For Gisin it’s the ski boots: the stars don’t even give these things away at Christmas

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Where does the shoe pinch? In the case of Michelle Gisin, this question a year ago was not just a matter of speaking. The shoe really pinched. «I have long and narrow feet. But the most important thing is that my right foot is an inch longer. There was hardly any room in the ski boot, I was at my limit.” Inflammation and pain were the result. Nowadays you can say: it was the start of a failed season by Gisin’s standards.

She did not reach her usual level – sometimes she was eliminated, sometimes she rode poorly, her self-confidence was in the basement. «In ski racing it is often said that the skis are crucial. How sharp the edges are, what kind of wax you have. But at the end of the day, you can ski well even if the skis aren’t perfect. It’s different with ski boots: they are the knockout criterion at the World Cup. Simply put: if the shoe doesn’t fit, nothing fits!”

Make it hot, press it, make it hot…

In the summer, Gisin and her soldier Christian “Gämp” Gampner solved the problem. Gisin has switched back to the smaller Salomon model. To avoid pain in the right foot, the ski boot was repeatedly pressed with a hot iron until it fit perfectly. This process took several weeks.

“Through this process you can get down to one and a half shoe sizes,” says Gisin. But that’s not all: the plastic shell is also milled to fit Gisin. “Getting the shoe right is a science,” says Gisin.

Ski boots are hand luggage

The two-time combined Olympic champion now feels comfortable again. It’s also clear that she takes care of her blue shoes like a little treasure. For example, it is impossible for them to check their ski boots like a suitcase on the plane. They always belong in your hand luggage.

“If I lost them I would be in big trouble. You can always get skis, poles, gloves, insoles and a racing outfit – but if you don’t have ski boots, nothing will work. Then you would have to do them again, which would take a very long time; in winter that would be almost impossible.”

“I just couldn’t get in anymore”

By the way: to fit into your custom-made shoes, they should never be too cold. Otherwise the plastic will become hard.

“I recently had this problem in Canada – I just couldn’t get in. We’ve tried everything. “It only worked if we got the shoes in the heat,” says Gisin.

Source : Blick