It’s been around a dozen years I’ve been getting continually deeper into astrology; and as fascinating it is to hear the masters speak their insights on how it unfolds through the cycles of our collective evolution, there are moments so intriguing as watching transits & aspects play out in smaller & subtler ways in one’s personal lives. Case-in-point: a recent unfoldment with snowboard boots…
I was planning on buying a new set for next season, over the summer while on 40% off sales. But after plans shifted around and I ended up back in the mountains for the last 6 weeks of this season and rode so hard the first 5 days that the inside of my left ankle got rubbed raw with blisters, it seemed reasonable to just buy the new ones immediately so as to enjoy this winter to the fullest.
I’d bought a couple pairs of Burtons before and they seemed alright, so figured I’d upgrade to their top end model and that they’d be fine. Boy, was I wrong.
I negotiated with the shop at the resort for a discount, trying to match the price if buying online; got close, and was satisfied given no wait for delivery and they included bootfitting for the duration of the boots. One small - which turned out to be rather large - problem: we didn’t bother fitting them at the start. I’d been in the previous day and tried one on quick to compare against my old set, though just assumed they’d be good to go. And I going to get them heat-modded before riding - told it’d be a 15-minute wait for their other guy to get in as the other was busy; though half hour later when confirmed the other guy wasn’t coming, one of the girl cashiers said heat molding wasn’t necessary as they’d just pack out over the next weeks all the same. So off I went.
The boots were alright. Slight improvement and no more intense rub on the blistered area. Though for a top-of-the-line model normally $849… slightly disappointing. But hey, what do I know. They were okay. Focus back to just riding.
Two weeks later… I couldn’t cloak the disappointment anymore. There were runs my feet hurt far more than reasonable for a brand-new pair of high-quality boots, for which we tried a fix of shaving down the insoles. But even with that helping a bit, there was more chaffing on the inside left ankle again. There began the game of whack-a-mole.
First, we tried a piece of foam taped to the liner inside the ankle area. No go. So tried a donut. Slight improvement. So added another, along with a thick foam pad on the inside legs. Almost. But with the rubbing out of the way, the wiggle room in heel area took forefront of my awareness. So try a sorta butterfly-shaped ‘ankle frame’ - which worked for the heel lift, but the chaffing was back. Then try duplicate the best of both worlds between the double-stacked donut and ankle frame… no go. All the while, testing adding in & taking out the stock insoles,1-3 thin footbed pads, and a heel-lifting wedge. I kept questioning if I was just too damn picky and wanting/expecting something unrealistic, while patience running thin. Despite all efforts to get their bootfitting guarantee actualized, buyer’s remorse was growing, along with discontent of wasting days riding with one failed experiment after another.
Cycling through three of their staff, the second time seeing a French guy and showing everything we’d tried, he called it straight: ”this is the wrong boot for you. We never should’ve sold it to you in the first place. It was totally our fault.”
I wasn’t about to agree it was totally their fault, as I just went in the morning buying them seeking the discount, ready to buy. But he was right. They guarantee a proper fit… and missed out on the first critical step necessary to fulfill upon in.
He talked to the manager, and said they could take them back for a credit, not full refund. Though there weren’t many/any other options for boots in stock, and the one idea of just replacing the liner for my old set wouldn’t work either as they didn’t have the high-volume option I’d need. So, I figure I’d try a couple more tweaks before taking up the offer - both of which failed. I was at the end of my rope.
I swung through town to another shop to ask their opinion. He had me try on a different set of boots, and the difference was profound. Yup, the Burton Ions were not the right fit for me at all. Though, the ones that did fit better weren’t 100% as left & right weren’t equally comfortable. And being the end of the season, there wasn’t any other options in my size. Though at least having a comparison of what a proper fit should feel like, I was ready to throw in the towel. Back to the resort store to touch base with the manager, he told me to come in the next day with both pairs of my boots when the tech was back to figure out.
Before that, I figured I’d go check the other one store left in town to see if they had any other options. (They didn’t.) And while looking up their opening hours, I discovered one more place… that changed everything.
