Standing up for feet

The first snowflakes of the season fell like confetti for skiers and other winter sport lovers; a signal that it's time to get gear and bodies in shape. As ski season approaches, a Niwot business wants to make outdoor experiences better from the ground up.

Boulder Orthotics does custom boot fitting for downhill and backcountry skiing, helping to solve the problem of ski boots that hurt or don't fit right.

"An out of the box ski boot kind of fits like the box it came in," said Bob Egeland, pedorthist and owner of the company, "Most of the boots have a liner that needs to be moulded." Egeland shapes the liners thermally or through other methods. He can even stretch the shell if necessary. Once adjusted, he said a custom-fitted boot offers comfort, warmth and performance.

Egeland said the process is arranged by appointment only and done in private rooms at his office in Morton Heights to accommodate social distancing. He said there are three steps to getting the right fit: determining proper boot size, stabilizing the foot with an orthotic, and then padding, punching and grinding to get it just right.

The company also fits backcountry ski boots, which Egeland said can be the most challenging because they need to fit when going uphill and downhill. Egeland does the bootfitting along with Heather VanGilder, who has 10 years' experience as a bootfitter at Larry's Boot Fitting and Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder.

Along with custom ski boot fitting, Egeland creates custom orthotics for everyday use, hiking and athletic performance. "If we were not walking on a paved globe, I wouldn't have the amount of business I do," he said. "We were not designed to walk on a flat, paved surface repetitively. We were designed to go barefoot over hill and dale, chasing our meals," adding that the quality of shoes is all over the map and contributes to foot issues, which can lead to problems with other joints.

Egeland's process begins with a foot evaluation and gait analysis. "I look at the mechanics of how your feet hit the ground and how your body is reacting. Then I do a print of your feet that gives me more insight and helps me fabricate the orthotics." He builds the orthotics in house and fine tunes them with the client.

Egeland has been in the footwear business since he was 16, "which is about 105 years now," he said. His business used to be located inside Neptune Mountaineering before he moved close to home in Niwot where he's lived since 1978, "back when there was a cornfield downtown." He likes being able to walk to work, giving him time to enjoy many of the sports that his clients do - hiking, cycling and skiing.