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The Official: "What is wrong with my boots?" Thread
This thread should be seen as an accompaniment to the "How To Buy Ski Boots" thread, more specifically aimed at solving a problem with your existing ski boots. Rather than clog up Gear Talk with countless repeating threads, please dump your boot-fitting related questions here and we will do our best to help you out.
Remember, nothing is a substitute for going to a real boot-fitter; they can see your foot, we can't. So if you can't get to a boot-fitter, or are frustrated with your current one, we can help point you in the right direction. Try to be as descriptive of your problem as possible and post pics if you can. The more information we get from you, the more successful we will hopefully be in helping you out.
pirksterBig dogs, I am wearing K2 FL3X Method Pros and I'm getting really bad foot pain on the outside and the arch of my feet when I wear them. It's to the point that I'm no longer even strapping my bottom buckles. I do have wide feet, and I think that may be the problem. Is there any way I can make the boots fit better?
Going to echo what the person above me said. I used to get that same arch pain until I got custom footbeds. Totally worth every penny
I have atomkc hawx ultra xtd that I have reshaped the toe box to a fairly extreme extent. I have heated the toe box 5 seperate times and I am curious if doing so has made the plastic more susceptible to becoming very cold?
I spent a week trying to get a TGR account to post this in the Atomic boot thread but I give up.
Just picked up some older Ultra Hawx XTD 130 (the green/grey ones) and they fit amazing (using a zipfit free ride liner) compared to my old Lupo ax that a 'pro fitter' put me in. No control and I was swimming in the last, super pissed about it as I bought them new and tried to make it work for a couple seasons. Guy was... abrasive to say the least.
Problem is my left foot is longer than the right and the left big toe as gone black form either smashing the end of the toe box or from the top, hard to tell. Some bruising on the right big toe but nothing like the left. I tried all the boot shops in my 'town' and nobody wants to lengthen or work on the toe of the Hawx, saying it's way too thin in the plastic to stretch. Some say straight up it's impossible. A guy helped me out by slightly grinding down the plastic sole thing and doing a shell heat and mold... but it's still not perfect. Can only ski a couple days before the pain is too much, and no way I could do a half decent tour on them with the current fit.
Is it possible to stretch the toe of an ultra hawx xtd (the older non-PU shell)?, and does anybody know a shop in Austria (accessible by train preferably) that can/will lengthen the toe box slightly? I just need a dash more room and they would be perfect!
No-Skill-PhilI spent a week trying to get a TGR account to post this in the Atomic boot thread but I give up.
Just picked up some older Ultra Hawx XTD 130 (the green/grey ones) and they fit amazing (using a zipfit free ride liner) compared to my old Lupo ax that a 'pro fitter' put me in. No control and I was swimming in the last, super pissed about it as I bought them new and tried to make it work for a couple seasons. Guy was... abrasive to say the least.
Problem is my left foot is longer than the right and the left big toe as gone black form either smashing the end of the toe box or from the top, hard to tell. Some bruising on the right big toe but nothing like the left. I tried all the boot shops in my 'town' and nobody wants to lengthen or work on the toe of the Hawx, saying it's way too thin in the plastic to stretch. Some say straight up it's impossible. A guy helped me out by slightly grinding down the plastic sole thing and doing a shell heat and mold... but it's still not perfect. Can only ski a couple days before the pain is too much, and no way I could do a half decent tour on them with the current fit.
Is it possible to stretch the toe of an ultra hawx xtd (the older non-PU shell)?, and does anybody know a shop in Austria (accessible by train preferably) that can/will lengthen the toe box slightly? I just need a dash more room and they would be perfect!
Here is everything I have done to my boots, and what has and has not worked:
- Removed the front of my boot board completely, did not work and just made thing worse, if anyone knows where to get a new one that would be sick
- Punched out the toe areas by a boot fitter, kinda worked but not really
- What was referenced in the TGR thread I linked, worked wonders took some time and effort. But was a cool experiment. I guess the only issues I have is what I posted above.
These are your boots right? (https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/2019-2020-atomic-hawx-ultra-xtd-130) if so they are PU, and should have no problem to punch, Idk how far I punched mine but it is well beyond 10mm of stretching. Also as far as binding compatibility all I know is that they work with pivots no issue. GregL on the TGR forms has also lengthened and stretched his ultras a considerable amount, go scroll through the forms and try to find what he has done. You can also try heating the toe area and massaging out the plastic with something rounded like the handle of a screwdriver or round end of a wrench.
No-Skill-PhilI spent a week trying to get a TGR account to post this in the Atomic boot thread but I give up.
Just picked up some older Ultra Hawx XTD 130 (the green/grey ones) and they fit amazing (using a zipfit free ride liner) compared to my old Lupo ax that a 'pro fitter' put me in. No control and I was swimming in the last, super pissed about it as I bought them new and tried to make it work for a couple seasons. Guy was... abrasive to say the least.
