Boot Fitting 101: Tongue Shims

[@tonys9391]

Just finished fitting my Burton Photon Step ons to my tiny ass ankles following your instructional videos. By the time I finished all the videos and finished the first boot my dog died, the wife left me and some other man raised my children…I guess I’ve been in the garage for quite a while. Boots fit amazing though! Great info!

[@Mikipadilla303]

Boot fitting have been my favorite so far ive leaned a lot

[@mcboyea]

Thanks a ton for the video!!!

[@rishabhphukan8339]

Hey man! Going through this series again for the second or third time. Helped me out a lot last season. First time out with boots that were fine in the past and I got toe bang in both my feet. I went through and added a bunch of foam to the tongue of the liner and shell and it's still not quite right. My issue is that I have narrow calves and ankles and even though my toes are touching the front they get pushed even further due to the space. I sized the boots using mondopoint. Tldr: do you think insole shims can help with this given that the length is about right but there's just too much volume? The boots are TM3s if it matters. I tried on the thraxis as well and really like them, but the boa harness guides dig into the medial part of my ankle when I have things tight enough. There's a soft part of the liner that happens to be in just the right spot for this... So I guess they're out as well. Any advice?

[@AngrySnowboarder]

You need a different boot. A Salomon is probably where you should be looking.

[@rishabhphukan8339]

@@AngrySnowboarder I had tried a ride lasso last season and that had felt good so I ordered one of those to try at home. If that doesn't work, which it may not, I'll hunt down a shop selling Salomon. Any other brands you can think of? I had heard that ride does fit smaller calf people, but on another video of yours someone posted that their liners arent removable which is stupid. The TM3s had been okay last season but I was fighting with the shell trying to get it tight enough. I lost like 20lbs after getting back into biking and at 5'10 165 so I'm not surprised that I need to take up more volume but man this was a shitty way to find out. 😂😂😂

[@user-vn9js9yn1j]

Please do so on the eliminator tongue shin !! I'd appreciate it

[@AngrySnowboarder]

Well we don't work on ski boots so.

[@user-vn9js9yn1j]

@@AngrySnowboarder you said it works on snowboard boots too in this video???

[@user-vn9js9yn1j]

@@AngrySnowboarder I just ordered it from Amazon after I saw your video.

[@AngrySnowboarder]

Humor is lost on you. It's the same shit as this video you'll be fine.

[@manuelgreenland9403]

cheers - helpful

[@Sudafs]

Nice one, loads of useful stuff on these videos, got some questions though. Would you recommend the same procedure for wrap around liners or is there anything specific I should take care of?How about sticking foam to the inside of the shell tongue, or should I stick to putting foam only on the liner?

[@AngrySnowboarder]

Wrap liners you have to put the shim on drastically different so it contours with the wrap. It's just a lot of trimming it to fit the way it wraps. Always stick to putting it on the liner.

[@Sudafs]

Thanks! I’ll give it a try.

[@compatibilizer6184]

Could we do these shims out of EVA foam sheets they sell in craft stores? They are also heat formable closed cell EVA, 2mm thick sheets with adhesive on one side.

[@AngrySnowboarder]

Give it a try.

[@compatibilizer6184]

@@AngrySnowboarder I just did and it worked pretty well. I think the material is exactly the same just slightly thinner. You can even sand down rough edges with a dremel. I have problem with the duct tape though, it doesn't really stick to the liner no matter what. I use 3M general purpose duct tape, hit it lightly with the heat gun and press down hard. Any suggestions?

[@AngrySnowboarder]

@@compatibilizer6184 I got nothing.

[@roberthsu5410]

I would like to suck up some volume on the top of my ankle. Could I add a bit of padding on the tongue shims but only on the ankle area? Or will heat molding help? Thanks Angry

[@AngrySnowboarder]

You can most definitely add some padding to the tongue shims around the area effected, heat molding will have the opposite effect you want.

[@heatherstuart3913]

Hi, I can't find the padding you used. I looked at the sites and it was foot beds. I'm dealing with a shin issue.

[@AngrySnowboarder]

Must not have looked too hard. www.tognar.com/ski-and-snowboard-boot-fitting-foam-10-x-10/

[@cookiecracker6266]

I bought a new pair of Burton Photons, and either they miss-sized me, or the left boot is defective, the right boot is perfectly fine. When tighten up the tongue roles to the right, I hold it in place, and at the end of the run, it's all the way to the right. Also, the boot rubs under and slightly behind my ankle that is super painful and after 3 laps, feels likes is going to cut the ski or cause a nasty blister. My shin is also rubbing to the point that cut the skin. I took the boots back to Burton, unfortunately they were closed. In case they don't solve the issue, what can I do? I see that your ankle wrap, Jay bar, and Tongue Shin videos could help. Oh, also when I first put on the boot to start the day, my left foot had an incredible amount of pain all over, specially at the bottom, I got the shreds insoles, and still hurt like crazy. But since I was at the mountain I sucked it up and rode it, but lasted only 3 laps.

