 Poster: A snowHead
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Does anyone have any suggestions about cold toes. I bought my own boots 4 years ago. The boots are comfortable and there are no sore spots yet my toes get cold very quickly. We are off to Cervinia in 3 weeks and looking at the forecast, there is a beware of frostbite warning. I have tried the foot warmers but these make the boots a little tight. I don't suffer from the cold in general. I am wondering if there may be a problem with my boots that I am unaware of and perhaps they can be adjusted.
Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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This problem regularly affects skiers in the US, particularly in the east where temps are often much lower than the Alps in mid-winter. Your best bet may be to source some over-boot neoprene 'boot cosies' (same idea as teapot cosies) from a mail order / internet supplier over there, if you can't source anything over here.
Electric boot warmers, based on insole elements and a rechargeable battery pack bolted on the back of the boot, are also available. They wouldn't reduce boot fit.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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alan - what socks are you wearing? If they are too tight then they can cut off circulation - loose is always better (but not so loose they might fold over and cause a pressure point). Have heard good things about silk socks that can add a very thin insulating layer...
I always try to make a conscious effort on chair lifts/gondolas to keep wiggling my toes and keep the circulation flowing when its really cold...
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Bought Mrs Frosty some electric boot warmers 2 yrs ago and she loves them. Doctor thought she had Raynauds Syndrome as her hands can be very cold too (didnt mention her heart  ). This year however she set her heart on some new boots, tried one set for 2.5 days, and although really liked them her feet were very very cold, in fact one day she gave up at 11.30 to save her holday as she put it. The temp was not low. She felt things a bit tight on one toe so she decided these boots were not as good as first thought. The shop eventually found her another pair and as soon as she put them on she new that boot perfection had been found.
My point is that any heating aid will help, but if you suffer from cold feet then the fit of the boot is vital. Its all to do with free blood flow
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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AlanUK, if it hasn't already been said elsewhere, welcome to snowheads.
You can pretty much ignore air temperature warnings when considering how to stop your feet freezing. Even normal (!!) people with normal circulation and normal feet in good fitting boots get cold toes from time to time (and not just when it's colder than usual, either!).
As everyone above says, it's lack of circulation i.e. your feet not doing much work in the boot - most usually due to long gondolar rides, or awaiting on piste edge for last skier in the group, or overstaying one's time in the mountain bar... The best you can do in those circumstances is keep wriggling your toes and moving your legs as much as possible to keep the warm blood pumping to your toes.
Other than that - overnight always keep your boots inside a warm room. If the boot room isn't as warm as your bedroom, take 'm into your bedroom (or at least the inners). If your foot goes into a warm boot it's much more likely to stay warm thruout the rest of the day. And wear thin socks - the more your scrunch your feet into thick socks the more likely you are to be restricting bloodflow.
I met a woman with dodgy circulation who (as well as doing everything else), use boot cosies as David Goldsmith suggests, and she swears by them. Dunno where she got them from tho - you could try the usual snow-shop suspects.
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I have seen the neoprene boot warmers used and heard really good reports of them but they do look sooo naff! Boots could be the cause, even if they are comfortable. The lining materials differ and some boots are warmer than others. I have my boots foamed and these are colder than a standard set.
However, my brother has always suffered from cold feet. For most of recent time he has skied in foamed boots but last year he changed to having Zipfit liners and reported that they were really warm and the control was still good. It might be worth looking at these as you might gain 2 benefits, warmer feet and better control. 
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What Manda said. In a perverse up-side-downy way, thinner socks will make your feet warmer. Have tried it myself and it definitely works.
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I sometimes get cold feet when i have the top buckle of my boot done up too tight. When i was in Andorra last, my instructor reckoned if you get cold feet/legs then lift your leg up (knee bent) so your thigh is parallel to the floor and slap the top of your thigh a bit above the knee? I have no idea if it was a wind up or not but he swore by it, reckons it stimulated the circulation in your legs. I never really got cold enough to try it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Assuming you're wearing 4 clip overlap boots > the 'top of the foot' buckles should be finger tight only, that should help.
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I find that loosening my boots as soon as I reach the lift line helps.
That way your pulse rate is probably still higher than normal, and undoing the clips on your boots lets all that warm blood get pumped to your toes.
I leave them unclipped until I get off the lift.
