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Loss of feeling in outside of foot(boot too small or need adjustments)?

CraigH

Booting up
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First let me start out by saying this isn’t your normal “is my boot too small” post. I know how boots are supposed to fit. I’ve been skiing for many years(albeit only 1 trip a year most of the time).
Back in 2018 I went to Jackson Hole and got fitted for boots by Matt Sheets based on tons of glowing reviews. He only had 1 boot in my size: A Lange RS 130. I loved the way it fit! Perfectly snug and cupping my heel and calf just right. I’m pretty small(5’3” 140lbs) and while in good shape; I only get to ski once per year, so I’m not in skiing shape. I was hesitant to get that boot because of the stiffness. Matt was nice enough to call the other shops and they only had one other boot in my size, a Nordica of some sort. I went and tried that on, but the fit of the Lange was just so much better I got that boot. He even knocked off $200! I like to ski challenging terrain, double blacks, bumps, glades, bowls, etc.. My ability exceeds my skiing-strength and I'm usually pretty rusty the first couple of days on a trip.

Fast forward to my trip to Big Sky this past March(2021) and I noticed my boots seemed a little harder to put on than normal. I was also losing feeling in the outside edges to about an inch inward of my feet, and they were getting cold more than normal. And I don’t mean falling asleep, I mean losing actual feeling. Ya know, how it feels if you go to touch a part of your body and the place you touch doesn’t register it? They weren’t overly tightened and the weather was pretty warm(20s to 40s). It took over 2 months for the feeling to come back to the outside edges of my feet after the trip. It affected my left foot more than my right foot, but both were still affected.

I can think of 2 causes:
1. The boot has a pressure point somewhere against a nerve or blood vessels that needs to be punched out.
2: My feet got bigger as a whole and the boot is now too small.

My toes are right at the very tip of the front of the boot and it did feel a little more cramped than it used to, but they didn’t hurt or get jammed. I was hoping to get some opinions on whether or not I need to get a new boot or just have some areas punched out. Over the past few years I've had shops take out more of the plastic to soften it, but it still feels overly-stiff. I honestly kind of want to get a new boot because the stiffness of that Lange does tire me out towards the end of the trip. I just LOVE the way that Lange liner fits my feet. Do All Lange’s fit that way? If I could get that Lange RS liner fit in a less stiff boot; that would be awesome!


Thanks for any input!
Craig
 

cem

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Craig

My money is on you need a little bit of work on the boot, IMO the lange liners are a little tight in the toe box compared to the shell (something they are addressing) it could be as simple as having some basic work done on the liners it may be that the shell needs a small punch somewhere, as to where nobody, be they boot fitter or clairvoyant can tell you exactly where without seeing the foot and the boot in front of them.

As for the flex, a good fitter can take that 130 and make it a 120 or even a 110 (and i don't mean taking the bolts out the back) by cutting material from areas of the lower shell and the cuff it is simple to make a stiff boot softer... going the other way is not so easy, just like it a very simple to make a small boot bigger and near impossible to make a big boot smaller.

So don't panic yet, where are you located? i am the other side of the pond so i might not know a good guy / gal locally but i am sure someone in the community will be able to point you to the go to fitter, one suggestion is get this done NOW! do it before the rush starts and fitters are less likely to have time to do the work

good luck, i am sure it is easily resolved
 
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TS
CraigH

CraigH

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My money is on you need a little bit of work on the boot, IMO the lange liners are a little tight in the toe box compared to the shell (something they are addressing) it could be as simple as having some basic work done on the liners it may be that the shell needs a small punch somewhere, as to where nobody, be they boot fitter or clairvoyant can tell you exactly where without seeing the foot and the boot in front of them.

As for the flex, a good fitter can take that 130 and make it a 120 or even a 110 (and i don't mean taking the bolts out the back) by cutting material from areas of the lower shell and the cuff it is simple to make a stiff boot softer... going the other way is not so easy, just like it a very simple to make a small boot bigger and near impossible to make a big boot smaller.

So don't panic yet, where are you located? i am the other side of the pond so i might not know a good guy / gal locally but i am sure someone in the community will be able to point you to the go to fitter, one suggestion is get this done NOW! do it before the rush starts and fitters are less likely to have time to do the work

good luck, i am sure it is easily resolved

Thanks for the helpful info! I was hoping I could tell the wife.. "well the boot people on the internet said I need a new boot" LOL
I've had quite a bit of material cut out already. I don't go very often so something more akin to a 100 is what I was looking for; simply because I don't get to go skiing enough to be in "skiing shape" to push a stiff boot without it being a chore. I'm in Atlanta, so my only option is to get it done on my next trip and hope whatever they punch out works.

