You'll be happy to hear not all shops push the footbeds. I was recently fitted at Olympic Boot Fitters in South Lake Tahoe. (known for their custom footbeds) I was never pressured into buying footbeds. I have a very flat foot. He looked at me as an individual and determined that it wasn't necessary for me. Because I was comfortable and skiing at a high (recreational) level, he didn't want to change much. Unfortunately not all fitters are as honest and skilled as Eli. I'm So happy he listens to his customers. I've Had some bad experiences over the years that could have been avoided if the fitter had just listened to me.

Thanks again Paul and Andy for responding to my question about footbeds.. I was never expecting such a long and thorough answer :-) I'll take my footbeds out at least for a few days next season and see what changes, for better or for worse.

as a skier that was born with exceptionally flat feet, I always love to see content dedicated to feet.. I've been through many fittings and footbeds.. Good advice here.. A relatively soft minimalistic footbed works works best for a lot of people.. A thin replacement foot bed with some merino wool will also add a little warmth...

i am firmly on the no-footbed team since the I heard the theory from your channel. Been on my bare foot a lot and doing some light balance training on my bare foot as well. I have grown myself into a pair of plug boots and definitely feel my feet more alive and better sensation this way. I'm a long-distance runner in the summer, and I have ditched the footbeds/insoles from my running shoes too

I have tried Apex ski boots but found too many pressure points as the chassis is rigid and unable to be customised. The boot fitter advised they are designed for overweight skiers with large calves. He also stated that he did not find many suitable candidates in Australia.

I bought some custom footbeds because certain people lead me to believe i needed them. First day using them i was in agony and had to take them out. at the same time i don't want to throw them out because i paid so much 😂

Having strong feet helps but you cannot change the spatial structure of the bones of the feet through exercise. A hyper-mobile foot is a loose foot structure determined by the structure and spatial distance of the bones; this type of foot is not great for skiing especially if the calcaneus (the heel bone) does not sit vertically underload. The idea is to align the heel through just enough posting so you don't lock the foot whilst leaving the arch area compressible enough so it can evert and invert to apply pressure to the sides of the boots and allow movement in the foot to create fine balancing movements rather than a locked foot and ankle; the skier will then have to rely on gross movements higher up in the kinetic chain. (eg the thigh and hands) An over-posted footbed in the arch area (which is how most boot fitters think they control pronation) locks the foot and makes it difficult to balance and also tip the ski on edge. This type of footbed will destroy your balance and it also very bad for the knee and often exaggerates the knock-kneed position of a skier. World cup skiers generally have strong, stout compact foot and never use those hideous high uncompressible arch footbeds even if they are sponsored by them. A flat foot is good for skiing, only if the calcaneus remains vertical underload. Not all feet need footbeds; or footbeds that correct alignment if this is the case you go for a comfort footbed.

Hi guys what's your view on footbeds with in snowboarding as even footbeds in skiing make more sense than snowboarding due to the different movements we make. Love listening/ watching your videos and learning from them. Thank you guys.