heel cups

Question
Hi Snoobored,
My heel tends to lift up as I ride, probably because my boots are the same size as my regular shoes.  Do heel cups really help, or should I just invest in another pair of boots.  And does this help in carving better -- smaller boots that is?

Also, the latches behind the binding that angles the bindings more forward than they are --- what are they for?  To go on your toe edge easier I assume?  And how much do you recommend in tilting it?

Any other tips on how to learn how to carve better when the mountain gets steeper will help too.  I'm a beginner, and I can tackle the bunny slope, but when the mountain gets steeper, I end up snow plowing, facing the mountain horizontally rather vertically. Probably becuase I'm to scared that I might go down to fast and fall. I hope that makes sense.

Answer
Ellen,
Try and go for another pair of socks or one tube and one thick pair for a day and see if this helps before investing in another pair of boots.  This is very common and the fact that you are aware of the situation will help you concentrate on shifting to your heel side sooner and not letting your heal come up as much.  
If it still comes up then you may want to invest in another pair of boots.  If you can spend some money go for a more expensive boot, it is a worth while investment as long as you are not going to grow out of it soon.  I believe that the boots are probably the most important while learning. Here is why...if your feet are comfy then you tend not to stay in the snow to long when you go down. This overall keeps you warmer. When your feet hurt you tend to want to do something without your boots on and that will equate to less riding time, resulting in taking longer to becoming a better rider.
Getting back to verticle vs horizontal...
This usually means that you are more comfortable with toe side turns. Because your heels keep lifting.  You should practice doing several turns on your heelside (just heel turns usually if you can do at least 5 one way it will increase performance) then several on your toeside. This will also help to transition to carving at higher speeds.  The steeper the terrain the sooner you should be turning to control your speed.
As far as the latches behind the bindings...this is to increase your control the faster you can shift to the edges the more control you will have in direction as well as with speed.  Try a few different positions with the bindings until you have one with quick response and reasonable comfort. The more you angle the back of the binding the more it will tend to hurt your calf so if hurts start going back toward the 90 degree angle.  The best position tends to be when you are on your toe edge with a relatively low stance/knees bent in normal riding position then place the back so it almost touches your calf. (probably somewhere around 80-85 degrees) This is the tilted position you asked about. It will feel weird in the beginning but the more you are bending your knees the lower the center of your gravity and the easier it will be to control your board.
It sounds like you are on your way to becoming a fine rider...you could sign up for a private lesson for a half day and this would really help you with overcoming some fear on the steeper terrain/group lessons are available but they're typically not going to give you the specifics you need and after a few hours with personal attention you should be on your way to carving.
Snoo