Survey: Heel blisters and stride technique

When I learned how to tour 20 years ago, I was told to not use a walking motion and rather, a pull-your-foot-with-your-knee/hip-flexor stride. You don’t push off with your toes to propel you forward.

While walk modes have come a long way, I still believe in this method as I have never had a hot spot on my heel and my boots still don’t flex at the ball of the foot. I also prefer a boot that has a good grab of the Achilles, but many touring boots have zero heel cup. When you push with your toes, you create a lot of friction at your heel.

Throughout my years bootfitting, everyone who complains about heel hotspots and blisters also pushes off with their toes in a walking style stride. But I’ve never asked people who don’t have blisters so my data set isn’t full.

So, the survey:

While touring, do you drag your foot or push off with your toes?

Have you ever had blisters or hot spots? How often?

What liners do you use?

great question and I dont have much for answers

I have seen good results with only changing people to a compression sock (tighter = less rubbing = less blisters)

or buy a sled/ride a chair lift

Xt3 tour pro with GFT. I got hot spots at first and started tightening my upper cuff buckles once I was in walk mode. I push with my toes. Seems to stop it from happening for me. I agree with mtnlion. Sock choice matters. I only tour in my mons royal merino socks.

Intuition pretty much cured all my blister issues but I used to get blisters on the back of my heel in leather and before Intuition, i would mitigate using a very careful application of ductape, a 2" rectangular piece with the edges carefuly rounded/ no creases

as for stride this sound like my wife asking me what I was thinking, I dunno and she no longer asks me

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Originally Posted by GoldenBC

When I learned how to tour 20 years ago, I was told to not use a walking motion and rather, a pull-your-foot-with-your-knee/hip-flexor stride. You don’t push off with your toes to propel you forward.

While walk modes have come a long way, I still believe in this method as I have never had a hot spot on my heel and my boots still don’t flex at the ball of the foot. I also prefer a boot that has a good grab of the Achilles, but many touring boots have zero heel cup. When you push with your toes, you create a lot of friction at your heel.

Throughout my years bootfitting, everyone who complains about heel hotspots and blisters also pushes off with their toes in a walking style stride. But I’ve never asked people who don’t have blisters so my data set isn’t full.

So, the survey:

While touring, do you drag your foot or push off with your toes?

Have you ever had blisters or hot spots? How often?

What liners do you use?

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I tour like I XC, the latter of which I have done all my life. The natural XC stride is obviously the one where you drag your foot. Makes the bases/skins glide lightly along the surface, but you're not actually lifting the ski (well, you do, but it doesn't feel like it).

Never had blisters in either XC or touring boots.

My current liners are stock Backland XTDs, but I've toured in powerwraps and various other intuitions over the years.

Disclaimer: I XC more than I AT, though, by a 3:1 margin.

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Engo stickers on the heel cup of the shell = no friction going into the liner
And socks, as discussed

Dissent tours for me. I have no idea what I do with my stride other than not lifting my feet more than I need to. Also, fix that blister/red spot/hot spot asap. Like put duct tape on it now, on the up while skinning even.

I know I tour like I xc ski, but haven’t really thought about the specifics. Only time I have had trouble is from kicking in long booters, my big toes have taken a beating. I try to be a little gentler now when I can.

Thanks for the replies from those that did.

FYI, as I said, I have never had hot spots and I can fix them whenever clients have them. I’m not looking for tips.

Purely looking for correlation between hotspots and people who push off their toes, therefore putting a bunch of force through their heels and either getting heel lift and blisters, or increased Pressure and hot spots.

I get blisters on my heels and go through at least one pair of dissent socks every year. If I focus and consciously "sink in my heels" there's less rubbing but I feel it slows me down. I wonder if it's a matter of practice or there's a difference in speed and efficiency between the two strides.

I get wicked blisters in various boots. It’s usually because they are a touch large but not so big as to go up a shell or size down. Some K tape across my heels before I get started usually works wonders. It’s really adhesive and can last for days or even a couple of weeks.

