Got a pair of Downunders Footbeds from my local ski shop after a day with the standard footbeds in my new boots and it made a huge difference. I feel like I have full control of where my skis go now! Definitely a game changer.
Nice video. It's be great to also mention what muscles of the foot are doing inside the boot and how footbeds can help the muscles be active. And also on what kind of movement the foot needs to have inside the boot to achieve skiing performance.
What if you have no Arch essentially? Every time I've tried to use a footbed product it's caused me discomfort.. in the past anytime I've tried something with arch support it's pushed my foot into an unnatural position and caused pain. I've even tried to custom footbed in my shoes. I've tried wearing them for a week or two and could never get used to the pain. Fitting for a footbed can be relatively expensive. I'm apprehensive about spending the money because of every experience I've ever had with something in my boot that's not flat. Is it possible on better off without a footbed? Or did I just have a bad experience with all the previous products? There's only one foot bed that hasn't caused me physical pain. And that's the Sidas. It's an ultra low Arch product. It's hard to find, most shops don't even carry it
Great question- sounds like you are on the right track and are a candidate for a low to flat arch in a footbed. If the anatomy dictates low arch, there should be no need to try and correct that. You will still benefit from locking the heel in place in your ski boot and supporting the foot even with a flat arch. Softer and more forgiving material might also be in order! Flat feet can be sensitive to support, and softer posting material can offer that heel lock and arch support without the pain.
@Starthaus you're right on all accounts....my experience has been softer materials are better. And very flat products. Everyone who handles my feet insisted I need some kind of arch shaping. Glad to hear there are still some boot fitters that understand what's going on with abnormal feet. Guess I just haven't found the right person yet.
Well, best of luck in the search for comfortable foot support! Seek out those drop-in Sidas ultra low-arch, even if that means asking a shop to special order them. Go from there, and hopefully redefine your footbeds in both street shoes and your ski boots.
Same here, I have low arches and every foot bed I’ve purchased got thrown out after one or two runs. Perhaps good fitters are rare. Or if my arch flattens slightly when I stand up doesn’t it want to do that when I’m walking or skiing , trying to prevent this by holding the arch up might be unnatural and painful? I go barefoot a lot no pain , no arch support in my daily shoes no pain? Why do I want anything different when skiing?
@Holeysocks464 same here. I never have any pain in my foot in any situation except for skiing and ice skating. I Only have foot pain when I ski Very frustrating
I have been 'fitted' for footbeds on 3 occasions for 3 different boots at 3 different shops and they all felt ok in the shop but each of them caused me agony after about 30 mins of skiing. Each time my foot went sort of numb. As soon as I took them out and put the ones that came with the boots back in there was no discomfort. So special footbeds have been a nightmare for me but somehow I feel like I am missing out on something that would improve my skiing. What would you suggest please?
Well, it’s hard to know what these fitters did or what kind of footbed they made you, or what your feet need. Did they test your range of motion? Did they lift the toe up during the assessment to see how the arch reacted? Did they note pronation when standing vs. sitting? Some feet need really soft suggestive support and don’t do well with stiff posting. In these cases, we use softer material and even start taking cuts out of the posting to allow flex and relief. There is no one answer and no rule that says you need a custom footbed- if the stock footbed is comfortable and allows you to ski all day, that’s OK! It doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong and it doesn’t mean you are necessarily missing out. (There are Olympians and World Champions who never took to custom footbeds.) If the stock footbed works, run with it. Go ski, have fun, and don’t over think it!
Depends on the footbed blank. Our most commonly used Sidas Pro-Mesh blank rarely requires extra posting material. Occasionally we’ll post the heel area of the footbed to supply some extra stabilization. Sometimes we use a softer blank allowing us to better customize the support (or lack thereof) depending on the needs of the foot.
Got a pair of Downunders Footbeds from my local ski shop after a day with the standard footbeds in my new boots and it made a huge difference. I feel like I have full control of where my skis go now! Definitely a game changer.
Yeah I see what you're talking about cause I used make kinds adjustments inside my Ski Boots. That better improvement.
Thank you.
This was a thorough and excellent explanation.
