Skinny legs skinny ankles

[Mbuerman7]

So I'm moving from Lange WC boots. I have so much shin bang and move whole leg moves when I flex it's starting to get me worried. I need a thinner top shell that I can get full control of the boot. Any suggestions before it actually starts snowing?

[neufox47]

Go to a good boot fitter

/ end thread.

[Kim Jong-un]

[jfost]

me have same. me suggest Tecnica ICON series (X/Carbon/ALU Comp.) if you can find any. They oldie but goodie.

[Westslope]

Salomon X3 or the discontinued Falcon (same mold AFAIK)

I have very "aerodynamic" calves and ankles and have a nice snug fit with no shin bang in my Falcon 10's. You need to have a pretty low instep (top of your foot) to fit them though. Cold boot too.

Also, go see a (good) boot fitter, pay for a proper fitting, and buy the boot that fits not the boot on sale. Save money everywhere else if you want but don't do it with boots!

[whyturn]

Love my full tilts for these exact reasons

[Mbuerman7]

Are full tilts worth it. I've never tried to stray from the Lange technica circuit etc but I've been think for with this problem

[Jacolac]

I could be wrong but I don't think the boots are your main problem.

I have the same issue as you, skinny legs and ankles and had severe shin pain last season. Assumed I had shitty boots and spent over $1,000 on new boots and bootfitting here in Whistler. While I did have poorly fitting boots and my new boots fit much better, they didn't fix my problem.

I kept skiing anyway cause I'm an idiot and it got to the point where I could barely walk which is when I had to stop. Went to doctor and physio and turns out my legs are just too damn weak to withstand the forces put on them during aggressive skiing and I had severe shin splints (tears in the periosteum which is the layer that your muscles attach to which attach them to the bone.) You need strong muscles to counteract the forces put on your legs when skiing.

I was going to the gym already but not doing the excercises to strengthen my lower leg muscles (especially the muscle on your shin, the tibialis anterior) which not a lot of people think to do. I would start working out your legs more instead.

[Mbuerman7]

Yeah athleticism and muscle isn't a problem (not bragging) but I started cross fit 3 months prior to the season to try and fix this from last year. I feel your pain with the 1000 boot spending problem

[sfotex]

I've got chicken legs/ankles and size 44 feet. With the low snow I've spent the last few weeks trying on boots. My short list was:
Atomic RT TI line if you can fit them, talk about locking your heel in.
Dalbello Krypton line -
Fischer WC line
Full Tilts.

I got a pair of the Atomics and Krypton's cheep, I'm going to see which one pans out in the long run. The dalbellos/FT's are supposed to be the cure for shin bang though. We'll see.

[mntlion]

narrow boots and a boot fitter. where are you? best to look for a store, or staff, rather then a product that MIGHT work

[My Pet Powder Goat]

no one has mentioned liners yet. Either a foam injected liner, like surefoot or an intuition Powerwrap liner. both do a great job at filling in any extra space between shell and ankle/leg.

[whyturn]

Yep power wrap really helps shins and higher end full tilts have them. Yes, full tilts are worth every penny since my feet and shins don't hurt anymore

[Westslope]

narrow boots and a boot fitter. where are you? best to look for a store, or staff, rather then a product that MIGHT work

+ one billion

FWIW I used to ski Flexons with power wraps (same as full tilts) and my falcons with stock liners fit even narrower in the leg. They are also a bit taller. I still used to get some shin discomfort in the Flexons and get none with the Falcons.

[BigLineSeeker]

I ski the manly-blue Lange WC boot 95mm last boot as my everyday freeride setup. When I first got them I was experiencing some shin bang but then I added a set of Booster straps and he shin bang went away.

I am not saying this will solve your problems, but it did mine and it may be worth a try. With thin feet, ankles and calves I could not find a boot that fit anywhere narrow enough until I got these boots so I am thrilled the Boosters saved my shins.

[shasti]

I am 6'6" 178 lbs and my shins/upper ankles are so skinny that at their narrowest part I can touch my middle finger to my thumb when clasping my hand around them.

