# Boot instep the most important factor for minimising heel lift? Recommendations for low instep.



## Schoobang (Nov 4, 2019)

Danh78 said:


> regular width forefoot, slightly higher than average arches, skinny/bony ankles, narrow heel/achilles and chicken leg calves.


Same foot shape here! except for my instep that is quite high. 

In my experience instep does not affect heel hold as much as comfort. I am always looking for a well fitting boot for high instep, narrow foot and great heel hold. The best i found so far are Nitro Select. They work great performance wise, but causes pressure point on my instep. Might work well for you? I am replacing them with a pair of Nitro Chase boa this year but they seem to cause even more instep pain. I have only been wearing them around the house so they might just require break in. 

I tried Salomon Malamutes last season but couldn't get the heel hold to work. The Nitros just grips my chicken legs so much better. Burton Ions and K2 Thraxis did not work at all with my feet on snow even if the felt ok in store (actually the K2 never felt good but I really wanted it to work out). Thirtytwo and Vans feels nice in store but I haven´t tested on snow.


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## Danh78 (12 mo ago)

Schoobang said:


> Same foot shape here! except for my instep that is quite high.
> 
> In my experience instep does not affect heel hold as much as comfort. I am always looking for a well fitting boot for high instep, narrow foot and great heel hold. The best i found so far are Nitro Select. They work great performance wise, but causes pressure point on my instep. Might work well for you? I am replacing them with a pair of Nitro Chase boa this year but they seem to cause even more instep pain. I have only been wearing them around the house so they might just require break in.
> 
> I tried Salomon Malamutes last season but couldn't get the heel hold to work. The Nitros just grips my chicken legs so much better. Burton Ions and K2 Thraxis did not work at all with my feet on snow even if the felt ok in store (actually the K2 never felt good but I really wanted it to work out). Thirtytwo and Vans feels nice in store but I haven´t tested on snow.


I'll look into the Nitro Select. Nitros are pretty hard to come by in the UK, not sure if there's even a shop here where I could have a fitting. 
ThirtyTwo TM-2 felt good in the shop and that was a wide version. They didn't have regular width but I thought I'd get a general feel for the liners after hearing lots of people say they're a tight fit on the top of the foot. There was too much lateral movement, to be expected, but my heel felt pretty locked down. I need to try a regular width.

I see what you're saying with high insteps, I expect comfort is a greater issue than heel lift as you will naturally have less vertical play in the boot, but at the same time have disproportionate pressure on the top of your foot given your skinny ankles/legs.


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## Elevation212 (Apr 21, 2019)

Couple things, 1 i find the best investment for boot fit are 1. snuggness at toes 2. custom footbeds. Stock footbeds are hot garbage, invest the $50 in a good set of footbeds that align to your foot shape and you'll be much happier. 

Finally for heel lock I like boots that have a internal boa cuff, the K2 Thraxis is an example, you can cinch your heel down throughout the day as the boot softens and locks you in. You can also add J bars if your boot doesn't have them to snug up on your achilles and keep yourself planted


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## Danh78 (12 mo ago)

Elevation212 said:


> Couple things, 1 i find the best investment for boot fit are 1. snuggness at toes 2. custom footbeds. Stock footbeds are hot garbage, invest the $50 in a good set of footbeds that align to your foot shape and you'll be much happier.
> 
> Finally for heel lock I like boots that have a internal boa cuff, the K2 Thraxis is an example, you can cinch your heel down throughout the day as the boot softens and locks you in. You can also add J bars if your boot doesn't have them to snug up on your achilles and keep yourself planted


I assumed with the narrower fit of the Salomon Echo coupled with the Str8Jkt internal Boa that I'd get a good fit and better heel hold, but that wasn't the case. Hence I put it down to a higher instep than my foot is suited to. 
K2 Thraxis are on my radar but I'd have to mail order online and fit myself.


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## Elevation212 (Apr 21, 2019)

Danh78 said:


> I assumed with the narrower fit of the Salomon Echo coupled with the Str8Jkt internal Boa that I'd get a good fit and better heel hold, but that wasn't the case. Hence I put it down to a higher instep than my foot is suited to.
> K2 Thraxis are on my radar but I'd have to mail order online and fit myself.


 I mail ordered mine along with a few other boots and shipped back what I didn't like. Credit card was back to whole before 30 days was up!

