Daughter stance/ equipment (boots?) problem/pain

It could be a variety of issues.   I'd have to see her riding to confirm most issues.

Another question - what's her split?  Could be she's riding too narrow.  Common problem among tall people.

Is the pain in the leading leg calf muscle?  Does she ride switch and then get the same knot?

Stance 5/5?  That's gonna make turn initiation a little more difficult on the heelside.  May be why the calf hurts cause she's fighting the equipment.

How's the boot fit?  Any heel lift?  High arches?  Nice snug bootfit?  Does she have freeride boots and trying to ride freestyle?

For 99% of bindings, changing the binding setup requires at most a Phillips screwdriver. On Valentines day she can probably find someone she can sweet talk into this task.

Hi....dont want to hi-jack John J's post but thought I could get a little help with my daughter's issue also....

I know zillch about snowbaording....or board equipment.....or terminology..

My daughter's foot (while inside her boot) is turning (rolling up) towards the outside of her boot when carving causing her pain in  the side of her foot.

Her stance as far as I can tell is not "too far" from 90* angle to the running length of her board....perhaps canted outward just a touch or very little.

Q's: Is her foot supposed to be rolling up like that inside her boot? (Imagine the ball of the foot rising up and onto the outside edge)

Q's: Do snowboard boots have a "last" similar to ski boots? (She has a narrow foot and heel)

Q's: Will  (my term) "opening up her stance minimize this?

She is progressing very quickly but the only "expert" help with equip in our area comes from employee's at larger "chain" stores. Kind of like getting your taxes done by the "chain tax prep store". Sometimes you find someone who is really sharp....it's really a roll of the dice.

But I  just cant imagine that kind of "foot roll" inside the boot to be normal.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.....

The first girl seems to have maybe too narrow of a stance and the 152 board length seems short for her at 5'11. (I'm 6' and ride a 165)  Maybe she is torque-ing her front foot to keep the board stable when she rides.

I had leg pains once when I tried a stance that was too narrow ( and angled too much forward) Wider seems more stable and relaxed to me.

The second girl might need to point her foot into more forward angle - and maybe a wider stance.  Rolling her foot inside the boot seems like she is trying to do something with her knee that the stance is not allowing. I drive my rear leg/knee forward into carves.

It's possible the boots have poor arch support, also. After market inserts might help, I use them.

It is easy to switch the angles and widths on bindings, and a good shop would help alot.

Good luck to both of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by byronm 

Q's: Is her foot supposed to be rolling up like that inside her boot? (Imagine the ball of the foot rising up and onto the outside edge)

Q's: Do snowboard boots have a "last" similar to ski boots? (She has a narrow foot and heel)

Q's: Will  (my term) "opening up her stance minimize this?

 

If she's twisting her foot when she's trying to pressure the front of the board (pushing her knees sideways), changing the stance probably won't help that much because a matter of 20 to 25 degrees won't make enough of a difference.  Besides, there will be situations where she's going to pressure her boots sideways even if her stance angle is different.  Can she make a conscious try at keeping her feet flat and open when pressuring her knees to the sides?

It could be that the boot is too big for her.  Some manufacturers make narrower boots than others.  More expensive boots will have pulls on the inner liners to tighten them up around the foot which would help as well.  A quick google search says that Salomon F series boots are built for narrow feet.

You may also have to consult a podiatrist and get custom footbeds made.

I'm no expert but I'm guessing that even with new boots and footbeds, she will need to try to relax her foot inside the boot.  I can't imagine that tightening things down to prevent the twist would make for a very comfortable ride otherwise.