CUSTOM FOOT BEDS

Home Services	Foot beds are perhaps the most overlooked aspect of a skier’s equipment. There are a number of reasons for this. Foremost may be that many shops do not have the knowledge or equipment to make custom foot beds so they do not talk about them much. Secondly is that the cost factor is high. While every skier needs skis, boots, bindings and poles, they do not need a good footed to get out on the mountain to ski. Therefore many choose not to spend the money on a footbed.
	The fact is, however, almost all skiers can benefit greatly from an upgraded foot bed. Some people may be fine with an aftermarket foot bed that more suits their foot structure. Others will get the full benefit from a custom foot bed. Some people may have problems that are best addressed by a podiatrist that specializes in athletic footwear or ski boots. Whatever your situation ends up being, the staff at California Ski Company can help you evaluate your foot bed needs and steer you in the right direction.
	Every ski boot comes with a simple insole. The insole is typically made of a thin flexible material that serves as a sort of thin padding as well as providing a soft surface to stand on. Boots are designed to hold your foot in a very rigid posture. They must allow your lower leg to aid in leaning your ski on edge. The standard plastic boot with four buckles does a pretty good job of doing this. It wraps around your lower leg, and pushes down on the top of your foot in a way that creates a solid fit. Unfortunately your stock boot and foot bed cannot adjust to really support your foot from below.
	Stock insoles will not have support that pushes upwards too much for any foot at any spot. Consequently, wearing a ski boot without a custom foot bed is usually like standing on a hard flat surface. The boot however must be very tightly fit; many times buckles are simply tightened to a high degree to prevent foot movement inside the boot. This can simply crush the foot to the point that your arch is reduced, blood vessels and nerves are pinched, and discomfort follows. A custom foot bed is one that is molded to fit the underside shape of your foot. Custom foot beds eliminate the need for over-tightening while at the same time giving a much higher degree of comfort and support to your foot. In most instances a custom foot bed will also improve your ability to use the boot to angle your skis into a carving angle.
	Feet are complicated instruments. They vary in all people and change as we get older. With a stock insole most of our feet do not get the proper support they need from below. What is a skier to do?
	At California Ski Company our boot fitters will discuss your boot needs, look at your foot structure, and recommend the boot that has the most appropriate shell and liner for your needs. We will also in most cases recommend an after market foot bed. Just slipping in a higher quality foot bed during the fitting process is enough to convince almost all of our customers to at least add this to their purchase. After inspecting and evaluating your feet we may recommend a custom foot bed.