Just wanted to pass on some info to people who have problems with feet pain or discomfort. I used to have pretty horrible foot pain no matter what boot or insole I had. I went through two pairs of boots and almost every type of expensive custom footbed. It was getting to the point that I was ready to give up skiing and get some comfy snowboarding boots.

There is a company called Superfeet that specialize in orthotics. There are no local shops to the DC area that makes them but if you go out west or up to VT or NY you can find them. I got mine in Park City. They put your feet on these sensors and measure pressure and generate a topographical view of your feet. Then they have a machine which computer cuts the rubber footbed to your exact foot shape. When I first tried them on they felt weird and I wasn't sure that this was going to work. I thought this was going to be a disaster again and I'd be out $150.

Anyway, I went skiing at Timberline and I had 0 pain. None. Second day, Nothing. I've been skiing 12 days in them so far and no issues.

They have a website at www.superfeet.com that list the locations.

I know that a lot of people have foot pain issues and just learn to live with it and I wanted to pass this along. I also wanted to wait until I was sure they weren't going to break down or lose the rigidity. After 12 solid days they still feel the same and appairently if they do breakdown or lose shape they have a lifetime warranty so I think it's worth the money.

Interesting info. I checked out the site you listed. According to Superfeet.com, there are quite a number of DC area dealers, including REI. Seems worth checking out if they are local. Anyone else have experience with these?

Cool, I think they changed their website recently. I got mine at the corporate hq in Park City and according to the flyer I have they only have stores in a few states. Perhaps they just listed the stores owned by Superfeet. That is all I will vouch for. I don't know how good REI is with these footbeds. I'll only recommend the actual Superfeet stores.

I got my superfeet at Ski Center... fabulous

Sometimes Superfeet just doesn't do the trick. I have used SOLE brand thermally moldable insoles purchased at a local running shop with great success. $34 , several thickness options, moldable to your foot.

www.itsyoursole.com

I have never seen superfeet have the kind of fit you're talking about... however - I do have a pair just as you described. You put your foot on a piece of equipment... then hundreds of pins push up to measure the distance. This then is displayed on a computer monitor... it looks like a pressure-map of the sole of your foot. The boot fitter then makes some adjustments & sends the file (via modem, etc) to the company. They use a CNC machine to create the custom footbed. In 2 weeks - you get the footbed in the mail.

Anyway - I have a set & they are wonderful! I will DEFINITELY be getting another set done. The great part - is that if you want more than 1 set - I've been told that they can simply make another set from their existing file if your foot hasn't changed.

the company that made mine is called AMfit at http://www.amfit.com/ - and they don't have any local shops that do it. Mine were done in Stowe, VT at Boots & Boards 2 years ago.

jimmer

Custom footbeds are the best return on investment for any dollar you will ever spend on skiing.

Boot manufacturers should be ashamed of the flimsy insoles they put in their products.

Even if you don't have foot pain issues, custom insoles can improve boot fit and really enhance the feedback you get from your feet.

I have had custom footbeds made at both Ski Center in D.C. and Pro-Fit in Leesburg. Both shops did an excellent job.

Guys ... one word (well errrr two) SKI CENTER!!!! They are located at Massachusetts Ave & 49th St NW tel # 202.966.4474 . I have had them make SuperFeet SuperCork footbeds for me for about 10 years ... the best. My feet are sooooo messed up people look at them in the ski shop and laugh because I have flat feet and pronation. These footbeds are great and Ski Center has some great guys that will mold them to you feet.

I agree that Ski Center is absolutely the best in the area. My point was that Superfeet doesn't make the kind of foot-bed that originally started this thread - AMfit does. I have had many cork super-feet's made for me. But - I have to say that the AMFit's that I have are significantly better than any of my SuperFeet's were.

I have very bad feet (flat, no arch, inward roll of the ankle a.k.a. pronation, absolutely no ankle volume, etc). I wish that Ski Center would use this system instead of the old-cork standby. Their web page actually discourages the AMFit style system for some reason.... I don't know why & don't really care at this point.

I have had foot beds for the last 13 years of my 25 years of skiing. Most of them were super-feet - which have now been kicked to my hiking boots. For my feet - the AMFit system is the best performance I have come across yet.

jimmer

Jimmer, Superfeet does make what you had done. Amfit is probably the same technology but I think there is some confusion because Superfeet makes standard "trim-to-fit" footbeds that cost $20-30 and then you have the top of the line custom orthotics like what you have and what I bought last year. I can't attest to AMFit's brand, although, the process you described is identical to what I did, It was Superfeet. Their Corporate HQ is in Park City and that's where I got it done. I didn't have to wait 2 weeks either. Just put them in the boot. Skiied a couple runs and if they needed adjustments just went back in and they fixed it.

