Toes

I'm curious to know how many people have shorter big toes ? That is, is your second digit longer than the big toe ?

The reason I ask is that I'm wondering how this affects boot fit for others. For me it means that I size my boots on my big toe, not my longest toe. This means that my big toe just contacts the toe of the liner and my other toes have to bend just a little. I find that it is my big toe that does the work inside the boot. If the boot is long enough for my other toes to lie flat then I feel some instability.

I'm sure cem knows if this is common, but I thought I'd ask so others might be aware of the difference toe length might make to boot sizing for them (if at all).

Trencher

My big toe is my biggest (longest). The OH has particularly dodgy feet (straightened hammer toes) and her big toes is the longest toe too.

Trencher,
Why don't you ask ordinary questions, like snow history, lift passes, directions to, the history of Niederau skiing 1970 ~2008. The last time you asked one of your specials, (binding heel lifters?). I ended up dressing gown, ski boots, tape measure and calculator, hoping that my OH wouldn't walk in.

Ok, I have routine toes, big toe longest, little toe shortest.
They all fit within the inner, none touch the front, all lie flat. Well, the big toe just feathers the liner.

So, right now, I'm back in dressing gown and ski boots mode. Not learning anything. I do daily toe exercises when skiing on a shallow slope, eg, press two LH toes in each boot, observe effects, + vice versa, RH toes.

Firstly, even if your other toes are leaning against the front of the liner, I submit they will be passing weight/dynamic force through to the liner/boot/ski. Since they are not lying flat, a triangle of forces would come into play.

Hence, in order to apply the same required vertical force, the other relevant toes (ie, those leaning against the liner), would be pushing more angular force than if they were lying flat.

Secondly, consider what the toes are doing on the other foot.

Let's say you have initiated a left turn, so the left toe on your right foot is the major operating force on that foot, (and so too according to the above submission, are the adjacent toe(s))

What then is happening to the toes on your left foot? Your big toe ought to be redundant, else there might be an interesting result. :shock: The major foot force should be transmitted through your little toe, and adjacent toe(s).

Thirdly, I submit that, as in other aspects of change, (different skis for example), that there is muscle learning. Your brain has all your experiences, skills, techniques, confidence levels, and you have made a change, ~ boots, liner, skis, sticks. The body adapts through muscle learning.

Now, can I take my ski boot off, it's nearly midnight.

Oh, stability. If you will ski at 15 degrees to the horizontal!! :wink:

I always thought the weight should be on the ball of the foot, making toes irrelevant?

Brucie wrote:I always thought the weight should be on the ball of the foot, making toes irrelevant?

I refer you to a diagram on page 13 of "The All Mountain Skier", Mark Ellison. "Areas of foot pessure during a turn to the left".

When I made my comments, I was not aware of this diagram, I was just going off my own working knowledge. I would agree that there is weight sharing on the balls of the foot, to a lesser degree on one foot, and to a much lesser degree on the other foot.

I am not sure that we are prescribing for all skiers here. I certainly use toe pressure, and it sounds like Trencer does too.

Well...the big toe on my right foot is the same length as the 'next' toe, but the big toe on my left foot is shorter than the 'next' toe (and this is due to having a bunion removed). When walking in my boots the 'next' toe on the left foot curls up and I worry that I should have a bigger boot but when i'm skiing both feet feel absolutely fine.

Unfortunately I was unable to cast a vote because there was not a 'longer and shorter' option! :lol:

snowb4ndit wrote:
Unfortunately I was unable to cast a vote because there was not a 'longer and shorter' option! :lol:

fixed )

I voted the wrong option anyway. So there is actually one more shorter vote than indicated

Trencher

Hmm. Seems we are the rarity, Trencher.