Chicken Feet Thread 🐓

Another vote for plugs.

Pretty typical foot width, but scrawny-ass ankles and micro-calves.

I battled with Mach 1s for several years to try to get them to work. Went a size down, punched to make them fit. Still had to buckle them so tight to get the performance I wanted that I had to unbuckle them at the bottom of every run due to the discomfort, and they still felt underwhelming. Moved to an Intuition PowerWrap liner which made a huge difference, filling up the volume and adding performance. But still had to buckle them up to the point of discomfort.

Then, on a whim, tried on some plug race boots. They were what I was trying to get the Mach 1s to do, even out of the box. It took a bunch of trips (12?) back to the boot fitter to get them just right. But now they're magic. More comfortable than the Mach 1s, the performance I wanted, and no need to strangle my ankles with the buckles done up to max tightness. I love them, for everything. Never going back.

I solved the cold feet problem with some heated compression socks (the Lenz thin ones).

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Originally Posted by DGamms

Skinny ankles. Skinny heels. Skinny calves. Low insteps. Not much of an arch. Wider forefoot with a bunch of bony prominences/bunions.

Are you part of the chicken feet club?

If so, what are your favorite boot shells, liners, shims, footbeds, spoilers, booster straps, or mods to turn your average chicken foot ski day into an awesome chicken foot ski day?

Discuss…

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Wide forefoot/ skinny low volume ankles a high instep/ small 24 BSL so no mens boots went that small also there was nowhere to buy boots in small town,

I got lucky when i mail ordered Vulcan & Mercury on line no sizing issues cuz they were unisex down to 22.5 add a power wrap with red sole foot bed, fit well right out of the box with no punches

the stock booster strap fell off on day 2, I didnt notice a difference on that particular style of boot so I just left them off which also speeds up transitions


My people are into eating chicken feet for Dimsum, I tried it once but did not aquire the taste for it,

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Originally Posted by mntlion

not sure why people (especially with narrow/LV feet) are anti race/plug boot? Bit harder to get on/off when cold (keep warm to put on) but it skis so well. The plastic is no colder then anything else, but can hold your foot in place so damn well.

If you have a narrow/LV foot then a narrow/LV boot is a great option for you.

If you need to fill up some space in a shell vs foot, then a thicker/stiffer liner will be a great option (foam, extra goo in Zips, think intuition)

Almost everyone will do better with a custom supportive footbed to prevent some foot movement.

Start with the right lengh shell (10-15mm shell fit) Then go narrow so your foot lightly touches both sides of the shell, then add an appropriate liner and footbed.

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I'm still playing with my ZB's. I haven't decided on a liner yet. I think I'm going to try foam in those. The stock liners pack out almost instantly for me.


I picked up some Lange RX120 LV's a couple of weeks back. They're darned good with a couple of small punches. I'm running Zipfit Gara HV's in those with some extra cork in the tongue. Spoilers on the Zips.

I have two custom orthotics. One was done weighted, the other unweighted. I prefer the unweighted orthotic, but it makes my instep uncomfortably high so I'm running the others for now.

I'm pretty happy for now. My touring boots are standard volume XT3 130's. They ski fine, but are a bit loose around the ankle. Very comfortable, all day, boots. I run the Zips in those, too.

SnowMachine, I’m curious what makes you like the unweighted footbeds better if the arch makes it unusable.

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Originally Posted by GoldenBC

SnowMachine, I’m curious what makes you like the unweighted footbeds better if the arch makes it unusable.

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I wouldn't say unusable. I have over 100 days on them. It's tight to the point of being uncomfortable over my instep after several hours. I could probably grind the footbeds. That said, my heal is totally locked in place with them. Honestly, they aren't massively different. A couple of mm under my arch. I really like the unweighted orthotics in my day to day work boots. The weighted orthotics are fine, too. I think my feet aren't totally used to them since I use the others daily. Two different ways to skin a cat.

I’ve got the skinniest ankles and calf in the world. Finally went w Lange ZB and zipfits…..now it’s like I have a normal ankle and calf. Bomber ankle hood w normal cuff closure. Had Brent at park city boot do the front of the foot work, took a couple times and now I can wear them buckled all day.

I’m in the skinny ankles and calf camp. Started skiing Doberman plug boots over a decade ago because I found them cheap. And now I won’t ski anything else. I can get in a 26.5 zb and ski with no punches. Doberman requires a few small punches, but the ankle and heel hold are awesome. Also the Doberman liner is liquid cork like a zipfit (but can’t add any cork). They can be found very cheap.

Question for the chicken feet folk. What are you guys touring in? I’ve got some Salomon mtns that needed a new liner and padding around the ankle to be skiable. But they aren’t great. Have some dalbello quantums that I picked up super cheap. Just got them dialed fit wise but haven’t skied them yet. I’m expecting them to ski like crap, but the lower shell fits great. They’re extremely difficult to take off. Debating between buying a tecnica zpgt or atomic hawk ulta xtd. Anyone have experience. Leaning atomic as it felt like the forefoot area is tighter and I can get them cheaper but worried the liner will pack out fast in the ankle

I've got a lot of days on the Hawx XTD with the Mimic liner and they have held up well enough. Atomic is the only mainstream company that makes a properly low volume touring boot these days, but its a shame that the Backland series doesn't ski very well. There is a saving grace though... the Pierre Gignoux Mountain boot fits amazingly well. The lower retention system is genius, really locks you in unlike any other lightweight touring boot, and I've tried all of them. Also the cuffs are actually designed for skinny calves, they are the only boot I've used where I'm not cranking the cuffs down to close to their max tightness levels. I have a 27.5 if anyone wants to try it on.

