Garmont G-Ride Boot Problems?

Just wondering if anybody out there has any suggestions for solving hot spot/blister issues? I've had the Garmont G-Ride AT boot for several months now and still get large blisters on the inner heal on both feet. I've tried many things including different sock types, liner socks, padding the liner between the shell/liner and duct tape on the feet. None of the above seem to work. <br><br>One guy from Marmot commented how they are always "correcting" boot fitting issues for those that purchased their AT gear at REI due to incompetency ???<br><br>Anyway, any input/advice is greatly appreciated.

Hi David, Welcome to my club!! Take heart, you are not alone. Have any photos to share?<br><br> <br><br>I get them really bad, really quickly. However I am able to significantly mitigate the issue by prophylactically placing the substantial Johnson and Johnson "Advanced Heeling" hydrocolloid bandaids on the inside of my heels:<br> <br><br>The above is the only brand of adhesive which works for me--and I've tried lots. With them on, I rarely have problems. You can find them at Rite Aids and Thriftways but not grocery stores. Obviously this isn't an ideal solution. During the holidays I plan to see the esteemed bootfitter Cosmo in Tahoe City to see what he recommends. I suspect he'll build me a heel nest to hold down the heel. I'll let you know how this goes.<br><br>

I bought mine at Marmot and still get blisters . . . a very smooth sock seems to help (Wigwam Ultimax liner from REI.Outlet.com) but if I skin for over 2 hours I usually end up with a hot spot (yes, inside heel, right foot). If I stop immediately and apply a couple of strips of adhesive tape from under the heel to mid-achilles, it usually doesn't turn into a full blister. Not sure what the answer is, I pretty much have relegated the G-Rides to lift-served with a bit of skinning and take the F-1's if there's a lot of skinning planned, but there's a definite downside in terms of skiing performance.<br><br>Edited to add: I had this boot's predecessor, the GSM G-Fit before which seemed to be built on the same last (in fact I used the same G-Fit liner without re-cooking it). No serious blister problems with the GSM, but I did pull the pins from the walking hinge out of the lower shell . . .

I am usually prone to blisters in that area. Had Jim Mates in Ballard fit mine and have never had any problems.<br><br>Michael

Funny, Mates does all my boots/footbeds as well, I didn't get blisters with the GSM's and don't with my Scarpa F1's, so perhaps there is something to this G-Ride thing . . .

Go see Jim Mates at Custom Boot in Ballard. He did a great job for my foot and ankle comfort in my Scarpa T2's purchased at REI. Before I went to Jim, Marmot/Backpackers attempted to fix the problem with thermofit's - that didn't work and so I went to Jim who fixed the issue.