The Thraxis has J bars built in which is nice, that said I'd go to a good ski/board shop and get footbeds or if thats not an option hit up a good running store for footbeds. I don't have a good board shop near me so ended up going to running route and got a great set of semi custom footbeds which made my feet feel awesome


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## Danh78 (12 mo ago)

Elevation212 said:


> I mail ordered mine along with a few other boots and shipped back what I didn't like. Credit card was back to whole before 30 days was up!
> 
> The Thraxis has J bars built in which is nice, that said I'd go to a good ski/board shop and get footbeds or if thats not an option hit up a good running store for footbeds. I don't have a good board shop near me so ended up going to running route and got a great set of semi custom footbeds which made my feet feel awesome


I'm with you on the footbeds, I had some fitted for for my work boots and they were transformative. 
Next pair of boots, no matter how comfortable or locked in they feel, I'll be getting some.


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Burtons tend to be lower on instep, at least that’s why I can’t use them, but lotsa room in the heel. Thirtytwo feels like it when you are putting them on, but are still kinda roomy. They have the tongue placed on different points though, so maybe. Boa should be good for tightening. In any case, insoles will help with both issues, as they will put your instep and arches higher. With a high instep it would make things worse.


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## Board Doctor (Feb 1, 2018)

I think the internal boa to tie down the heal really helps.

I had the K2 Maysis that fit like a glove, but got too soft over time.

Next I tried the DC Trice, which were warmer and stood up really well. The boa eventually started pulling out where the edge rests on the lift, so I ordered another pair online. Unfortunately the new pair wasn‘t tight enough around my scrawny calves. They work, but they’re not great.

I thought that having a separate upper & lower boa would be better, so I got the Insano. As they wore in I could feel a little more heal lift, but had a bad pressure point on the instep if I went too tight. The insoles are really lame. I’m planning to get new insoles and also get the liner heat fitted.

I think triple boa is really the way to go for me. The tridents have 3 boas, but they‘re not very tall for support. I think the Thraxis will be my next boot, but I’ve never seen them locally. I actually have a pair on order, but I’m not sure if it’ll come through.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

This is kind of a longshot, but we have a boot store here called Redwing where they have a super advanced foot shape machine thing where you step on it profiles the bottom and 3D scans your feet and gets you all sorts of useful information back. I thought I had high insteps but they are normal, but I have an above average girth foot...Anyway at the end of the day can't do much but try on boots till you think you found the one. If you magically did then never switch from that brand again. Get good insoles too.

One thing seems consistent with my lacing is I prefer different zone tightness; loose bottoms, and tight up top on my shins.


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## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

I have found with custom orthotics footbeds I have, they are too thick for my Burton boots, causing a lot of discomfort. When I tried without footbeds, it was a lot more comfortable, but pain kicked in for an unproperly supported foot.

So, I had to go midway... not optimal for my feet...but better than no footbed, so I used Superfeet black.

For the shins, to take up additional space between my shins and the liner/shell, I used:

Eliminator Custom Tongue - Masterfit (masterfitinc.com) 

and to keep the boot tongue tight...

Booster Straps - Intermediate - Masterfit (masterfitinc.com)


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## Board Doctor (Feb 1, 2018)

Yeah, my instep would've been a problem with my custom orthotics in the Insano. My Pedorthist selected the KNEED2Ski insoles which are lower profile and matched my arch well. They heated the intuition liner, then inserted the sole for the heat fit. You can heat to fit these soles as well, but I didn't want to loose any arch support. They feel pretty good, but I haven't ridden yet.

I might consider the Eliminator custom tongue for my DC boots... if I decide I don't want so much of a surfy feel.


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## Wiredsport (Sep 16, 2009)

Hi Danh,

The very best place to start is with the baseline numbers. Please post your four barefoot measurements as well as the boot size that you are currently riding. Instep is rarely the direct reason for heel lift although instep issues can certainly cause discomfort and may lead to loose or tight lacing, which can be a factor. Let's see if we can improve your situation.

STOKED!


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## StealthDJ (8 mo ago)

FWIW, I had hellish problems with heel lift, due to apparently having very skinny heels, tried on multiple boots that always seemed have some amount of slop in them. Had just about resigned myself to home-modded superfeet insoles, cranking the boots right down and calf cramps on long toe-side traverses.

A Glasgow shop managed to come up with the goods - Adidas Tactical ADVs. Best heel grip of any boot I tried by a country mile, they also heat moulded the liners for me - these things fit like a second skin. 

Typically, Adidas are now pulling out of the snowboard market. But if you can find one of the remaining pairs in stock, give 'em a shot...


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