Tough fit need advice

[tvguy 5]

My son has a deep heel. Measures 2.5 heel-toe, 3.5-4 arch length on the brannock device. Regular width. Looking for a skate that experienced fitters might recommend. Currently in a supreme, but gets heel soreness occasionally. Nexus was comfortable but a bit too much volume at the ankle. Jetspeed not enough heel depth. Thoughts?

[Davetronz 109]

My son has a deep heel. Measures 2.5 heel-toe, 3.5-4 arch length on the brannock device. Regular width. Looking for a skate that experienced fitters might recommend. Currently in a supreme, but gets heel soreness occasionally. Nexus was comfortable but a bit too much volume at the ankle. Jetspeed not enough heel depth. Thoughts?

Are you referring to a deep instep? Your measurements are a bit confusing.

Does it feel like his heel is not wide enough in his Supremes? Or is he getting lace bite from having not enough depth in his skate?

If you're looking for something with a wider heel you can try a Tack skate or a RBZ, although the RBZ will be wider throughout.

The Jetspeed has a narrower heel, likely why it won't work for him.

Have you tried to better support his heel in a pair of skates by using Superfeet or another insole aside from the factory cardboard one?

[tvguy 5]

He has a deep heel. Heel width is not the issue. He also has a long arch length Measurement 2.5 heel-toe with a 3.5/4 length on the brannock device. Reg width. Not sure how to be more explicit. Width is not the issue. Depth is. Nexus was comfortable, in depth but too much volume in the ankle. Jetspeed, Vapor etc to do not have enough volume. Thanks.

[jonesy9020 77]

I'm also very confused by what you mean when you say he has a "deep heel." I'm guessing you mean a high instep if Nexus had good depth for him. To clarify, the instep is basically the part of your foot/leg between the top of your foot and the bottom of your shin. It's what we talk about when we talk about the pencil test. Is that the issue?

Based on these guesses, RBZ D-width might be a good fit. Deeper than Jetspeed or Vapor, slightly slimmer in the ankle than the Nexus. Supreme might work as well. I'd also have him take a look at the Mako line. They will fit drastically different after baking than before, so find a store that will let you bake before buying.

Also if this is the first time you're buying skates in a while, the reduction in ankle volume is one of the things you'll see after baking, particularly in a skate like the RBZ where the quarters are flared out around the ankle before baking but wrap after you bake and lace up. Compared to older model skates, all skates are going to look like they have too much ankle volume before baking. What you should be looking for is whether he gets a good heel lock before baking, as all skates will form around his ankle with a bake.

Also, length of arch doesn't matter as much as height of arch does.

Edit: Also, what Supreme model is he in?

[tvguy 5]

This is what i was looking for, thank you. This is his third pair this year. Nexus was good a year ago, but as his foot has continued to grow the depth (instep) has increased, but the width has narrowed. The Supremes are close, but after a 90 min practice they begin to hurt his heel. Will try the RBZ and Mako. With each skate he has outgrown he has never complained about the length. Just increasing lace bite and heel pressure.

[jonesy9020 77]

Don't know what part of the line you had him in before, but I'd consider stepping up the stiffness if ankle volume is an issue over time because the mid-lower end skates will tend to break down, flare out, and give him less support around the ankle faster.

[Vet88 674]

Heel soreness is the issue I'd be wanting to fix the fastest. Issues here lead to bumps on the heel or achilles tendon issues, either can lead to a lot of time out of skates and ongoing issues getting into skates in later life. Generally heel soreness comes from either pressure on the heel because it is not sitting in the pocket properly (heel pocket is the wrong shape) or poor heel lock and the heel is lifting up and down as he skates and is banging into the back / top of the heel pocket (or a combination of wrong shape and poor lock).

By deep heel, do you mean pronounced? ie it curves out a lot at the back? This is a pronounced heel and really needs a boot that fits this heel shape.