The reviews called to me. These guys were in a different league of professional, boutique bootfitters. Spidey senses tingled, and were correct.
Though all the reviews emphasized they had a drastically different approach involving downsizing boot size, I figured I’d already done that a few years ago - having previously worn size 10 or 10.5 shoes & boots, yet getting sized for Burtons at a 9. (And realizing a couple years later I was also a 9 shoe size). I was wrong. Apparently, not all snowboard boot manufacturers adhere to a single standard - and on the non-branded scale, I measured in at a 7.5. (Left foot just bordering on 8.) Kinda shocking, but is what it is.
These guys were thorough. Some might see it as aggressive sales, though I could appreciate it for the detailed education in bootfitting I’d never got in 27 years. Dude knew his shit. And on the second shot, we had an option in size 8. Though not wanting to feel rushed and still assess the other couple options at the resort, I told him I’d be back once having returned the Burtons.
It wasn’t a quick, easy, smooth return.
The manager wasn’t around, and the girl on cashier hadn’t done a return for credit on account before so was taking a while. Which was all fine… except for a subtle attitude from her. I’d explained the situation fully, yet unbeknownst as to why, was met with some resistance, being asked to repeat myself again. And the clincher: after having fully elaborated the length of trial-and-error we’d gone through and told by one of their professional bootfitters that it was the wrong boot and they fucked up by selling it to me,her telling me “maybe” the problem was that the Ions weren’t as stiff as the Protons I had before… which is 100% incorrect. I didn’t want to be forceful, attempting diplomacy suggesting it was the other way around, only for her to assert her ignorant statement as though I didn’t know shit and am in the wrong. Hot damn, that was the trigger. But I wasn’t about to fight, so just continued to wait until the credit was issued to my season’s pass. Then seeking a confirmation that I could apply the credit toward next season’s pass and not just for stuff in that particular store, was met again with some subtle attitude of a ditzy, “you can spend it on whatever you want.” I don’t know what if anything I did to evoke the energy she was giving off, though simply thanked her. Checking in with the tech about the other options, the awkwardness carried through - him quickly confirming the one boot option they had wasn’t an option and that he was too busy at the moment to try a new liner in my old boots; and I wasn’t about to ask the girl for help. So my business was done there. Almost.
I left bordering on infuriated by the ignorant condescending attitude of the girl, unsure of whether to return to set facts straight. I knew it might be risky - given my featured astro transit for the day was Mars square Uranus. Mars’ egoic fire at hard angle to Uranus’ eccentricity & unexpected would no doubt high-risk territory to engage in confrontations and could spiral out quickly; yet I felt so upset, that to not say anything at all would’ve eaten me alive. Knowing the risk, I set back out with iPad in hand - committed to keep my communication as short, concise and neutral as possible…
Walking back up to her in the store with the two web pages ready to go, I kept my cool & kept it simple: ”one thing… Protons, medium flex;” (showing her on iPad); “Ions, stiffer.” Not to let up on her attitude, she uttered again in some ditzy tone, “oh cool!” As walking away, ”yeah.” Not so much in agreement, but rather with a subtle tone hopefully communicating, “yeah, you were wrong no matter the attempt to gaslight me twice. Yeah, I was gracious to not directly call out your ignorance, but since you insisted, here are the objective facts. Read between the lines. Yeah, I’ll point this out modestly rather than honking rudely: these are the boundaries of your lane, since you seem blind to and are swerving out of them. Yeah, cast whatever judgements of me you will behind the attitude, but nonetheless, this is a good thing to know when in customer service should you have any intention of conducting yourself like a well-informed professional.” Etc.
Good God, I don’t get worked up to such a degree that often. But perhaps with Mars-square-Uranus… fitting. And perhaps especially with the extra degrees of detail: transiting Mars sitting in my 8th house, dealing with ”other people’s resources” - negotiating matters of credit and transfers of the boots’ ownership; my natal Uranus-Jupiter conjunction in whole sign 5th, the house of fun, creativity, and play - which snowboarding would surely fit into. (And 4th house ruling matters of home - the resort store sitting nearly directly under my condo; and the “inner emotional world,” as it was stirred up here.)