I was thinking Whistler, JH, or Breck for my next trip.
 

Average Joe

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Going from Atlanta to a high altitude resort for one ski trip a year, and into a Lange 130, is part of the puzzle. Well fitted performance boots like the RS may fit very differently.
Body weight variation and hydration also can factor in.
I ski in the Lange 130 and love the fit and performance, I’m sure with proper tweaks from an experienced fitter it can be modified to eliminate the issues.
 
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TS
CraigH

CraigH

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Going from Atlanta to a high altitude resort
Fun fact: Atlanta is highest elevation metro east of the Mississippi at 1,050 ft. That surprised me when I moved here. I live in Alpharetta, which is a suburb north of Atlanta at 1,135ft of elevation. Not saying that's high at all, but I thought it was much closer to sea level.
 

Bad Bob

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Year to year differences in you will a well fit boot will alter how tight they fit; more salt last night, a couple of pounds, less exercise can all do it. Stuff like @Average Joe brought up all the way down to what kind of shoes you have been wearing that year (flip-flops can make a foot spread out) will affect the fit.
Have you tried a thinner sock? Have skied with a guy who carried everything down to knee high women's nylons in his gear bag for just that reason.
 

dovski

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I had a similar experience with a boot several years back. I bought a Salomon Xpro 130 and the fitter added a bunch of extra material around the ankle for better foot hold ... big mistake. First time skiing at them at Stevens and both feet went completely numb. Luckily they had a great bootfitter there (Johnny Sunshine) who quickly diagnosed the problem and took out all the extra padding and that made huge difference, I could feel my feet again. I then went to my current bootfitter at Sturtevants and he was able to move some buckles around and make me some custom insoles that gave me the foothold I wanted without numbing my feet. I will say that bootfitting is a process for me and usually takes several visits to dial in that perfect fit, though once I am there it is magic. Remember while the boot may fit great in the shop, when you ski it that is a different story. I would also say that if you are skiing and cannot feel your feet you should probably stop and get your boots looked at.

From what you shared I would recommend you see a boot fitter who can diagnose the issue and let you know your best course of action. Sometimes you are better off getting a new boot but definitely worth seeing if you can get this one modified first.
 

James

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Well where are you heading?
The only place south I know is Southern Ski in SC. No experience with them, but they’ve been around quite awhile.
 

dovski

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Been wearing Fits Ultra lights for years, so pretty thin.
If you go back to Big Sky, Lone Mountain Sports has a decent boot shop. They actually will let you demo boots too. So if they cannot correct the issues with your boot, you could demo a boot and then do a custom fit. Ideally if you are there for a week you could have them tweak the boot each day after skiing to get that perfect fit, but they also may be able to do that with your current boot :)
 

Andy Mink

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Feet change. Have you gained or lost weight? My once snug Raptors were much sloppier after some weight loss. Do any of your other footwear seem to cause issues, even slight ones? Taking two weeks for the sensation to come back may be an indication of something beyond a misfitting boot. Do you have lower back issues? The sciatic nerve runs all the way to your foot. I have a PT friend who is convinced that manybfoot problems start in the back.
 

Near Nyquist

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Well where are you heading?
The only place south I know is Southern Ski in SC. No experience with them, but they’ve been around quite awhile.
Mike at Southern Ski Is the guy to see

He has fixed a few southern SkiTalk members issues with their boots.

And if he says you need a different boot, we’ll just tell the wife mike told ya
 

François Pugh

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Thanks for the helpful info! I was hoping I could tell the wife.. "well the boot people on the internet said I need a new boot" LOL
You're half way there with these boots (assuming the fitter who put you in them knew what he was doing). Likely if you got new boots you would go back to square 1, and need to get them adjusted after skiing too.
 

Eric@ict

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Had a similar issue. It was my base layer pinching somewhere. It was suggested I trim them just above the boot. It took care of the issue.
 

oldschoolskier

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Been there, caused my own problem in getting a new plusher liner, which snugged thing up just enough to pinch a nerve. Old liners back in, problem gone.

See a good fitter, problem likely can be solved.
 

tromano

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So youve had these boot for years and last march your feet went numb and werent right for months? If I lost feeling in my feet for 2 months I would consult a doctor. It sounds like your feet were injured in some way.

Once equipped with that knowledge Of what caused the problem you could work with a bootfitter, if your boots are even the cause.

Occasionally my feet fall asleep early season but simply taking my boots off for ~5 min fixes that. Really only happens my first day or two of resort skiing for the season.
 
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