Remembering to do them up afterwards improves my skiing immeasurably
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The_Mac_Daddy said
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| my instructor reckoned if you get cold feet/legs then lift your leg up (knee bent) so your thigh is parallel to the floor and slap the top of your thigh a bit above the knee? I have no idea if it was a wind up or not but he swore by it, |
He wasn't Austrian or German was he, and wearing leather shorts........? 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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AlanUK, Hope I'm not teaching you to suck eggs, but do you wear a hat/helmet. My toes and fingers get cold first, keeping my head warm prevents this...... 
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Thanks for all this help, and hello to you all. I have just done some surfing re: electric foot warmers run off batteries, and to be honest, for the price of them I'd rather have cold feet and buy another 6 day's lift pass!!! It seems you can buy the insoles, batteries, clips to attach them and charger, all as individual items, but of course one without the other is useless, and one particular make keeps cropping up that most of the retailers are selling, but at the most ridiculous price for what it is. I have checked out various sock types too, and it seems man-made material is best, which was quite surprising. I guess I need to check out how tight I am wearing my boots. I’ve been wearing the typical fluffy looped (inside) material ones and even worn ordinary socks under those but having read your comments perhaps less is more!!! I wonder if those purpose made expensive socks are worth the extra or am I being conned because they have the word "thermal/Ski/board" in the name or brand!! I came across some odd concepts whilst using the words “foot warmers” in the searches; I thought better of trying to ski with a calor gas heater in my back pack though!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Used to have bad circulation in my feet, still happens now and then. Wiggling your toes works, but give it a couple of minutes of frantic wiggling at least. When they start to hurt really badly is when the blood starts flowing back, in the next two minutes you'll feel better. A more extreme solution: take off boots and socks, rub your feet with snow energetically for a minute or two. Yes it works, restores blood flow. (do be done sequentially on each foot, though).
Er, yeah, make sure that the inners of the boots are dry every morning. Don't leave boots in boot room (unless it's hot and well ventilated), take the inners out...(not that I always do this, but I should).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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alan - I'm surprised that the recommendations are for man made fibres... the latest 'technical' gear seems to be going back to its natural roots - i.e. silk and wool - in particular merino wool. Was looking at some new base layers last year and the best one was merino wool - and utterly gorgeous. Have used it since - and the wicking is excellent. Also it seems to get less smelly than my manmade ones that I've bought in previous years.
p.s. i made the switch from tubes to proper ski socks and i think they are better - the extra padding on the shins definitely helped me - before my shins would feel very sore and bruised but I don't get that as much anymore.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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AlanUK, more ideas for your toes here (commercial site, but it does show both the cosies and the passive thermal-reflecting insoles). Good stuff above^, esp. boot fit comments.
Back when I had high-performance poorly-fitted boots, the biggest culprit was the second buckle from top. Seems it would cut off the return-flow vein at the ankle when ratcheted down vigorously.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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When I first skieed and got cold feet i resorted to the old football technique of putting vaseline on my toes - works a treat. i found I only got cold feet in ski boots and when I was having lessons - linked to standing around I think. Wiggling toes is a good idea as well. Now I board I have never had cold toes, don't know whether it is linked ot the boots or that I am a more active boarder than I was a skier.
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I too get cold toes. I am just now able to get socks into my new boots along with my feet.
I usually throw my boots and skis on as soon as I get to the hill and thaw out during a lunch break. Last weekend I went skiing (for 2 hours; they sell 2 and 4hour and full day passes at the local bump of a hill) with a minus thirty something windchill. After about 45 minutes I decided to go and warm up my toes. After rubbing and warming and having a hot chocolate for about 20 minutes, my toes were back to normal and I went out again. My toes were fine when my time had expired, and I felt like I could go for another 4 hours, but I had to get on to other duties.
The point is to start with warm dry feet and boots. Don't put feet which may be a bit cold already or may have been in sweaty snowboots into cold clammy ski boots to start out your day. It may be worth taking you boots into the lodge and warming them up, drying your feet and putting fresh dry ski socks on to start the day. You will likely gain that 15 minutes later in the day when you can stay out on the hill without worrying about loosing your toes.
I'm looking into the neoprene boot gloves too.
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FAQ
My worst fear is having a ski fall off when i'm on a ski lift. I always keep both feet on the bar just in case. I find if i get a bit chill, simply skiing a bit warms me up again, do a few jumps and use lots of energy, works for me 
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Now thats passion(for skiing that is 
)