 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi - I bought a pair of boots about a year ago, however after about 30 mins of skiing my toes get pins and needles and then eventually i loose all feeling in my foot  .
I think the problem is the instep, when I take my boots off the bridge of my foot is very red and I can see the tongue line inbedded in the top of my foot where its digging in. I was just wondering if anyone knows if the instep can be made bigger ?My boots are Rossignol Soft Light 3 - if thats any use.
Many thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Plastic boots can be "puched" to make more room in the shell. Your boots may not have any plastic over the instep, so you can't go this route. I would try an Superfeet footbed (or a custom made one, tho they are pricy). The footbed should help stabilize your foot inside the boot, and hence relieve some pressure (as you may be closing your boot too hard in order to stbilize you foot)/
good luck
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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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wonderwoman, welcome to snowheads. You ought to go to a recognised ski retailer such as Ellis Brigham or S & R fro some specialised advice. You really need to talk to specialist boot fitter.
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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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wonderwoman, welcome to showHeads. Where did you buy the boots? Some retailers offer a 'comfort guarantee' and they will work on your boots free of charge to ease any problems with pressure points. There's quite a lot than can be done to the boots if they are putting too much pressure on your foot: the liner can be shaved, the plastic footbed under the insole can be reuced in height, the plastic boot can be heated up and stretched, etc. First step for you (excuse the pun) is to go to a specialist bootfitter and talk to them, preferably the place where you bought the boots as they might do this work free of charge. If they don't do it free, Snow&Rock only charge a nominal amount for boot stetching and comfortable feet is worth the price I'd say!
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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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Also when wearing the boot make sure you have very thin socks on, and are not cranking the clips shut. The clips should not have to forced home. If they are then blood flow to the foot will be reduced and you get the symptoms you describe.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi - Thanks everyone for your reply, I have given the the shop where I bought them from a call and they are going to take a look at them for me - fingers crossed something can be done. Becuase theres no plastic on the top of my boot I'm hoping they can shave the inner linner.
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wonderwoman, I know nothing about boots beyond wearing the darn things for (oh crikey) 35 years and a few years repping. Rossi softs, in theory, should be dead comfy. That's why (literally) they're called "soft". It sounds as though you have a particular fit issue that may, or not, reasonably have appeared when you were buying them. I think you're dead right to go back to the retailer but would be surprised if they would "shave" the inner liner as anything but a last resort.
It sounds as though good first steps would include thinner socks, variety of added padding, footbeds, and a whole host of other ideas that a good boot fitter would suggest. If they don't, then I would suggest (depending on how you bought them, etc.) perhaps asking for some cash back or a new pair of boots. If the boots don't fundamentally fit right, you are in a world of physical and financial pain trying to force them to do so. (Personal experience many years ago...).
Good luck!
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David Murdoch, very reasonable advice. The following is added just because it's the end of summer and we can talk about ski gear:
| wonderwoman wrote: |
Hi - I bought a pair of boots about a year ago, however after about 30 mins of skiing my toes get pins and needles and then eventually i loose all feeling in my foot .
I think the problem is the instep, when I take my boots off the bridge of my foot is very red and I can see the tongue line inbedded in the top of my foot where its digging in. I was just wondering if anyone knows if the instep can be made bigger ?
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It might be something simple but peskily irritating such as how the tongue aligns with the rest of the liner as the foot is put in.
My Fischer F9000 liners have both the tongue and heel bracket shaved/ground/reshaped to gain instep room and to allow the heel to drop back far enough into the pocket.
During one of the fitting trials as they were ground, I had symptoms very like what WW describes. ? Turns out my high-instep foot would spin the tongue out of alignment with the rest of the liner (the grinder had taken the centering elastic off) and I had to follow a very careful routine of pull up-center-tuck back in before clipping the boot shut to avoid the problem recurring. (There's a name for the shoe-tongue going off-center amongst runners; can't remember what that is now). The pain was not directly on top the instep, but slightly to the side.
Would it take a full minute for a pro shop to diagnose that if it exists? Probably not.
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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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Simple, buy a cheep ticket to geneva. Get a transfer to Chamonix. Go to Footworks. Get your boots worked on or buy a new boot. Go skiing. Go back to footworks to have them fine tuned, or, to say thanks! It has to be the best retail experience ever! Never buy boots, if skiing means anything to you anywhere other than resort. Always look for a specialist bootfitter. 
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, and are you associated with Footworks?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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wonderwoman, I too have a pair of these boots and have had painful and numb feet. They were the best fit as I have very narrow feet, all the others I tried were too short if the width was right of vice-versa. I got them re-moulded and have some footbeds in now and the fit has improved dramatically. Hubby thinks it's just 'cos my old boots were too big and comfy. I also bought some different socks which helped some more.
