How to put more pressure on your toes

verbier_ski_bum wrote:

Tony_H wrote:

acarr wrote:I am a serial offender at not keeping pressure on my toes. No matter how much I intend to, I just can't. I seem to remember someone on a thread here suggesting that you can put something inside your boot to help with this, maybe a piece of cork tile or something. So would you put it under the heel, or under the toes in order to increase forward pressure? I'm assuming you'd put it under the boot liner? I can't afford to buy custom footbeds and I don't have time/can't afford to visit a boot fitter.
Any comments gratefully received.

Dave Mac would probably wibble on about using floor tiles or bits of carpet at this stage :shock:

I bought some footbeds for £35 recently, apparently they will change my foot inside my boot. I am yet to test this on the snow. I don't think £35 is a lot of money if it corrects the issue I had, which was one ski wanting to edge sometimes.

Why, as Bandit asks, do you want to put more pressure on your toes?

If one ski wants to edge you may want to take your boots to a bootfitter to check alignment. I had a tendency to ride a big toe edge on my right foot when off-piste, which created all sort of problems when I was trying to go faster - turns to the left while were easy to initiate had slopppy finishes (I couldn't dump speed immediately as instead of ending up on a definite slip I would be on edge and keep going) and turns to the right were difficult to initiate and I tended to lift the right ski. I checked my side-slips and they are very good when left ski downhill and way worse when right ski is down, so I went to a bootfitter and he canted my right boot and also made custom insoles with bigger support under my right foot arch to prevent it from rolling inwards. Problem solved! Now, while I am still some way off from doing a zipper line on Tortin I can keep up with boys while making nice smooth pivots with both my feet moving simultaneously. Maybe superfeet or any other ready made orthotics will work for you, but if you have time definitely visit a bootfitter. Very good investment of time and money.

Tony_H wrote:

verbier_ski_bum wrote:

Tony_H wrote:

acarr wrote:I am a serial offender at not keeping pressure on my toes. No matter how much I intend to, I just can't. I seem to remember someone on a thread here suggesting that you can put something inside your boot to help with this, maybe a piece of cork tile or something. So would you put it under the heel, or under the toes in order to increase forward pressure? I'm assuming you'd put it under the boot liner? I can't afford to buy custom footbeds and I don't have time/can't afford to visit a boot fitter.
Any comments gratefully received.

Dave Mac would probably wibble on about using floor tiles or bits of carpet at this stage :shock:

I bought some footbeds for £35 recently, apparently they will change my foot inside my boot. I am yet to test this on the snow. I don't think £35 is a lot of money if it corrects the issue I had, which was one ski wanting to edge sometimes.

Why, as Bandit asks, do you want to put more pressure on your toes?

If one ski wants to edge you may want to take your boots to a bootfitter to check alignment. I had a tendency to ride a big toe edge on my right foot when off-piste, which created all sort of problems when I was trying to go faster - turns to the left while were easy to initiate had slopppy finishes (I couldn't dump speed immediately as instead of ending up on a definite slip I would be on edge and keep going) and turns to the right were difficult to initiate and I tended to lift the right ski. I checked my side-slips and they are very good when left ski downhill and way worse when right ski is down, so I went to a bootfitter and he canted my right boot and also made custom insoles with bigger support under my right foot arch to prevent it from rolling inwards. Problem solved! Now, while I am still some way off from doing a zipper line on Tortin I can keep up with boys while making nice smooth pivots with both my feet moving simultaneously. Maybe superfeet or any other ready made orthotics will work for you, but if you have time definitely visit a bootfitter. Very good investment of time and money.

Thanks VSB. But I asked about Canting as thats what I thought might be the issue, and was told in no uncertain terms that I should try an insole as canting is the "last resort". I've got a 100% refund policy so if theres no difference they'll be going back and I'll be asking about the canting. I have to say I was fairly sure canting would be the issue, not an insole, for catching an edge where IMO the boot was not sitting 100% flat on the ski.

verbier_ski_bum wrote:canting alone takes a minute and you probably won't even be charged for it.

verbier_ski_bum wrote:canting alone takes a minute and you probably won't even be charged for it.

Trencher wrote:

verbier_ski_bum wrote:canting alone takes a minute and you probably won't even be charged for it.

Canting or cuff adjustment? Canting requires either removal of the binding and adding a canting strip, or adding material to the boot sole and planing. Neither is is normally free.

Cuff adjustment centres the leg in the boot cuff.

acarr wrote:Thanks everyone for your advice. I think a trip to a good boot fitter is in order, even if I have to raid my piggy bank for the money :roll:

Allie