When it comes to ski boot footbeds you effectively have three choices – keep those that come with the boots; splash out on custom footbeds; or as a happy middle ground go for a pair of Sole Insulated Footbeds.
Sole are Canadian orthopaedic specialists and their products are accepted by the American Podiatric Medical Association; their new insulated footbeds have been put together with input from 3M™ Thinsulate™ to create a footbed that moulds to the individual shape of your foot and keeps your tootsies warm as well.
You can mould the footbeds at home by trimming them to size then heating them in your oven until a small indicator turns black, at which point you put them in your boots and simply stand in them for two-minutes whilst they mould to your individual foot shape to provide customised arch support, improved natural heel cushioning and reduced plantar fascia strain. Or you can just wear them in your boots and they’ll mould to fit over a few days.
The insulation comes in the form of 400 gram 3M™ Thinsulate™ fitted to the bottom of the footbeds and they come in three models and prices - Signature CD Thin RRP £49; Insulated Softec Ultra RRP £45; Insulated Softec Response RRP £45. All are available in sizes UK 2-15.
There are three thicknesses of footbeds to choose from, designed to fit boots of different volumes with the Signature CD Thin style being specifically for ski boots. These were developed in conjunction with big mountain skier Chris Davenport, and they also feature a Polygiene™ anti-odour coating.
It has to be said that if they’re good enough for Mr. Davenport they should be good enough for the rest of us – at the moment I can’t give full feedback on the effectiveness of the insulation as I haven’t yet used them in really cold conditions, but in terms of comfort I find personally that it’s great to have ‘customised’ footbeds that are not too thick – I don’t like to feel that my feet are crammed into my boots which has happened to me with some footbeds, but this ain’t the case, especially with the Signature CD.
Well get back to you on the quality of the insulation once mid-winter hits…
