Pain on catwalks/traverses

[New2]

I've been experiencing significant foot pain on the flats for at least 5 years now, across various boots and skis. Feels like the arch of both feet is cramping. Snowplowing seems a bit more comfortable than skating, turning, or trying to just head straight. If I focus on forcing the muscles in each foot to relax, I can get a bit of at least temporary relief, but the pain comes right back, and if I'm traversing much the cramp-like pain will travel up one or both legs and leave me with calf or thigh pain, too. Once I reach the end of a traverse and head downhill again, it tends to clear up, but sometimes there's lingering pain/fatigue. I'm ~100 pounds overweight and i'm non-expert enough that it's likely I'm making technique mistakes. I generally try to avoid the flats, and I'm making an effort to lose weight/increase fitness sustainably. Any other tips or suggestions on how to mitigate or avoid this pain?

 

[Andy Mink]

Do you have custom footbeds? If your feet aren't getting proper support they won't be happy. Stock footbeds work for a very small portion of skiers. Also, are you certain your boots are fitting properly? If you have to clamp down on the buckles, especially the ones over the instep and forefoot you are in need of a better fit. That will flatten your foot and also tends to cut off some circulation and bares down on nerves.

 

[New2]

I've used a few different off-the-shelf inserts in past boots... extra arch support helped in general with my previous boots, but the flats still hurt. My current boots I've liked the stock footbeds quite a bit... they have nice arch support and feel just right for the downhill stuff.
I'm not sure what you're asking about the buckles. I haven't tried skiing with them un-buckled. Maybe I should try? Or try them at the loosest spot? They feel great & responsive most of the time, and I definitely don't want to sacrifice performance on slopes just for the sake of flats.

 

[Fuller]

I can remember having the same issues a few years ago when I was in ski boots V1 and V2 which were too big for me. When I finally got to V3 things cleared up a lot. I've had the same custom footbed in all 3 versions but the fit now is much better especially in the cuff.

Just another data point for you to consider.

 

[cantunamunch]

Get thee to a proper bootfitter, quick.

If snowplowing eases your pain where sliding on the flats or traversing causes it, your foot is *not* supported properly. Put another way, just the observation that the problem appears to go away when you head downhill means your foot is not stable in the boot.

Yes, there are bottom-of-the-foot-rollers you could use and there are calf stretches but all those are supplements and not fixes.

The fitness stuff is for next season - you cannot make a significant change in that now. A fitter can save your current season.

P.S. - when your foot is properly supported it will probably not feel comfortable at all, it will change the feel of your skis, and you may find yourself trying to find new balance points.

 

[New2]

Thank you all!

 

[Rod9301]

Also, the bottom two buckles should be pretty loose.