 Poster: A snowHead
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I had my new boots fitted last week at EB. At the start of the fitting, my fitter gave me a very informative briefing of what would happen during the fit.
Towards the end of the briefing he covered footbeds. As far as he was concerned, custom footbeds were a necessesity, not an option. He explained that the"footbeds" that come bundled with the boot are little more than cardboard and did not provide any support. (the fitting had not started yet and he hadn't seen my feet)
This guy clearly knew his stuff and I was pleased with the attention to detail during the fit. In the end, the boot that chose me was the Salamon Impact 10. Great boot great fit.
Whether it was his "hard sell" or what I don't know, but I refused the footbeds. The boots felt very comfortable with the stock footbeds and I could always upgrade later if I ran into problems.
So the questions
... Is this fitter a footbed evangelist who truly believes they can benefit everyone or is he on commission?
... Do custom footbeds always give better support, or are they just for feet that find the standard fit too hostile?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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would you build a house without first laying a good foundation
nuff said 
but before considering them, consider who is making them and how, a badly made footbed will not work well and may make a good fit feel average, a good footbed can amke a massive difference
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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?
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firstly i should be ignored, but here is what i found with foot beds.
long story short, i bought new head s13's on ebay without every trying a pair on. they fit ok and the footbed was basically carboard.
after much messing about getting the fit right, i like engineering and the mechanics of skiing/boots etc interested me. note to self, use someone else as a g-pig next time.
however the main issue i had was my feet feeling "fuzzy" after a bit, which i put down to my feet moving in the boot. got a few quotes for footbeds, one of them was 300 quid, but plumped for a pair for 30 that had a semi ruberised sole that hold my feet. they can be a bug to get your feet into but once in there, excellent.
so the moral of the story, unless your being ripped off (300 quid, carbon fibre, haha) listen to the bootfitter and get footbeds they make a huge difference (for me anyway)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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AntonAusTirol,
I have a pair of Impact 10s (Non CS), and love them. They are possibly the most comfortable boots i have ever had and still perform exactly as I want them.
I had custom footbeds made (as i always have done) but i still tried the boots on with the stock inserts. Yeah they were a great fit then, and very comfy, but that didn't compare to how well they fit with the custom footbeds.
I took the stock footbeds out and put them in my hiking boots (mainly to tighten the fit as the boots had loosened through breaking in), and within 50-70 hrs of use, they were wrecked. So in real terms, that is like 1 1/2 to 2 weeks of skiing, hour wise. So after that, your stock footbeds would need to be replaced.
Whereas the custom footbeds I have had in my Impact 10s have lasted 10+ weeks and still feet like new (if a little Whiffy....)
The ones i have are the Sidas Custom Ski (the basic of a series of 4 different Sidas models). They are heat mouldable. Cost like £50 and very worth it. Simple basic ones like that make a world of difference.
and i will happily have another set made when I purchase some new race boots at season's end.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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AntonAusTirol, For me the footbed is probably the most important part of the boot, after-all it is what connects you to the base of your boot and with a custom footbed you get 100% surface contact rather than say 25-30% of available surface area if only your heel and ball of foot are in connection, as with a normal footbed. Plus, I have a high instep so if I tighten my boots without arch support I get a massive cramp under my foot. I just bought new boots and the guy told me my old custom insole was rocking at the heel, so got a new one made and a major difference 2 weeks ago when I ski'd again on the new insole, the feel of the snow was so much better.
I'd recommend the £50 or so they cost.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Footbeds are rubbish, you're better sticking your money in your boots to take up the extra space. 
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
| Footbeds are rubbish, you're better sticking your money in your boots to take up the extra space. |
Genius!! Why has no one thought of this before!
Can you use coins?
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c0Ka|Ne, Totally, i'd stick 'em in a vice and screw 'em up good n propa first.
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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.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, File the edges of the coins sharp so they cut into your feet, and pi$$ in your boots before you put them on too so they get nice and cold
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CONSPIRACY! What's next? Just wear one pair of socks?
So what I don't get is ... you're all saying that Salamon and Atomic et al are selling a product that is seriously defective "off the shelf". Their boots are the product of 50 years developing high tolerance composite technology, but they still stick a piece of crappy cardboard in the most important area? Why don't boot co's say this, bundle a good footbed, or have a "preferred footbed partner" or whatever? Punters are much more likely to get a foot bed if they don't just think its the fitter trying to upsell.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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AntonAusTirol,
a) it costs too much
b) a good support doesn't always feel quite right, so try on clients would move onto the next model.
c)It's a business, don't be so idealistic, that's my domain........
d) they do have prefered footbed partners, but custom footbeds are made by humans, not companies.
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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.
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AntonAusTirol, Nothing stopping you skiing without a custom footbed, just a better solution with one in. I bet 75% of skiers out there never even think about it. I would imagine an extra £40-50 on the price of a new boot would put many off, it must be a difficult market anyway right now given the recession etc, the manufacturers will be looking to keep entry prices low as possible.
I'd suggest you look at it as a "nice to have" rather than a necessity.
P.S.; Where does the cardboard reference come from? - I never saw any cheap and nasty ones in any boots I bought, however they always get binned straight away (or rather live in the dark box all their lives).
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Salomon do a nice range of carper tile.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Markymark29 wrote: |
AntonAusTirol, Nothing stopping you skiing without a custom footbed, just a better solution with one in. I bet 75% of skiers out there never even think about it. I would imagine an extra £40-50 on the price of a new boot would put many off, it must be a difficult market anyway right now given the recession etc, the manufacturers will be looking to keep entry prices low as possible.
I'd suggest you look at it as a "nice to have" rather than a necessity.
P.S.; Where does the cardboard reference come from? - I never saw any cheap and nasty ones in any boots I bought, however they always get binned straight away (or rather live in the dark box all their lives). |
the originals in my head s13's are thinner than kate moss and really feel like cardboard
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