Should your heel lift in ski boots?
If you are looking forward to doing some skiing, you should first make sure the boots you have chosen for the task feel “just right” on your feet.
You won’t want those boots to be too tight, in case they compress the nerves and cut off circulation in your feet. Conversely, you don’t want your boots to fit too loosely, either. Otherwise, you may struggle to control your skis as precisely as you would like.
How can you actually tell when the fit is too loose? One potential warning sign is if you can feel your heels lifting in your ski boots while you are wearing them.
Is ‘heel lift’ always a cause for concern?
You have to remember that a human foot is bound to be more flexible than a ski boot encasing it, given that the latter is ultimately made of rigid plastic. So, when you are just casually standing or walking in a ski boot, you will still be able to lift your heel from the sole of the boot if you try.
However, if you don’t make this purposeful attempt to lift the heel, you should only ever feel it moving subtly, if at all. As you flex into the ski position (where you push your knees over your toes), your heel should remain entirely — or at least almost entirely — flat on the boot’s base.
If this isn’t the case, you have got a problem that you should work on tackling before you hit the slopes. Your heel lift could be down to one of the following factors…
Are your ski boots simply too big?
This could easily be the situation if you originally just bought your footwear readymade without having it specially fitted and moulded to your feet. This is one reason why we routinely urge skiers to book a ski boot fitting service like the one that we offer at our Boot Lab in Dry Drayton, near Cambridge.
Nonetheless, if you aren’t yet ready to replace your ski boots entirely (e.g. due to a lack of funds), one alternative makeshift solution is to invest in a set of ski boot lifter plates. These would enable you to fill out each boot and – as a consequence – better secure your foot.
Are your heels skinnier than the average?
If so, you may often find yourself needing to lift your heel to bring your foot into contact with the front of the boot, through which you need to transfer energy to the ski.
Here, too, ski boot lifter plates can come to your rescue, taking up volume beneath each heel. Still, if your heels are an unusual shape, a better long-term solution could be to book an appointment with our team at Ski Exchange for a custom ski boot fitting session.
For a friendly but enlightening chat with us about how we can ensure a comfortable fit with your ski boots when you take advantage of this service, please ring our store on +44 1954210984. Alternatively, book a ski boot fitting session via our website.