Every ski morning I step out of the car and into the crisp alpine air. Serene mountain views are swallowing the world around me but I’m filled with existential dread while I work up the courage to take my slippers off. I was going to say that sliding my ski boots on is never pleasant, but I think a more apt description would be that a ten minute battle between my feet and three layers of molded plastic is never pleasant.
When my boots are finally on I can immediately feel the chill creep in, no matter the air temperature I think my toes are destined to be cold. So, I am desperately in search of a solution that warms my feet without compromising the function or fit of my boots.
I ski in race boots, which are definitely not known for keeping feet warm, but I’m wondering if there might actually be a solution out there for me. The options I’ve thought of are: toe warmers, heated socks, boot heaters, and boot-caps. Toe warmers are luckily easy to acquire, but the price of single use heaters can really stack up overtime. Toe warmers are also a big piece of mass to fit in an already tight ski boot, putting pressure on the top of my foot is almost as uncomfortable as having freezing toes. All this together makes me think that toe warmers aren’t really a viable solution for me.
If not for the price, heated socks and boot heaters seem like the dream answer to me. Most boot heaters I can find are all upwards of $400 and while having warm feet sounds wonderful that would likely double the price of ski boots. Heated socks are also a little out of my price range. They seem more accessible at around $70-80 but I feel hesitant to spend that much on something I’m not sure will work. It makes me wonder if the pressure of a performance ski boot is just too intense for any heating tactic to truly work. With heated socks there seems like so many factors that could cause problems. I can’t imagine that washing the socks would do anything positive to sustain their lifetime, the same as using them everyday. These questions make me hesitant to spend the money.
Boot caps seem like they could be a viable solution. Murmurs have been arising about their success as they insulate the toe box of a ski boot without compromising the fit in any way. They advertise on their website that no one has ever suffered from a cold heel, so clearly we have never met. While I do agree that keeping my toes warm seems most prudent, I still feel that familiar chill in my heels. Regardless, at $60 boot caps could be the solution for me. Boasting a one year warranty and positive reviews I think my toes may be headed in this direction.
If you have experience in warming your toes, or freezing them, reach out. I want to hear from real people about their real solutions to this nagging problem. Or if you think cold feet are an inevitable aspect to skiing, reach out too and let me know I need to man up.