Yet even more interesting, was the contrast & duality of the flipside of these same energies at play at the other shop.
Returning back to Rize for the boots, I figured I’d at least try the 7.5’s on - which included an extra 20 painful minutes of heat-molding. I did opt for the 8’s as they certainly felt more comfortable, in spite of their insistence on the smaller size being correct. Though all-in-all, I was in there for 2-3 hours, flowing with the Mars intensity of their sales & fitting process, appreciating it thoroughly - the guys’ passion, expertise, confidence, and all-around energy raising the professional bar/standard. Our conversation satisfyingly spanned a good spectrum of topics - including finding common ground in having both grown up in Edmonton and connecting on a (Uranian-eccentricity) hyperfocus-driven AuDHD wavelength. And by the end of it, I didn’t just walk out with yet another pair of snowboard boots - but an whole quantum leap into new territory, having undergone an entire heart-driven boutique experience that’d forever change both my snowboarding and understanding of perhaps the most critically-important piece of gear & highest-standard process of having it custom-tailored.
The wrong-way-rub with the girl really kept eating at me. Was I overreacting? Should I have just let it go? Did I just sow more seeds of discord by going back? The mind could analyze it to death, and sometimes there just aren’t clear-cut answers. “What’s the lessons here? What do I gotta transmute & integrate?” Though perhaps sometimes there are just conflicts in life that can’t be avoided, don’t have as elaborate meanings as our egos may try prescribe, and it is a matter of amplification & distortion by which it all seems bigger than is. Meanwhile, it’d be foolish to just brush off entirely, as surely there are lessons there.
Yet no matter the unclear details of why that interaction left such an imprint, and the mind/ego could toil over it indefinitely, the contrast of the other experience was like a soothing reminder: no matter how uncomfortable & eccentric you might feel & come off as in one situation, there will always be another somewhere else where things fit - the counterbalance of yin & yang always present, whether we can see it in the moment or need a bit of time for the waves to unfold.
On one side, my Mars’ drive perhaps rubbing someone else the wrong way & vice-versa (even the embodiment of Mars’ fire in her red hair is kinda funny); perhaps she had gotten on the defence, having been the one to make the original sale and fearing repercussions or taking offence to the statement ‘they’ never should’ve sold them to me - her Mars energy in such position, acting itself out through my 8th house drama over others’ resources & matters of credit, squared to the Uranian uniqueness of my situation - all an experience of these energies in friction… albeit part of the larger transmutation process as going from one set of resources (boots) to another, to another (credit, experience, and knowledge preparing me for upgrade).
While on the other side, the dude’s Mars’ passionate drive to conquer the sale aligning perfectly with my need for a Uranian catalystic breakthrough in my relationship with a snowboard setup; my own Mars assertiveness to *get this right, in harmony; my bit of Uranian eccentricity finding resonance with his and the environment of such a boutique outlet built on high professional standards that can meet my demands of excellence to a degree the resort store couldn’t. The overall experience not without friction - time invested in an assertive sales pitch challenging conventions and preference for less pressure (though recognizing & acknowledging the value & benefits) and 40 minutes squeezed into already-tight boots with horribly uncomfortable toe-caps - yet of the type comparable to sandpaper, ultimately refining things down to the end result of a smooth experience of higher calibre.
One, impacting with its discord, improper ‘fit’ of energies, and resistance. The other, with its alignment, harmonization, and surrender to the process of evolutionary upgrades through subtle refinements & revolutionary leaps - of which both were part.
The topic of refinement has been on mind to write about, given the Human Design Cross Of Refinement I’ll be moving into at my Chiron-return in 8 years, though semi-aware of its presence already - and it was apparent the week of experiments & trial-and-error trying to get the Burton Ions fitting properly. Tweaking this, adding & subtracting that; testing out nearly every damn possible combination of different shaped foam and footbeds, trying to nail that perfect fit. Part of me kinda did enjoy it (until realizing the dead-end) - the expanding awareness of finer details, sculpting & combining variations with intent of the attainment of an ideal that’d unlock a drastically-improved experience of one of the things I’ve always loved the most.