Problem is my left foot is longer than the right and the left big toe as gone black form either smashing the end of the toe box or from the top, hard to tell. Some bruising on the right big toe but nothing like the left. I tried all the boot shops in my 'town' and nobody wants to lengthen or work on the toe of the Hawx, saying it's way too thin in the plastic to stretch. Some say straight up it's impossible. A guy helped me out by slightly grinding down the plastic sole thing and doing a shell heat and mold... but it's still not perfect. Can only ski a couple days before the pain is too much, and no way I could do a half decent tour on them with the current fit.
Is it possible to stretch the toe of an ultra hawx xtd (the older non-PU shell)?, and does anybody know a shop in Austria (accessible by train preferably) that can/will lengthen the toe box slightly? I just need a dash more room and they would be perfect!
Plz halp
Lol, pretty sure I made an Atomic boot thread here too. So many threads...
You can definitely stretch the toe box of a Grilamid boot very easily. You just need to find a shop with the proper tools and jig to hold the boot so it doesn't deform (a tool that is required for any toe box lengthening).
The plastic stretches easily and well. Not as good as a PU boot, but nothing does.
onenerdykidLol, pretty sure I made an Atomic boot thread here too. So many threads...
You can definitely stretch the toe box of a Grilamid boot very easily. You just need to find a shop with the proper tools and jig to hold the boot so it doesn't deform (a tool that is required for any toe box lengthening).
The plastic stretches easily and well. Not as good as a PU boot, but nothing does.
Right on, so good to hear!
Well no shop that I tried in central Vienna would do it. Got any suggestions? I’ll be at Hochköning on the weekend, but I also pass by Innsbruck and sometimes Salzburg.
I also picked up some minty Redster CS130s as a little project boot. Does anybody sell lifters for them that brings the lug-sole dims to gripwalk spec?
macfivehttps://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/137151-the-answer-to-quot-WTF-is-wrong-with-my-boots-quot/page60
Scroll down to my username (MacFive) to see what I did to lengthen my Hawx.
Here is everything I have done to my boots, and what has and has not worked:
- Removed the front of my boot board completely, did not work and just made thing worse, if anyone knows where to get a new one that would be sick
- Punched out the toe areas by a boot fitter, kinda worked but not really
- What was referenced in the TGR thread I linked, worked wonders took some time and effort. But was a cool experiment. I guess the only issues I have is what I posted above.
These are your boots right? (https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/2019-2020-atomic-hawx-ultra-xtd-130) if so they are PU, and should have no problem to punch, Idk how far I punched mine but it is well beyond 10mm of stretching. Also as far as binding compatibility all I know is that they work with pivots no issue. GregL on the TGR forms has also lengthened and stretched his ultras a considerable amount, go scroll through the forms and try to find what he has done. You can also try heating the toe area and massaging out the plastic with something rounded like the handle of a screwdriver or round end of a wrench.
Cheers for the info and links!
If I can’t find a decent shop to do it I’ll go DIY.
No-Skill-PhilI spent a week trying to get a TGR account to post this in the Atomic boot thread but I give up.
Just picked up some older Ultra Hawx XTD 130 (the green/grey ones) and they fit amazing (using a zipfit free ride liner) compared to my old Lupo ax that a 'pro fitter' put me in. No control and I was swimming in the last, super pissed about it as I bought them new and tried to make it work for a couple seasons. Guy was... abrasive to say the least.
Problem is my left foot is longer than the right and the left big toe as gone black form either smashing the end of the toe box or from the top, hard to tell. Some bruising on the right big toe but nothing like the left. I tried all the boot shops in my 'town' and nobody wants to lengthen or work on the toe of the Hawx, saying it's way too thin in the plastic to stretch. Some say straight up it's impossible. A guy helped me out by slightly grinding down the plastic sole thing and doing a shell heat and mold... but it's still not perfect. Can only ski a couple days before the pain is too much, and no way I could do a half decent tour on them with the current fit.
Is it possible to stretch the toe of an ultra hawx xtd (the older non-PU shell)?, and does anybody know a shop in Austria (accessible by train preferably) that can/will lengthen the toe box slightly? I just need a dash more room and they would be perfect!
Plz halp
lol you can punch a bit of length if you really need to. If a shop specializes in boots, guaranteed they have tech that can be jeddy rigged to do it. Most bootfitters will tell you no because we don’t want to. No matter what someone says they will inevitably expect perfection and then come back next year asking to adjust alpine bindings to their toe punched touring boots and be mad when they found out we ruined their boot trying to help them the year before.
