Will repeated punching of a boot weaken the plastic?

well i dont know for sure on weakening plastic, afterall, they practically boil the area to soften it, so it shouldnt do much damage.

as for heel movement, an inch is so damn much. no heel movement is ideal

dude you should be good for the third time but after that id say dont go back, the continual re-heating then cooling of the plastic is gona start to take its tole

Sounds like I'm being fed some crap to get rid of me on the heel fit - gonna try some lifters and see if that helps.

Anyone else got any thought on the plastic?

Here's my thoughts on boot fitting as a whole.

Find a boot fitter that you trust. You're feet are the most important thing in skiing. If you're feet aren't comfortable, your gonna be miserable and it's going to affect your skiing. If you don't trust this shop, then ask around to find out who is the best fitter in your area. It's always good to ask older guys you know cause once you find someone, typically you'll stick with them for years.

OK, as for your question...my thoughts. If you had to work on your upper cuff and dial that in, then I would be a little more hesitant since this is where your support and stiffness plays a key role in your skiing. Since it's your forefoot area, it won't be a problem. The plastic is a memory plastic that can heat up and cool and it will keep it's rigidity. I am super sensitive to my feet hurting as I ski 160-200 days a year. I go to my boot fitters as many times as it takes to get my boots dialed. I would be a little more cautious if you're actually grinding your boots down as well. If your not removing plastic then I wouldn't worry about it.

One thing to keep in mind is most boot fitters have a fit garrentee. If they are charging you every time for work, you need to go somewhere else or let them know that they aren't backing up the work that they have done.

Oh, and get a footbed if you haven't already. A footbed will help maintain proper foot shape and make your foot a bit smaller in the boot. Take you hand and press it down on the table. Notice your whole hand expands. Now, take your pointer finger of one hand and push down on the top of it with the palm crease of your other hand. Notice it doesn't expand and more or less keeps it's natural shape. That's what a footbed does. It also reduces knee role gaining power to your ski.

You shouldn't have any heel movement if the boots fit correctly. Heel movement=loss of power transfer to the ski and loss of feel. It also will give you blisters. There's a few things you can do for that. The best option would be to pad out the heel cup to your needs and add a 2-3 degree heel lifter.

Did you get a deal on the boots you purchased and what boot did you purchase? It really sounds like you picked up the wrong boots. A good bootfitter will be able to assess you foot using a few special tools they have, and recommend a boot based on their findings.

Sounds like you have a wide forefoot with a skinny heal. In that case you should look into getting the 07' Salomon Falcon boot for next year. My brother has the same problem and he picked a pair up and is in Heaven. It's a totally redesigned shell that is killer for you symtoms.

I found these plastic heel cup things in a box of some other boots and they're amazing. The fit on the outside of your liner between the shell and hold my heel in nicely. I think they were an extra part from a technica boot or something. Try and find some of those and/or have the fitter add some pad around the heel cup.

haha i got the 8 xwaves too but the fast model and im thinking of getting them punched cause in both boots they put stress on certain part of my feet... ankle on my left foot and mid foot to pinky toe on my right...hopefully punching will solved the problem...have you gotten your xwaves heat fitted cause i havent done that yet and wondering what it was like... good luck with your boots too

I too, suffer from odd shaped feet, and i've had mine heated/punched whatever you can do to them at least 5 times, and my boots are still fine