Thoughts on "Boot Overhang"

I haven't seen anywhere on the web where boot length is compared with board width and binding thickness. So here is my take on it.

1. On an end view of the board, look at the angle made by the tip of the boot (clicked-in or strapped in) and the metal edge of the board. This *must* be 60 degrees or more to prevent toe drag. Same requirement applies to the heel of the boots.
   

2. Riders with large feet should NOT go "baseless" because this worsens the angle, and therefore the overhang problem. Binding plate thickness is a large footed rider's ally.

3. Riders with big feet (> size 9) should make sure any overhangs are equal on front and back of foot. Adjust binding location to achieve this. Make sure any rental boards have this done. Rental shops-- especially at ski areas--tend to overlook this requirement, unless you point it out to them. My first rental, before I knew better, had me with *no* overhang on my heel, and a huge overhang on my toe side. I had a 240mm board with 310mm boots, making my toe overhang 50 mm! I'll bet it was a 30 degree angle at best--a disaster waiting to happen.

4. Don't buy (or rent) a boot any larger than necessary. If your toe touches inside, that's ok. Just make sure it doesn't touch by much. Often, boots will grow with age. And be *sure* your heel is fully seated in the boot. New boots are often sufficiently padded to require more than a casual *insert foot* to get the heel all they way planted in the boot.

5. General rule of thumb on boot sizes and board widths (assuming standard binding plate thickness):

   Boot Size versus Board Width

   Boot Size (U.S.)	Boot Length	Board Width at Boot *
   9	290 mm	235 mm
   10	300 mm	245 mm
   11	310 mm	255 mm
   12	320 mm	265 mm
   13	330 mm	275 mm

   * typical side cuts make this value about 5 mm more than the board's waist width
   (This chart assumes the boot manufacturer followed normal boot design philosophy, angling the bottom of the boot upward at both the heel and toe. Since no two boots are designed exactly the same, this is really only a guideline. Check any specific boot/binding/board combination for the 60 degree requirement.)

6. Look for a binding that does not "extend" the length of your boot at the heel. All "step-in" bindings that I have seen qualify here. Traditional strap-in bindings, especially plastic or composite ones, add 5 mm or more to the heel dimension. AND the taper of the heel cup probably doesn't match your boot exactly either, making things worse.

7. If you can't meet the 60 degree requirement with your boot at 0 degrees (perpendicular to the board axis), you will either have to angle both your feet 30 degrees forward or more, or buy a new (wider) board. The first choice has obvious limitations: 1) you won't be able to ride backwards effectively, and 2) you ability to edge will be complicated because your toe-side pressure points will be forward of your heel-side pressure points. Asymmetrical boards tried to deal with this, and they "died" in the marketplace.