High Instep... best boots

[jmeb]

So does high volume = high arch?

Sorta kinda. High volume means different things to different manufacturers. But it generally includes a higher instep.

High arches often have high instep, but not always. You could have a high arch and a normal or even low instep if you have a very thin foot.

 

[Near Nyquist]

So does high volume = high arch?

There are boots on the market that have a higher roof such as the Dalbello pantera that are not high volume in the heel.

The technical Mach 1 MV has a fairly high roof but is 100 lasted

It really depends on your foot shape and the shape of the shell, some work better than others and a competent fitter with a good inventory should be able to solve this dilemma effectively

 

[markojp]

So does high volume = high arch?

Kinda sorta maybe'esque. Some LV boots also have a farily high instep, so the general overall volumn (LV,MV,HV) doesn't really tell the whole story. Lot'sa nuances in their, including the liner quality/density.

 

[Dwight]

That is kinda what I thought but discussion lately seemed to trend that high arch = high volume. Oh the joys of gaining knowledge that hopefully is helpful.

 

[Ross Biff]

One piece missing in the OP's post is info about the height of the instep vs. the length of his foot. Did the fitter(s) measure this? If they didn't use a brannock scale and soft tape measure, Its likely been overlooked. For some, this can be more important in determining shell size than the length. We fit a gentleman a couple of weeks ago in an Atomic Hawx Magna 26.5 even though his foot measured 25. His instep measure was 28.5! The Magna has a high volume instep (as does the prime!), so one shell size up accommodated the volume of his instep nicely, and we still had some 5th met work to do along the entire length of the fifth met! Many other boots would still have been problematic even in a 26.5. Another possibility is the ankle bones are not naturally aligned with the ankle bone pockets in the liner. The right pressure in the wrong spot directly behing the ankle bone (lateral malleolus) on the nerve bundle can also create tingling and numbness even if everything else is working well. Anyhow, hope the boot chosen in round two gets everything sorted!

There will always be issues with going up a size to accommodate high volume insteps. The widest part of the foot generally no longer lines up with the widest part of the boot, hence the fifth met head work need along a larger section. I have a foot which barely measures 24 with an h.I.p. volume closer to 28 and a width of 110! I should have been a swimmer but the lure of the mountains ensures I need a ton of boot work but stick with it because when you get it right the feeling will mean you ski with a stupid grin and catch yourself giggling. That's why we put all this effort on to this awesome sport.

 

[markojp]

There will always be issues with going up a size to accommodate high volume insteps. The widest part of the foot generally no longer lines up with the widest part of the boot, hence the fifth met head work need along a larger section.

Absolutely on the first sentence. The other elephant in the room is that the width from the navicular to the 5th met head can be wider than the standard 1st to 5th methead measurement.

 

[Tricia]

So does high volume = high arch?

That is kinda what I thought but discussion lately seemed to trend that high arch = high volume. Oh the joys of gaining knowledge that hopefully is helpful.

Don't confuse high arch with high instep.

 

[Dwight]

Don't confuse high arch with high instep.

Ok, whats the difference?

 

[Tricia]

Ok, whats the difference?

Arch is under your foot.
Instep is the top of your foot, back through your ankle.

Photo credit goes to @Dostie at Earn Your Turns

 

[Dwight]

Thanks, been using wrong terms. Not that I've really researched much, yet.

 

[jmeb]

Thanks, been using wrong terms. Not that I've really researched much, yet.

Fun fact: a “normal” instep measures the same length as shown in @Tricia s photo as the length of the foot. So a 27cm long foot will measure 27cm over instep. Ifffff it’s “normal”.

 

[Tricia]

Fun fact: a “normal” instep measures the same length as shown in @Tricia s photo as the length of the foot. So a 27cm long foot will measure 27cm over instep. Ifffff it’s “normal”.

This is true. And sometimes if the arch length and foot length are different, the instep will be different too.

 

[markojp]

Thanks, been using wrong terms. Not that I've really researched much, yet.

You're not alone by any means.

 

[ted]

There will always be issues with going up a size to accommodate high volume insteps. The widest part of the foot generally no longer lines up with the widest part of the boot, hence the fifth met head work need along a larger section. I have a foot which barely measures 24 with an h.I.p. volume closer to 28 and a width of 110! I should have been a swimmer but the lure of the mountains ensures I need a ton of boot work but stick with it because when you get it right the feeling will mean you ski with a stupid grin and catch yourself giggling. That's why we put all this effort on to this awesome sport.

This is true. And sometimes if the arch length and foot length are different, the instep will be different too.

Can't say definitively but the high instep feet seem to correspond to a longer arch length versus toe length.

 

[ted]

The Hawx Ultra series have a relatively high instep for a narrow last boot.

 

[Dwight]

The Hawx Ultra series have a relatively high instep for a narrow last boot.

Well, just tried on boots last night, son too. Really trying to fit him. The Tecnica Mach 1 MV does not fit well on his instep. One foot has damage remains from a water ski jump injury in the instep area. Tried the Atomic Prime and Salomon Xpro and they fit much better for him.