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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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Helen Beaumont,
And there are socks and socks Don't use these tube things, get proper socks, they may set you back a few quid more but they are so comfortable you will not use anything else. The best pair I have I bought in Switzerland, I can only recognise them by the design but they are the biz...wish I had bought a truckload...or at least half a dozen...!
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JT, they weren't X-socks by any chance which I think are Swiss? I have some of their running ones which are still great 1 year and many miles later. I know they also make ski socks which I was wondering about trying? If this is what you are raving about then I will definitely be trying their ski socks too.
(Sorry - off topic - slightly)
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You know it makes sense.
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agavin,
I don't know but the ski tech recommended them. They are just so comfortable, quite thick and knee lenght but I just love wearing them.
I was in Meringen at the time so they could be. If I had known they were that good I would have taken more notice, and like I say, bought more of them..!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I've got X-socks, I wasn't aware they were Swiss though, they do a Confromable branded version as well. Although the left one of one of my pairs keeps falling down 
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Poster: A snowHead
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I have just checked out my socks - how sad is that..? and they have little pads on the shin, calve, lower achilles and heel, under the ball of the foot and toe area so they have quite a shaped look. They aren't very thick but they are a pure comfort zone. Anyone recognise this rather vague description?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Are they marked for left and right foot? If so, they might be Falke
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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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they do have a website : http://www.x-socks.com/
they're really quite excellent, a decent pair of socks makes all the difference really.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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ise, Ooops - simultaneous posting. Thanks for the pre-emptive reply
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I have x-socks, they're great. better feel, more comfortable. That said, if you don't need the technical precision, I also have two pairs of SmartWool ones which are rather lovely too.
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Jill at The Adventure Shop ( http://www.adventureshop.com or 01291 675439) is currently doing a good sale price on Thorlos ski socks with free P&P if you spend over £45. I use the Thorlos level 1 eXtreme's & they've been great so just got a few more pairs.
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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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Wear The Fox Hat, That's why I'm not in IT 
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Not X-socks but from the link that spyderjon and Wear The Fox Hat came up with they are Thorlos.
Thanx
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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sugardaddy,
Nobody got that, did they? I thought it was quite funny..!!
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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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JT, my fav pair are the wool and silk Thorlos ones. The only socks that have kept my feet warm, even at -25
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Maybe, thats not too important. Thing is, all this bootfitting talk on the net is a little subjective. Best thing to do is get out to resort. You can't get the job done as precisely away from the snow. A good bootfitter in resort is always going to be better than, a good bootfitter in say, Hereford. That's not to say the gal/guy in hereford is no good. It's just, he/she can start by choosing the boot a little too precise and slowly work the boot out day by day. That simply is not possible outside the resort. You buy your boots, the bootfitter works on the main problems the you leave for your holiday, next time you see the bootfitter, it had worked or it didn't, but now your holidays over. If it didn't work and you really struggled, in my expierience, you'll want either your money back or some kind of compensation for an expensive and uncomfortable ski holiday. Not really fair for the bootfitter, as he wasn't with you on the holiday to put things right. That is logic.
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You know it makes sense.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, but some people may not want to spend too much of their time on a one week holiday getting their boots right - they would like to do it in advance. I did it by trying the boots out for a couple of hours on the local dry slope and then going back to the fitters. This approach may not suit all, but it worked for me.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Agreed Alistair, should skiing be a holiday, this level of service may acheive the desired result. Should your skiing be, a little more than a holiday or you have persistant issues, that time in the resort shop may prove to benifit you long term if your looking for an improvement in performance. A little investment in time during one holiday may pay off. Having worked both in and out of resort, levels of sucsess and skier evolution are incompareable. If time is a issue, your experience may be the best way around losing time on holiday, however in my experience, this is the exeption rather than the rule.
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Poster: A snowHead
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'Tis true what SMALLZOOKEEPER says. Three years ago I bought a new pair of boots at Precision in Val D, spent ages in the shop one evening getting them fitted, moulded footbeds etc. Next day went over to Tignes skiing and after a while got such painful cramp in my left foot I could hardly ski. I made my way back to Val on my own, leaving my friends and family about to have lunch, but when I got back the shop was closed for the afternoon
I lost four or five hours skiing, but that evening they worked on them, and blew out the outer of the boot where the problem was. They've been perfect ever since. Although I was very pi33ed off at the time, losing an afternoon's skiing, looking back it was worth it.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Cheers, Rachel. Wan't to offer the best service we can. Didn't Leave the best payed job ever, family, friends, girlfriend of nine years(dig - in those of you with an obvious sense of humour) just to do this for the money. Feet ain't the best way of feeding the fish!
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FAQ