Any skinny-ankled folk try the Roxa RX Tour? I’m in the F1 now but get heel slip despite trying all the usual remedies. I also have a spoiler to take up space and still have the buckled power strap cranked all the way.

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Originally Posted by V.R.P

Any skinny-ankled folk try the Roxa RX Tour? I’m in the F1 now but get heel slip despite trying all the usual remedies. I also have a spoiler to take up space and still have the buckled power strap cranked all the way.

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Yes, the Roxa has better ankle hold than Scarpa but still not great. The Zero G Peak has much better ankle hold than both.

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Originally Posted by The Stopper

For those with high or skinny calves, how much volume did you have to add to Zipfit tongues? I'm around 293mm in a 28.5 Krypton, trying WC Sidewinders and Gara's I've got a great heel fit but noticeably more room to fill up at the top buckle.

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so - i'm 288 and in Roxa 3 (27.5) - kryptons before that, this is the first non wrap liner i've tried in +10 years, i have Gara Lv's 27.5, i'm at 2 tubes in the tongue so far and still need more, the store i bot it at only caried the gara lv - heel hold is good - i need more higher up in the tongue and much less at the very bottom of the tongue - a work in progress, i have skinny heels/ shins/ calves but a pointy higher instep than most on this thread (i used the yellow X Max with a wrap for a few years) not really sure what to do next to relieve the pressure on the top of the instep - (apparently this is called the cuneiform - a joint apparently, if anyone with suggestions on that i'm open to it)

boot is much softer with the zipfit vs the wrap - cant tell if it's because i have have so much more leverage or the design of the wrap

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Originally Posted by detrusor

I’ve got the skinniest ankles and calf in the world. Finally went w Lange ZB and zipfits…..now it’s like I have a normal ankle and calf. Bomber ankle hood w normal cuff closure. Had Brent at park city boot do the front of the foot work, took a couple times and now I can wear them buckled all day.

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Interesting Detrusor. I tried the plug experiment once and could never ski them comfortably for a full day despite lots of punches. My wider forefoot and prominent 6th toe bone spurs just hurt too much.

I’m still really psyched on the Atomic Hawx Ultra 120/130 26.5, extensively punched for my big toe, 6th toe bone spur and Haglund’s. Add a HV 27 Dreamliner, Booster strap as a fifth buckle over the top of liner, and a custom footbed.

Pretty awesome. I’ve tried the shells with the Mimic Pro Liner and Zipfits too. But for my weird ass feet and bone spurs, the HV Intuition has been the call for the last three seasons. Warmer and more comfortable. Maybe a small drop in performance compared to the Zips.

For touring: I tried the original Hawx XTD 130 26.5 with 27 Tour Wraps for a season. Too painful again for my fucked up feet. Touring in a Fischer TransAlp 27 with big toe punches and paired with HV ProTour 27s, Booster straps, and green SuperFeet (shaved down at home on the medial side to match the sole of the ProTour better). Pretty happy with those too for my chicken feet.

It’s been discussed before… but part of the reason the Hawx works so well for chicken ankle/chicken calf people is the narrow cuff. Buckled without going to the tighter screw hole, it’s barely bigger than 80mm, both side to side and front to back.

Pair with a thicker liner that’s moldable, and you’ve got an amazing chicken leg fit

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Just found this thread -- glad I'm not the only one that suffers from chicken legs/feet.

Right now I'm riding a Dalbello Cabrio LV Free 130 Lite in a size 28.5 -- with Intuition 15mm Tour Wraps

My feet measure 291 and 294 mm

This setup is certainly the best performing boot I've had so far, but I'm still having some minor shin bang issues, and my forefoot is screaming after about 3-4 hours of riding. Haven't toured them much, but I certainly wish there was more room for my big toes.

Probably could use some punches, but I don't live anywhere close to a proper bootfitter.

Going to try and see if I can shove a 29.5 ZipFit GFT in there and see if that helps.

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Originally Posted by PeaHead96

Just found this thread -- glad I'm not the only one that suffers from chicken legs/feet.

Right now I'm riding a Dalbello Cabrio LV Free 130 Lite in a size 28.5 -- with Intuition 15mm Tour Wraps

My feet measure 291 and 294 mm

This setup is certainly the best performing boot I've had so far, but I'm still having some minor shin bang issues, and my forefoot is screaming after about 3-4 hours of riding. Haven't toured them much, but I certainly wish there was more room for my big toes.

Probably could use some punches, but I don't live anywhere close to a proper bootfitter.

Going to try and see if I can shove a 29.5 ZipFit GFT in there and see if that helps.

