UKH

I'd be really interested to hear if anyone else has experienced this problem with La Sportiva Nepal Cube boots. I've found there's a pressure point on the inside of the tongue that rubs the front of my lower shin raw. It seems to stem from where the yellow/black striped lace release cord is stitched on to a firm piece of curved yellow leather on the front of the bottom of the tongue. When bending the ankle this gets pushed under the logo/name patch on the upper tongue and presses inwards against my shin. Over the course of a long days climbing there's enough friction to take the skin off my shin. The removable inner tongue protector is made of thin fabric and isn't much help. I've had to resort to taping the shin to prevent it happening. I might have to sew some pressure relieving material into the tongue insert.

Frustrating as I really like the fit of the boots otherwise and don't want to get rid of them. It didn't happen with my old Nepal Top Extremes - maybe the material was different or had better padding around the tongue? 

I've emailed La Sportiva and awaiting a response.

Sounds like you have an empty spot between your shin and the boot. You could try and see if you could fill up the dead space by wedging a bit of something soft between the boot and the volume adaptor? Do you have this problem in both boots or just with one? 

My feet are slightly different in shape so I need the volume adaptor in one of the boots but if I use it in the other ones it's too tight. 

It's both boots and an equal amount. Good idea re the dead space, I'm going to look at trying to insert some sort of small sorbothane/gel cushion. Next off to the mountains in Feb so have got a it of time to experiment. Will feedback if I have any success.  

Does the cube not come with the moveable tongue insert (with the velcro positioning bit)?

You're probably having to over tighten them to get the fit you want. That said I find that with most winter boots especially fabric ones. One solution is to buy the nepal extreme removal front boot inserts (from the mountain boot company), but the boots will need to be a bit baggy in the toe.

 Looking at the creases on the boots it does look like they could be a bit of a baggy fit on you - maybe the reason you are over tightening.,

Try 2 pairs of thin socks. Ski socks can be quite long & thin with another thin liner.

Yes they do but it's a fairly thin fabric and doesn't offer much protection. I might be able to stitch something soft on to the front to relieve the pressure.

I do have skinny legs so although the boot length is just right, I do have to tighten the laces to make sure they don't feel "wobbly" when front pointing. Good idea re the Nepal Extreme inserts, thanks, anything to help! The other difference I can spot is the Extremes tongue is a beefier double-folded leather construction which probably stops the laces cutting in so much. The Cube's tongue is a tough fabric but it doesn't overlap as much over that front ankle area - maybe something to do with the issue?

Ok thanks, definitely worth a try, anything to help rather than have to ditch an expensive pair of boots and start looking all over again.

It looks like you have a lot of lace going across the boot through the tab - I can see that being the problem.... 

Sounds like the boots are a little to big for you volume wise - and your mitigating this by cinching them super tight with the laces, leading to folds in the tongue material (i.e. the soft bit) which is then rubbing and giving you discomfort. It's been suggested above, but a volume reducer is probably the way to go here. 

Could also be worth taking the laces out of the tab, so they are free to find their own position on the boot, rather than bunching them together causing pressure in what looks like a flex point. 

Do you have flat or "low volume" feet? I have both and have similar issues with my Sportiva boots. 

Might be worth taking your boots to a decent climbing shop as they might be able to suggest insoles to ensure you have the correct foot position within the boot. My local shop helped me with super slim supportive insoles (Super Feet Blue) that ensure my foot and ankle are correctly positioned within the boot - this solved my issue 

Thanks Ian. I'm on the hunt for a volume reducer as we speak - I'e spotted a couple of products by Sidas that might do the trick. They make stuff to relieve pressure/rubbing in ski boots so possibly could work here too.

And I'll try fiddling around with the laces as you and nniff have suggested.

I already have some custom made insoles due to an old ankle injury and they work really well to relieve the ankle pain/stiffness I get after a long day on the hills. So I think it's more likely to be the volume issue this time but I agree it's always worth considering insoles with any foot/lower leg problem. My pair have really helped me over a number of years.