[@AngrySnowboarder]

You just might have the wrong boot for your foot.

[@compatibilizer6184]

They are Photon Boa's aren't they? There is a problem with Photon Boa and Felix Boa boots (although not the step-on versions) that causes extreme pain on the outer ankle bone. There is a plastic insert for guiding boa laces through inside the shell, it is right on top of your ankle bone and it causes extreme pain after riding a few hours. I was lucky enough to return them after 1 day use but if you're stuck with them, try padding the perimeter of mentioned plastic insert, pushing the liner away from it, but leave the plastic insert unpadded. You kind of want to distribute the pressure around and away from the plastic insert. Burton should just recall those boots though..

[@cookiecracker6266]

@@AngrySnowboarder I ended returning those boots, and got a pair of Swaths. Now only using Burton socks, and put one J-bar on the inside part of the boots. When I use two J-bars it's too much pressure. Maybe I will share the J-bars to put them on the outside of the boots and see if that helps.

[@rishabhphukan8339]

How do you feel about the felt tongue pads that tognar sells to apply to the tongue of the shell?

[@AngrySnowboarder]

That those work best for ski boots and not snowboard boots.

[@rishabhphukan8339]

@@AngrySnowboarder Thanks! I ran those on an old setup. I'll have to find some of the 3M foam and go through your walkthrough on the BF101 vids.

[@ridethecliche247]

@@AngrySnowboarder Hey man, just got a set of TM3s and was working through this but the liners have a bit of structure and stuff on it. There's a brace for the heel harness and the calf strap. When you've modified these liners, have you just cut holes in the foam for these areas?

[@AngrySnowboarder]

@@ridethecliche247 You want to make sure you're not obstructing anything that could be functional to the liner.

[@ridethecliche247]

@@AngrySnowboarder I put the foam on the tongue again for now but I've got a few pads so I'll try to rework it. I'm a size 8 so there's not much real estate!

[@vladsco]

Would you recommend tongue stiffners?

[@AngrySnowboarder]

For the right situation yes.

[@vladsco]

@AngrySnowboarder thank you

[@zejtroj]

Is there a way to stiffen up a boot (apart from buying a new pair)?

[@AngrySnowboarder]

Replace the liners with a stiffer liner, build a support shim out of hard plastic that goes between the liner and the shell, have a lot of DIY spirit and a understanding of trial and error.

[@zejtroj]

@@AngrySnowboarder Will try this plastic support shim this season, for sure. I'm all about tinkering, so i'm not afraid of experimenting. Many thanks!

[@phwoarprozak]

Yah I got the chicken legs. I don't think the DIY shims are gonna work for my liners because the velcro closure is on the part where you put the foam, rather than a strap round the outside. Do those tognar jobs go in between shin and liner tongue, or liner and boot tongue? I'm keen to see 201 on those

[@AngrySnowboarder]

Liner and boot tongue always. You can put them below the velcro closure if need be.

[@phwoarprozak]

@@AngrySnowboarder Rad I'm gonna order a bunch of that 3M stuff and have a go. Cheers

[@hoak294]

I have a problem where the tongue of the boot on one foot hits the top of my ankle bone. Boots otherwise are one of the best fitting I have had in years. Any suggestions?

[@AngrySnowboarder]

Liner tongue or shell tongue? Inside or outside of the ankle?

[@hoak294]

Angry Snowboarder shell tongue, inside, contact with ankle bone .

[@AngrySnowboarder]

You probably want to do a thin c bar in front of that ankle bone where it's getting that hot spot. That should elevate it up and off the area and allow the ankle bone to breath.

[@_Keenan_]

Awesome! I have to pull my interior laces so tight you can't see the tongue. Def interested in the tognar tognue shim application. They always intrigued me when looking through the catalog...

[@AngrySnowboarder]

So the big thing to understand about those Tognar Tongue Shims is they're really designed for a ski boot. And how you apply them is going to be different than they recommend due to the slight differences in ski boots vs snowboard boots. I find that applying them on the outside of the liner tongue instead of the inner will have a vastly different approach, but you also have to mix up some boot epoxy, which Tognar sells and it generally doesn't adhere so well to the fabric on the liner.

[@mikaelnyblom]

201! 201! 201!

[@teluspirate]

You should do the more advanced video to give 3M more business

[@delsonmartin9166]

:D :D this is fkin SNB boot science hhh what kind of foam is that didnt understand that or u didnt mention.. u should be designer of SNB boots for 100% go for it ffs! :D the SNB industry need ur experience.. as riders do!

[@AngrySnowboarder]

It's 3m foam you can buy them precut to fit from www.tognar.com