# Toes immediately numb



## kleraudio (Dec 13, 2011)

Anything i can do to fix this? My boots are fitted perfectly, nice and snug, spent 2 hours picking them out with the shop guy.

Heat molded as well.

Just really ruins my day when my feet are numb. Everything else I have performs great and i'm comfortable even in the coldest temps, but when my feet are numb i dont have any fun...

Any ideas? Im rocking last years Burton Ruler by the way... 2 days on snow and they are heat molded.

Thanks!


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

first thing is to make sure you're wearing thin socks. alot of people think they need thick socks to keep warm but they just cut off the circulation to your foot. smartwool phd ski/snowboard socks are pretty much the shit. they make a couple of different thicknesses - all are acceptable. 

next thing to do is ditch the stock insole from your boot and get an aftermarket footbed with more support: Sole, Remind, Superfeet, etc. 


are you really cranking down the laces? i actually find that snug but slightly loosened boots are best for me....


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## dopamean (Nov 1, 2012)

rock some better socks? stuff toe warmers inside? Make sure the area around your toes isn't too tight, which will restrict the mobility of your toes and cut off circulation. Maybe just loosening the boots a bit will give you wiggle-room, which will allow you to keep the blood flowing?

Hope you find a solution!


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

kleraudio said:


> Anything i can do to fix this? My boots are fitted perfectly, nice and snug, spent 2 hours picking them out with the shop guy.
> 
> Heat molded as well.
> 
> ...


Never met you. Dunno anything about your feet or boots. numbness is lack of circulation.

Your feet swell when you start using them, so there is a fair chance that your snug boots are a bit too snug. 

The first thing to check is your bindings. If you are locking in too tight, and your boots are very soft then try backing off a few clicks to see if that helps. If you find that you can't lock in to your bindings securely without numbing your foot then you might need different boots.

I finally had to retire my first pair of boots (very cheap forum recons) last season because for this very reason. They had just gotten soft with age (and maybe use? They only had about 30 days of use on them, though).... and I could not wear them with my 2-strap bindings.

If my current BOA boots start making things numb or hurt then I usually just loosen them up a bit.


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## kleraudio (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks guys.

Yep im using the thinnest smartwool phd's snowboard socks.

I did get them real tight on the rec of all 3 guys in the shop... saying they'd pack out nicely. I heat molded them after day 1. even after the molding my feet go numb.

How much do those super feet go for? I really don't wanna spend any more money and nothing happens..

I do crank down on the laces. the boots are already pretty tight maybe i wont even tie down teh "lower zone" at all and see what happens. LOL i also crank down on my bindings, maybe i wont do that either  It just sucks that my day is pretty much ruined by noon because my feet are in excruciating pain.

so snug but slightly loosened, i tried that on one run but my calf part of my leg was moving too freely for my liking.... 

Why would those super feet insoles help at all by the way?


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

aftermarket insoles are key - when you crank down your boots and crank down your bindings you are basically crushing your foot. stock insoles are basically cardboard.... i forget if they put some pseudo-dr.schools style in those rulers but guaranteed they are trash. 

aftermarkets insoles have a hard plastic base with supportive, cushioning foam on top of it. they will give you real arch support and prevent your foot from being crushed.


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## kleraudio (Dec 13, 2011)

Shred, cool man. Ive seen those super feet ones in the shops... do they custom mold them to my foot? and what do they run? i see they have a ton of different styles. 

Im pretty much poor so i can't really spend too much. but i'll save up if they are worth it! If i buy them though and my feet remain numb i know im gonna be pissed


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

You didn't specify whether it's caused by cold. My toes get kind of numb the first couple of times I wear my boots at the start of the season, but that's before I even get to the mountain so it's not temps. Once my boots and my feet get used to each other again, I'm good for the rest of the season.

If your problem is temps, socks make a HUGE difference. Wear those white cotton sweatsocks and you are screwed. Get some good wool socks. Burton's brand is surprisingly inexpensive and good quality.

If your problem is pressure points, you might benefit from just wearing your boots around the house, first without tightening them.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

kleraudio said:


> Shred, cool man. Ive seen those super feet ones in the shops... do they custom mold them to my foot? and what do they run? i see they have a ton of different styles.
> 
> Im pretty much poor so i can't really spend too much. but i'll save up if they are worth it! If i buy them though and my feet remain numb i know im gonna be pissed


i had some green superfeet and they were actually terrible for me. i switched to the Sole E.V. models and have since bought like 3 or 4 pairs for different pairs of boots (hiking boots, etc.). the Sole footbeds can be heatmolded at home in your oven but i have never had to do that. they just fit my foot great. heat molding generally results in less cushioning/padding. 

if you have an REI near you just go in there, pull a bunch of different ones out of the package and start standing on them. if nothing near you, order a bunch of different styles from zappos and return the ones you don't want for free....


