JH area Mags

[WhiteHunter]

I'm going to be in Jackson next week and am in the market for new boots. Any recommendations for bootfitters in the area would be appreciated. Living in the Madison gives me crappy selection and crappier shop personnel for this task so I prefer to buy when I'm on vacation from someone who dosn't have their head up their ass.

I'll be there with the smarter half and some non-mag friends, but depending on the day, I may be able to make a few turns with anyone who is around.

[kb1dqh]

I'm going to be in Jackson next week and am in the market for new boots. Any recommendations for bootfitters in the area would be appreciated. Living in the Madison gives me crappy selection and crappier shop personnel for this task so I prefer to buy when I'm on vacation from someone who dosn't have their head up their ass.

I'll be there with the smarter half and some non-mag friends, but depending on the day, I may be able to make a few turns with anyone who is around.

Wilderness Sports in the Village is rumored to be the best boot fitter in town. -kb

[upallnight]

Go see Gov or Randy in Pepi Stiegler's. They are the white building a bit up the hill from the Hostel and the Tram (up and left of the Tram dock).

They will give you personal attention.

[MuleSkinner]

Pepi's is great and you could check out TVS which is also in the village - Kurt who is a certified podiatrist is the best bootfitter in the valley in my opinion.

[rideit]

Many more props to Gov at Pepi Stieglers.

[upallnight]

Gov = The Man. He is a former World Cup tech.

TVS staff are good/great...but TVS gets a ton more traffic, and depending on when you're in there you may not get quite the personal attention you deserve, or you might have to wait a long time for it.

[WhiteHunter]

Info is much appreciated. A little direction saves precious drinking time at the end of the day. That and maybe I won't miss the Olympic ice dancing competition on TV.

[alpinepronghorn]

Pepi's is great... - Kurt who is a certified podiatrist is the best bootfitter in the valley in my opinion.

Pepi's is great - maggot nhtele who is a certified pederast is a damn good bootfitter in his own right as well. (He works at Pepis, look for the jolly irish kid).

[crashnburn'd]

Pepi's is great - maggot nhtele who is a certified pederast is a damn good bootfitter in his own right as well. (He works at Pepis, look for the jolly irish kid).

If that's the case, I will remember to stay a long ways from Pepi's next time I'm in Jackson....

[basom]

whenever i'm in town i go into pepi's just so i can punch NHrandorally in the neck. i dont think i'd want him touching my feet though.

[Core Shot]

Wilderness Sports in the Village is rumored to be the best boot fitter in town. -kb

It's more than a rumor.

Matt Sheets is the master there.
By appointment only, but worth the scheduling hassles.
His unweighted footbeds are the best.

If you just need boots, all of the shops out there are good for that, but be careful that they don't get you into the second best boot just because the best boot for your foot is out of stock. It happens sometimes.


Main difference is what brands of boot each of them sell.

[vtdownhiller]

It's more than a rumor.

Matt Sheets is the master there.
By appointment only, but worth the scheduling hassles.
His unweighted footbeds are the best.

If you just need boots, all of the shops out there are good for that, but be careful that they don't get you into the second best boot just because the best boot for your foot is out of stock. It happens sometimes.


Main difference is what brands of boot each of them sell.

Never use an unweighted footbed

[upallnight]

What's the logic behind an unweighted footbed? Don't you ski with weight on your feet, thus a weighted footbed would complement the hills and valleys so that the pressure distribution is equal in all areas while in your natural stance?

[WhiteHunter]

Just thinking through this... when you put weight on your foot it compresses, bones and flesh move and it takes a different shape than an unweighted foot. From a performance perspective, although it may be minute, there is additional time for you foot to compress from an unweighted position to a weighted position and only then does the foot start directing the boot which relays the information to the ski. This compression time is somewhat mitigated by having a tight fitting boot.

The other difference is that a weighted footbed is made without the corresponding pressure from the top and sides of a buckled boot. Hence the foot may actually be in a different shape when the weighted footbed is created vs. once in the boot with pressure from the other angles.

An unweighted footbed, theoretically would be molded to your foot in its natural position and therefore when you apply the pressures of the tightened boot, the liner should mold around a more natural foot position. This in turn should result in immediate foot to boot to ski communication. Futhermore, since your foot is not compressed out of its natural position it should maintain normal blood flow and shape and theoretically your foot should experience less stress, making the boot more comfortable.

But I'm sure I'm leaving out something there.

[Core Shot]

I have skied weighted footbeds for 15 years. They work.
I just got a pair of unweighted and it is like fucking a 19 year old without a rubber.

the theory is that once you weight, your bones splay out and distort. Therefore, a weighted footbed captures your already distorted foot.

The theory on unweighted is that the tech holds your foot in the proper neutral position so the bones are properly alligned before you put your weight on it.

Probelm with unweighted is that 1) it requires a tech that knows what the fuck they are doing and 2) the tech has to allign and hold your bones while the footbed cools (more work).

I would rather have a quality weighted footbed than a mediocre unweighted one.

