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#1
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Blisters
My girlfriends has big problems with blisters developing on the back of her
heels when cross country skiing. This is chronic problem repeating every season, year after year. She tried many remedies, padding, layers of socks and materials, many different boots, lubricants, etc. Nothing seems to help. Blisters starts to develop after first 5-10 km and in about 20-30 km her heels are bloody mess. This must have to do with hep physiology. Her heel is probably narrower that the average. Did anyone experienced this kind of the problem to such extent? Did anyone find some reliable solution to this? I am thinking about the very radical attempt. I want to remove the back-of-the-heel part of her ski boots completely (with the help of the shoe-repairman). It could be quite expensive trial-and-error attemt, but we have to try. Do you think this could work? Won't it only move the problem higher, i.e. from the heels to the ankle area? Wouldn't her feet get too cold with the hole in the back of the boot (she would be using neoprene boot cover)? Wouldn't this cut weaken the boot considerably so that it would not last more than 1 or 2 weekends? Thank you, L |
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#2
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In article ,
Lester Kovac lkovac_at_rogers_dot_com wrote: This must have to do with hep physiology. Her heel is probably narrower that the average. I've also got very narrow heels, as well as high arches. Fitting ski boots and running shoes is a real problem. The only ski boots I've found that fit pretty reliably are Rossignols. What's been a real help is to put in modest heel lifts. I wouldn't lower the heels, and the thought of turning ski boots into slingback sandals skeers me. -- Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - All you need to know about Social Security "reform": Your in-laws are going to have to live with you |
#3
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On Mon, 7 Feb 2005 11:09:46 -0500, "Lester Kovac"
lkovac_at_rogers_dot_com wrote: My girlfriends has big problems with blisters developing on the back of her heels when cross country skiing. This is chronic problem repeating every season, year after year. She tried many remedies, padding, layers of socks and materials, many different boots, lubricants, etc. Nothing seems to help. Blisters starts to develop after first 5-10 km and in about 20-30 km her heels are bloody mess. This must have to do with hep physiology. Her heel is probably narrower that the average. Did anyone experienced this kind of the problem to such extent? Did anyone find some reliable solution to this? I am thinking about the very radical attempt. I want to remove the back-of-the-heel part of her ski boots completely (with the help of the shoe-repairman). It could be quite expensive trial-and-error attemt, but we have to try. Do you think this could work? Won't it only move the problem higher, i.e. from the heels to the ankle area? Wouldn't her feet get too cold with the hole in the back of the boot (she would be using neoprene boot cover)? Wouldn't this cut weaken the boot considerably so that it would not last more than 1 or 2 weekends? I would not suggest hacking up the boots. You will trash them, and not solve anything. The heel cup is sort of an essential part of the framework. Similar issues come up with hiking boots, and similar fixes may help. Assuming that the boots otherwise fit her feet, this problem is caused by up-and-down friction from her narrow heel moving up and down. Here are some fixes to try: A thin slick synthetic sock, with the regular wool or synthetic sock over it. Friction is sock on sock rather than sock on skin. Avoid cotton socks, which tend to keep the skin moist and vulnerable, besides the frostbite and hypothermia concerns.. Alpine ski shops sell various pads to help with bootfitting. Look for a butterfly shaped one which sticks to the inside rear of the boot, and cups the narrow heel better. There are also pads that go under the tongue, to reduce the overall volume of the boots. Even if you make your own, at least look at the commercial ones first. Also look at insole heel pads, which go under the foot, and essentially hold it in the "up" part of the up and down cycle. Trying different techniques to tie the boots, to really tighten them down better at the lace hooks at the midpoint of the instep (roughly a 45 degree angle up from the heel cup) may help, but watch overtightening. There are ways to toughen up the foot skin, such as rubbing them with rubbing alcohol (don't waste the good stuff). Foot powder may also help. I assume you have used Moleskin or Molefoam in advance as well as after the blisters start. These suggestions have a much greater chance of helping, and will not destroy the boots. If the boots turn out to be a bad fit/model for her feet, you can sell them and roll the money into a new pair. HTH, Happy trails, Gary (net.yogi.bear) ------------------------------------------------ at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom |
#4
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to say "me too" to a couple of points already made:
Try Rossignol boots (for fit - don't just buy a pair without trying on). My daughter also has narrow heels and Rossies are the only ones she tolerates. She has had hell blister problems in the past also. Not so much with the Rossies. Use a slick synthetic inner/liner sock covered with a wool or polypro sock of your choice. My system (for hiking, not so much for skiing) is to do this and along with suggestion #3 below, I never have blister problems. As another poster said, most if not all the slipping/friction/heat is between the inner liner sock and the outer wool sock, not against the skin, thus minimizing blisters. Just put a patch of mole skin on the heel each time. Very minor hassel and will probably totally prevent the blisters. Cam |
#5
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
