# Lead foot fatigue



## corneilli (Nov 26, 2012)

I used to have this problem for several trips and the solution you proposed was the one that did it for me. Actually, don't crank both straps too tight. I used to do it because of boots that were too big, trying to compensate for it. Bought new boots and now I just slide the straps in, adjust them one time and it's done. Also if you have a dual lacing system (or just shoelaces), the bottom section really doesn't need that much tension, so you can loosen that too.

Try out not cranking down the straps to the max and perhaps try to see if you have any heellift on toeside turns. If you have heellift, the problem will continue anyway and it's time for new boots.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

SlvrDragon50 said:


> (primarily after holding a long toe edge turn to traverse to another trail). I suppose it's also possible that I've been cranking down my toe strap too much?
> Thanks for any tips!


Some times newbs, will hold a toside traverse by basically standing on their tippy toes or doing a calf rise...and this really burns the calves and foot. Instead, really sink or bend your knees more and feel the pressure of your shin in to the tongue of the boots and the ankle strap of the bindings. That way you are using your larger joints of your knees (instead of ankle) and the larger muscles of your quad instead of the calves...try to relax the calves and feel the stretch in the calves instead of a contraction of the calf...and you should be feeling more of a burn in your larger quads. Thus more efficient leveraging using bigger joints and muscles.


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## SlvrDragon50 (Mar 25, 2017)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Some times newbs, will hold a toside traverse by basically standing on their tippy toes or doing a calf rise...and this really burns the calves and foot. Instead, really sink or bend your knees more and feel the pressure of your shin in to the tongue of the boots and the ankle strap of the bindings. That way you are using your larger joints of your knees (instead of ankle) and the larger muscles of your quad instead of the calves...try to relax the calves and feel the stretch in the calves instead of a contraction of the calf...and you should be feeling more of a burn in your larger quads. Thus more efficient leveraging using bigger joints and muscles.


Got it! I discovered this as well towards the last few days of riding and felt a lot less fatigue.

I'll also try loosening the toe straps since I am noticing them shred the boot rubber. My last run I didn't crank them down as much, and I was actually pretty comfortable.

Will be riding in a week in Ohio where I'll experiment more with this!


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

@wrathfuldeity is right about technique,.. but I'm guessing you are also in boots, bindings, or both that are too big. 

I spent my first 2 seasons absolutely cranking down on my boots, boas, and bindings in order to feel like I had _*any*_ control of that snowboard. Both boots & bindings were too large. 

This was exacerbated by the fact that I was riding a wide board with size 10.5 boots. 

Needless to say, I spent a lot of my time on the slopes in pain. The fact that this is occurring mostly to your lead foot is a clue as well, since that foot remains strapped in at all times. If you're going too tight on either or both,... you're gonna start to hurt eventually. 

My (...incomplete and inadequate) solution at the time was to go _less_ chinese foot binding tight on the boots & if I needed it,.. go tight on the bindings. The logic being you can tighten & loosen your bindings on the fly to gain some relief. 

The _BETTER_ solution is to make sure your boot, binding, board setup is properly sized, fitted and adjusted. 

You should look into this as soon as is feasible. (...financially and pain wise!!) 

Don't *make* me post pics of my mangled feet to prove my point! :blink:

I live with foot pain all day, every day and Im 90% certain this was a major factor, if not the majority of the cause! :dunno:


>



-edit-
If you _are_ having boot size and/or heel lift issues,... you can go to Tognar.com to find various pads & items to help finesse the fit of your boots until you can get yourself into a more properly fitted pair. 

This can also help to temporarily alleviate some foot pain/fatigue issues as you won't need to crank everything quite as tight to lock your foot in.


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## SlvrDragon50 (Mar 25, 2017)

Loosened my bindings, and went 9 hours on Friday, 8 hours on Saturday with minimal foot pain. Sometimes it would arise but disappear once I started riding! Also used my toe less when turning.


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## jae (Nov 27, 2015)

don't forget about lift fatigue


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## SlvrDragon50 (Mar 25, 2017)

jae said:


> don't forget about lift fatigue


This mountain was a lot smaller so I had to take more lift trips, but the ride was shorter. I am sure that helped.


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