bloobyrd.com

One of the most underrated, and under-used pieces of advice I can offer skiers and snowboarders of all levels is this. Cut your toenails. Whether you rip the steep and deep or take 20 minutes to make 4 turns, you know that painful feet, specifically your big toe, can ruin your day in an instant. In fact, comfortable and secure boots are THE most important part of a successful and pain-free day on the slopes.

The best way to ensure a good fitting boot is to have them professionally done. Avoid most chain sporting goods stores and find the guy in your area who’s been doing it for 40 years and chews on cold wax for breakfast. You’d be surprised how specific certain types of boots are for certain types of feet. Technicas, for example, are great for people with wide feet. Rossignol and Nordica, on the other hand, are typically suited for narrower feet. This isn’t necessarily true across the board but any good boot-fitter will be able to prescribe several boots simply after asking your skill level and inspecting your bare feet.

A few things that will definitely help you on your journey to the right fit (and it is a journey) are thermo-forming boot liners and custom footbeds. Thermo-forming liners are heated to match the contours of your feet, ankles and lower leg, ensuring the best fit by minimizing the empty space in your boot. And custom footbeds will do the same to the bottom of your feet by making sure every inch of your foot is in contact with the bottom of the boot at all times, also optimizing performance.

There are a few other tricks you or you boot-fitter may try to solve some issues like adding lifts to your footbed or blowing out hot spots, but some problems have a much simpler remedy. No matter how tight you like to keep your boots, you’re bound to have some wiggle room in your toes and as you grind into your turns, you’ll put plenty of pressure on those ten little digits. By taking a minute or two to keeping your toes trimmed, you’ll solve alot of your problems and hopefully save yourself from the dreaded “black toe”…