Michael Reynolds, Ski Racer

I’m an alpine ski racer departing on my ?rst season back on the CIT-FIS race circuit after a six year break.

I had been experiencing both discomfort and performance problems during summer training with ‘off the shelf but custom moulded orthotic’ insoles in my ski boots. This was a major issue for me as a ski racer, the ski boot is the most important piece of equipment in our artillery. It’s essentially the ?xation in which the prosthetic (the ski) is connected, the boot is ultimately the decider of where your power goes. I had also been advised by my race coach to get a semi-soft material base instead of a rock hard unforgiving material to allow a little bit of give to compliment my technique whilst still providing optimum support for my foot.

With no ski race boot ?tters in the UK having access to a solution it was recommended that I go and see John Young at the Ledbrook Clinic.

I’m extremely glad I did. I brought my race boots along with me including the current insoles to provide a size blueprint for a new orthotic to ?t inside the boot. After a detailed conversation about the issues I was having and the solution we needed, John took a 3D imprint of my foot.

After the insoles had been manufactured we ?tted them inside the boots and after a couple of adjustments due to the unique nature of an extremely low volume (tight, no chance for movement) race boot we had ?nally found a footbed solution!

My feet now sit happily in the insoles without discomfort but the most exciting thing is what it did to my body alignment. My ?rst training session after having them ?tted was like a switch had been ?icked. It was notably easier to roll my skis onto their edges and transitions felt much less a mechanical ?ght against my boots and more a smooth controlled movement. This is absolutely down to my feet being expertly aligned by the insoles which, were the ?nal piece in the puzzle, having already correctly canted and cuff aligned ski boots.

If you want comfort and above all want to ski better then I would have no hesitation in recommending that you get yourself some ski boot insoles from John at the Ledbrook Clinic. I’d also recommend that if you have problems with your feet you should pay them a visit.