I've been lurking on this forum for years trying to solve boot fitting problems for my wife's bunions; there are so Many good threads on fitting boots, but I think this is a new one... I'm trying to get my wife to ski with me more and the one hurdle we've been facing for a number of years is her foot pain in boots. I've gotten so close, but still not solved. I also have been wanted to get her to back country ski with me, but have not had success.
TLDR: Are touring boots a viable, more comfortable, option for people with bunions who's priority is just enjoying ski turns and not worried about speed or highly technical terrain?
My Goal: Get her to ski with boots that don't hurt without spending a fortune.
Issue: she's got really bad bunions. Like, ones that are eligible for foot surgery but we want to avoid that at all costs. Also, each time I go to a boot fitter, they want me to throw down way more money for custom liners etc, but struggle to explain the details why.
She currently has Dalbello LUPO AX 100 Women's with a heat molded liner, custom footbeds, and a punch out around the bunions. Still having issues, mostly on the forefoot, some on the underfoot. Her foot buckles are barely tightened, but the boot length is perfect, so it makes me thing she needs more punching. I forget the last she was measured with, but can go look if that's helpful.
Question(s)
Since my primary goal is to get her to come backcountry skiing with me, should we ditch additional modifications and get a Touring Boot instead? Are they more comfortable for people with bunion issues? Are there women's touring boots that are truly wide? Are touring boots as easy to modify?
(yes, I know the drawbacks of touring boots generally)
Or, are custom liners like Surefit actually a better solution/approach?
Besides finding yet another boot fitter, are there other options or ideas I should consider?
TLDR: Are touring boots a viable, more comfortable, option for people with bunions who's priority is just enjoying ski turns and not worried about speed or highly technical terrain?
My Goal: Get her to ski with boots that don't hurt without spending a fortune.
Issue: she's got really bad bunions. Like, ones that are eligible for foot surgery but we want to avoid that at all costs. Also, each time I go to a boot fitter, they want me to throw down way more money for custom liners etc, but struggle to explain the details why.
She currently has Dalbello LUPO AX 100 Women's with a heat molded liner, custom footbeds, and a punch out around the bunions. Still having issues, mostly on the forefoot, some on the underfoot. Her foot buckles are barely tightened, but the boot length is perfect, so it makes me thing she needs more punching. I forget the last she was measured with, but can go look if that's helpful.
Question(s)
Since my primary goal is to get her to come backcountry skiing with me, should we ditch additional modifications and get a Touring Boot instead? Are they more comfortable for people with bunion issues? Are there women's touring boots that are truly wide? Are touring boots as easy to modify?
(yes, I know the drawbacks of touring boots generally)
Or, are custom liners like Surefit actually a better solution/approach?
Besides finding yet another boot fitter, are there other options or ideas I should consider?