BOOT FITTING

Boots are the most important part of your skiing or boarding package. Aside from the fact that you definitely will not enjoy your time on the slopes if your feet hurt or if your feet are cold, it is important to understand that properly fitted boots are paramount in assuring your skiing and snowboarding performance on the mountain.

What are custom footbeds?

Boot footbeds are inserts (orthotics) moulded to bring the load bearing parts of the foot in sync with the gravitational force of the skeletal system. Boot footbeds are moulded from a semi-rigid material which distributes the forces developed on the foot during a ski turn or board carve. This relieves the soreness and fatigue that foot abnormalities can cause.

How are custom footbeds made?

Custom footbeds are made from an impression of your foot using a Semi-weighted BioGel Molding System designed to get a neutral cast of the foot. As your feet settle into the pliable BioGel, your bootfitter will adjust your feet into the foot shaped casting cavities.

The mould is then worked by the dual mechanical devices built into the moulding system to push the Bio-Gel into the nooks and crannies of each foot creating a micro-contour mould of each foot; Esentially a custom mould will translate to an exact mirrored footbed for each foot.

Custom insole blanks are then trimmed, heated and set into the moulding cavity of the BioGel moulding system and feet placed onto the blanks. Custom insole blanks are made from medical grade, low temperature thermoplastics that are laminated with an EVA top cover that is impregnated with a friction reducing silicone for easing the foot in and out of the liner.

After several minutes the custom insole blanks will have cooled down leaving an accurate moulding of your foot.

A posting material is then applied to the insole blank and shaped according to the characteristics of your foot and the applicable / intended uses of the footbed (skiing/snowboarding). Varying densities of posting materials can be applied to the insole blank depending on the flex and stability needed.

The Custom insole blank and applied posting material is now ready for grinding and shaping. The manner in which the posting material is shaped will depend on the shape of your foot, intended use of the custom footbed or any outstanding stability issues that are being corrected.

Once the Custom footbed is completed it is fitted into your ski or snowboard boot. The Custom footbed is now at the ‘fine tuning’ stage whereby small imperfections in comfort and fit are adjusted. Once these areas are addressed and corrected your new Custom footbeds are ready for use.

I bought expensive ski boots. Why would I also need custom footbeds?

Off-the-shelf ski boots are hardened outer shells with soft cushiony liners. The cushioning actually allows the foot to move in the shell during the leg action while skiing. This, in turn, dissipates the exactness the leg needs to communicate to the ski through the foot and ski boot. A custom footbed stabilizes the foot within the boot and provides for a more direct and efficient transmission of the leg muscle action to the foot.

How much do custom footbeds cost?

There are different types of footbeds and since they all start from some sort of base material they can pretty much be called custom footbeds. Some are pre-cut to shoe sizes and then are heated while your foot makes an impression. Others are much more involved using different techniques to make a mould from a raw base form. The cost can range from about $40 to over $200, depending on how labour intensive the process is and the composition of the blanks.

Buying Your First Pair of Boots

The most important rule for buying that first pair of boots is to go to a reputable ski and board shop, preferably a specialty store with experienced salespeople. Better yet, find a store with boot-certified sales and service personnel. Either by reputation or, on the advice of friends who are familiar with your area ski shops, pick out one you feel comfortable dealing with. You want to trust their judgment as to the fit of the boots.