Foot beds are perhaps the most overlooked components of a skier’s equipment. 

Many therefore choose not to spend money on a foot bed. The fact is, however, that almost all skiers benefit greatly from upgraded foot beds. Some people may be fine with an off-the-shelf aftermarket foot bed that suits their foot structure. Others will get full benefit from a custom foot bed.

Feet are a very complicated part of the body. There are some common scenarios that come up time and again while fitting boots and liners. The most common example of this in relation to foot beds, is that many skiers have “pronation” issues that can be addressed by using a customised foot bed. Pronation is a misalignment of bone structure that occurs when a person puts weight on the foot. As you weight the foot, your arch flattens and ankle and leg bones move out of their natural alignment, thus placing pressure on low back and hips. Statistics show that reducing pronation can increase comfort and boost performance in up to 80% of the skiers on the mountain. Pronation in a stock boot can be up to 15 degrees. A custom foot bed can reduce this to 2-6 degrees. 

Every ski boot comes with a simple insole. This stock insole typically is made of a thin flexible material that only serves as a thin padding as well as providing a soft surface to stand on. Boots are designed to hold the foot in a very rigid posture. They must allow the lower leg to aid in tipping the ski on edge. The standard boot does a pretty good job of doing this. It wraps around the lower leg and pushes down upon the top of the foot in a way that creates a solid fit. Unfortunately, these stock foot beds cannot adjust to effectively support the foot from below.

Stock insoles must be made of soft material that lacks built-in support because they are designed not to present problems over a wide range of foot shapes and are targeted to no specific foot shape. This is the problem. Wearing a ski boot without a custom foot bed is 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 often simply crushes the unsupported foot to the point that the arch is reduced, blood vessels and nerves are pinched and discomfort follows.

A custom foot bed is one that is moulded 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 the foot. In most instances, a custom foot bed will also improve your ability to use the boot to tip skis up into a carving angle. 

The need for canting is greatly reduced by providing proper foot support in the boot while aligning the knee between the first and second toe. This is the optimal position of the knee just before the ski edge is pressured. However, for some people it will not be possible to get the knee into this position if they are excessively bow-legged, knock-kneed or have ankle inflexibility. In these cases it will be desirable to have the boot soles ground to help put the skier into the most efficient position possible.

Quality skiing is about controlling the placement of your centre of gravity on your skis. Small foot movements, planned or otherwise, have huge effects on skis. If alignment is correct, foot movement controls skis more efficiently than inputs from legs, hips, arms or torso. However when the foot is poorly aligned within the boot, imprecise small movements will require gross corrections by larger body parts resulting in the need for corrective actions to maintain balance.

Correct foot alignment within your ski-boot will enable you to regulate your balance, distribute your weight evenly, and control your skis to instantly improve your skiing. An orthotic may be the tool that provides the mechanical support required for ideal foot alignment within your boot.