PWL 0 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Even on cold days normally I get cold feet so I'm worried about my feet on the snow. What do you wear? Some special thermal socks or special ski socks or something? Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I don't think much about what I put on my feet unless it's like minus 20 in which case I try to find a slightly heavier pair of socks or I might double up with a very thin pair on the outside. If your boot is very tight, this makes your feet colder, especially when you're not moving around much - like on the lift. You could also get some lambswool socks which would be nice and toasty. Link to post Share on other sites
stemik 14 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Thermal socks are good but only one pair at a time..dont double up. Make sure your buckles are not too tight and maybe loosen them when you ride the lifts. Make sure you dry your boots overnight....even taking the liners out. You can buy some heated footbeds as well, but not sure if these work well or not. Another one you could try is a toe boot covering - i am sure a good ski shop in Japan sells these. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I wear those funny coloured ski socks with different zones. They pull the hell outta the leg hairs. And they itch and they smell after a light day's use. Link to post Share on other sites
Kumapix 0 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 smartwool ski/snowboard socks or burton socks Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I just have a few pair of thermal socks, not sure of the make. Feet never seem to really get cold or my legs either. It's the top half that I need to cover up in layers. Link to post Share on other sites
dyna8800 3 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hi, Patricia! Sounds like you are going to get completely outfitted for the season. The new wool socks such as Smartwool are not the old itchy socks of yesteryear, and are super soft. Many people prefer natural fibers compared to the synthetics although I like both. X-Socks provide more support and compression in the arch area. Some people find they they feel "tight" compared to other socks. And they are expensive. In the old skool days, they used to advocate a thin liner and a thick outer sock. No longer. You are much better off with one pair of thin or medium weight sock, which will let your foot breathe as well as let the blood circulate. Poor circulation leads to cold feet. Stemik has great advice to make sure to dry the boot liners after each day of skiing...and make sure to keep your boots inside and not get cold. Putting on cold boots...yuck. Performance skiers normally use the thinnest sock possible in order to increase the "feel" and the transmission of energy to the boot. For reference, I wear the Euro Socks Ski Super Lite, although would probably recommend the Ski Elite. When your boot liners start to pack out (compress from lots of use), then you can switch to a thicker sock. There are covers that go over the outside of the ski boots, made by Dryguy, called BootGlove. I do not suggest putting small packets of hokkairo (chemical heat packets) in your boots. Hotronic and Therm-ic have boot heater solutions that run US$ 2-300 and require installation into your ski boots. Happy warm feet to you, Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I just use a pair of thick thermal socks and put a thin pair of everyday socks over the top, haven't had cold feet yet Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I hate cold boots in the mroning. Overnight, I plug in my hotforms. Warms up overnight for a nice warm morning Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Thin thermal stretchy socks works for me, and loosening the boots for the lift journey or the stop at the bar/cafe etc. I do get cold feet, but wearing 2 pr of socks etc made it worse for me. Link to post Share on other sites
foreversnow 5 Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I have some merino wool socks and am a share holder in hand and feet warmers. I stuff the things everywhere. It makes for a much more enjoyable day. Here is a little hint for everyone. DO NOT get gel coated toe nails with Diamantes on them for your ski holiday. My toe nails jammed up against the end of my boots and by day 5 the pain was unbearable. 4 weeks later I lost both my big toe nails Link to post Share on other sites
sanjo 2 Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Some "ski socks" (whatever that means) are good for me. Got them in the local sports shop. Link to post Share on other sites
Tommmm 0 Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I had the same thing happen to me Snowhuntress but I ended up cutting my own big toenail off, not completely but a good 80% of it had to be cut. Took months for it to grow back. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 OUCH! I always take of the nail polish and clip my toe nails back as far as possible before I pull on my snowboard boots...nothing worse than bruised toenails. Papabear is suffering as he bought real tight boots as a rebound from having boots that were too loose thinking they would loosed up - ummm not enough. He will lose his toenails too I think and there will be another pair of redundant boots sitting in our garage waiting for family and friends to borrow [eye roll] Link to post Share on other sites
Tommmm 0 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 When I cut my toe nail off I took the boots back to the shop to see what they could do. They ended up putting heel inserts in them to shift my foot back a few mm. It did the trick as I never get bruised toes anymore only lose feeling in them after a few hours. Link to post Share on other sites
PWL 0 Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 Good stuff thanks folks! Link to post Share on other sites
keba 0 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I think of losing my big toenails as part of my Winter ritual. I wear it like a badge of honour. They haven't fully grown back from the last Oz season, though. Link to post Share on other sites
Tommmm 0 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Mine usually take 4 months or so to grow back. Leaves me just enough time between Sth. Hemisphere and Nth. Hemisphere winters. Still would love not to have the issue all together. Link to post Share on other sites
keba 0 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I might try that heel insert thing... not sure about the loss of feeling though, that can't be a good thing. Link to post Share on other sites
Tommmm 0 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 It's probably due to just lack of movement with the toes. Wouldn't think it is too serious. I just know I'll be a lot more careful with the next set of boots I buy. Link to post Share on other sites
keba 0 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 It won't matter how careful you are, regardless of how the boots feel at the shop, riding in them will always bring out the gremlins. Link to post Share on other sites
IIIII 2 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 I didn't like my boots last year. Like new shoes I suppose, they were tighter than I remember when buying them, but they have worn in and feel much better now. Link to post Share on other sites
telehugh 0 Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Comfy boots, comfy boots, comfy boots - sure way to have warm feet. Unless you are racing I am a strong advocate of making sure that you feet are comfy - which in turn ensures good circulation and warm feet. Ill-fitting / tight / uncomfortable boots are a sure way to have a miserable time and unless your boots are super sloppy it's not going to make a huge difference to your skiing. If you are renting boots it is worthwhile spending some time trying on different boots and if you're out for more than a week / year buying a good pair of boots at the end-of-season-sales and getting them professionally fitted makes a huge difference. There is so much padding / insulation in modern ski boots that a thick sock doesn't make a huge difference to the warmth - but a tight boot makes a huge difference. I've had a number of friends who have tried to tough it out with badly fitting boots - losing nails, frostnip etc and in every case when we've finally managed to persuade them to get their boots properly fitted it's transformed their hobby / holiday / enjoyment. Most extreme case involved multiple sessions with hot air guns to completely remold the toe joint area - a franken boot was born. So to answer the question - thinish thermal socks and comfortable boots. Hope this helps Hugh Link to post Share on other sites
PWL 0 Posted January 21, 2009 Author Share Posted January 21, 2009 Comfy boots - got it! Link to post Share on other sites
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