# Ready to cut the liner



## Vinterwoo (Nov 29, 2019)

I've got wide feet that do not like being in snowboard boots. As a matter of fact, they don't like being in any kind of footwear and I usually spend my days in bare feet. 

I'm on my third pair of boots, all of which I've had fitted at stores, and all three of which have caused me so much pain and discomfort that I'm rarely able to spend more than 1/2 day on the mountain (the pain in numbness from a day on the mountain can last for weeks after- no fun!). I usually wear a 9.5 wide shoe, and end up getting fit to a 9.5 boot (I've asked to go for larger sizes, but I've always been discouraged by the boot fitter not to go larger out of fear of sliding front to back). The last pair of boots I had I brought pack to the store 3x to get heat molded, but I never noticed a significant difference.

I recently picked up a pair of Burton step-on Rulers boots, that fit OK in the store. I've always been told that these boots should fit tight in the store, and that they will break in after a few days of use. But after 2 weeks of trying to break these in (I tried in-home heat molding, wearing them around the house and out shoveling snow, I even purchased a shoe stretcher), I'm still not happy with the fit. 

I've heard it's a bad idea, but I'm at wits end, and am considering cutting out the sides of my boots where they impinge on my foot (by my pinky toe and by the knuckle of my large toe). I'm thinking there is no way I can stretch or compress the fabric any more than I already have, and I need to start removing it. Can anyone here give me some advice on how to go about cutting up my liner to make room for my wide feet (without ruining the structural integrity of the liner)?


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## Snowdaddy (Feb 2, 2018)

Maybe a stupid question, but are you in the Burton Ruler Wide?


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

Take the liner out of your boot and put it on. Tighten the strap. How do your feet fit? Are your toes protruding way out of the liner?


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## Vinterwoo (Nov 29, 2019)

Unfortunatly , Burton does not make a wide version of the Ruler for the step-on boots. They do for the Photon, but they are hard to find, so I went with the Ruler


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## Vinterwoo (Nov 29, 2019)

ridethecliche said:


> Take the liner out of your boot and put it on. Tighten the strap. How do your feet fit? Are your toes protruding way out of the liner?


I wouldn't say "way out", but yes, the width of my feet is wider than the liner itself by a noticeable amount


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

^well then cutting the liner won't help much...return them. Get a consult from wiredsport


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

Right. If your toes are popping out of the liner, then there's really not much that you can do since the shell isn't really going to give all that much. If it's popping out of the medial and/or lateral sides, it seems like the wider boot would have been the better option. Sizing up to get more width doesn't tend to work well with these boots for the reasons mentioned.


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## Vinterwoo (Nov 29, 2019)

ridethecliche said:


> Right. If your toes are popping out of the liner, then there's really not much that you can do since the shell isn't really going to give all that much. If it's popping out of the medial and/or lateral sides, it seems like the wider boot would have been the better option. Sizing up to get more width doesn't tend to work well with these boots for the reasons mentioned.



If my foot, liner, and shell can't occupy the same space at the same time, and I can't remove any of my foot (or at least I don't want to) and I can't cut into the shell, I'm only left with removing pieces of the liner.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding here, but I can fit my foot in the shell without any constriction on the width of my foot. So my thinking was that if I remove (either shave down or actually cut) material from the liner where the width of my foot is being squeezed I should be fine. If my foot fits within the shell, it's only the excess material being compressed between the outside of my foot and the shell that needs to be removed.

And returning is problematic. I purchased the boots from the Burton factor in Burlington thinking these would be the best boot fitters in biz. But I purchased them on a trip out there, about 3 hours away.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

I'd recommend jumping in there. Cutting slits in the liner where you need room is usually enough for me. Sometimes I have to cut a t into the big toe of my liner, but I usually don't have to cut all the way through. I've used a bench sander to remove material from insoles too. Duct tape is your friend.


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## Vinterwoo (Nov 29, 2019)

I went for it and made the cut. I started off cutting slits in the liner, but that was not enough. I ended up taking an exacto knife and cutting out ~ 2 inch long ovals on either side of the liner. I removed the material, leaving oblong openings on the sides of my liner over my little toe/ knuckle, and over the knuckle of my big toe (the two spots of my foot that were feeling the worst squeeze). 

I then sewed a thin patch material over the holes on the outside of the liner, to try and regain some of the structural integrity. 

