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Snowboarder150 · 03-18-2013, 04:55 AM

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum, and relatively new to snowboarding in general (just got finished with my 7th day snowboarding) and, unfortunately, through all the issues that I've had and solved, one seems to be really standing out and causing me problems. Now, I'm sure this has been gone over before and is a fairly common issue, but let me explain a little bit if you would be so kind and have a little patience. I've been through 3 pairs of boots, and have tried on at least 30 in various stores. And yes, I've tried on all the different styles: Traditional lace, quickfit, boa, dual boa, combos, etc. I've tried on many different sizes from many different companies too: 13, 12, 11.5, and 11 (I wear a size 13 shoe, so a 12 or 11.5 boot seems to fit me best) but I cannot for the life of me find a boot that inhibits heel lift with my foot. I have come to the conclusion that it must be my foot, and not the boots. I have flat feet, a condition where the arches of your feet are basically flattened/nonexistant, and it is especially pronounced when you put pressure on the foot. Point is, this widens that part of the foot. Now think about it: As a result, when you tighten the bottom part of the boot, it is going to tighten the foot and then the heel. Boots are engineered for people with normal feet, so the heel gets tight; with my feet, it is impossible for the heel to get tight enough, because my fat (no, that's not a typo) foot is preventing it from doing so.

At first, I thought it was normal for my heel to lift out away from the sole a good inch or so every time I did a toeside turn (or just pushed up on my toes when trying them on) but apparently, this is not the case. Time after time again, I get different people telling me that something is wrong: friends, coworkers, etc. They all tell me that their heels are simply one with the boot, and that they don't lift out a centimeter; that they should be firmly pressed up against the bottom in all situations. And yes, I am totally knowledgeable on how to put a boot on and tighten it down enough, so please don't lecture me on that. May I also add that I've been trying to just deal with it, but it is getting out of hand. I am getting incredibly sick of this nuisance, because it really has, believe it or not, caused some crashes. I don't think I need to explain to you the reasons this needs to be fixed.

Whew. Now, before I finish, I'd like to applaud you, reader, for getting this far into my "story." I know that it is long, but I am just trying to help you understand my situation, and therefore be able to provide me with a helpful answer to my final question:

What can be done to fix this?

03-18-2013, 04:55 AM	#1 (permalink)
Snowboarder150 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Anchorage, AK Posts: 4	Heel lift issues? Hello everyone, I am new to the forum, and relatively new to snowboarding in general (just got finished with my 7th day snowboarding) and, unfortunately, through all the issues that I've had and solved, one seems to be really standing out and causing me problems. Now, I'm sure this has been gone over before and is a fairly common issue, but let me explain a little bit if you would be so kind and have a little patience. I've been through 3 pairs of boots, and have tried on at least 30 in various stores. And yes, I've tried on all the different styles: Traditional lace, quickfit, boa, dual boa, combos, etc. I've tried on many different sizes from many different companies too: 13, 12, 11.5, and 11 (I wear a size 13 shoe, so a 12 or 11.5 boot seems to fit me best) but I cannot for the life of me find a boot that inhibits heel lift with my foot. I have come to the conclusion that it must be my foot, and not the boots. I have flat feet, a condition where the arches of your feet are basically flattened/nonexistant, and it is especially pronounced when you put pressure on the foot. Point is, this widens that part of the foot. Now think about it: As a result, when you tighten the bottom part of the boot, it is going to tighten the foot and then the heel. Boots are engineered for people with normal feet, so the heel gets tight; with my feet, it is impossible for the heel to get tight enough, because my fat (no, that's not a typo) foot is preventing it from doing so. At first, I thought it was normal for my heel to lift out away from the sole a good inch or so every time I did a toeside turn (or just pushed up on my toes when trying them on) but apparently, this is not the case. Time after time again, I get different people telling me that something is wrong: friends, coworkers, etc. They all tell me that their heels are simply one with the boot, and that they don't lift out a centimeter; that they should be firmly pressed up against the bottom in all situations. And yes, I am totally knowledgeable on how to put a boot on and tighten it down enough, so please don't lecture me on that. May I also add that I've been trying to just deal with it, but it is getting out of hand. I am getting incredibly sick of this nuisance, because it really has, believe it or not, caused some crashes. I don't think I need to explain to you the reasons this needs to be fixed. Whew. Now, before I finish, I'd like to applaud you, reader, for getting this far into my "story." I know that it is long, but I am just trying to help you understand my situation, and therefore be able to provide me with a helpful answer to my final question: What can be done to fix this? Last edited by Snowboarder150; 03-18-2013 at 05:05 AM.