Tell me about boot warmers...

A snowHead

So yesterday at Tamworth, where I'm always too hot and have taken to wearing jeans, a light fleece and thin gloves, my toes were still freezing. I realise it's something to do with having well-fitting boots, it didn't happen in my old wellies. I can barely wriggle my toes in the new boots so I think it's a combination of that and the fact that I now have lymphoedema that means my toes are cold (and sometimes my whole feet are numb with cold out on the mountain).

I haven't managed to address the sock issue, I need to wear high compression factor socks to stop my legs from swelling too much, but the downside is they're not very warm. I have seen some 'compression ski socks' on t'internet but at nearly £30 per pair, it might be an expensive mistake to make.

So, tell me about boot warmers. Do they work? Price? Ease of use? It might be my only solution.

A snowHead

queen bodecia, I have tried them. They are ok. I use them sometimes. They are not without problems. I find the sliding control switch moves on its own, which means that you think you set them on 1 or possibly 2 but your foot feels like it is being branded (and it was Skullie

) you look down and the switch has slid to 3! I think it is a combination of trousers moving over them or chairlifts maybe. Another consideration is that you need to be disciplined about charging them overnight to ensure they are fully charged everyday otherwise they can run out of juice when you most need them. I think that the new model where the control is on a cord around your neck is probably much better and much more controllable but it is very expensive indeed.

I am glad I have got them and I use them sometimes but they are not a silver bullet IMO and there are other solutions which may suit you better such as a new inner boot like the Intuition, I got these last season via CEM and they make a big difference, as do Smartwool socks for me.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

queen bodecia, I have the electric ones, which have heating pads which are set into the boot insoles, so they don't take up any extra room (which is obviously vital for you). They can go into any insoles, a slight fiddle, but not rocket science.

I haven't had the problems sarah describes, though I do agree that the sliding switch thing seems to switch itself rather too often. Even on the high setting I have never found them feeling too hot - the problem is rather that the battery then flattens too quickly.

I'd say they were well worth trying, though they're by no means cheap. I've just got new Zipfit liners, and I have no idea yet how cold or warm they are going to be (there's only room for v thin socks at the moment) so I have the electric ones in them. I'd agree they're not a silver bullet - I had rather hoped for a sort of hot water bottle feeling but that doesn't happen with mine, even on "high". But even if they don't feel positively toasty, my feet don't get cold with them, which is the point.

It's very annoying if you find you've forgotten to charge them and it's a cold morning!

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I have hotronics and pretty much don't ski without them. I've now had them for 4 seasons without a problem - no trouble with the controls, use them on 2 most of the time and they last all day. Just make sure you clip the batteries to a reasonable place on the boot - mine are usually on the power strap more towards the front rather than on the back where it is possible they can get hit by a chair. One of my friends has had the same kind for about 8 years, she has had to replace one set of batteries and one connector that snapped after 6 seasons use. We both average over 100 days a season using them!

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sarah, yours don't sound very good!

queen bodecia, get Hotronic M4s and you're probably looking at about £120 or so (mine were c$250 IIRC). You need to be careful where you have them clipped on the boot because they can be damaged by chairlifts and make sure the battery pack is securely fastened as I know a few people that have lost a batter!

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scotia, you use bootwarmers???? Pu$$y Shocked

After all it is free

kooky, I get cold feet Laughing

Fine down to about -20 but anything below that... too much skiing in the Rockies Little Angel

This may a generalisation by why do women seem to suffer this more than men?

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so we may get colder feet but you'll be lifeless in the snow whilst our vital organs are still doing their thing. wink

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You know it makes sense.

Boot warmers take up space too and might be a problem in already 'well-fitting' boots.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

has anybody any experience of the rechargeable insoles that don't have to have a battery pack on your boot 'Thermo soles' made in austria?
you just charge the battery in the actual soles and they are thermostatically controlled to suit your foot temp.

A snowHead

Last year I started using overnight boot dryers. (Tip from Spyderjon who's done it for years).

The great thing is; next morning your boots are dry, flexable (read-easy to put on) and toasty.

As long as you get skiing straight away, your feet keep warm all day Cool

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kitenski, it's difficult to ascertain how much of this is due to new boots and how much is due to leg problems I now have as a result of my cancer treatment. However, I did use my old boots in Kitzbuhel in March 2008 and didn't have the problem at all (admittedly it wasn't at all cold then).

My old boots were big, not just the fact that they were size 27.0 but also that they were 16 years old when they finally died. I could move my feet around easily in them. The new boots are tight, I can't move my feet at all and I can barely wriggle my toes. So part of the problem might be my lack of foot movement isn't helping my circulation problems. Also the new boots are so tight fitting there is no air circulating around my feet. However, they don't hurt at all.