But, having wondered about this debate for several years, and having finally gotten an unweighted footbed after years of skiiing weighted, I vote for unweighted.
1) both pedorthist techs are tops in their field, so this is a fair comparison.
2) my feet are slightly fucked up.
I feel more arch and forefoot support, and have better snowfeel and more foot comfort.
YMMV.


PS - whitehunter is partly onto it, except that I don't think it has to do with the tops and sides of the boot at all. And, you need to realize that the "neutral" state created by the unweighted method is actually a "corrected" state created by the tech.

[edit - FYI, by "unweighted" I do not mean when they vacuum bag a crappy footbed to your foot as it hangs in the air.
"Semi-weighted" might be a better term.
You sit in the chair with the weight of only your legs and feet resting on the molds (as opposed to weighted, where your entire weight presses down on the molds) and the tech pushes and holds your foot where he wants it. ]

[upallnight]

Makes sense - thanks for providing the insight. I've been rocking the same pair of weighted footbeds I got in 1994.

[comish]

Hmm, Matt must have gotten there since I worked there. I would second Kurt at TVS and Gov at Pepi's. When I worked at Wilde "Big Don" was suppoesdly the man, but I thought way more highly of Gov and/or Kurt. Go see either of those 2 dudes would be my suggestion.

[upallnight]

Does anyone know what method the Surefoot (Amfit) system is? Weighted / un(/partially)-weighted?

Thanks!

Edit: I'm an idiot...I did a bunch of research and realized that the Surefoot/Amfit footbeds I've had for years are posted and un- (or partially-) weighted. It had been so long that I didn't quite remember whether all my weight was on my feet or not.

So...thumbs up for unweighted footbeds.

[StaggerLee]

Surefoot's system is weighted. I had issues with my corks last year in my Adrenalines. I had a pair of custom cork footbeds (unweighted fitting). Since the fit was unweighted, it created pressure points on my feet (when weighted) that resulted in extreme discomfort, especially on tours where your feet swell. I had a pair of Surefoot footbeds made this season. Super stoked on them. VERY expensive, but worth every cent. Great guarantee as well - lifetime money back. I like the fact that they are represented in almost every significant snow geography (Mammoth, Jackson, Whistler...).

[upallnight]

Surefoot's system is weighted. I had issues with my corks last year in my Adrenalines. I had a pair of custom cork footbeds (unweighted fitting). Since the fit was unweighted, it created pressure points on my feet (when weighted) that resulted in extreme discomfort, especially on tours where your feet swell. I had a pair of Surefoot footbeds made this season. Super stoked on them. VERY expensive, but worth every cent. Great guarantee as well - lifetime money back. I like the fact that they are represented in almost every significant snow geography (Mammoth, Jackson, Whistler...).

I stand corrected! StaggerLee's post made me do more research. I thought I found a few people saying it was unweighted when I looked it up, but somehow I totally screwed that up.

Time to crawl back into my hole!!!

[bossass]

Hoofers?

[vtdownhiller]

the proper technique for footbeds is in a sitting position in a semi-weighted position...in unweighted and weighted footbeds the foot has to be manipulated into subtalor neutral in a sitting position the foot is cast in it's most natural state..ie the bar stool position....and the foot naturally falls into subtalor neutral. The real dinamics of a footbed are the bootfitters ability to look at foot and not post it so it distorts the foot. There are many things that go into a good bootfit. The footbed, shellwork, canting as well as applied kinnesiology? (that spelling is wrong) but it is a correlation between the hips to the knees to the ankles. If you watch your knee as it moves forward to flex the boot take a look at which way it tracks...not everyone's knees track straight ahead, mine actually track outside....
Getting back to the footbed, you will find most race rooms use a semi-weighted system in a putty mold.

[WhiteHunter]

I just got a pair of unweighted and it is like fucking a 19 year old without a rubber.

Uhm, as a monogomous longtime married man, its been awhile... but I assume this is a VERRRRY GOOD thing?

[WhiteHunter]

Thanks to all for the references. Ended up buying from Pepi's. NHtele helped with some initial fitting and narrowing down my choices. Scott handled the final fitting and some adjustments and Randy also helped with some midday adjustments to the shell. All three were great to work with and knew their shit.

I did check out TVS but as noted in some of your posts, they were pretty busy. The tech I worked with there kept trying to push me into lower performance boots. I had to push to try on the Technica Magnesiums and 130's which he was sure would not fit my foot. Of course the Mags fit pretty well right out of the box and the 130's were not a bad fit either. After that experience I was sold on the guys at Pepi's. I ended up needing three shell adjustments during the day around some bone protrusion spots and I'd estimate my total time in the shop for those adjustments was 30-40 mins max. Verrrry happy customer.

[upallnight]

Awesome! I'm psyched that you got the treatment and attention you deserve.

Like I said, TVS has knowledgeable staff -- it's just that sometimes they are so overwhelmed and one might get shortchanged.

At Pepi's, I *always* feel like they have time for me -- and if they don't, they would state better time to come back so as not to give the customer sub-par treatment.

Ski 'em in good health, WhiteHunter!