Ski Club 2.0 Home
Snow Reports
FAQFAQ

Mail for help.Help!!

Log in to snowHeads to make it MUCH better! Registration's totally free, of course, and makes snowHeads easier to use and to understand, gives better searching, filtering etc. as well as access to 'members only' forums, discounts and deals that U don't even know exist as a 'guest' user. (btw. 50,000+ snowHeads already know all this, making snowHeads the biggest, most active community of snow-heads in the UK, so you'll be in good company)..... When you register, you get our free weekly(-ish) snow report by email. It's rather good and not made up by tourist offices (or people that love the tourist office and want to marry it either)... We don't share your email address with anyone and we never send out any of those cheesy 'message from our partners' emails either. Anyway, snowHeads really is MUCH better when you're logged in - not least because you get to post your own messages complaining about things that annoy you like perhaps this banner which, incidentally, disappears when you log in :-)
Username:-
 Password:
Remember me:
👁 durr, I forgot...
Or: Register
(to be a proper snow-head, all official-like!)

Boot stretching DIY?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
CEM wrote:
richmond, their footbeds are actually conform'able with their name printed on them, they just add a block to them [which any good bootfitter will do], but it is the same product Little Angel


That's exactly what it looked like, which is encouraging. The end product was huge, and a great deal more rigid than my old footbeds (also conformable, I think). I was surprised that they appeared to make no difference to the ease of getting the boots on.
snow conditions
 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
petemillis, Jeraff, I've only read half of this thread so apologies if I've lost the plot. I have Sal Xwave 8's as well. After several visits to several shops trying them on and getting opinions from various fitters, and a long time plodding around Snow and Rock in Chrtesey I realised that the pressure I could feel on the outside of my little toe was not caused by the shell but by the uneven floor to the boot. There is a removable central solid bed of about 40mm wide running from front to heall to toe but in the wider toe area there is a drop either side down the shell floor. Under the big toe this drop is quite large and my right foot was affected by it but not my left.

I went for custom foot beds and initially these seemed rigid enough to conceal the void below my right little toe. Howver I thought that after a day's skiing the void might become apparent so I got some semi rigid rubber and filed it away using a circular sanding disk until it filled the void. I did this for both boots and used double-sided sellotape under each pad to ensure it stayed in place.

This solution is very DIY and I do worry that the pads will move around. If there was a proper pad to fit this void or some other professional solution I would love to love to know where I can buy such.

If any bootfitters can help, have you looked inside the X Wave 8 (2005/6 model), it is remarkable how uneven the floor is in the toe area. I have thought of phoning Salomon to ask if they supply custom inserts.
snow conditions
 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
mike.healy, I actually have a different boot (Rossignol Exalt x12) but I was interested in petemillis problem because it sounded very much the same as mine. But thanks for the idea, I will check that out in my boots just in case.

As I spend more time breaking them in, I'm beginning to think that there is generally more pressure on the balls of my feet than on the heels. I don't know if it's because of the boots or if my feet just tend to do that. Someone else suggested raising the heel to take more pressure which should reduce the pressure on the balls Shocked so I've just bought some Sorbothane heel pads and will try them over the weekend.
ski holidays
 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
petemillis, Sorry to drag up this ancient thread but did you ever sort out your boots?
latest report
 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Jeraff wrote:
mike.healy, I actually have a different boot (Rossignol Exalt x12) but I was interested in petemillis problem because it sounded very much the same as mine. But thanks for the idea, I will check that out in my boots just in case.

As I spend more time breaking them in, I'm beginning to think that there is generally more pressure on the balls of my feet than on the heels. I don't know if it's because of the boots or if my feet just tend to do that. Someone else suggested raising the heel to take more pressure which should reduce the pressure on the balls Shocked so I've just bought some Sorbothane heel pads and will try them over the weekend.


I had this problem, had it sorted while I was in Fernie - the fitter I was talking to described it as a "burning sensation under the ball of the foot" - he solved it by grinding down the base of my footbed and base of the boot bottom too to create more height. They were also stretched to a C+ size outwards, which solved the problems I moaned about in this thread http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=21067&highlight= - I actually only could notice the burning sensation after the shell had been stretched, since previously my foot just went entirely numb at the front. [/url]
ski holidays
 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Well, due to work and time constraints I never managed to do anything with my boots before the ski trip. Anyway, I put them on and had a bit of aching in "that part" of my right foot during the first day. Took them off that evening and the pain an hour later was so bad as the foot cramped as it came back to life. But this is weird - I put them on the next day, cranked them up, skied, they felt fine. Took them off at the end of the day and my feet felt good. Following day - boots on - same story. Had to tighten the boots more towards the end of the week. Felt comfy as anything all the time - almost as if the liners have finally moulded to the shape of my feet - even though they were heat mouled when I first got the boots. Very odd.
ski holidays
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Great. unless your feet are shrinking.
latest report
 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Hello, I don't know if this topic is still active, being started so long ago, but maybe this will help anyone wanting to stretch their boots.

I bought mine 12 years ago, (Nordica NXT 77s) and since then my feet have changed a bit. A bunion ( eeughw, I know) has caused a bit of pressure on my left inner big toe at the base, but otherwise the booties are still fine. I figured that it wasn't the shell that was too narrow, it was the liner, so I put a Silpat silicone mat on a baking tray - I think a double thickness of parchment paper would do just as well - and heated the liner on the tray in an oven from cold to 120C, and kept it there for 5 minutes max.

I extended a wooden shoe tree to the desired width, and bunged it into the hot liner. (Asbestos or leather gloves help here - oven gloves are too clumsy). After 30 minutes, the liner cooled, and I slipped back the liner back into the shell. Result - one widened boot, no meltdowns. Note of caution - the heat will cause the sole to pull away from the liner so don't poke it or pull it -just leave it alone and it will re-adhere as the liner cools down.

I will adjust to the wider boot by wearing an extra sock on the left foot. No technology needed, just a shoe tree, an oven and a timer... Madeye-Smiley
latest report
 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
So im right in saying that a little heel lift helps narrow the front foot?
ski holidays
 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I want to stretch my boots in length. My big toe hits the end of the toe box. How much can I stretch them? I thnk the left is half a size short, can I go that much?
ski holidays
 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@glisser, a heel lift can reduce pronatory effect on the foot which can reduce abduction (rotation of the foot outwards) the nett effect is the foot can be a little narrower, sometimes it is just better to stretch the shell though

@_Ed, the boot shell can be stretched in length, some models are easier than others due to the construction, before going that direction make sure you are held securely at the back of the boot, the ankle buckle needs to be really secure to get the foot in the right place, and then of course staying centred on your feet will keep the toes away form the end...(leaning back will crush toes whatever you do)
latest report
 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
THANKS. I had entered the same question elsewhere, after noticing @glisser's january date. Your answer was very helpful, CEM, thanks!
Went to REI and got $50 insoles. They heated up the inner boots and stuffed my feet in with thick neoprene caps over my toes, to squish it to fit. Hurt like hell, esp given my infected toe, but the boot seems to fit well now. He echoed all of your comments. He doesn't think I'll have to stretch the boots, but that'd be the next step. No charge for the hour of labor. I'll try them on the slopes tomorrow.
THANKS again!
...Ed
latest report



Terms and conditions  Privacy Policy