bmies

I've got two questions. Maybe they are related, not too sure. But first some background.

I've been riding for about two years now. From the beginning I've been riding a 3 year old or so Burton Baron 167 with older Drake bindings (non-padded footbed). Its a big, stiff board, but it kind of came into my possesion as a hand-me-down so I saw it as a good sign to start riding. I'm 5'10", 200 pounds, and addicted to exercize in general, so I think its safe to assume that being out of shape is not the cause of my pains. These past couple years, I've been out riding alot and am pretty confident on most any slope on the mountains around here. Now, I'm kinda gearing up towards buying a new board/ bindings and splitting my current board for backcountry use. With that, I'm trying to work out any kinks this year with my setup so I dont make any mistakes w/ the splitboard setup or make an expensive mistake in board/binding purchase. I've been experimenting with different stances and have settled around about a 15 degree front / -12 degree back. I was riding a very forward stance (30 front/ 6 back), but have been really trying to ride switch more.

My problem is that after a few runs, the outer edge of my feet, both are in pain. Its just something I've learned to deal with. No matter what boot I seem to use (tried 3 pair), stance width(varies depending on conditions), or angles (been trying more duck lately in an effort to get better at riding switch) the pain is always there. Could an insole help? How about "canting"(sp) my bindings a bit w/ an angled plate underneath? Could it have something to do with my riding technique? Also, my rear knee (I ride regular, so my right knee) tends to cause issues after a few days of riding. I've been trying some exercizes and alot of stretching to get my knees into better shape, but could this have something to do with my setup? Any thoughts? Are these just things you deal with?

I love riding hard. I love the riding in the trees and getting off of the groomers. But, the pain/fatigue in my feet and knee really tend to limit my performance on those long weekends to the good spots.

NYCboarder

try the doctor... get an MRI you never know you can have something torn in your knee.. Alot of people come into the office without remembering when it was hurt but sure enough there is a tear in there which is the cause of all the problems... a doc visit and MRI could never hurt..

Snowolf

What`s your age? At 42, knee pain is something I just live with when I ride hard. I use the Glucosamine/Chondroiton (sp???) supplememnt and thta helps, but it takes a month or so of using it to feel any difference. As for the foot pain, generally, I find ducking the foot out more helps, but it sounds like you have tried that. I would try a footbed. I deal with a little foot pain too but after awhile it goes away.

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bmies

Thanks for the replies guys. Just got back from the mountain a few minutes ago, same problems.

I'm 22. Joint pain is something I've learned to live with in the past as I trained very hard for sports back in school. The knee is a recurring problem likely due to using it too hard for years. But, before I took of riding alot, things had subsided and only got pain on rare occasions. I've been on Glucosamine for a few years now and have been riding with a brace for most of this season. The brace seems to help a bit. Haven't been to the doctor about things in a while. Maybe its time to give it another shot.


I'll look into footbeds? Any positive feedback on a source? I feal like dealing with some pain is just in the nature of being aggressive in an activity. I've got a pretty high pain tolerance, but I'm not sure this is just something to deal with.

Snowolf

Yeah, at 22 you should not be having that level of knee pain from noraml riding. You may want to get that looked at for sure. You don`t want to make it worse by ignoring it. As for footbeds, if you have the cash, getting custom made ones is idel. Other than that, I have very good luck with Superfeet and Volcano footbeds. They mold to your feet like heat molded liners. If that does not help the foot pain, trying a different boot or getting custom made liners makes your life on a board more pleasant. Also, I found that by ducking my feet more alleviated that outside edge pain on my feet. You might give 18/-18 a try to see if there is any difference. It helped me to got up to 15/-15 from my initial stance.

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