Okay. Okay. Now I'm ready. Bring on winter!

[Greg]

This weekend I finished all the yard cleanup; leaves, final mowing, winter fertilizer, brought in the rest of the deck furntiture, etc. This afternoon I head to the shop to pick up my skis and getting a final fitting/alignment in my boots (new custom footbeds). Finally, the first ski outing is planned for Friday. So, I am now official ready for winter. Bring it on! 8)

 

[bvibert]

Now if only it would get cold and snow!! Where you heading on Friday?

 

[Greg]

Where you heading on Friday?

Either Jiminy or Hunter. We'll decide on Thanksgiving day most likely...

 

[JimG.]

Either Jiminy or Hunter. We'll decide on Thanksgiving day most likely...

I'll be at Hunter early Friday and will ski the morning, but I'll have to be off snow by 1:00pm. Let me know if you want to hook up for a few runs.

 

[Greg]

Will do, Jim, but I think we're leaning towards Jiminy as it's closer.

 

[Joshua B]

You sound serious about your equipment Greg. Are you getting a deep discount or complimentary equipment due to your AZ affiliation?

 

[bvibert]

How much is expected to be open at Jiminy? I'd like to get somewhere on Friday as well and don't want to drive too far

 

[Greg]

You sound serious about your equipment Greg. Are you getting a deep discount or complimentary equipment due to your AZ affiliation?

I'll find out in an hour. Not expecting anything really. Custom footbeds are pretty commonplace and any good ski shop worth their salt will do a proper alignment for you. If you must know, I'm simply getting my old boots reworked to get them fitting better, not buying new ones.

How much is expected to be open at Jiminy? I'd like to get somewhere on Friday as well and don't want to drive too far

Two runs with a few options towards the bottom:

West Way -> North Glade -> Lower Glade -> Upper Slingshot -> Lower Slingshot or 360/180. They'll also have Grand Slam from West Way. Anyone know if Grand Slam is going to be bumped with the machine made moguls?

 

[riverc0il]

enjoy those new footbeds greg. they sure helped me get adjusted to my new boots. the funny thing with my feet and footbeds are my feet KILL me after the first run or two. i usually head back to the lodge, rip my boots off, and let my feet relax for a moment or two but when i re-enter the boots they are fine for the rest of the day. the footbeds actually add support not usually there under my flat feet, so it's funny that footbeds that correct poor support actually hurt initially!

 

[ChileMass]

OK river - what's the deal here? My boots KILL me for the first 2 runs and then they are fine, also. Is it the bad boot fairy in there just messing with me - ?

 

[riverc0il]

funny how we share that experience ChileMass. do you have extremely odd shaped feet too? i strongly believe my hypotesis that my arches are so collapsed that it's painful for them to suddenly be put correctly in place, especially in such grueling conditions as a locked down alpine boot.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

You might try prescription orthotics for your street shoes (if you have health insurance that will pay for them (or extra cash)

 

[ChileMass]

I have relatively big ankles, a wide foot and sorta flat feet, so I guess the answer is yes, my feet are kinda weirdly shaped. I should go get the custom foot bed and liner like Greg....

 

[tirolerpeter]

Boot Pain

I too used to experience boot pain for the first couple of runs. I found that I was starting out with my boots too tightly buckled years ago. I now initially just snug them up lightly and then on subsequent runs increase the snugness to where I like them. I also learned that I really do not need them as "cranked" as I thought. While I can understand a racer seeking "oneness" with his boot for that all out run through the course, it is not as vital for all day recreational skiing. Good technique is more important to ski control than overly tight boots. In fact, an instructor at Vail once made my entire class do a number of runs with our boots lightly buckled on only the top buckle. He made me realize how little you actually have to force your skiis if you are using good technique. I do find that as the day goes on, I snug up a little at a time. I think it is because the liners tend to compress somewhat. They seem to "recover" overnight and I go through the progressive adjustment cycle the next day.

 

[JimG.]

I should go get the custom foot bed and liner like Greg....

All skiers should get custom footbeds and liners...you just don't know what skiing is all about until you do. As tirolerpeter mentions, one of the best things about custom fitted boots is that the need to crank boot buckles as tightly as possible goes away and you can buckle boots much more loosely. This allows your feet to spread out in the boot and relax, and this more than anything increases your sensitivity to what your skis are doing at any one time on snow. One of my favorite early season drills is to ski several runs with my boots unbuckled; tough to do effectively without custom footbeds.

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

GOOD skiing starts with proper alignment begining with proper fitting boots.

W. Witherall

 

[JimG.]

GOOD skiing starts with proper alignment begining with proper fitting boots.

W. Witherall

Indeed, truer words have never been spoken.