New boots, more lessons or both?

My son had a back problem a few years ago and went for physio where the guy also identified that he had really tight hamstrings in both legs. He gave him some exercises to do (which involved stretching his legs up the door frame). It certainly worked for him and he is only 17 so I would have thought naturally flexible but apparently this is a common problem. So perhaps a physio could help with stretchng that achilles tendon of yours?

More often than not, shin pain is the result of the boots being too large. The boot fails to contact the shin with evenly distributed pressure from top to bottom. So first do a shell check to see if this is the case.

1 Take the liner out put your foot in the empty shell and with your toes brushing the front of the shell how much space is there behind your heel? 8-12 mm race fit, 12-16mm performance, 16-20mm comfort, 20-25mm extreme comfort, >25mm plant pot holder. Try and get someone else to estimate how much space there is, a torch and something round (marker pen, dowel, thin pipe, etc.) of known diameter will help with accuracy.

2 Find the centre of the shell and move the front of your foot side to side at that point, how much space is there on either side of your foot? For performance 0-3mm each side of the foot, for comfort 3-5mm each side

From what you have posted so far a performance fit would seem to be what you need.

If the shell check is OK check if the cheeks of the inner boot that go over the tongue meet when you close it round your leg. If this is the case your skinny legs aren't big enough to fill the boot. This can be fixed by adding padding to the inside the tongue using an Eliminator Tongue (I think Ellis Brigham sells them) and / or sticking (double sided carpet tape works well) some non compressible padding to the spoiler and if necessary to the plastic inner boot cuff. You should be able to get suitable padding from Algeos in Liverpool.

You could try sticking a doughnut shaped pad around the callus.

If this doesn't work then you need a really good boot fitter.

Well, I promised to report on how I got on with my 'little problem' and now , with my first trip under my belt, I am able to do so. Some really useful advice there, folks. I invested in some of SwingBeep's Eliminator Tongues, and I reckon that in tandem with shaving the area around my lower shin bones, I have virtually solved the problem :) . As suggested, I removed the liners and measured the space between the shell of the boot and my foot. I was surprised to find that there was about 20mm of a gap in there, much more than I thought there would be. I was mighty relieved that they didn't fall into the 'plant pot category' and, being a tight northern git, decided that at £30 a pair from Ellis Brigham, the eliminator tongues were worth a punt. I fitted them in two minutes then wished the rest of my life away until the day of the Tignes trip.

The conditions in Tignes could not have been any more different to the bluebird skies and perfectly groomed pistes of my last trip to the Dolomites. Apart from one (almost) bluebird day, the visibility for the rest of the week varied between poor and non-existant and early in the week, despite the best efforts of the pisteurs, the piste could be constantly changing from packed to powder to ice to moguls. As you can imagine, my shins were getting a bit of a battering. The eliminator tongues really came to the rescue though, keeping my shins constantly snug in my boots, and eliminating the 'on-off, on-off' feeling that until then had been par for the course when skiing in such conditions. I was even able to crank them up a notch for some off-piste lessons and to play about under the lifts towards the end of the week. Brilliant :lol:

The penalty for this was some (ever so slight) tenderness to the skin over the callus on my right shin. The left shin was completely unaffected. I reckon I could live with that. I think I may cut a small hole in the eliminator tongue in the right boot; this would hopefully have the effect of the doughnut-shaped pad that SwingBeep also suggested. I just need to be sure to cut it in the right place. I also took a bit more care dressing in the morning, making sure that my socks and compression tights weren't crumpled and creased. I also followed CEM's instructions (not sure if they are on this site or somewhere else on the internet) on how to put on and buckle up ski boots pretty much to the letter. In the past, I have had a tendency to be a bit slapdash. Most likely 'coz I'm in too much of a hurry to get out there :D .

So, it's looking like I don't have to spend money on new boots :) . What can I spend it on instead? A pair of Movement Buzz skis is looking favourite -) .

How good to hear such a positive result,Gaz, and am so glad you had a good blast in the conditions last week.
:D

I've changed my mind gaz. You need lessons :wink:

Sounds like you need to cut your compression tights. Boots should only have socks in them. Thermals etc should either be cut or folded back over the knee.

Yes, I'll do that. :idea: I do recall reading somewhere that tights/ thermals/long-johns should be Capri style/ three quarter length.

Gaz C wrote: Yes, I'll do that. :idea: I do recall reading somewhere that tights/ thermals/long-johns should be Capri style/ three quarter length.

Absolutely. Mine dont go anywhere my boots but keep the legs covered to just below the knee