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## Basti (Sep 22, 2011)

Insoles are the way to go. After nearly dying of foot pain I tried out these: Footprint Insole Technology | GameChangers

After trying them I bought two more pairs for my everyday shoes. What's great about them is that they mold to your personal footprint. Check out the instructional vid on their site. They work great.


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## kleraudio (Dec 13, 2011)

damn i didnt realize that insoles would help the pain! 

its not the cold, its the boot. I mean my toes are completely gone after a half hour. I just fight through the pain, but by noon im miserable and the day is over. It started dumping HARD at noon yesterday at Keystone and I had to leave. too much pain. toes didnt get full feeling back till around 6pm...

I guess i should try insoles...just still cant grasp how that would help my toes dying on me! 

Thanks keep the suggestions coming!


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

kleraudio said:


> Thanks keep the suggestions coming!


the first thing you need to do right now is get some insoles put them in your boots and go ride them.

if that doesn't work there is a pretty good chance that those boots don't fit well.

get some insoles and report back here. we can't really help you too much more until you do that. no point in telling you to get new bindings or boots if you haven't done that yet.

insoles, snug but not supertight boot lacing, experiment with looser binding straps - then come back here and tell us if anything helped.


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## kleraudio (Dec 13, 2011)

right on shred... i might be taking the next couple of weeks off riding. no new snow in forecast this week and next weekend is thanksgiving weekend. so i have a couple weeks to get these insoles..

i will def report back though. 

Thanks for the help!


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## lonerider (Apr 10, 2009)

kleraudio said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> Yep im using the thinnest smartwool phd's snowboard socks.
> 
> ...


If you have dual zone, tighten the upper laces, but leave the lower laces pretty loose (that's what I do). In general, you should never need to crank down on your laces (that implies the heel of your boot is too wide for your feet and you are trying to compensate for that by over-tightening the laces. Try adding some C-pads to the outside of your liner to fill in the space... else buy new boots). If you boot actually fits you, then you shouldn't be able to pull the laces just "snug tight" you shouldn't get any heel lift if when you bend your knees.

Similarly, cranking down on your straps also implies your bindings don't fit your boots. If that' snot the case, then you are just using it as a psychological crutch. Again the bindings should only need to be snug against your boot... not boa constrictor tight.

A custom footbed (a stock superfoot to a lesser degree) will cup your heel and arch better... giving you better contact with boot (people tend to over-tighten their boot when they subconsciously feel the lack of good contact with the boot). So what comes in your boot is about 2mm of generic foam (utterly useless). A aftermarket footbed like a superfoot is a little better... but you really should go for a custom footbed like Superfoot Cork or Sole Supports. The cost a lot $180, but they last several years and you can use them in all your shoes/boots - so it ends up being less than $1 a day of use.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

kleraudio said:


> so i have a couple weeks to get these insoles..
> 
> i will def report back though.
> 
> Thanks for the help!


i'm 90% sure that it will address at least 90% of your problems here...

and FWIW pretty much all snowboard boots come with garbage insoles from the factory... get used to swapping them out as soon as you get em... hell sometimes i bring my insoles with me to try boots on.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

just to add, get fitted for your insoles...i have high arches the superfeet did not do it but ev soles did.


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## kleraudio (Dec 13, 2011)

i have the dual zones, i will tighten upper and leave lower as is to see if that helps.

I have super high arches... that link with the Gamechanger insoles seems nice and at 35 bucks its not too bad... EV soles for high arches huh? I'll have to look into those. And i dont know why i crank down on my bindings, i thought i had to!


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## kleraudio (Dec 13, 2011)

ok got home from work and threw the boots on to break em in a bit more...

walked around for about 10 minutes then sat down to use computer. toes numb just sitting here on the recliner for about 10 minutes... 

left foot is ok, its the right thats the problem. the boots really arent too small... they hit the front and curl just so slightly.... left is ok, right foot is bigger than left by a little bit... anyways... what gives! they are numb just sitting here... how would an insole help that? 

Jim


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## phony_stark (Jul 2, 2011)

What lone rider said.

How tight do you lace your liner? How tight are your laces over the top of your foot?


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## seriouscat (Jan 23, 2012)

Liner too tight or not straight? That's when I can feel it going numb instantly.


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## that_guy (Jan 17, 2010)

Hmmm. Sounds like the bindings are too tight when you're riding. And having them on in the house, or sitting down at the computer is really not a particularly good equivalent of mimicking the boot in a riding position.

You said that you're toes are slightly curling. Wear 'em barefoot until they pack in a bit more.


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## KnoxBoarderX (Aug 26, 2011)

Numbness can be a few things, the liner being too tight, cranking your bindings too tight, or bad socks. I'm ignoring the fact that your boots could be too small since you said they fit well. The first two are self-explanatory, as for socks, get some that wick moisture away from your feet. If your feet sweat and the wetness stays on the skin, they will be really cold.


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