National Team Boot Fit

Additional authoring by Thor Verdonk.

Have you ever wondered what the inside of your favorite athlete’s boots look like? If not, I am certain that you have wondered if you have access to the same work and workmanship that a top National Team athlete has. To find out more, I spent a day with Thor Verdonk, of Rossignol.

First, a little history. To most everyone involved in alpine ski racing in the US, Thor has been Rossignol Racing for as long as most can remember. Earlier this summer, Thor was name to a new position within Rossignol – technical alpine product manager. This position will allow the inherent technical skills he has honed over 13+ years as a racing service person to affect the entire product line up at Rossignol.

I got together with Thor about 1 week before the women’s World Cup speed group headed to Chile. Thor needed to build a backup boot for Lindsay Kildow, however, she was still at home in Minnesota. Thor pulled out his notes – culled from many years of working with Lindsay, and kept in his wallet along with every other National Team member’s boot specs. (photo of athlete notes/wallet card) These notes guide him to make the necessary punches, grinds, modifications, etc. to create an exact replica of her foot within the shell, allowing him to “build a boot any time, anywhere, and have it anywhere else in the world within 1 day.”

Thor begins by reviewing his notes, and works on one boot at a time. A clean workspace (not easy to keep when working with boots), good lighting, and the proper tools are a must. (photos of workshop & tools). Next up, the boot is marked for all work to be done on the inside, before any steps begin. His notes reference what I call “laymen’s technical terms” to point him in the right direction – for example, he refers to such anatomy as the “big knuckle, inside ankle punch, inside ankle bone, heel bump, 6th toe,” etc., none of which are particularly technical, but all of which are exact and easily communicated between himself and the athletes. Thor marks the area with a cut down black sharpie marker, and makes hash marks to show areas of blending from the main punch or grind location. (photos of interior boots with all possible punches/grinds marked out). Having all the steps for this athlete pre-marked ensures that he will not inadvertently forget a step. Often times the exact location of a punch or grind is measured from three reference points that do not vary in that particular shell size, which allows for maximum accuracy. At this point the inside of the shell is completely labeled and marked, and Thor is ready to dive in.

Punches come first. Homemade blocks of wood that are formed to the desired shape are inserted, and a hydraulic press is used to “steer” the block into the desired place. (photos of toe punch blocks and ram) After they are in place, that section of shell is carefully heated, and then the pressure is applied to create the stretch. After cooling completely (always much easier when the boot can be packed in snow), the next punch is made, and the process is repeated. Any punches using the Crocodile (ankle area) are also done at this time.

Next up is grinding. Thor uses Foredom® brand ¼ hp grinders, which make quick work of the boot plastic. The grinder itself is a custom machined unit (machined to be much shorter in length to allow maneuvering in the boot shell). Thor keeps two grinders handy at all times – one with a cutting ball, and another with a “flapper”, which is a sanding/blending tool. (photo of grinders) Holding on hand on the outside of the shell to feel the action of the grinder, and another working the tool, Thor is able to accurately remove the correct amount of material in the right spot. The flapper comes next to blend the grind into the surrounding area. The goal is make the inside of the boot feel as if it came from the mold in that state – no rough spots, sharp edges, burrs, or bumps. In effect, he is sculpting the inside of the shell to meet the foot shape.

During this entire process, the boot board has been removed from the shell. Thor has notes regarding how the athlete prefers their bootboard (properly known as a zeppa). The zeppa can be shaped very easily throughout its length. Notes remind Thor that the felt is completely removed for Lindsay (allows a lower position in the shell), the varus (heel angle) is ground flat, and the total height of the zeppa at the heel is a certain mm. The zeppa is then screwed into the shell, which yields Thor another 2-3mm worth of stand height that he can add to the sole of the boot when he adds the lifters.

At this point, Thor will examine the boot closely and check over all the buckles, straps, etc. to be sure they are tight. Many will be removed and lock-tite applied. Lindsay gets a very trick custom carbon fiber insert in the rear of her boot installed at this time, too. (show photo of carbon insert in boot shaft). Next up is the other boot.

Any custom mods to the liner are handled at this time. Thor has a few athletes that get the toe box cut off and a special neoprene “booty” is sewn in its place, allowing for more comfort when the athlete has experienced years of frost bitten toes throughout their career. A common modification is changing the tongue of a liner to be taller or shorter, stiffer or softer, depending on the athlete’s needs.

Finally, Thor’s notes tell him the angle he needs to set the boot at (canting). Thor starts by checking the angle the boot is at by lining up an angle finder behind the shell’s mold line and taking a reading. (photo of boot being measured for angle) Then he makes the required number of passes over the jointer, and checks his work again. The lifters are attached at this time, and then the lifter is finished off by blending its edges seamlessly into the toe & heel lug after routering. The boot is then passed over the jointer once again to remove any slight warpage in the lifter, and then the boot is finally checked for the correct angle. If necessary, small corrections can be made by inserting thin plastic strips between the lifter and boot sole should there be any errors.

Now for the final step – the rush to FEDEX!