Or are you talking about the measurement from the back of the heel to the top of the instep? This is a volume measurement.

In either case, a Mako may help because they do mold very well to different shaped feet but I'm not sure if the heel pocket would be the right shape if he is struggling for heel lock in a Supreme. Alternatively you might want to find a Graf dealer if you can and get him fitted for a pair. They have boots in their range that will suit a pronounced heel, long arch, deep/medium volume or any mix of these. But he may not like the forward pitch Graf will give him if coming from a Bauer skate, if so a shim and a profile can change this. If it is just volume then the RBZ range is another option to try.

If he likes any of the boots he has been in and lace bite is the only issue then there are other options you can try to keep him in that model of boot.

- Try a 55 flex (http://www.55flex.com/innovation.html) setup,.this will fix lace bite, period. And the improvement in his skating may be an additional plus.

- Goalies love them, players not so taken by them (because of how they look) but Option B laces also fix lace bite.

- More suited to adult players (because kids can't be bothered with the fuss to tape themselves up each time) but a forsberg pad also fixes lace bite. Google it or hunt thru the forums here.

- Lace bite gel pads, some have success with these but they are not my favoured approach as they do not remove the pressure from the tendon, just try to absorb it a little more.

There may be no magic bullet for the fix (other than a pair of custom boots from someone like VH), with retail boots you have to find the model that fits the best then just keep working away at the issues as they come up.

[Asian Tomatoe 30]

I have a similar issue where I have a deep instep but a "standard" width and heel. I ended up finding a pro stock nexus 1000 that had the width and heel of a vapor but the depth of a nexus.

I know this is a very extreme and rare chance you'll find one but it's an option.

one other crazy suggestion I'll make is to convert the Alkali boot for ice. The only 4 skates that I fit into well are the old u+ series, the jetspeed (barely), the graf 709, and the alkali boots. of those, I find the alkali the most comfortable and before I found my current pair, I was seriously looking at converting the higher end alkali boot for ice.

[tvguy 5]

Vet 88 thank you. He is a very good skater, been on a profile since day one so the pitch adjustment should be okay. His heel is not pronounced just a deep/high instep. He is somewhere between a Nexus and a Supreme fit. So will look at your suggestions. Skating separates him from the other rep players right now, It is his biggest advantage and I want to support that as much as possible. Thanks all for your input.

[gogovs 10]

From my experience the Easton Mako worked the best for me as I have a regular width feet with a deep instep. Don't forget that while trying the Easton Mako's on, they have to be baked or you are facing a problem to not even being able to put your feet inside (personal experience). You can also try VH skates, take a lot of pictures/measurements and explain them your exact fit problems.

[Vet88 674]

Given the measurements the OP stated at the beginning, the boots are for a young skater so this generally takes out the custom / VH route because the feet are still growing (unless money is not an issue). Had a reread of what you have posted so far and a key point is that he was comfortable in Nexus (with no heel issues) but not comfortable in Supremes (gets heel issues). The heel pocket in a Nexus is a bit taller than in a Supreme so this is something you should be looking for. I'd also consider Rbk's if you can find them to try on, the Ribcore line is a solid skate, good depth and a good fit profile and on clearance at the moment at a lot of places. And a pump skate may help to eliminate heel lock issues as he continues to grow and his feet change shape.

[jonesy9020 77]

Seconding Ribcore as a potentially good option.

[gogovs 10]

_{Not sure about the Ribcore because I had volume issues (deep instep) and heel slippage in Ribcore. That is why I went to Makos and never had a problem since.}

[IPv6Freely 2096]

Mako should always be the default answer unless you know they won't work for you for some reason.

[tvguy 5]

vet 88, good point on the taller heel in Nexus. Because its not a pronounced heel, its suprisingly flat up his achilles but it is tall. If we can get Jonathan Toews into a Nexus it might be a done deal. ;) You are right about his age. Which limits our choices. Thanks again.