Shin/Tongue contact area

[stas]

All,
I ski in a set of Tecnica's Mach1 LV boots that I am generally happy with. I use the original liner and I have a set of orthotics in them. One issue I have is that I seem to contact the front of the tongue with only the top of my shin.
Most of the time its not a problem but I do tend to develop shin bang and get bruises periodically right at the line of contact that I think if the contact area was more spread out might go away. My boot guy tried altering the geometry by putting in a small heel lift. That did give me more of a contact area but also started giving me a pressure point on the forefoot and at the top of the heel where it came up against heel pocket.

Is this something that I could address with an aftermarket liner or some other trick? Any tips welcome.

 

[Andy Mink]

If I read this correctly, the top of the tongue is making contact but you lose contact as the tongue goes down to the ankle. Maybe remove the heel lift and try a small, softish foam to take up the space. I have the opposite problem; the top of the tongue has a small gap between shin and tongue. Just a small foam insert makes a difference.

 

[stas]

If I read this correctly, the top of the tongue is making contact but you lose contact as the tongue goes down to the ankle. Maybe remove the heel lift and try a small, softish foam to take up the space. I have the opposite problem; the top of the tongue has a small gap between shin and tongue. Just a small foam insert makes a difference.

Yup, that's correct. I just don't know how to add padding so it will stay in place as the foot flexes. I've used cut up beer cozies for things like this but they tend to move around.

 

[Andy Mink]

Yup, that's correct. I just don't know how to add padding so it will stay in place as the foot flexes. I've used cut up beer cozies for things like this but they tend to move around.

I'll let the boot gurus respond.

 

[LiquidFeet]

I have the same problem with the Mach1 LV boot. My lower legs down near the ankles are tiny in circumference. In fact, I have an exceptionally low volume foot everywhere except in the ball-of-foot and toe area. I replaced the original liner with ZipFits thinking they would help, and they did with other areas of the boots, but not at the bottom of the cuff. I bought the Eliminator Tongue inserts and put them in, but they do move around. So... duct tape. I keep them stuck in place in my boots by duct taping them to the Zipfit tongue on the inside. I also have some cut up neoprene pieces taken from old boot gloves that I stuff in place every morning, pressing that tongue back against my lower leg a little bit farther. People stare, but it works. DIY bootfitting.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Does your boot tongue attach with velcro? You can move some of them forward and back. Maybe that could help?

 

[Wilhelmson]

Thats sort of what soccer shin pads do but it would take some customizing

 

[cantunamunch]

Yup, that's correct. I just don't know how to add padding so it will stay in place as the foot flexes. I've used cut up beer cozies for things like this but they tend to move around.

Put it IN the sock until you figure out a better solution or until you see a fitter who can stitch some foam/put a tongue insert at the tongue. Hockey-style shin tape is available but probably overkill.

Beer cozies are cr@p for this because they don't rebound quick enough to recover to neutral between turns -too much air in the foam. Use thinnish mouse pads (1/8" max) instead.

 

[stas]

I tried using The Eliminator product but because its so thick at the top it puts me too far back (or it certainly feels that way). I was thinking of cutting the thickest top part down but feel it might create a crease in the boots.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I’m no bootfitter, but can’t help wondering if the boot is too big.

 

[Analisa]

Curious what year of the Mach1s you're in? I had a pair of 2019s that were cosmetically impacted by a bootfitting mishap and the shop replaced them with the 2020s, and at least for the women's sizes, the cuff got a lot narrower.

 

[Brad J]

I have the same problem with the Mach1 LV boot. My lower legs down near the ankles are tiny in circumference. In fact, I have an exceptionally low volume foot everywhere except in the ball-of-foot and toe area. I replaced the original liner with ZipFits thinking they would help, and they did with other areas of the boots, but not at the bottom of the cuff. I bought the Eliminator Tongue inserts and put them in, but they do move around. So... duct tape. I keep them stuck in place in my boots by duct taping them to the Zipfit tongue on the inside. I also have some cut up neoprene pieces taken from old boot gloves that I stuff in place every morning, pressing that tongue back against my lower leg a little bit farther. People stare, but it works. DIY bootfitting.
View attachment 95630

Did you try injecting the tongue with more OM fit ??? I did on my Zipfits with the same shell and it worked well.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Yes. It didn't do enough.

