Painful ski boots suck. Cramming your feet into a boot that doesn’t fit quite right can seriously ruin a day, and for some people it’s really hard to find a boot that fits perfectly. High arches, low arches, wide feet, narrow feet: all of these can lead to some serious pain if not dealt with properly.
That’s where Jerry Feet hopes to come into the picture. Why suffer through a day in ski boots when you can just toss on snowboard boots? I’m not saying you should snowboard, and either are these guys (or anyone who you should be listening to, for that matter). Instead, they’re hoping to put snowboard boots onto your skis, providing a more comfortable ride while staying on two sticks.
There have been several attempts to put snowboard boots on skis, some of them jokes, some of them serious (even J Skis got in on it as an April Fools joke a little more than a year ago), but Jerry Feet hopes to change the game by introducing a properly ejectable ski binding adapter (SBA) to the market.
The Problems With SBAs
Alright, before we even discuss what the SBAs are, let’s address the glaring problems here. We use hard shell ski boots for a pretty darn good reason. They allow us to properly control and shape the ski as we make our turns, and keep things snappy when necessary. Snowboard boots can be soft because both feet are on one board, ski boots need to be stiff because one foot controls one board. Think of it this way: if you could actually control your skis with soft, more comfortable boots, why wouldn’t the major companies have jumped on this years ago?
Jerry Feet seems to be pretty aware of this, focusing more on the beginner/intermediate skier rather than the advanced. A ski instructor who’s going to spend their whole day on the bunny slope might benefit from the comfort, and maybe the older skier who’s knees are too busted up to ski like they used to could find some joy in this setup.
Jerry Feet SBA
The Jerry Feet Ski Binding Adapter is essentially just a metal plate with holes for you to mount snowboard bindings. They feature a toe and heel lug designed to interact with the front and back of ski bindings, so the release function of the binding could, in theory, still work. The bottom of the SBAs even feature traction soles so, even though you’re really meant to just leave them on the skis, they’ll keep you from slipping if you decide to walk around.
The Jerry Feet SBAs are currently available for preorder at C$278 which, in my mind at least, seems pretty darn steep. Keep in mind that you’re just paying for the plates, so you still need ski bindings, snowboard bindings, and snowboard boots to make the whole system work.
Let’s be very clear before you click out of this to purchase a pair of adapters: the best way to find comfort in ski boots is almost definitely visiting an experienced boot fitter. You might not have boots that fit properly, and even if you do, there’s a good shot they could use some work. A fitter could punch your boots to create more room in specific spots or they could add some foam to make sure you aren’t wiggling around too much. If you don’t have insoles, those will almost certainly increase boot comfort over a day of skiing. If none of that works, maybe just try snowboarding? You’re not going to be able to actually ski if you’re in snowboard boots, that’s just how it works.
Related: How To Choose The Right Alpine Ski Bindings
Image Credit: Jerry Feet via YouTube
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