The one thing is Austrian bootfitters tend to be rather high strung. Generalizing but I haven’t been wrong yet. if you book an appointment w a boot fitter and explain the actual circumstances and that it’s your final effort to get the boots to fit, they would understand here in NA. Idk about where you’re at
Well no shop that I tried in central Vienna would do it. Got any suggestions? I’ll be at Hochköning on the weekend, but I also pass by Innsbruck and sometimes Salzburg.
I also picked up some minty Redster CS130s as a little project boot. Does anybody sell lifters for them that brings the lug-sole dims to gripwalk spec?
If you're driving from Vienna to IBK or Salzburg, just swing through Altenmarkt and go to Intersport Schneider. They have a world cup boot technician on hand (Gerli) and can do whatever you need.
They should also have regular and dual-component lifters to attach to your Redster CS and they can router the lugs back to ISO 5355 dimensions (not GripWalk). Only Dalbello makes GripWalk lifters, but you need to cut the boot with 5355 lifters first and then swap to GW afterward. But Gerli will walk you through all of it.
keagan.karstensPosted this earlier and someone suggested I share this here. Plz help
Shit dude. I went from a 27.5 to a 26.5 and still only did it because I have full time access to a boot punch. If you are a sz 11 shoe you should probably be in 28.5s, but I don’t know your foot. Lots of people out there need to size down. However. The numbness you’re describing is likely because the boot is too small, 1 run to complete numbness and pain isn’t usually just growing pains, like they are bound to be a little uncomfortable when breaking them in but not like that.
take the liner out , footbed out of the liner, set the footbed in the shell, put ur foot in the shell sitting on the foot bed. How much space do you have between the top of the boot (instep) and your upper foot bone (nevicular bone)? That would be be best explanation to the pain. Then toes just at the front, see how many fingers you can fit behind your heel. If you can fit 1.5-2 fingies, I’m wrong and that’s normal, you’ll break them in. Just 1 finger, and it’s fine but you’re gonna need your roommate to work on them a bitz. Less than a finger to no space at all, and take them back.
my boots are to big, i have read a this thread a little and saw some short term options while reading this thread but any thing i can do to fix for a little? my toes and my shins are too loose but my toes are super close to touching the end and sometimes do. I just need a temporary fix because i'm going on a little trip this weekend. thanks
butterflywatchermy boots are to big, i have read a this thread a little and saw some short term options while reading this thread but any thing i can do to fix for a little? my toes and my shins are too loose but my toes are super close to touching the end and sometimes do. I just need a temporary fix because i'm going on a little trip this weekend. thanks
A boot shop will have shims (1mm thick insole shaped things) they can put below your liner to fill a little space in the lower. They will also have cuff spoilers, inserts to go behind the liner and fill up space up top
keagan.karstensPosted this earlier and someone suggested I share this here. Plz help
It’s possible it’s too small, but 26.5 isn’t necessarily too small for an 11 foot (I’m 11.5-12 and ride 27.5’s in a performance but not race fit). If you have numbness it could be primarily instep pressure - I’d ask you buddy to help you over the instep before doing anything else. There’s a great Start Haus video on cutting out the liner over the Surfers knot. If that doesn’t help enough you can drop the bootboard too (but as @onenerdykid has said, you should be really careful not to shave too much). i had complete numbness and pain from literally the first Gondi ride when my boots got fit, and those boots (with the instep cutout and a bootboard trim) are totally dialed in now, zero pain at all. You could go up a size, but I’d consider relieving instep pressure first
BenchhitterA boot shop will have shims (1mm thick insole shaped things) they can put below your liner to fill a little space in the lower. They will also have cuff spoilers, inserts to go behind the liner and fill up space up top
thank you but i can’t get to a boot shop before i ski any ideas for a substitute to that i would have at my house? if not skiing with to big of boots isn’t that big of a deal
butterflywatcherthank you but i can’t get to a boot shop before i ski any ideas for a substitute to that i would have at my house? if not skiing with to big of boots isn’t that big of a deal
Use the liners from ypur 29.5 boots. Thats what i did to alleviate pain when i went from 29.5 ft descendents to my 27.5 atomic hawx ultra.
butterflywatcherthank you but i can’t get to a boot shop before i ski any ideas for a substitute to that i would have at my house? if not skiing with to big of boots isn’t that big of a deal
honestly like cardboard or something if you’re in a huge pinch
butterflywatchermy boots are to big, i have read a this thread a little and saw some short term options while reading this thread but any thing i can do to fix for a little? my toes and my shins are too loose but my toes are super close to touching the end and sometimes do. I just need a temporary fix because i'm going on a little trip this weekend. thanks
Sorry about my previous reply I got you and keagan mixed up. You could try and use a compression sock that goes around your ankle and forefoot.
pirksterBig dogs, I am back again. I got custom footbeds and now my arches hurt worse. What is going on???