In article , Lester Kovac lkovac_at_rogers_dot_com wrote: My girlfriends has big problems with blisters developing on the back of her heels when cross country skiing. This is chronic problem repeating every season, year after year. She tried many remedies, padding, layers of socks and materials, many different boots, lubricants, etc. Nothing seems to help. Blisters starts to develop after first 5-10 km and in about 20-30 km her heels are bloody mess. _ What kind of boots are you using? If she's getting blisters that fast, then they really don't fit very well. What kind of boots/skis are you trying to make work? It sounds like she is either really hard to fit or doesn't understand how ski boots should fit. IMHO, there should be little or no heel movement in a boot. It sounds like you might be trying solutions in the wrong direction, ie. less pressure on the heel. You want a snug fit with no pressure points. This must have to do with hep physiology. Her heel is probably narrower that the average. _ I would try something like a Ladies model T3 with a custom fit liner, custom insole and one thin pair of socks. Unless you are skiing in very cold climates that should be warm enough and the better fit you can get with less socks, the fewer problems you'll have. If you're looking at lighter NNN style boots, try and find a pair with a heat mouldable cuff and someone who knows how to do the heat moulding. Did anyone experienced this kind of the problem to such extent? Did anyone find some reliable solution to this? _ Well, I had one pair of NNN/BC boots that I had pretty constant heel blisters with. Since the selection of beefy NNN/BC boots is so minimal I didn't have the option of switching boot models. My solution was a combination of two things. 1. Using a custom insole with a lot of heel lift. 2. These socks http://www.techspun.com/ _ That's a direct quote from my review of the socks on the front page. I haven't even got a free pair of socks out of the deal. The price on the socks is not outrageous so it's worth a try. I am thinking about the very radical attempt. I want to remove the back-of-the-heel part of her ski boots completely (with the help of the shoe-repairman). It could be quite expensive trial-and-error attemt, but we have to try. Do you think this could work? Won't it only move the problem higher, i.e. from the heels to the ankle area? Wouldn't her feet get too cold with the hole in the back of the boot (she would be using neoprene boot cover)? Wouldn't this cut weaken the boot considerably so that it would not last more than 1 or 2 weekends? _ This is the wrong approach, you don't want the heel to move more, you want it to move less. I would try and find a good bootfitter somewhere, he will have a lot of tools and techniques to help resolve this problem. Mostly they work with alpine skiers and boots, but they can generally help with any boot. Once you have the heel fixed in the boot, then you work on relieving an specific pressure points. If you try relieving the pressure by making the over all fit looser, it just makes the problem worse instead of better. _ Booker C. Bense -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBQgeyd2TWTAjn5N/lAQGxxgQAgY+NbWkcjodMzjGS1xRd4xd/B5Ou6skI 1H3TeJOz3xDh4ND828EtPDmXK6nF54gv/6qd+cQu8Vp8C+H6o+pwwGh2lhaT2G6u 1Bi3vmPG+0cQMdFUobAyaj+Q8+AFfAftbq1M9jHQLZCPPZYYq9/VsSU1b4MaqjL5 H/nc6bFgA7Q= =I4DP -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- |
#6
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I've had several pair of Rossi boots that I like except for this very
problem. If I ski in them for more than an hour I get rather bad blisters on both heels, a bit toward the inside. On examining the boots carefully I saw that there was a spot where the cuff is hinged that protrudes a bit into the lining. I've had success with two alterations: (1) Taping my heel before every outing. I've done this for many years and it's worked 100% of the time. I used to use moleskin, but eventually found it much cheaper to just use normal white athletic tape -- for me this worked just as well. (2) Putting several layers of duck tape inside the boot covering the problem area. When I did this I found I no longer needed to tape my ankles. Jim |
#7
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Lester Kovac wrote: My girlfriends has big problems with blisters developing on the back of her heels when cross country skiing. This is chronic problem repeating every season, year after year. She tried many remedies, padding, layers of socks and materials, many different boots, lubricants, etc. Nothing seems to help. Blisters starts to develop after first 5-10 km and in about 20-30 km her heels are bloody mess. This must have to do with hep physiology. Her heel is probably narrower that the average. Did anyone experienced this kind of the problem to such extent? Did anyone find some reliable solution to this? I am thinking about the very radical attempt. I want to remove the back-of-the-heel part of her ski boots completely (with the help of the shoe-repairman). It could be quite expensive trial-and-error attemt, but we have to try. Do you think this could work? Won't it only move the problem higher, i.e. from the heels to the ankle area? Wouldn't her feet get too cold with the hole in the back of the boot (she would be using neoprene boot cover)? Wouldn't this cut weaken the boot considerably so that it would not last more than 1 or 2 weekends? Try putting some duct tape directly on to the skin of her heel *before* she develops a blister. I know it sounds too cheap & simple but I have never seen it fail to work! Armin |
#8
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Jim Grau wrote:
I've had several pair of Rossi boots that I like except for this very problem. If I ski in them for more than an hour I get rather bad blisters on both heels, a bit toward the inside. On examining the boots carefully I saw that there was a spot where the cuff is hinged that protrudes a bit into the lining. I've had success with two alterations: Be very careful on 'solving' this problem. I've got one high school girl who now has tendonitis (and probably a torn sheath) on her achilles from her boots. They fit fine, but the hard edge on the back of her Xium classics bit into her achilles and inflamed it in a couple of outings. We switched her over to Salomon due to their softer heel counter, but she's still having pain. Not something a master's skier should be dealing with. Marsh (1) Taping my heel before every outing. I've done this for many years and it's worked 100% of the time. I used to use moleskin, but eventually found it much cheaper to just use normal white athletic tape -- for me this worked just as well. (2) Putting several layers of duck tape inside the boot covering the problem area. When I did this I found I no longer needed to tape my ankles. Jim |
#9
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-Are these classic boots?
-Are the boot flexible? Some classic boots are too stiff in the sole, and that will cause blisters. I like my classic boots to be very flexible, like a tennis shoe. Jay Wenner |
#10
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I'm sure they probably thought of this too, but is the last gender
specific in her boots? June "Bjorn A. Payne Diaz" wrote in message oups.com... -Are these classic boots? -Are the boot flexible? Some classic boots are too stiff in the sole, and that will cause blisters. I like my classic boots to be very flexible, like a tennis shoe. Jay Wenner |
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