Last year at the end of the season my shins started hurting mainly my front foot shin. I assumed this was due to firm snow instead of deep mid season pow. After about twelve days out with riding mainly soft snow I am developing the same sort of pain. I think it feels like shin splints but I have never had those before so I am not sure. Last season it went away after i started riding bikes (stopped snowboarding), it does not hurt that bad but would like to not deal with it all season. Any of you have a similar problem? Do you think if I went to a boot fitter he/she could solve the problem?
You mention bike riding alleviated the pain, and riding hard pack inflamed it, both reasonable indicators of shin splints. You need to stretch your calve muscles and strengthen your shin muscles. Calves don’t get much work in high boots, but shins bare a tremendous strain splitboarding. I presume you are familiar with calve stretches, but look up wall push-ups for strengthening the front of the lower leg. A micro fracture is also possible, but I doubt it if the pain subsided after the season. There is a wealth of info on running web sites if you Google shin splints and also compartment syndrome (nasty problem, I know from experience) both share similar exercises for strengthening and stretching the muscles.
Shark Snowsurf Chuna Voile V-Tail 170 BC Voile One Ninety Five Spark R&D Arc
For shin bang maybe try adjusting your angle a little or loosen the upper cuff on your boots? A couple degrees and a slightly looser upper might do the trick.
For shin splits…more walking is the only cure I’ve found. I get em in early season sometimes and they go away after a few tours.
I had a brutal shin splint problem for running (but never for splitting). I had to take a bit of a break and slow things down. What solved it for me was tying a bike inner tube (I used a big fat DH one) to the leg of my couch, lying on my back (feet towards the couch), and stretching out the tube with my toes as much as many times as I could stand two or three times a day. It sorted me out surprisingly fast – like a week or two. There is lots of info here: http://www.ultrunr.com/shins.html
start wearing hardboots 😛 Shinbang and shinsplints are two different animals.Shinbang is the compression of the anterior tib/fib muscles on the cuff of the boot. Ive run Dianese mountianbike armor as i have used hardboots for years now but have never gotten use to it. Im told it goes away after awhile, sort of like thai kick boxing where they build up the area and are able to kick fencepost lol. Shinsplints is the tearing of the muscle from tib/fib due to overuse and shock. must be doing some nasty hucks there
Thanks for your input guys, I fixed the problem, not sure exactly what did it, I added some support to my foot beds and started stretching more. My shin no longer seems to be giving me trouble. it also may have been early season shin soarness.