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I suffer with monstrous shin bang. I've skied the last 7 days in my new Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD BOA with 0 shinbang. I'm sold.

Previously, I was dailying a Lange RX120 LV with a Zipfit Gara HV. I still like this setup, but I'm going to try the shell with an Atomic Mimic Pro liner. I would get gnarly shinbang occasionally that took a couple of days off to resolve.

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Originally Posted by SnowMachine

I suffer with monstrous shin bang. I've skied the last 7 days in my new Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD BOA with 0 shinbang. I'm sold.

Previously, I was dailying a Lange RX120 LV with a Zipfit Gara HV. I still like this setup, but I'm going to try the shell with an Atomic Mimic Pro liner. I would get gnarly shinbang occasionally that took a couple of days off to resolve.

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I’ve always liked the cuff circumference on the Hawx. I’ve got a 28.5 and 29.5 Hawx Ultra XTD on the way. What’s your shell fit like in yours?

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Originally Posted by PeaHead96

I’ve always liked the cuff circumference on the Hawx. I’ve got a 28.5 and 29.5 Hawx Ultra XTD on the way. What’s your shell fit like in yours?

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10-10.5 shoe size. 26.5 Lange's for as long as I remember. 26.5 in the Hawx. Pretty sporty fit. 10mm at the heel. Light touch on both sides of the forefoot. Lightly punched for "6th" toe on both feet. Toe capped and heat molded the liners. Moved both ladders one notch. Quite roomy over my toes. The BOA lets you get a nice fit over the top of my foot. Allĺlllll good.

The only slight issue I've had is that the quick release on the strap has popped twice while skiing. They may get changed to Boosters. The material is kinda slick when new. I feel like with some more days the clasp will dig in better.

I think my Lange's are retired for now until I do the Mimic Pro's.

Boosters and a thicker liner definitely help with the shin bang too, even in the Hawx. Like I said early, I tried the Mimic Pro but thought it was inferior to a Zipfit and a HV Intuition liner.

My skinny legged buddy just went from the Hawx to a 96mm last medium flex Dobermann. I looked at his shells, and the narrowness of the heel and ankle pocket was impressive. His forefoot is narrower than mine though, not sure I could make something like that work. Still makes me 93-96mm last curious again however…

If you have truly skinny ankles Doberman is the boot. Only disadvantage is after skiing dobbies everything else sucks.

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Originally Posted by altacoup

If you have truly skinny ankles Doberman is the boot. Only disadvantage is after skiing dobbies everything else sucks.

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Ha - ain't that the truth.

Tried going back to Nordica ProMachine 130, and even with Intuition Pro Wrap, sold them after a half day of use. Nothing comes close to a well-fit plug boot.

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Originally Posted by altacoup

If you have truly skinny ankles Doberman is the boot. Only disadvantage is after skiing dobbies everything else sucks.

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I know that this is eventually the route I will go. Only thing that sucks is 90% of my skiing is touring. I don’t mind heavy boots at all, but not having a walk mode would just suck all the fun out of anything that is longer than a 45 minute approach.

Most of my tours are a 2-3 hour approach.

Salomon is releasing the Shift Alpha Boa for 2025.

Attachment 489330

If I remember correctly, the alpine version (S/Pro Alpha) has a (1) lower instep than Hawx Ultra, (2) just as narrow if not maybe more narrow cuff than Hawx Ultra and (3) runs a tad longer in sizing.

This could be the boot I’ve been waiting for as I have a very low instep. And I’ve found that I’m in between sizes on the Hawx Ultra XTD, where a 28.5 is too short to tour in even with punches, but the 29.5 is too voluminous overall — especially in the instep.

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Originally Posted by The Stopper

For those with high or skinny calves, how much volume did you have to add to Zipfit tongues? I'm around 293mm in a 28.5 Krypton, trying WC Sidewinders and Gara's I've got a great heel fit but noticeably more room to fill up at the top buckle.

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4 tubes in Gara HV in Tecnica Cochise 130 and then I stuck a small piece of foam to the tongue right where my ankle flexes in my left boot. My left ankle is lower volume than my right.

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Originally Posted by PeaHead96

Salomon is releasing the Shift Alpha Boa for 2025.

Attachment 489330

If I remember correctly, the alpine version (S/Pro Alpha) has a (1) lower instep than Hawx Ultra, (2) just as narrow if not maybe more narrow cuff than Hawx Ultra and (3) runs a tad longer in sizing.

This could be the boot I’ve been waiting for as I have a very low instep. And I’ve found that I’m in between sizes on the Hawx Ultra XTD, where a 28.5 is too short to tour in even with punches, but the 29.5 is too voluminous overall — especially in the instep.

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Blister says the opposite https://blisterreview.com/gear-revie...0more%20subtle.

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Originally Posted by Jean Poudreuse

Blister says the opposite https://blisterreview.com/gear-revie...0more%20subtle.

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That may be the case too. What I said was from personal experience. I also could be remembering incorrectly.

If only they would build a boot off of the now discounted S/Max dimensions.

Regardless, it’s good to see another narrow-lasted touring boot hit the market.