I do get heel blisters, especially if my intuition liners have been used enough times to have packed out a little. So Every time I dress up in the mornings now I just duct tape my heels as a preventative measure, and voila, no blisters at the end of the day.

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I'm pretty sure I use the same not-walking stride as the OP, but I can get heel blisters on long tours. The cause seems to be worn liners, sweat, and heel lift especially in combination. Easily solved with ezee-fit ankle booties or wrightsock socks.

Leukotape strips on the heels. Good to go

if you ductape the heels and leave it on for 2 days you will get tape residue on your bedsheets

OK, I'll be more pacific:

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Originally Posted by GoldenBC

So, the survey:

While touring, do you drag your foot or push off with your toes?
I kinda drag and push, as a variation of kick and glide. Frankly, I think I use my poles more than anyone I know.
Have you ever had blisters or hot spots? How often?
Only once on an all-day warm spring tour. The sweat is what did me in.

What liners do you use?
Intuition tours in the past, and currently Scarpa Intuition.

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Ultimately, I'm not sure you can teach your clients anti-blister skinning technique. I think enduring tight buckle pain would be superior to blisters.

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Originally Posted by GoldenBC

While touring, do you drag your foot or push off with your toes?

Have you ever had blisters or hot spots? How often?

What liners do you use?

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On the approach I try to move as smooth and efficiently as I can, just like on the down. The way I learned was slide the skis forwards, not pick them up. Pretty much a variation on kick and glide like plug is saying below.

I think I've gotten blisters on my heel's once or twice from boots that didn't fit right. Probably on warm spring days.

To date all my bc boots have been Scarpa's with stock Intuitions.

I start the season getting my blisters out of the way - they always happen on the inside of my heel between my Achilles and ankle. A couple of touring sessions and that area gets toughened up for the season.

After that happens I put some body-glide product on the skin every morning and have no further issues the rest of the winter.

No idea about my technique though - it probably sucks but I’m never the slowest or most hurting in my group and I feel good all day. I’m too old of a dog to learn new tricks :)

XC ski drag style, dissent tours and GFT’s, never had a blister in any boot.

It’s all about the boot for me. Ideally it’s a boa boot (scarpa FI, Skorpius II) with good heel / ankle hold down (eg the Maestrale XT with an ankle buckle); of course the usual liner fitting tips apply.

I’ve had several boots that create heel blisters regardless of the fitting tricks I used. Typically this seems to happen when the forefoot has no buckle placed rearward enough.

Guess I’m saying that with the right boots, I can do long kick n glide strides with no blisters, or any stride I want that maximizes efficiency. But Yes, if I’m wearing shitty boots that tend to cause blisters, I adopt a stride style that minimizes blisters but that to me is a fail.

I got a wicked blister on the inside of my foot, above the heel. I narrowed it down to the sock, and friction from undone top buckle. I can’t tour in darn tough socks because of it.

I’m definitely a push off from toes, but interested to try the drag method. I’m not the slowest in my group by any means either.

Boot is Roxa R3W.


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I do the pull / light drag motion. I get blisters on any new liner until I get the heel fit dialed. I have a skinny heel and bony ankle so it's always a struggle to get the fit just right. Recently got GFT's. Still fiddling with them; currently still getting blisters.

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Originally Posted by GoldenBC

Thanks for the replies from those that did.

FYI, as I said, I have never had hot spots and I can fix them whenever clients have them. I’m not looking for tips.

Purely looking for correlation between hotspots and people who push off their toes, therefore putting a bunch of force through their heels and either getting heel lift and blisters, or increased Pressure and hot spots.

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I have had them but of memory serves its when my boots were way too big so pushing from the ball of the foot was even possible.

I don't get them anymore but I think it's partly because I stride as you describe... learned behavior.

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Originally Posted by Marshal Olson

Engo stickers on the heel cup of the shell = no friction going into the liner
And socks, as discussed

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What are engo stickers? Haven't heard of those?

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Originally Posted by Shorty_J

What are engo stickers? Haven't heard of those?

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They work.