Do those of you who wear orthotics in your running shoes also use them in ski boots (if you ski)?
When I was young and spry and flexible I could wear my ski boots without orthotics. Since I started placing superfeet in every shoe I own, I cannot ski without them. My ski boots have buckles right on the instep putting great pressure on the top of my foot (it kind of has to in orer to get a good power transfer to the ski). The pressure collaspes my ach giving me shin splints and pain ruining a day of skiing. So, I put superfeet in my boots supporting my arch making me happy, fullfilled, content etc.
So, to answer your question, through trial and error, I have to put supportive foot beds in my boots or I can’t ski.
If you don’t, use an orthotic there, you can have diminished edge control, especially the inside edge, which is the most important edge for turning and control. If your skis ‘pronate’ for lack of a better term, you can ‘rail’ and edge and end up hurtling down the hill on your outside edge. Also, you can end up with some PF pain. Superfeet seems to be the favorite out there, but I personally find them uncomfortable.
Yes, I got my ski boots fitted by a good professional boot fitter and also added a lift on my left ski (shorter leg) ; what a difference. I used to yard sale at the oddest moments for no apparent reasons but always on left turn initiations.
Getting properly fitted fixed the problem entirely. Definitely well worth the $150 or so for the fit ! good luck.
If you don’t, use an orthotic there, you can have diminished edge control, especially the inside edge, which is the most important edge for turning and control.
That is generally the thinking, and I myself wouldn’t ever slip on a pair of boots without orthotics. I’m on snow about 250 days/year as a coach.
Interesting note…one would automatically assume that the best racers would all have orthotics in their boots, right? Well, a couple of years ago a doctor working with the Canadian Ski Team (women) found that nearly half of them had never used orthotics in their ski boots. They just skied the boot the way it came, with the flimsy little liner. But, it gets even better than that. One of them - a medalist on World Cup - spent that entire camp skiing with the wrong insoles in each boot and didn’t even know it (left in right, right in left).
Now orthotics do keep your feet warmer. Without them, a tight boot will cause the foot to collapse under buckle pressure, cutting off circulation. But as fat as whether it truly affects power transfer…after this study, that’s not up in the air. I suppose it’s like bikes…the best riders will win regardless of equipment.
thermofit boot liners also help if you boot fitting problems.
I pronate mildly and I find they really help me. I also cant the boot upper a little (my Langes allow that.)
Caleb
I not only wear my running/cycling/walking orthotics in my ski boots, but in my tele and alpine boots I have had custom liners moulded to my feet with the provisions for orthotics.
After I started wearing my orthotics in my XC boots - classic and Skate, I found that my skiis were flat on the snow, and I had the ability to glide until I fell over.
I teach both tele and XC so the improvement is skiing was really important.
DB
Canting the upper cuff is a good short-term fix, bot for the most part you’re just over-compensating for a pronation. A more precise method of establishing a proper, aligned fit position the foot neutrally within the ski boot (whether via orthotics or not) and then grind the boot soles. A good shop, experienced in servicing racers, can do this.
Most ski boots come wobbly anyway. When they are taken off the molds, the guys in the factory often twist a bit while the plactic is still warm, and the boot cures with a warped sole. Get a new ski boot and put it on a flat table, and odds are it will rock a bit. A good shop will flatten the boot sole first before doing any alignment adjustments at all. After all, it makes no sense to put an orthotic inside a boot that is not even flat to begin with.
I’ve had boots that were warped enough that I could stack 5 quarters under one side of the toe. They were beyond salvage, and went back. No amount of boot sole planing could have helped them.
Yeah! My brother did that, but he races and skis LOTS. I only get up to ski about 2-4 days per year and try to do at least one of those as Tele, so my little (probably 2-3 deg) cant and my insole work ok. MUCH better control than any boot I ever had before (except my old SCOTT COMPS (ca 1977 with my Rossi ST’s), but they beat the heck out of my shin.) I’m thinking about doing full tele, but don’t tell my wife.