The ski world marvels at the amazing “parabolic ski.” This innovation is widely considered the greatest advance in skiing technology of all time. And yes, they’re awesome!
But while almost everybody has gotten a chance to test out and/or purchase some shaped skis, relatively few people have discovered the Surefoot Orthotic. This amazing footbed is years ahead of its time, and could easily be considered every bit as important as the almighty parabolic ski.
After you’ve spent some years in the ski industry, you’ve probably figured some things out in regards to getting the right fit in a ski boot. If Nordica fits you, that’s what you buy. You dial in all the switches, and gizmos and crap that come with your boots. You get a footbed made, and think your in heaven. But if that footbed is a Surefoot, you immediately notice a gigantic leap forward in the power and control with which you ski or ride. This is no illusion, or power of suggestion. You’re more balanced over your boards. The strength in your body seems to manifest itself in your turns. All the while, your feet are incredibly warm and comfortable.
From the inventors of Surefoot, Bob and Russ Shay, comes a secret. Their secret is that the combination of the 38 muscles, 52 bones, 66 joints, 224 ligaments and network of tendons, nerves, and blood vessels in your feet all work together to balance, support and propel you. The better your feet perform, the better you perform.
To achieve maximum performance from your feet, a Surefoot technician has you step barefoot onto Surefoot’s digital scanner. Next, he aligns the bones in your feet and ankle into the “neutral position,” the strongest and most balanced stance. Once in the neutral position, the technician touches a button and 1,076 air pegs rise to follow the contours of your feet. This state of the art CAD/CAM system creates a perfect topographical map of your feet in their strongest position.
The digital files of your feet are sent electronically to a computerized milling machine in the back of the store. Here, the computer mills ethyl vinyl acetate blanks into perfect orthotics for your feet in about 40 minutes. The orthotics themselves are never touched by human hands during the process; therefore, they have many times-over reduced the possibility of error.
Once finished, Surefoot orthotics look different than other footbeds. They are noticeably thinner, especially toward the toe end. They are very flat on the bottom, and very uniform.
Inside a ski boot, one almost cannot feel anything beneath his or her foot. That’s good! That means it’s a perfect fit. The only thing you can feel is what Surefoot calls a “toe crest.” This is a little ridge that runs side to side beneath the first joint of your big toe. Almost everyone says, “That doesn’t feel right. I don’t like it.”
The technician will reply, “Try them out. You’ll like it.”
Within three runs, that little toe crest will become your best friend. With these orthotics, your turns instantly become more powerful, allowing you more angulation, and a higher comfort level with stronger, skeletally stacked turns.
Given, at $175, these things cost as much or more than other footbeds you’ve looked at. They’re worth it. And they’re much cheaper than the $450 you’d pay a doctor for the same thing. And once you’re hooked on Surefoot orthotics, you’ll be thinking about a second pair to move between your biking shoes, your soccer shoes, and your loafers. Guess what—the second pair is $25 bucks off!
These things are 100 percent guaranteed. So if you’re shopping for a new boot system, or just looking to increase your performance, get yourself a Surefoot. You won’t be sorry.