I had the same problem and I found I needed to do 2 things to ultimately fix it.

1) Eliminate space between your ankle/shin area and the liner of your boot. I have tried foam (conformable liners from surefoot) and didn't find that they worked that well. They were so hard. If you could get them to mold PERFECTLY then I'm sure they would be sick. But mine didn't.

So I tried this

http://www.tognar.com/the-eliminator-custom-tounges/

It worked pretty well on an old pair of Garmont Adrenalines and I still have a spare pare in case, but the boot situation below worked even better

Full Tilts with aftermarket Intuition liners. I emailed Intuition and explained to them exactly how thin my ankles /shins are and asked for the liner that would take up the most volume possible in the upper cuff/ankle area of the boot. When I received them I molded them barely even buckling the uppermost buckle down (so that no material would compress in that area, leaving them as thick as possible). Result = awesomeness.

2) Strengthening my tibialis anterior was helpful. It's not a muscle that crossfit or most strength programs address specifically so it might be useful to do a little isolation work on it. All you do is pull your toes to your shins as hard as you can and hold for a few seconds. You can also get elastic bands to add resistance. But I find that once mine were stronger, landing or charging over bumps/steep terrain in the backseat will stretch the tibialis anterior and give you the sensation that your shins are bruised.

The second step to addressing this problem came from my body and mind as a whole. You want to ski the mountain as if you could manage with leather boots. Develop the connection between your foot and the terrain so you can stand with your weight evenly distributed on your whole foot as you ski, no matter the angle of the slope. This requires great core and leg strength, balance, and form (technique) but trying to do it will make you a better skier, and end your pain if you can accomplish it.

[Jacolac]

Full Tilts with aftermarket Intuition liners. I emailed Intuition and explained to them exactly how thin my ankles /shins are and asked for the liner that would take up the most volume possible in the upper cuff/ankle area of the boot. When I received them I molded them barely even buckling the uppermost buckle down (so that no material would compress in that area, leaving them as thick as possible). Result = awesomeness.

If you don't mind, which of their liners did they send you? I might have to get me a pair too.

[shasti]

Mine is just the standard powerwrap.

Some of their liners are thicker than others in different sections of the liner (see the description of this liner). If I were you I would just email them (they were super helpful and prompt in their responses) and explain your situation and ask them what would be best

[Mbuerman7]

Made the decision, pending a final boot test, for full tilts with intuitions. Just the best fit I could get. Kryptons also kicked ass. For those wondering, best snug fit for the skinny ankle debate

[ccwaskier]

I have the same issue, but actually find that the intuition powerwraps make the problem worse because they cannot wrap all the way around my skinny legs without the liner having to go behind my calves. Plus intuitions are such firm liners that they hurt my shins more once the shin bang starts. I add neoprene material to the tongues of stock liners and also add a nordica spoiler to the front of the boot that takes up more space. The best stock boots I have found are my new titan ultralights.

However, the best solution for me is altering my skiing style. If I make sure I ski balanced and keep my shins on the front of my boots, I can usually avoid the really bad shin bang. I am fine skiing pow, groomers, or skied out terrain, but skiing fast through crud kills my shins, so I try and avoid it. I am also pretty selective about jumping off things where I will have backseat landings since that seems to be the worst for shin bang.

[klikboom]

I have skinny ankles / calves also. The Krypton Pros are money for me. Also, to extend this to touring, the only boot I could find to fit my skinny heel was the BD Quadrant, but it is still sloppy on my ankles (added Intuition PWs and they help). Touring boot suggestions for bony skinny ankles?

[ex-powderbroker]

calf implants 12345

[Spats]

Made the decision, pending a final boot test, for full tilts with intuitions. Just the best fit I could get. Kryptons also kicked ass. For those wondering, best snug fit for the skinny ankle debate

Full Tilts are lousy boots for anyone with chicken lower legs and skinny ankles...they get wider as they go down towards the instep and cause massive shin bang. Maybe you found an Intuition liner big enough to take up some of the room, but they're the last boot I'd recommend in that situation.

My opinion: try some Fischer race boots or the Atomic Hawx.

[BCJC]

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