There are a lot of spinoff brands with "Super..." in their name that probably confuses some people.

I also agree that if you need good service head out to Ski Center in DC. They might be a tad more expensive than other shops but they are the best in the area.

If you need an excuse to go to Utah this year then stop by the Superfeet HQ in the Park City Villiage. Top notch.

very sorry... I didnt' think they did that - so I went to their web page... they don't list that type on their page - so I thought you got confused. Again - very sorry.

Lietmotiv - Superfeet world wide HQ is actually in WA state ... but there are SuperFeet dealers every two blocks in Park City .... I think you might be thinking of SureFoot who is a SuperFeet dealer, and there are serveral locations in Park City including Main Street. A great bootfitting place!

haha.

Tell you guys what. My experience that I detailed in my first post last year did occur.

That is the only certainty I know at this point. It happened last year. It was cold out. And my feet feel better. Beyond that I am unable to confirm or deny anything

Lietmotiv - LOL what happens in Park City stays in Park City LOL! ;-)

Good stuff man! I've learned my lesson with this

Anyone have a good solution for cold feet? Unless I can figure out how to get my wife's feet warmer (while skiing) - my opportunities to get out will be limited.

Try a Boot Glove.

http://www.bootglove.com/

Many people when they have cold feet proceed to pack an extra layer of wool socks into their already too tight boots. This causes more pressure on the leg and eventually causes the foot to lose circulation and when you lose circulation your bodies ability to warm itself decreases. I suggest she wear a thin base sock (ultra thin) and then another thin sock. No cotton. Smartwool or something like that.

Worked for my girlfriend. You want to avoid putting more stuff in the boot box.

Good luck.

I too used to have cold feet. Until someone told me I was wearing too many socks & my feet were actually sweating. I may be a bit on the anal side now, but at least my feet don't get cold.

First, The socks I wear in my street shoes to get to the resort NEVER enter my ski boots, not even to walk from the parking lot to the locker room. That is a HUGE one, since I didn't realize my feet were actually sweating a bit.

Second, between taking my street socks off & putting my ski socks on, I let my feet dry for a min or two. If I don't have the time, I just wipe them off.

Third, my ski socks are the thinest ski socks I can find and are never cotton or a cotton blend. My main pair of socks is actually a pair of sock liners. If it gets too cold for them, I have a couple pair of the thinest "smart wool" socks I can find. It's never too cold for the smart wool.

Like I said - I used to have that problem years ago & haven't had that problem since I switched. I have skiied with those very thin smart wool socks in Calgary in -25 degrees & not had cold feet.

Another thing to consider is boot fit. If there is any pinching in her boot - that may be the source of her cold feet also. Sometimes I get a pinch just below my ankle bone. If I don't stop & fix it, my entire heal gets cold & goes to sleep.

jimmer

I almost forgot. Buy a good boot dryer (one without heat, just room temp air). Put your boots on the dryer at least over night (when I can - I leave mine on for 24 hours). Even though you may not realize your liners are wet - they probably are. If they're even damp, but still feel dry - her feet will get cold.

Make sure you do this even if you're not going to go skiing for 2 weeks. Once the liners are wet/damp - it takes many many weeks before they're dry again without a boot dryer or without being taken out of their shells.

jimmer and Lietmotiv have some real good tips about preventing cold feet - keeping feet dry is very important. Ski boots have a lot of insulation so heavy socks are not needed and can be counter productive if they make the boots too tight or make your feet sweat more. Light-weight synthetic athletic socks to wick away moisture from your feet are ideal. All ski shops sell these socks.

Another hint:
Every few rides up the chairlift (or in the lift line), undo or loosen the one or two buckles of your boot nearest the toe. Wiggle your toes around to increase circulation to your foot. (Rebuckle before starting to ski.) In cold weather, our bodies draw blood away from the extremities to the body core. Lack of blood flow to the hands and feet make them cold. For proper performance ski boots need to snug; but a snug fit may restrict blood flow a bit. Before your wife tries this on the lift, make sure she is able to ski down the chairlift ramp with the boot partially unbuckled.

Good point Lietmotiv - I almost forgot about doing that (gosh - has it been that long?). If my feet ever do get cold (it really has to be cold), I un-buckle my boots. If that doesn't do it - I will also swing my feet while on the chair to get blood flowing again.