How to Mold Ski Boot Liners

Properly fitted ski boots can make a greater difference in your skiing performance than any other piece of gear. While older skiers remember ski boots as painful torture devices, modern ski boots come with foam liners that can be molded to the shape of your foot, increasing both comfort and performance. Most ski shops will mold your liners for you at no charge if you buy the boots from them; but if they don't, or if you want to do it at home, it is not difficult to do.

Things You'll Need

  • Ski boots with moldable liners
  • Oven
  • Thick sock
  • Ski sock
  • Foam
  • Cling wrap
  • Olive oil spray
  • Plywood
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Instructions

    • 1

      Pull the liners out of the boots and the footbeds out of the liners.

    • 2

      Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the liners on a cookie sheet inside the oven. Turn the oven off and let the liners heat for 12 minutes. Check the liners after six minutes to make sure they have not overheated or scorched. Perform the next step while the liners are heating.

    • 3

      Cut off the toe of a thick sock with scissors. Cut the foam into blocks to place between your toes. The foam should be just wide enough to prevent your toes from touching each other. Place the foam between your toes and pull the toe piece you cut off the thick sock over your toes. Put your foot down over the footbed and pull the thin ski sock over this toe cap assembly and footbed. This creates a solid form that will keep the toe box of the liner from collapsing inward while it is molded, so that it will provide support while skiing.

    • 4

      Remove the liners from the oven. Place your toe-capped foot in a liner and slide it into the boot. You may need to put cling wrap on the liner and spray the wrap with olive oil spray to make the liner slick enough to slide into the ski boot, since the plastic of the boot is stiff and you are inserting both your foot and the liner at the same time.

    • 5

      Buckle the boot so it is snug, but not tight. Generally, this is about the midway part of the buckles. This allows the liner to remain expanded and take up more space in the boot as it cools.

    • 6

      Stand with the toe of your boot over the sheet of plywood with your heel touching the ground so that the boot is at a slight angle. This forces your heel back into the heel cup of the boot for a snugger, performance-oriented fit. Let the liner cool inside the boot for 10 minutes.

    • 7

      Test the boots on the slopes. If the fit feels sloppy or not quite right, you can remold the liners, following the same steps. Most liners can be molded from six to 12 times.