 

[IceChick]

I've usually seen shin-bang at the top of the boots when the boots are too stiff for the skier, so as you try to drive the boot forward you can only flex the boot at the top, at which point the top of the boot becomes the fulcrum of the lever instead of your ankle joint and bam, shin bang. If you can't bend the plastic by the ankle pivots inside a warm shop (it should gape a little at the bottom of the cuff), then the boot is likely gonna be too stiff out on snow. The only other things I could think of is that you are a) leaving your boots buckled too loose which could cause you to continually slide into the front of the boot, but this would likely cause a lot of other issues, b) your liners are packed out, or c) you have an incredibly low volume foot and ankle so much so that maybe a plug boot is a better option if a 130 flex is truly a good fit for you and your skiing.

Where are you located? Seems like you need a better bootfitter.

 

[stas]

I'm 6'2" and 215 lbs so flexing a 130 boot is not an issue for me. The majority of my skiing is off-piste, trees, and bumps so I do tend to wear my boots much looser then someone who is primarily doing speed skiing. That is definitely contributes to the problem but I feel that the lack of full contact against the tongue of the boot should be remedied. I live in North Jersey but have a house between Killlington and Straton in VT and spend a good amount of time out west. Will be in Copper this Friday for 5 days if someone has a recommendation for a good boot guy or gal out there.

 

[Fuller]

I'm in the Mach 1 120 LV, the addition of a Booster Strap helped with shin bang as it spreads out the load over time when your shins move forward. I move the strap up a bit so that it is in contact with the tongue not the plastic cuff. If you pull the Booster Strap tight but adjust the top buckle so that there is a small space between the tongue and the cuff you should be good.

This was at the suggestion of Brandon at A Racer's Edge in Breck who did a good job with my boot issues.

 

[Kyle]

I have had the same problem where, after a few days in the boot and the liner packing out slightly, I lose some contact in the liner below the booster strap area on the front of the leg. My bootfitter compensated by placing some boot fitting foam to the front of the liner above the ankle area. The foam he used is similar to this and can be cut to the desired size:

Ski and Snowboard Boot Fitting Foam 10" x 10"

Use this firm, self-adhesive foam to improve the fit of ski or snowboard boots. Easily trimmed with scissors to the desired shape.

www.tognar.com

It may not be the "best" solution but it did help me. I have a very skinny lower leg shaft (bird legs).

 

[Chef23]

I'm 6'2" and 215 lbs so flexing a 130 boot is not an issue for me. The majority of my skiing is off-piste, trees, and bumps so I do tend to wear my boots much looser then someone who is primarily doing speed skiing. That is definitely contributes to the problem but I feel that the lack of full contact against the tongue of the boot should be remedied. I live in North Jersey but have a house between Killlington and Straton in VT and spend a good amount of time out west. Will be in Copper this Friday for 5 days if someone has a recommendation for a good boot guy or gal out there.

One of my friends just got boots at Ski Boot Fitting in Vail at the Lionshead base area and was very very happy with them. The process sounded good and my friend said they are the best fitting boots he has ever had. If I was out there and in the market I would consider them. I forget exactly who he worked with but can find out if you want.

 

[cantunamunch]

^Ask for Jeff Harper

 

[KingGrump]

One of my friends just got boots at Ski Boot Fitting in Vail at the Lionshead base area and was very very happy with them. The process sounded good and my friend said they are the best fitting boots he has ever had. If I was out there and in the market I would consider them. I forget exactly who he worked with but can find out if you want.

Greg Hoffman is the lead boot fitter at SBF. He is also one of the instructors at Masterfit U.