 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi. I've got what seem like really wide feet. I was an H fitting as a child. My girlfriend says my feet look like pizza slices  I own a pair of Salomon Impact 8 boots from the 07/08 season with Custom Ski insoles.
I've used them on two 1 week holidays over the last couple of years. On both holidays, after about 2 days of continious skiing I started to get blisters on the outside edges of the tops of my big and little toes of one of my feet. By day 5 of boths holidays, the blisteres had both worn down to 3mm holes in my skin (I'm not kidding about them being 3mm deep) and I've felt crippled by the pain from that foot. Unfortunately the problem doesn't manifest after a few hours of skiing at the Chill Factore in Manchester - it really does take 2 or 3 days of real skiing.
I'm looking for new boots. I've been to the local chain ski shop and been fitted with a pair of Head EDGE+ Ltd boots as apparently they are a wide fitting boot. My old boots were 25.5. The new ones are 25 (Head don't seem to do a 25.5). The fitter seemed to think I somewhere between a 25.5 and a 26 in size. With my foot in the shell of the new boots and my toes at the front of the boot - without the liner in - there seems to be about 1-1.5cm of gap behind my heel. I'm worried about moving up to a longer length boot because I don't want to loose precision. I'm probably only an intermediate skiier but I'm a confident parallel skier, happy on blacks and starting to do moguls and going off piste.
Having worn the new (Head) boots at home for half an hour or so, I can see pressure points on both my feet in the same places - one point on the outside top of the big toe and one on the outside top of the little toe. It looks like all the pressure of the boot is going through my little and big toes!
I'm tempted to take the head boots back and to explore other options. Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do next?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
I'm not surprised you had problems with the Salomons, I have the same boots also in a 25.5 and I have pretty narrow feet!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
try snow & rock, they are really helpfull when finding the right boots
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
I was in Jackson, New Hampshire on holiday in July. I went to a ski shop there and bought a new pair of boots. I have wide feet, high instep and large calfs. I ended up buying a pair of Tecnica Vento 70 HVL. The HVL is the high volume version. They have a 106 mm last compared with the Head which have a 103mm last. They are for intermediate skiers. Have not used them in anger yet, wore them around the house and feel good so far. I believe that Tecnica also do a stiffer version which is the Vento 95 hvl.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
widefoot, I have same shape feet as you - wide, high arch and big calves, with the added $h1th0le of narrow ankles. I've had discomfort for a couple of reasons:
I didn't have proper footbeds. Don't waste money on cheap-fix in-store footbeds, get proper ones made after a proper consultation with people who know what they're on about. Decent footbeds will support your foot and stop it splaying out and rubbing. They're not cheap but I guarantee you they're the best ski kit investment you'll make.
Second, I simply did my boots up too tight. Buy the size that fit snugly and do up with one finger's worth of pressure per clip on their loosest setting (if you have to force them closed they're not right) and then during the day's skiing, as the boots get colder and shrink, if you need to to you can do them up tighter progressively. If you do them up like Bode for the first lift you'll be in agony *just like that*. I'd hazard a guess that this is why a couple of full days facks your feet, while a couple of hours at the snowdome doesn't, although of course you might just be a wrong-footed mutant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
widefoot, Welcome to  's
Rather than waste time and money in a 'ski supermarket', why not go a more specialised fitter? You could try Solutions4feet, a bit of a journey for you but I think you'll find its worth it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'll second what BMF_Skier says. Ring Colin at Solutions4feet.co.uk. They're in Bicester, just off the M40 - yes that's a bit of a trek, but worth it. He's a SnowHead (called CEM) so tell him where you got the info from - if he sees it he will probably post on this thread himself before long.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
widefoot, as others have said Colin at www.solutions4feet.co.uk will sort you out BUT looking at your location it would be a long trip. Perhaps give him a call and he may be able to recommend somewhere a bit closer to you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
widefoot, me and the OH have wide feet to different degrees. Never managed to find comfortable Salomons so heaven knows why you're in those. We've had success with Nordica and Tecnica (something to do with their last ? probably? ) but if you can get to CEMs it'll be worth it, no doubt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M6 , M40 3 hrs well worth it.
He's always busy and i'm guessing weekends could well be booked up for a long time in advance
I went early on a weekday (still need to book though)
Forget the different sizes as you are comparing different brands and boot shapes
Colin and i'm sure there are other good boot fitters around, will measure the different parts of your foot and will know which make and model will suit those dimensions best.
A custom made footbed may also help but he would advise on that after seeing what happens to your foot when you put your weight on it.
Quite a strange feeling getting the custom footbeds made 
your Head Edge Ltd boots are certainly wide at 104,
Anyway, they may be the right boots, however your feet probably still aren't boot shaped so may need some tweaking.
This is where using a good boot fitter comes in, he'll be able to make adjustments to the shell using various methods to make them fit your foot.
Give Colin a call and get some professional advice before taking your boots back
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
widefoot, wot them lot said.
Boots chosen and fitted by an expert will be the best money you ever spend.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
get some professional advice before taking your boots back
|
if you can get your money back at this stage it might be worth doing so and starting from scratch, rather than having someone bodge about with a pair of boots that are not optimum in the first place.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
widefoot, the Edeg Ltd is a pretty wide boot, personally i think it feels wider then the tecnica 106mm as the shape in the toe box is different....based on the pressure points you descrive, certainly the first thing to consider is a custom footbed well made to YOUR foot then either the shell needs to be made a little wider or the liner could be changed for a thermo fit liner or it may be down to a lack of flexion at the ankle (really common)
all of the above are difficult to determine without seeing your feet, if you have a pair in a 25/25.5 hang on to them they are rare, i have already sold all of that boot in that size that i can get this season
good luck
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Rarity is no good if they're unusable! You could do a part exchange? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| andytb wrote: |
| Rarity is no good if they're unusable! You could do a part exchange? |
no, i am in business not charity
what i was saying was do not take them back until they have been checked out, it may be that all that is required is a minor tweak, if he took them back thegoes to another fitter who says you need a head edge in size 25/25.5 then he would probably be waiting till next season
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