And then along comes that square of Mars to my Uranus & Jupiter - promising upset, potential for leaps in innovation, upgrades in philosophy & faith, and unforeseen passionate expansion through the constructive application of Martian drive.
Little did I know that despite those days of trial-and-error seeking refinement through experiment after experiment, there could be a revolutionary shift that makes it so damn obvious none of it would’ve even been necessary had the starting point been completely different. (The Manifesting Generator thing of “skipping steps” again, my goodness.) Though perhaps, all that friction was necessary - if for only to provide the contrast to appreciate how damn easy, simple and better outcomes could’ve been when diligently choosing the correct starting point (rather than rushing things with a foundation of assumptions & old habits).
There may be some who’d look at this all and write off the analysis as overcomplicating the obvious. Like, ”duh - no shit getting a pair of snowboards properly fit would be a good idea. No need to intellectually masterbate with astrology over and romanticize it.” Yet, there is so much wisdom to be observed & integrated as seeing things unfold through the lens of archetypal cycles, patterns, and dynamics at play.
27 years, I was ignorant about the intricacies of snowboard boots. (And holy fuck, do a set of good ones ever make a huge difference). But, I’m not the only one. Part of the education process I went through with Rize’s sales strategy opened my eyes to how sub-par the bootfitting process is overall in the vast majority of shops. (And it’s almost unfathomable now that anyone would/could even buy boots online without ever having tried and compared them within the context of a fully-proper custom-fitting.) Yet, how many other territories of life, society & culture could the same be said for - the majority of people “just doing what’s always been done,” not even realizing the immense beneficial upgrades possible with small refinements equating to revolutionary revisions? And whether in our personal lives or our larger collectives, how many opportunities have we turned into conflicted messes by mishandling energies such as the hard angles between wars’-ruling Mars and the erratic Uranus, for example, when they could instead be utilized for driving revolutionary refinements and groundbreaking upgrades?
Of course… timing. Life has its cycles and timelines. Sometimes evolution takes long periods of time, and we can’t expect radical leaps & bounds in less-than-decades - things just requiring arduous trial-and-error before arriving at the point well-equipped enough to seize the correct opportunities for those Uranian portals into amazingly new dimensions of experience.
I may have had my ideas and plans for when to buy a new set of Ion boots online… though they would’ve just kept me on the same path of ignorance. But maybe sometimes, there is something to the saying, “the universe is conspiring in your favor.” Here, my own Mars drive finding its outlet riding so damn hard my ankles blistered raw being the initiation into an alternate route, bringing in the Ions through a source coming with assistance to try troubleshooting what was just a mismatch from the start; the process of refinement & attuning to the finer details, establishing conditions for an appreciation of what would be a proper fit; the right dude dropping the bomb that they weren’t the ones and opening the door of blessing to returning them for credit… to the last-minute unexpected find of a professional boutique who were not only the only place in town with options, but the best one - and whose truly innovative approach & assertiveness in/with it has radically altered my trajectory with snowboarding forever. All in a timing with the appropriate energies lining up just perfectly to push & pull me in one direction or another as needed.
So yeah… the difference with the new boots was obviously night-and-day.
And while I put them on today, feeling like I’d made the correct decision with the 8’s, by the second run in, I could see why they were pushing for the 7.5’s. Lol. And by the time I’m ready for another set, I’ll probably go back for them.
He did warn me, I’ll practically have to re-learn to ride - and the moments of facing that truth today were humbling. To observe where I’ve developed certain habits to compensate for boots that were too big, tense as/and ‘on-edge’ because there wasn’t 100% confidence in the setup. I can’t tell whether that was always the case or more just the past weeks as wrestling with the poorly-fit boots. But by the end of the day, I got a glimpse of an entirely new solidity & confidence - in my setup and my capabilities. And left lingering: a sense of wonder & excitement at what is yet to come as settling more into this new standard.
Wild, man.
Wow, I never would have imagined that there was so much involved with getting the right boots for snowboarding! I'm glad you were able to get it all sorted out. It's just too bad the girl behind the counter had to kind of screw up the whole process for you.