Nice video. It's be great to also mention what muscles of the foot are doing inside the boot and how footbeds can help the muscles be active. And also on what kind of movement the foot needs to have inside the boot to achieve skiing performance.
Next level! Hopefully we'll get more nerdy with future videos on anatomy and boot interface.
@@Starthaus+1
What if you have no Arch essentially? Every time I've tried to use a footbed product it's caused me discomfort.. in the past anytime I've tried something with arch support it's pushed my foot into an unnatural position and caused pain. I've even tried to custom footbed in my shoes. I've tried wearing them for a week or two and could never get used to the pain. Fitting for a footbed can be relatively expensive. I'm apprehensive about spending the money because of every experience I've ever had with something in my boot that's not flat. Is it possible on better off without a footbed? Or did I just have a bad experience with all the previous products? There's only one foot bed that hasn't caused me physical pain. And that's the Sidas. It's an ultra low Arch product. It's hard to find, most shops don't even carry it
Great question- sounds like you are on the right track and are a candidate for a low to flat arch in a footbed. If the anatomy dictates low arch, there should be no need to try and correct that. You will still benefit from locking the heel in place in your ski boot and supporting the foot even with a flat arch. Softer and more forgiving material might also be in order! Flat feet can be sensitive to support, and softer posting material can offer that heel lock and arch support without the pain.
@Starthaus you're right on all accounts....my experience has been softer materials are better. And very flat products. Everyone who handles my feet insisted I need some kind of arch shaping. Glad to hear there are still some boot fitters that understand what's going on with abnormal feet. Guess I just haven't found the right person yet.
Well, best of luck in the search for comfortable foot support! Seek out those drop-in Sidas ultra low-arch, even if that means asking a shop to special order them. Go from there, and hopefully redefine your footbeds in both street shoes and your ski boots.
Same here, I have low arches and every foot bed I’ve purchased got thrown out after one or two runs. Perhaps good fitters are rare. Or if my arch flattens slightly when I stand up doesn’t it want to do that when I’m walking or skiing , trying to prevent this by holding the arch up might be unnatural and painful? I go barefoot a lot no pain , no arch support in my daily shoes no pain? Why do I want anything different when skiing?
@Holeysocks464 same here. I never have any pain in my foot in any situation except for skiing and ice skating. I Only have foot pain when I ski Very frustrating
I have been 'fitted' for footbeds on 3 occasions for 3 different boots at 3 different shops and they all felt ok in the shop but each of them caused me agony after about 30 mins of skiing. Each time my foot went sort of numb. As soon as I took them out and put the ones that came with the boots back in there was no discomfort. So special footbeds have been a nightmare for me but somehow I feel like I am missing out on something that would improve my skiing.
What would you suggest please?
Well, it’s hard to know what these fitters did or what kind of footbed they made you, or what your feet need. Did they test your range of motion? Did they lift the toe up during the assessment to see how the arch reacted? Did they note pronation when standing vs. sitting? Some feet need really soft suggestive support and don’t do well with stiff posting. In these cases, we use softer material and even start taking cuts out of the posting to allow flex and relief. There is no one answer and no rule that says you need a custom footbed- if the stock footbed is comfortable and allows you to ski all day, that’s OK! It doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong and it doesn’t mean you are necessarily missing out. (There are Olympians and World Champions who never took to custom footbeds.)
If the stock footbed works, run with it. Go ski, have fun, and don’t over think it!
Great video. How much can a properly fitted footbed help with heel lift?
Only slightly. Heel lift is more commonly caused by too much volume somewhere in the boot.
Who makes the thinnest possible footbed with a grippy top?
In our shop, that would be the Sidas Winter C Race blanks.
Posting vs. no posting? What is the basis for that decision?
Depends on the footbed blank. Our most commonly used Sidas Pro-Mesh blank rarely requires extra posting material. Occasionally we’ll post the heel area of the footbed to supply some extra stabilization. Sometimes we use a softer blank allowing us to better customize the support (or lack thereof) depending on the needs of the foot.
thanks ', my feet are higher arched' i can imagine' firm arch support' with a snug linear fit' rossignol fit me good too' thanks start haus