# Proper boot fit - what does "good fit" mean?



## PNWRider (Feb 7, 2012)

This is not one of those threads where I haven't tried the boots on yet. I've bought the K2 Maysis in both 9 and 9.5 but I'm not sure which is the better fit or what constitutes a "good fit". I can return either one to the store. 

Does a "good fit" mean the boot should be slightly uncomfortably tight at first and as it packs out or is heat molded, becomes more comfortable? 

Or does a "good fit" mean the boot should be 100% comfortable from the getgo? This worries me because my Saloman Synpase were super comfortable from the start but became too loose as the liner packed out. 

At one store, the salesperson told me that he likes his toes crammed against the the toebox. At another store, the salesperson told me that there should be some wiggle room otherwise the lack of air insulation will cause the toes to fall asleep. *Confused*!

I wore the 9.5 around the office for a couple of days. They felt uncomfortably tight at first, but after a couple of days, felt pretty good. On my first day riding, they definitely provided more support and confidence than my packed out Saloman Synapse 10 Wide with the broken speed laces. However, after a couple of hours, I noticed some prickly sharp pain in various places on my foot and my toes had also fallen asleep. I think this is because I had overtightened the Boa wheels. I was not able to tell if I had overtightened them because the boot was inherently too big or because I just got carried away with the slick dials. 

The boot fitting guy at the shop said the 9.5 is a better fit and that with the intuition liner, the boots don't pack out that much. On the other hand, I can get my feet into the 9 as well and while they feel uncomfortable tight right now, perhaps with some heat molding, they will be a better fit.

Thoughts anyone?


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## lernr (Feb 3, 2012)

Keep the 9, especially if you ride the gnar. 

From my experience with Intuition liners (1 for AT ski boots, 2 for snowboard boots) they still pack out enough to be comfortable after molding or just wearing for several days, despite being quite uncomfortable at first.

It is also very likely that you got carried away with the boas 

If you ride mellow slopes and don't push it, you may be OK without the hassle of making the 9 fit and just jump to 9.5


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Intitution liners pack out...as do most liners. Its what you do after they pack out just add a butterfly and/or a foot bed.


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## 2hipp4u (Dec 24, 2010)

I got the K2 maysis with about 15 days on them, I got 8.5 and they were a very tite fit with a smartwool light snowboard sock. They have packed out a little as I'm using a medium sock now and they are very comfortable.

The BOAs are easy to over tighten, just takes a little practice to remember the sweet spot.


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## PNWRider (Feb 7, 2012)

Thanks for the help guys! I think I'll keep the 9s. After only a few hours of wear they stretched out enough to be painfree, even with custom orthotics. Some heat molding and I expect them to be nice and snug with toe wiggle room.


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## PNWRider (Feb 7, 2012)

So I had the K2 Maysis size 9 heat moulded, which created some more room and the boot felt really good around the house. But on the mountain the other day, omg, my feet burned so bad I wannted to plunge them into the snow. Also, I guess feet swell a bit because while walking, my big toe was crushed against the front of the boot, which didn't happen at home. At least whith my knees flexed, my heel would get pulled back and my toe would have some room. 

I'm not sure how normal moderate-to-severe foot pain is when trying new boots on the mountain for the first time.

Could it be a break-in issue? The boots are perfectly comfortable when I wore them around the house all day. 

I also have custom orthotics in there and in my athletic shoes, new custom orthotics cause a bit of foot pain for the first week, but nothing intolerable like this.

I played with the BOA dials and the binding tightness which helped somewhat but not a huge amount. This was frustrating because I finally managed to link turns on some easy blues with confidence but my stupid feet became the showstopper


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## lernr (Feb 3, 2012)

Here's my 2c: 

you got the pain because you were challenging yourself, doing something that is hard for you, and you were very stiff. This happens to new riders when they are all tense. 

When you cooked them, did you ask for the fat toe cap? You can heat mold more than once, btw. But if they are comfy around the house and with bent knees toes are OK, I think the fit should be good.

ps: where do you ride? We just closed Alpy yesterday


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## PNWRider (Feb 7, 2012)

Thanks for the reply Lernr. Actually, I got the insane burning on a green run (first one of the day), but I just realized that I was challenging myself there too; I was trying to keep up with my fiance and didnt take the usual rest break every three-four turns that I normally do. When linking on the blue, it was actually not too bad because I got into a rythm of alternating between heel and toe. 

Yep, they used the fat toe cap. Weirdly, the right boot felt *tighter* after cooking then before and they punched out the toe part a bit. The guy said he didn't want to be too aggressive on the punch because the boot will still pack in a bit, even after cooking. I suspect the brand new boots, combined with the custom orthotics, combined with me still tippy-toeing automatically, rather than consciously driving my knees towards the snow were the casuses, but the level of pain was so high that I had half a mind to go back to the bar and quit learning to ride  I did go back to the bar, but after a couple of drinks, got back on the snow so I'll pat myself for that. 

We went to Whistler-Blackcomb. Above the gondola level, the snow is still very wintery; not spring conditions yet.


