Gear Review - Superfeet Winter Support pre-moulded insoles

Can Superfeet's ski offer tempt Henry away from his love of custom moulded insoles to out-of-the-box pre-moulded?

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Anyone who’s known me or asked for ski boot advice from me over the last decade would have instantly regretted that decision when they’ve heard me talk about custom moulded insoles. Quite simply, I love custom moulded insoles. I have a couple of pairs of them and put them in all my shoes and, yes, my ski boots, too.

I’ve always been the biggest of advocates for having custom moulded insoles in your skin boots. They job they do to hold your feet in the right position and stop their natural forward and sideways expansion when pressure is applied is phenomenal, often far above that provided by their pre-moulded counterpart.

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Superfeet Winter Support insoles. Photo Credit - © Superfeet

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But, sometimes, pre-moulded is a necessity. I only have one pair of custom moulded insoles for my shoes, and they work great in my trainers and in dress shoes, but struggle in high volume footwear like my hiking boots, and in my semi-smart shoes like desert boots. For these I go pre-moulded. It might always be a cost thing, too – custom moulded is expensive and I’m not ashamed to admit I have a pipeline to the Superfeet rep here in the UK, meaning my apartment is flooded with pair after pair of pre-moulded insoles.

The fact remains, however, the custom moulded is best for skiing. I will always spend the money, and I always recommend to people buying boots to be ready to do the same, to get custom moulded insoles, as the difference they make is night and day.

Imagine, therefore, my shock when I had to swap out my custom moulded ski insoles for a pair of pre-moulded Superfeet Winter Supports.

I know, right?! Game’s gone.

Anyway, the point of this piece is that I’ve finally had a chance to try them, and here’s my review of Superfeet's Winter Support insoles.

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The Brand

Launched in 1982, Superfeet was the result of five years patience research in the US. By provided arch support designed for everyday footwear, Superfeet insoles provide both comfort and support for those who need it, and plenty who don’t.

Now available worldwide, Superfeet have an extensive range of insoles to suit any foot shape or piece of footwear. As an example, I use a range of Superfeet products across my footwear including;

• Their standard blue insole in shoes and hiking boots

• A green, high volume performance piece in my American Football boots

• Brown heel lifts in dress shoes

• And now Superfeet Winter Support in my ski boots

Superfeet produce what are called pre-moulded insoles; that is, insoles produced to a set designed that can’t be modified further. Their huge range is designed precisely to accommodate different arch heights and foot volumes, precisely because you can’t customise them beyond trimming for length.

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Don't forget to pack your Superfeet this winter! Photo credit - © Superfeet

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The best bit about Superfeet? Every pair comes with a 60-day trial period, meaning if you didn’t like them, didn’t see the benefit, or simply need the cash back, you can return them back to Superfeet – even those bought online.

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The Gear

Superfeet’s Winter Support pieces were a welcome addition to the market when they were released a couple of years ago. Until this point, there hadn’t really been a pair of pre-moulded insoles specifically made for ski boots, and you had to rely on Superfeet’s Orange or Green models to do the job.

The Winter Support come in a range of sizes graded by letter from B to H, measured by your normal shoe size (rather than mondopoint). As a UK 10 (ish) I stuck to my normal size of F.

As with every Superfeet insoles, you will need to trim them down to size. Take out the original insole from your ski boots, place on top of the Superfeet pair, and trace around the edge with a pen or pencil. Once you’re done trimming to size, take a moment to look at the out-of-the-box insole provided with your ski boots – notice how soft and floppy it is? That is why you need an insole (or perhaps a blue pill, who’s to say).

Anyway, why had I chosen Superfeet rather than using my custom insoles? Space. I was suddenly dealing with a very different volume of ski boot with my new touring boots than I had been previously in a purely downhill pair. The extra volume was causing my feet real problems, and, actually, causing me a great deal of discomfort. Wearing them around the house before I left for France was actually causing them to go numb, so I had to think of something to make a difference.

I swapped my custom moulded out for the Winter Support, and bam. Just like that, problems solved. Suddenly the boots fitted beautifully, and I was confident I had made the right pick in boots. When out touring I noticed no discomfort, no pain, no numbing; the boots and the insoles held their comfort and fit throughout the five-or-so days I skied on them.

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Super f e e t. Photo credit © Superfeet

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Drawbacks

I can’t think of many drawbacks with these, I have to say. I don’t think the performance was quite as good as custom moulded, but admittedly I hadn’t been able to get my custom moulded insoles to fit so this was a bit of a moot point, at the end of the day.

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Final Thoughts

At £50, combined with Superfeet’s money back guarantee, this is a really good investment for your skiing. With custom moulded coming in around £80 for a skiing pair, there’s no better way to experience the comfort boost a proper insole gives you over the base insole.

Remember, if it lasts longer than four hours, immediately consult a boot fitter.