Above40

Look like pretty new skates... after a while your heel will probably naturally sit deeper as the liners break in and might give enough relief then. How many hours you have on these skates so far? Also you could probably access the toe cap with a screwdriver handle or something similar just by stuffing your hand into the boot. I don't think you need a complicated vice grip action punch to pull off this mod. Just enough heat from the outside. Should be able to make something happen just try to sneak up on it or heat it up and see if you can feel that zone where it starts to get pliable without getting crazy. Hold pressure on the inside and then heat from the outside. Should cool rather quickly if you can hold it for a minute after removing heat. ///2 cents, ymmv

I recently picked up a pair of HP31 in medium. I was surprised at how long they were. They are standard length (not a + 1 or 2). Also the waist zipper is not unzipped so they should be at the shortest possible configuration for a medium. Also this pair does not have zippers on the legs like I thought they might. I'm 5'8" and my waist is about 35" . I weight about 190. The waist fits perfectly snug as well as around the hips which I think rules out trying a small. The legs around the quads and knees are a bit too roomy for my taste (my quads aren't huge but I have decent legs) and also an inch or so longer than I would prefer. They feel a little clunky but very robust. The dual tightening straps are awesome and also have the laces in front. Unfortunately if I let them ride on my hips they come down a little too far. I could wear them probably with suspenders but they'd be pulled up into the groin area. Not ideal. I feel like there's probably something that fits me better out there but not sure what model that might be. When I put on a pair of the cheapy CCM's in medium they seem to have half the volume of these in the legs and much less protection but are nicely streamlined on the quads. Not sure how well those would jive with my shins but they feel pretty nice. I buy what I can locally (helmet, shins) but wanted to get some pro stock or echl pants...something with good tailbone/hip protection without breaking the bank. The HP31 seem to be available more than other models and reasonably priced most of the time so I gave them a shot. Any suggestions on what might fit a bit shorter? Thanks.

I'm skating now almost a year back into it after 25 away. To summarize my experience with the new stiff skate boot offerings... From 9060's to Super Tacks and a few in between, They all felt hard as a rock. ( Im 200lbs, not hockey agility fit but relatively fit) I think the major problem for me with an ultra stiff boot was the heat molding and break in, wanting the boots to feel like part of my feet rather than an obstacle to overcome. Even after bakes and punches they always felt a bit "tippy" for me when going inside to outside or neutral to an edge. Abruptness/ un-smooth transitions across the edges because my ankles apparently aren't strong enough yet. Basically/probably relying on the boot for most of the support. I think this could have been avoided by starting with a flexible boot that I could lace up nice and snug where I feel supported but that still move "with" me, rather than an imperfect shell around my foot. Something with more natural/gradual deflection/bending that feels like more of an extension of what I'm trying to do out there. Perhaps a NS/NSX rec-level skate? I'm not clanking around inside of my 9070's but there is that brief moment when doing certain things where I know the skate is gonna "tip" that tiny bit where it doesn't feel like part of my foot and I'm not in control at that time. Figure 8 kind of edge drills etc. I just started practicing 1 ft slaloms and they are truly frightening but doable. Things have gotten much better but it seems like I'm still not in sync w my skates.