You can't just hop onto a custom footbed without having gotten used to it. You are basically tightening up your foot every hour of every day in your normal shoes, then jumping into a plastic cast with total support. Your foot is not used to it, at all, and it needs to get used to the support. This is a tell tale sign that you need to wear something in your everyday footwear.
i have the dalbello boss 110 i love them but for some reason when i tighten them down my right foot goes numb i don't understand they are perfect on my left food but not my right foot hurts when i wear them someone help me pleese
Maybe some of you remember my post about my new boots making my feet numb. Yesterday I dealt with numbness again when I was skiing. It’s now 14 hours later and on my left foot only, there is still some numbness and that “fizzy” “tv static” feeling on the outer area and my pinky toe. I’m a little freaked out now and wondering if anyone has any advice. I’ve had days with worse numbness and this hasn’t happened. Lmk
keagan.karstensMaybe some of you remember my post about my new boots making my feet numb. Yesterday I dealt with numbness again when I was skiing. It’s now 14 hours later and on my left foot only, there is still some numbness and that “fizzy” “tv static” feeling on the outer area and my pinky toe. I’m a little freaked out now and wondering if anyone has any advice. I’ve had days with worse numbness and this hasn’t happened. Lmk
Definitely happened to me before. Lasted a couple/ few days and slowly returned to normal. Are you getting toe bang? How many hours/days do you have in the boots?
Non_State_ActorDefinitely happened to me before. Lasted a couple/ few days and slowly returned to normal. Are you getting toe bang? How many hours/days do you have in the boots?
Toes are pretty packed in there, that was day five. Each day I’ve ridden about 3 hours
keagan.karstensToes are pretty packed in there, that was day five. Each day I’ve ridden about 3 hours
Have you done any work to them since you got the boots? I was just re-reading your earlier post. Have you been in contact with your friend/fitter about the issue after a couple days of skiing with no real improvement?
hey there I got my boots molded at the start of the season but my heel still doesn’t lock in place my boot fitter recommended custom soles but I don’t think it will completely fix my problem any tips? Thanks
frenchehey there I got my boots molded at the start of the season but my heel still doesn’t lock in place my boot fitter recommended custom soles but I don’t think it will completely fix my problem any tips? Thanks
Custom soles are step 1 in boot fitting. They will help, and they'll need to secure your foot first before moving on to other things
frenchehey there I got my boots molded at the start of the season but my heel still doesn’t lock in place my boot fitter recommended custom soles but I don’t think it will completely fix my problem any tips? Thanks
Assuming you were fit to the right boot and that the footbed is made properly, it will fix most or all of your issue
**This post was edited on Feb 29th 2024 at 11:51:12pm
keagan.karstensMaybe some of you remember my post about my new boots making my feet numb. Yesterday I dealt with numbness again when I was skiing. It’s now 14 hours later and on my left foot only, there is still some numbness and that “fizzy” “tv static” feeling on the outer area and my pinky toe. I’m a little freaked out now and wondering if anyone has any advice. I’ve had days with worse numbness and this hasn’t happened. Lmk
So, I have a problem. Maybe a new one to some folks, maybe some of you have dealt with it.
My K2 boots have a liner and inside the liner is a separate sole. Whenever I am doing presses or forcing more power into the boot, the sole inside the liner is moving and it's rather annoying when it's moving and sometimes even gets rolled up inside the liner.
Has anyone solved the problem?
**This post was edited on Mar 21st 2024 at 8:19:52am
See the post above yours for doing a shell fit, that would be step one. If you are indeed in at least the correct size boot, the next suggestion would be to get a proper insole from a trusted boot fitter.
With that much movement I would wager that you're in boots that are too big.
mikkSo, I have a problem. Maybe a new one to some folks, maybe some of you have dealt with it.
My K2 boots have a liner and inside the liner is a separate sole. Whenever I am doing presses or forcing more power into the boot, the sole inside the liner is moving and it's rather annoying when it's moving and sometimes even gets rolled up inside the liner.
Has anyone solved the problem?
**This post was edited on Mar 21st 2024 at 8:19:52am
mikkSo, I have a problem. Maybe a new one to some folks, maybe some of you have dealt with it.
My K2 boots have a liner and inside the liner is a separate sole. Whenever I am doing presses or forcing more power into the boot, the sole inside the liner is moving and it's rather annoying when it's moving and sometimes even gets rolled up inside the liner.
Has anyone solved the problem?
**This post was edited on Mar 21st 2024 at 8:19:52am
The stock sole that comes in the boot is literally just there to fill space for the inevitable purchase of a proper footbed. Ask a rep how much r&d they put into the insole or look for yourself. It’s rolling around in there because it’s a 1mm thick piece of garbage dump offcut. Get a real one. Or at least even a superfeet or something.
Aftermarket insoles have many benefits don't get me wrong but it's not the magical end all be all solution to every situation. @keagan.karstens where are you based out of?
