or not harm). Bootfitter put them in there based on my stance.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Hawkshot99 was nice enough to shoot some over to me. I just duct taped them onto the bottom of my liner for now. Seems like they do help me keep better shin pressure. Anyone else use them? Looking forward to trying them out and putting on the ski boots definitely fed the jones.

ramp angle is tricky. fwiw, when I saw Jeff he actually shimmed up the toes a bit. I notice the lack of angle when I ski my AT setup with freerides - feels like I;m in the backseat more often.

Ultimately, I dunnno. Try it out, see if it works.

I have them in my boots. Seems to help (or not harm). Bootfitter put them in there based on my stance.

In the dark days before I brought my boots to a professional fitter I use to trial and error with my boots too. I like things better now.

 

[campgottagopee]

I've shimmed my boots for years. For me it wasn't to get more forward or what have you it's always been about taking up ANY space to have a super snug fit. I like being able to press down on my big toe and start turning:grin:

 

[bigbog]

....not too much....stay balanced..

Yah, Greg...you'll hear it from Jeff..& others.... Adding some heel lift opens my ankle(flexion) up and the 1deg toe shim keeps me balanced...but of course the binding's ramp affects alignment/balance too...but the great news is we can change that part...

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

Yah, Greg...you'll hear it from Jeff..& others.... Adding some heel lift opens my ankle(flexion) up and the 1deg toe shim keeps me balanced...but of course the binding's ramp affects alignment/balance too...but the great news is we can change that part...

a heel lift...and a toe shim (lift) think about that for a while.
Heel lifts can be like ritalin...over perscribed. Too much and you'll end up in the backseat or you'll start washing the ends of your turns. Personally, I'm happier with as much range of motion as I can get...calf spoiler is the first thing to go and fwd lean is backed off as much as possible...typically ~15deg. I don't have big calves (okay, barely any calves) so on first glance you'd think i need to add more to the spoiler rather than remove it...but all that does is remove range of motion and ankle flex...so to take up the volume I pad the tongue and then top it off with a booster strap. End result is a more upright stance, longer range of motion in my ankles, and with the padded tongue and booster strap I've got constant pressure on my shins and instant gas pedal on the big toe. Your ankle is the most important joint when it comes to balance, look to increase your range of motion in your ankle and you'll enhance your ability to stay in balance.

 

[severine]

The Nordica Olympia Beast 10s that I bought automatically come with them. I don't know yet how helpful they will be as the only time I've skied in these boots was when they had the wrongly-made footbeds (which lifted my heel even higher because they were wrongly-made and really screwed things up). I have heard good things, though, so I'm hoping they help somewhat.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

I'm not saying that all heel lifts are a bad thing, just that there are sometimes other ways to get in balance and some of the balance equation is counter intiutive...ie more and more heel lift will eventually put you in the back seat...so will more and more forward lean. They need to be thought of as a circular relationship, not linear....and balance in skiing isn't one position, its very fluid and a "balanced" stance changes with turn shape, conditions, and terrain..range of motion is an important piece of that changing puzzle. Anyone looking to experiment with a heel lift should...and then take it out and put it in between the tongue of your liner and the top buckle and see how that works.

 

[skidmarks]

Balance

I'm not saying that all heel lifts are a bad thing, just that there are sometimes other ways to get in balance .

I agree with eastcoastpowderhound that heel lifts are not a fix it all. Fore-Aft balance is real important if you want to be over the ski's sweet spot. I tend to remove the calf spoiler also and back off the forward lean. Seems like a lot of boots have way to much forward lean.

Standing in you equipment with some light tongue pressure but not flexed you should be able to drop a plumb line from the center of your hip through the mid sole mark of the boot. If you want I can get you some pictures of this. This simple test lets you see if you're way off or not. If you are off the mark keep in mind different bindings can have different delta angles so it could be the binding causing the problem.

I stole this graphic that shows what we are talking about

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

I agree with eastcoastpowderhound that heel lifts are not a fix it all. Fore-Aft balance is real important if you want to be over the ski's sweet spot. I tend to remove the calf spoiler also and back off the forward lean. Seems like a lot of boots have way to much forward lean.

Standing in you equipment with some light tongue pressure but not flexed you should be able to drop a plumb line from the center of your hip through the mid sole mark of the boot. If you want I can get you some pictures of this. This simple test lets you see if you're way off or not. If you are off the mark keep in mind different bindings can have different delta angles so it could be the binding causing the problem.

I stole this graphic that shows what we are talking about

nice pics to illustrate the point!

 

[bigbog]

...a definite YES...

......Heel lifts can be like ritalin...over perscribed. Too much and you'll end up in the backseat or you'll start washing the ends of your turns...(snipped).........then top it off with a booster strap. End result is a more upright stance, longer range of motion in my ankles, and with the padded tongue and booster strap I've got constant pressure on my shins and instant gas pedal on the big toe. Your ankle is the most important joint when it comes to balance, look to increase your range of motion in your ankle and you'll enhance your ability to stay in balance.

Yes...exactly...and when I reach my limit..not only does it feel like I'm in highheels...I fall into the backseat bigtime
*I don't think this can be said any better...

$.01

 

[skidmarks]

Krypton Love

Yes...exactly...and when I reach my limit..not only does it feel like I'm in highheels...I fall into the backseat bigtime
*I don't think this can be said any better...

What boots do you have?


If you're looking for a new boot the Dalbello Kryptons are very easy to set up and tune. The design of the boot makes it very easy to flex and it has a more upright stance to start with. They are a great free-ride boot.

 

[lloyd braun]

a heel lift in my opinion should only be used to relieve pressure created by dorsiflexion inflexibility. That is when you have a short range of motion as you try and bring your toes to your shin. The heel lift creates a different angle for your ankle. If you ski and have burning in the backs of your legs then you may need a heel lift.

Remember there are no short cuts to proper form and excecution in skiing. Don't try gimmicks to make yourself a better skier!

 

[skidmarks]

a heel lift in my opinion should only be used to relieve pressure created by dorsiflexion inflexibility. That is when you have a short range of motion as you try and bring your toes to your shin. The heel lift creates a different angle for your ankle. If you ski and have burning in the backs of your legs then you may need a heel lift.

Yes that's what we've been talking about.

Remember there are no short cuts to proper form and excecution in skiing. Don't try gimmicks to make yourself a better skier!

If your stance/balance is bad, you're dead in the water.

 

[Greg]

Remember there are no short cuts to proper form and excecution in skiing. Don't try gimmicks to make yourself a better skier!

Thanks. :roll: How about I do try them and if I don't like them, I can just pull them out, hmmm ...?

 

[o3jeff]

Greg, if they don't feel like enough let me know I pulled out some nice cork ones out of my old boots, you can try doubling them up;-)

 

[skidmarks]

Thanks. :roll: How about I do try them and if I don't like them, I can just pull them out, hmmm ...?

What if we watch you try them at MT Snow Mid week ASAP after opening day. November 3 or 10th looks good. I could film you and we can post the results.

Last year we went on the 14th!! Won't be long. I'll bring the heel lifts and beer for apres.

 

[Hawkshot99]

Greg, if they don't feel like enough let me know I pulled out some nice cork ones out of my old boots, you can try doubling them up;-)

I gave him 2 sets already.

 

[Beetlenut]

I have a pair in my boots. I've played around quite a bit with the foot beds and lifts. I settled on a thinner pair of lifts after experimenting with different thicknesses. I think they help me two ways. They help me achive a centered stance, and help raise my calf up (fat calf) to prevent pinching. I also run a pair of booster straps to keep the tounge tight to my shin.