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## Jason (Feb 15, 2011)

Do you have flat feet? I had the same foot pain in my Burton Hails and I have flat feet. I bought super feet insoles and they did very little to ease the pain. Then I bought Sole thin sport insoles and it's a world of difference. I used to have to take a break after every run and now only feel a little pain on long flat areas. I will not snowboard without these ever again. 

http://www.amazon.com/SOLE-Thin-Spo...CHJU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336419415&sr=8-1


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## PNWRider (Feb 7, 2012)

Jason said:


> Do you have flat feet? I had the same foot pain in my Burton Hails and I have flat feet. I bought super feet insoles and they did very little to ease the pain. Then I bought Sole thin sport insoles and it's a world of difference. I used to have to take a break after every run and now only feel a little pain on long flat areas. I will not snowboard without these ever again.
> 
> Amazon.com: SOLE Thin Sport Footbed: Shoes


Dude, hammer on nail! I have no arch support whatsoever without orthotics. My metatarsals just collapse completely. I have custom orthotics in my gym and dress shoes. I got new custom orthotics for my snowboard boots last week and was hoping they would reduce the pain, not increase it! I'll check out the Sole thin and might go back to my podiatrist to see if things are fitting properly.


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

Several points I would make about boot fit, I also have flat feet.

1. I find that riding any less than 1x a week and my feet muscles just cannot keep up. When I ride 2 days a week or more, my feet NEVER hurt; but when I go once every 10 days, or at the beginning of the season, the small muscles in my feet really give me alot of pain.

2. Riding more also allows you to ride more correctly, and use the connection between the top of your boot and lower leg to turn, allowing your feet to just relax in their snug little cradles. (If you are trying to control the board with your feet, not much point in using highbacks)

3. Boots and bindings should be snug, not tight, overtightened bindings cause foot pain.

4 & 5. big toe shop fit heat molding nonsense story: heat molding your boots in the shop help you to feel how the boot will fit as it breaks in (not packs out). Don't be oversold on the concept, when the boots are completely packed out its time for a new pair, you are buying them for how they support and love you brand new, right now. The entire time that you wear them they are gonna be 100 degrees farenheit constantly heat molding. Back to the big toe issue. Stand in your boots with your feet shoulderwidth apart and bend your knees so that you squat about 4-6". You will notice that as you bend your knees, your toes will pull back from the front of the boot. In a perfect fitting boot (unless you are shopping it as a hiker who plans to put miles in them) your toes will actually slightly *push* against the front of the toe of the boot in the standing position, and as you bend your knees and they pull back, they will never push against the front when you ride, but still fill the toebox comfortably and perfectly. This is counter-intuitive to any sort of shoe or boot buying in normal life, however it is true.

6. Different brands and even models within brands fit differently, perhaps that model of k2 in those sizes is not a great fit. A bootfitter can also help.

7. I rode 50 days in pain last year in a pair of k2 T1 DB's, a top of the line boot that was my size. This year I got 2 pairs of 32's, the Lashed and TM-Two (these are a little stiffer than the lashed with a considerably thicker liner) and they both fit me much better with their liners swapped. The Tm-twos are a bit too stiff and tight for my fat foot, so the thinner liner of the Lashed allows the perfect amount of room. On the flip, the Lashed with their own liners are a little swimmy and loosey goosey, and with the much burlier liner from the TM-two's I get a really nice fit. Hence I enjoy benefits of frankenbooting.

8. Keep your toenails VERY trim, always, seriously.

Good luck :thumbsup:


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## PNWRider (Feb 7, 2012)

I'll keep that in mind about overtightened bindings. Releasing the boots from the bindings helped the pain to dissipate so that might be one cause. I'm not sure I understand what you're saying about heat moulding and pack out. Are you saying the boots will not pack out that much, and if they do, then they should be replaced? My old Saloman Synapses packed out so much in probably 10 days of wear that they became a risk for ankle sprains. I've heard the K2 Maysis Intuition Liner also packs out quite a bit, so sizing down a half-size is the way to go. When I'm standing in the boots, my big toe grazes the front. On the slopes, I think my feet swelled, because my big toe would be curled painfully when standing. When flexed on the board, my foot would pull back and my big toe would not be curled against the front. 



snowklinger said:


> Several points I would make about boot fit, I also have flat feet.
> 
> 1. I find that riding any less than 1x a week and my feet muscles just cannot keep up. When I ride 2 days a week or more, my feet NEVER hurt; but when I go once every 10 days, or at the beginning of the season, the small muscles in my feet really give me alot of pain.
> 
> ...


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## Jason (Feb 15, 2011)

My pain felt like my arches were burning. I would literally have to take my boots off for the pain to stop. After every run I would take off my boots/rub my feet and browse a few websites on my phone. Now I only stop to take eat, use the bathroom, or grab a drink.


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

I'm saying that heat molding in the store basically simulates the heat molding that will take place the entire time you wear the boot. I understand the concept with the intuition liner, and I'm not sure how old your synapses were, but it sounds like they were too big for you to begin with. Any pack out in my liners over 50 days can be easily overcome with a little lace tightening.


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