With the new holes, this is the first time I've been pain free in a set of boots since I started snowboarding. It's still a snug fit for most of my foot, but for now at least the width of my foot is not being overly compressed. The real test will be once I hit the mountain and test it out, and I'll give an update once I try them out.

Thanks to everyone who commented above!


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## Ddaavviiddkk (Dec 14, 2020)

Vinterwoo said:


> I went for it and made the cut. I started off cutting slits in the liner, but that was not enough. I ended up taking an exacto knife and cutting out ~ 2 inch long ovals on either side of the liner. I removed the material, leaving oblong openings on the sides of my liner over my little toe/ knuckle, and over the knuckle of my big toe (the two spots of my foot that were feeling the worst squeeze).
> 
> I then sewed a thin patch material over the holes on the outside of the liner, to try and regain some of the structural integrity.
> 
> ...


how did it go on the mountain? I’m in the exact same position as you were, and currently sitting on a bench cooling off my dying feet.


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## BoarderHack89 (Mar 1, 2020)

Not to sound like a jerk, your a wide and didn’t buy a wide boot. I have no doubt a burton wide (EEE) will make all the difference in the world. Did you post up pics Of your foot measurements? What’s your Mondo siZe and corresponding width ?


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## Benzzz (Dec 13, 2020)

Vinterwoo said:


> I've got wide feet that do not like being in snowboard boots. As a matter of fact, they don't like being in any kind of footwear and I usually spend my days in bare feet.
> 
> I'm on my third pair of boots, all of which I've had fitted at stores, and all three of which have caused me so much pain and discomfort that I'm rarely able to spend more than 1/2 day on the mountain (the pain in numbness from a day on the mountain can last for weeks after- no fun!). I usually wear a 9.5 wide shoe, and end up getting fit to a 9.5 boot (I've asked to go for larger sizes, but I've always been discouraged by the boot fitter not to go larger out of fear of sliding front to back). The last pair of boots I had I brought pack to the store 3x to get heat molded, but I never noticed a significant difference.
> 
> ...


I have recently started telling people I quit snowboarding. I have outrageously wide feed because of bunnionettes (pinky toe sided bunions). I have tried a few boots and with my Burton ruler wides I have heat molded, custom foot bed, stretched them etc and nothing makes them barable. I dont think I can cut the liner because the seam goes right over the spot where I need to remove material. 
Any one else have any solutions? 
I would pay a large amount of money for custom made boots if that option only existed.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Check out angry snowboarder's bootfitting series on YouTube. There's a bunch of advanced bootfitting techniques in there that should help you fit your boots like a pro.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Benzzz said:


> I have recently started telling people I quit snowboarding. I have outrageously wide feed because of bunnionettes (pinky toe sided bunions). I have tried a few boots and with my Burton ruler wides I have heat molded, custom foot bed, stretched them etc and nothing makes them barable. *I dont think I can cut the liner because the seam goes right over the spot where I need to remove material.*
> Any one else have any solutions?
> I would pay a large amount of money for custom made boots if that option only existed.


Make the cut, and then just smear a wee bit of Aquaseal SR on where the seams have been cut...so the remainder of the seam doesn't un-ravel.


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## Benzzz (Dec 13, 2020)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Make the cut, and then just smear a wee bit of Aquaseal SR on where the seams have been cut...so the remainder of the seam doesn't un-ravel.


Thanks! I'll check out Aquaseal


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## Benzzz (Dec 13, 2020)

WigMar said:


> Check out angry snowboarder's bootfitting series on YouTube. There's a bunch of advanced bootfitting techniques in there that should help you fit your boots like a pro.


Thanks for the reply, that's where I got the idea to cut the liner initially


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## Benzzz (Dec 13, 2020)

Vinterwoo said:


> I wouldn't say "way out", but yes, the width of my feet is wider than the liner itself by a noticeable amount


Hi i was wandering what you ended up doing ? i just checked and without the liner my foot touches both of the insides of the shell of my burton wide !


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## Anditwasstillhot (3 mo ago)

I can tell you burton boots tend to just not fit certain peoples feet. I would go to the photon wide and sell the ones you have. Or better yet just go with the dc judge. I don’t even have overly wide feet. Mid wide, and I went to the dc judge and a after market insole (so much better). Burton boots seem to not only not fit some peoples feet right (like mine) but murder them.


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