need equipment help

Is this the correct place to ask for equipment help?
I've got a very high arch and most boots are very uncomfortable.
If I tighten them up, the top of my foot gets crushed and is very painful.
The best pair of boots I ever had were Hansons rear entry with wax
liners, but they don't appear available anymore.
Any suggestions?

Thanks

Dave

Dave wrote:
Is this the correct place to ask for equipment help?
I've got a very high arch and most boots are very uncomfortable.
If I tighten them up, the top of my foot gets crushed and is very painful.
The best pair of boots I ever had were Hansons rear entry with wax
liners, but they don't appear available anymore.
Any suggestions?

Thanks

Dave

Custom inserts (innersoles) to be made for your feet.

The problem is that buckling your boots down tight
they are trying to flatten out your arch. There needs
to be something to resist this tendency. A good,
custom made arch support is usually the answer.

Combine this with careful fitting by someone who
knows what they are doing.

Yes, I loved my Hansons too, but the 70's are
over, Over. My were coaxed into lasting well beyond
their lifetime. The wax liners disintegrated and
were replaced by a set salvaged from a discarded
pair of Raichle's. Not too bad, and finally thrown
out about 1992.

VtSkier wrote:

Yes, I loved my Hansons too, but the 70's are
over, Over. My were coaxed into lasting well beyond
their lifetime. The wax liners disintegrated and
were replaced by a set salvaged from a discarded
pair of Raichle's. Not too bad, and finally thrown
out about 1992.

I hope you haven't told lal about this. He'd be heartbroken.

//Walt


PS - Dave, most modern boots come with heat moldable liners, which
together with a custom insole and some other miscelaneous tweaking will
provide a very good fit. That's assuming you work with an experienced
bootfitter to make it happen. No. it's not cheap. Yes, it's worth it.

Dave wrote:

Any suggestions?

Vtskier's insole suggestion can help; take care to avoid cutting off
circulation on the top of the foot - not too terribly expensive, and can
be reused; worth a shot, might be your complete solution.

Make your own boots - get a bunch of likely looking suspects at garage
sales and go after them with a dremel tool and boiling water +
stretchers; mix and match parts and move buckles, etc. - try it - it
works - cheap; once you've done it you'll never blow money on boots again.

Find a top bootfitter and let him dremel and stretch the boots and build
insoles; works great - pricey.

Let Mel Dalebout build you some boots - pricey; works, guaranteed.
http://www.daleboot.com/root.html

Walt wrote:
VtSkier wrote:

Yes, I loved my Hansons too, but the 70's are
over, Over. My were coaxed into lasting well beyond
their lifetime. The wax liners disintegrated and
were replaced by a set salvaged from a discarded
pair of Raichle's. Not too bad, and finally thrown
out about 1992.

I hope you haven't told lal about this. He'd be heartbroken.

Cricky - why would anyone discard Raichles ---

I had a friend who skied Hanson boots - took years to convince him to
get a real boot - automatically improved his skiing several levels.

Only other Hanson wearer I recall is/was Darth Vader; check his feet in
the original SW ...

Walt wrote:
VtSkier wrote:

Yes, I loved my Hansons too, but the 70's are
over, Over. My were coaxed into lasting well beyond
their lifetime. The wax liners disintegrated and
were replaced by a set salvaged from a discarded
pair of Raichle's. Not too bad, and finally thrown
out about 1992.

I hope you haven't told lal about this. He'd be heartbroken.

Actually I did quite well by lal. He's ALWAYS needing parts
for his Raichle's and I had a pair that I could not get to
fit, so I sent them to him for the price of postage.

//Walt


PS - Dave, most modern boots come with heat moldable liners, which
together with a custom insole and some other miscelaneous tweaking will
provide a very good fit. That's assuming you work with an experienced
bootfitter to make it happen. No. it's not cheap. Yes, it's worth it.

VtSkier wrote:
Walt wrote:

I hope you haven't told lal about this. He'd be heartbroken.

Actually I did quite well by lal. He's ALWAYS needing parts
for his Raichle's and I had a pair that I could not get to
fit, so I sent them to him for the price of postage.


Lovely act of selflessness, a political statement about the need for
cooperative reuse, a mantra about protecting the dear earth from the
horde of evil consumerism ...

Or maybe it was boots?

They were/are much appreciated.

lal_truckee wrote:
VtSkier wrote:
Walt wrote:

I hope you haven't told lal about this. He'd be heartbroken.

Actually I did quite well by lal. He's ALWAYS needing parts
for his Raichle's and I had a pair that I could not get to
fit, so I sent them to him for the price of postage.


Lovely act of selflessness, a political statement about the need for
cooperative reuse, a mantra about protecting the dear earth from the
horde of evil consumerism ...

Or maybe it was boots?

They were/are much appreciated.

You never did tell me if they actually fit, or were
"parts" boots. And yes, it was boots.

lal_truckee wrote:
Dave wrote:

Any suggestions?

Vtskier's insole suggestion can help; take care to avoid cutting off
circulation on the top of the foot - not too terribly expensive, and can
be reused; worth a shot, might be your complete solution.

Make your own boots - get a bunch of likely looking suspects at garage
sales and go after them with a dremel tool and boiling water +
stretchers; mix and match parts and move buckles, etc. - try it - it
works - cheap; once you've done it you'll never blow money on boots again.

Find a top bootfitter and let him dremel and stretch the boots and build
insoles; works great - pricey.

Let Mel Dalebout build you some boots - pricey; works, guaranteed.
http://www.daleboot.com/root.html


Being a CSOB, I may try to hack up a old pair of boots I bought in the
early 90's. Only wore them a couple of times.
I loose circulation and pinch nerves since the top of my foot is so
bony. I'll get shooting pains in my feet for days after a good day of
skiing. I have to loosen them up between runs.
It's really a top of the foot issue so I'm not sure of a insole insert
will do the trick.
Is there a good web site that gives pointers on how to do this?

Thanks all for the tips and suggestions.

BTW, I'm on a work assignment in Stratford, CT for the next few months,
where is the best place to go skiing for a day trip?

Dave

On Dec 17, 2:32 pm, Dave wrote:
lal_truckee wrote:
Dave wrote:

Any suggestions?

Vtskier's insole suggestion can help; take care to avoid cutting off
circulation on the top of the foot - not too terribly expensive, and can
be reused; worth a shot, might be your complete solution.

Make your own boots - get a bunch of likely looking suspects at garage
sales and go after them with a dremel tool and boiling water +
stretchers; mix and match parts and move buckles, etc. - try it - it
works - cheap; once you've done it you'll never blow money on boots again.

Find a top bootfitter and let him dremel and stretch the boots and build
insoles; works great - pricey.

Let Mel Dalebout build you some boots - pricey; works, guaranteed.
http://www.daleboot.com/root.html

Being a CSOB, I may try to hack up a old pair of boots I bought in the
early 90's. Only wore them a couple of times.
I loose circulation and pinch nerves since the top of my foot is so
bony. I'll get shooting pains in my feet for days after a good day of
skiing. I have to loosen them up between runs.
It's really a top of the foot issue so I'm not sure of a insole insert
will do the trick.
Is there a good web site that gives pointers on how to do this?

Thanks all for the tips and suggestions.

BTW, I'm on a work assignment in Stratford, CT for the next few months,
where is the best place to go skiing for a day trip?

Vail.