Anyone that has spent any amount of time in snowboard boots knows the agony of da feet. We're hard on ours. Harder than most. Enter the insole. It's the easiest way to improve your life at altitude. And now Remind Insoles are offering orthotics specifically for snowboarders.

Jackson loc John Makens is the man behind Remind. Makens is one of Jackson's gnarliest and there's no doubt he's put his share of insoles to the test. After an unfortunate turn of events (see below) he found himself looking for.

That next business venture. Dude recognized the niche, figured out how to fill it and so far it's so good says Makens. Afterall insoles are a natural fit for snowboarders. (Apologies for the pun.) Here he is to fill you in on the rest of the story:

ESPN.com: How'd the idea to make insoles come about? John Makens: Well, basically I got a cease and desist letter from Black Eyed Peas, from Will I Am because he has the trademark for I Am clothing (Makens previously made street clothes under the same brand name). So basically, I was like... f--k. Even though I started before him and have more of a right to the name than him, I'd have to give up a lot of cash to go to court and fight it. So I decided to do something else. [Clothing] is too competitive anyway and there isn't anything really unique you can do with it.

Wow, that's crazy. Yeah... so first thing I did was come up with a good name and trademark it. Then one day I was just checking out my snowboard boots and I pulled out these orthotic insoles that I'd been running for five years. I've tried all different kinds and these were the dopest ones I've ever had. Then I just thought, 'I should do insoles. No one's really done that.' I contacted the people that manufactured the insoles I was wearing and told them my plan to get it out there into the snowboard and skate world and they were all about it. They have 30 years of experience in designing orthotics. We kinda teamed up and it was pretty much on from there.It's cool to sell stuff, but even cooler to sell stuff that actually helps people out. Yeah totally. It's cool to have a product that actually helps your body, helps performance, helps you feel good, it's pretty rad. So far everyone seems super pumped on them. We've got a lot of good feedback.

Talk about the different artists you're working with. Well, I got Guch [Bryan Iguchi] involved and Ryan Haworth a local artist who did Travis [Rice's] old Rossignol graphics. Tim Zimmerman gave me a photo of Rice. Then we did an Injured Riders Foundation one, it's a non-profit, so those proceeds will go to them. We have a Bluebird [Wax] one. And then there's Tim Ramirez, a Jackson loc and a super sick artist, he did a couple. They're rad. I'm just trying to get a lot of companies involved, so all the insoles are one-offs. I want to make 'em special and kinda collectibles. We're also doing some for Snowboard Mag and we might also do some for The Berrics. Eventually I want to make team rider ones too, like pro models.

I saw on your blog that you're giving away insoles to fools with the most beat up feet? That's awful nice. [Laughs] Yeah I was just reaching out to people...one kid hit me up and sent me the gnarliest story. He's had multiple surgeries and had parts of his toes cut off, just everything that could go wrong, you know. So, the least I could do was hook him up with a couple pairs. I just want to reach out to people and help out whoever I can.

I guess starting an insole company is a great way to do that, why do you recommend them for snowboarders? Well, you know you're on your feet all day, jumping off s--t and there's all that impact... plus always cranking your straps down is hard on your feet. It's important to have that extra support and comfort. Having the right support -- arch support -- will help align everything, from your feet up to your back. Overall it'll just help you ride longer and keep you more comfortable in your boots. It just helps from the ground up.