Boots & breaks

[Ocean]

So I have two pairs of boots and skis aligned to each set of boots. 

The first are Nordicas I got in 2013, a 26.5, half size too big (I had a twisted ankle when I bought them, and the larger size served me well during recovery). I skied with them about three years, til the padding started to wear down and I felt they were getting a bit too slippy.

Then I got some Lange 25.5 which is supposedly my actual size (or has been, until now). I had to do significant modification to these, because I have no dorsiflex, ankle issues, and a high arch, so they have a lift, an insole, and some other work done on them. After that work was done, these boots did pretty well by me for the last few years. They were super awful before I had any of the work done. My boot guy is amazing.

In Feb I switched back to the Nordicas, intending it to be a temporary switch while I tuned my other set of skis, but I ended up sticking with them for the last few months. The last two times I switched back to my Lange boots, they absolutely murdered my feet and I had to literally stop and take them off and shake my feet out a few times! So my question is, what is going on here?! Is it possible the plastic "hardened" back into its original shape from lack of regular use  while I wasn't wearing them? (I mean, it wasn't like that after summer!).  I skiied in them from Oct-Feb this year without issue, and now they feel awful for some reason, they are totally crushing my metatarsals (which is one of the issues I had previously fixed). Has something like this ever happened to you guys?? Do I need to go have some 1:1 time with my boot guy again?? (getting new boots isn't in the cards for me this season or early next season).

 

[Paul]

I had issues with my boots earlier in the season but not like yours and found out I was suffering from what is called "shin bang". My boots are about 6 seasons old now and I though it was all on the insert's padding being flattened out over the years, I have probably 40-50 days of skiing on them though.  I was having a terrible time and my lower shin, down near the ankle and the top of my foot was hurting to the point where is was painful just taking the boot off, never mind skiing. I found an article on this and looked at some things I was doing. One of them was tucking your long johns into your socks. This can create a "crease" where it bunches up inside the boot. Your boot wont fit properly and you have a lump. I stopped tucking, and paid more attention with putting my socks on (I wear 2 pair) so that there are no creases anywhere and also stopped tucking my long johns into the boot. I started ratcheting the buckles up one notch higher and voila! No more issues and I can ski without any discomfort or pain anymore. I was ready yo shell out some cash on new boots this season, but didn't have to after reading the article on what my issues may have been.

Do you leave you boots buckled or unbuckled when not using them? Could it be that they lost their shape from being unbuckled for a length of time that they don't fit properly anymore? I think a visit to the boot fitter might be the best answer to the questions. Especially if you have custom inserts.

[Ocean]

ugggh shin bang is the worst and what I experienced that one time I rented boots at Squaw Valley, soooo awful. This is different for sure, my issue is always around the metatarsals (the same part of your foot that hurts with plantar facitis) but also the hypersensitivity of my ankle joints.

Tim my boot guy in Killington gave me shit a few years ago about wearing socks over pantyhose (I like to be able to quickly change into evening wear like a good little raver from the 90s), and told me the issue of doing double socks or pantyhose and socks in my case, is that your foot will slide more which is not favourable. So I stopped doing that. He also pointed out you no longer need the big thick socks like we used to as the sock technology has improved and thinner socks are just as good as the old style. I never actually had shin bang except that one time at Tahoe but I always feel it when I accidentally tuck my leggings in to my boots. 

That day, Tim also gave me shit for not having buckled up my boots after skiing - so yeah because of that, I always meticulously buckle and pack my boots in their boot bag. I was thinking maybe part of the cause was the boots had sat idle for a few months and hardened up...or maybe I just stopped noticing that the boots were hurting?! I'll check them again once I wax n sharpen the skis that go with them.

Sometimes on a bigger mountain I get more strain, especially if I'm dehydrated (read: hung over). This felt a bit like that, but worse. 

I definitely plan to visit Tim's shop next time I'm in Killington and see if he can do more modifications! For now I waxed my Nordica fitted skis and am sticking with that. They're not perfect but much better than the Langes just now!