I need a solution but over £100 for boot warmers is out of the question at the moment, especially if they take up more space in my boots. Hmm...

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queen bodecia, perhaps a chat with a boot fitter maybe in order?

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kitenski, I got the boots from a bootfitter!

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queen bodecia, i'm not sure how this fits in with your health problems, and it may be a daft question, but do you do any warm up exercises before you start your skiing sessions? i know when i go to a dome and i don't warm up beforehand, i really feel it as a consequence. but then i don't have your health problems so i can't tell if warming up would help you.

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The kind of bootwarmers I have don't take up any space in your boot, really. There's a wafer-style warmer and a very flat electrical wire which goes under the insole. Yes, OK, a couple of microns or whatever, but I can't believe anyone would notice it.

The teabag variety is another matter - they're pretty hard to fit into well fitting boots.

After all it is free

pam w, they do sound the best variety for me. Any idea what they are called and how much they are?

sherlock235, getting the boots on is a fair exertion believe me! But yes to answer your question I usually have a brisk walk and some good stretches before skiing.

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kitenski, it does at the moment unfortunately. The bootfitter in question is not local and not open on Sundays (the only day I'm not at work).

I'm sure it's a warmth problem rather than a bootfitting problem.

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sarah, pretty sure my feet are just cold and any numbness is as a result of cold. For example during a dinner stop in a warm mountain hut they magically come back to life! Very Happy

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

kitenski, I do have a circulation problem in my feet from having had my lymph nodes removed. I frequently have cold feet and even have to wear thick socks year round at work (cold air conditioning). I think the temperature at Tamworth hovers between 0 and -2. My old boots were definitely warmer (I assume they had warmer liners as well as being extremely roomy) but I daresay without the circulation problem it wouldn't be much of an issue.

Going back to a bootfitter before my ski holidays is really not possible. I don't have any spare days off work.

A snowHead

Sorry, missed your other question. I don't usually undo them in a mountain hut. I only fasten them loosely anyway.

A snowHead

i would normally say people get colder in the fridges... the temperature is raound about -20 to -30degrees C coming up below you in order to keep the snow good..there is no sun on your back to warm you up so doesn't surprise me that you were cold in there

i know a lot of race coaches who never use boot heaters except when they are standing for 2-3 hours in an indoor slope

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Stock Where the Fox Hat answer: what are you wearing on your head?

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In fairness I didn't suffer this problem on the last two days in La Thuile last season as the temperature was a bit more normal. Yes my toes were cold but certainly not numb. At the beginning of the week it was freakishly cold for March (-18º on the second day!) and that was the only occasion my feet have felt numb with cold. I don't remember having a problem at Another World in January either, pretty sure the air temperature would have been a degree or two below zero that day.

parlor, I wear hair on my head! You may laugh but compared to many men of my age, the hair on my head is equivalent to them wearing a hat and scarf combined. On a cold day on the mountain, I'd wear and hat and scarf, but never in a fridge. I generally find Tamworth a bit warm (I'm sure Hemel and CFe are a few degrees colder) so I only wear a t-shirt, thin fleece top, jeans and fleece gloves. Only my toes were cold and this is probably explained by my poor circulation issues.

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Going by the statement from Gore's scientist (as quoted by pam w), do you think there is a possibility that you are underdressing for Tamworth and so your body is diverting what is already poor blood flow from your feet to your organs?

As an experiment, next time you go to Tamworth, try wearing warmer layers on your legs and torso to see if that makes a difference.

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My hotronic things are built into the footbed made for me by CEM. Just the wafer heater thing and the flat wire - they come in different forms but that's the one if you have custom footbeds. they were transferred from my old footbeds, which I'd had for several years - I had put them in there myself. They are entirely compatible with the footbeds.

queen bodecia, I'd agree with Zero-G. It might be that you are less aware of when your core is getting cold, maybe because of your illness. My OH is a bit like that - his diabetes has damaged his nerve endings and he's often not aware of getting cold until he gets really freezing, and starts shivering and shuddering. If I skied in a fridge in jeans I'd definitely have numb feet. I found Hemel colder than I'd expected and was glad of a hot drink half way through the session. Your body will sacrifice its extremities to keep its vital organs going. if you wrap your vital organs up better, maybe your body will let your extremities have their fair share of the circulating blood! (Conversely, if your extremities are warm, the rest of you feels warmer - that's why it's so hard to get to sleep if your feet are even a bit cold).

Bedsock weather coming up!

After all it is free

Hmm, looks like I have something of a dilemma here! I have started 'dressing down' for Tamworth simply because I have been uncomfortably hot before. It's the aspect of menopause I'm finding least easy to deal with, but doesn't seem to apply to my feet! But point taken, and snobunni is less likely to disown me if I resume wearing salos at Tamworth! Laughing

pam w, I realise it's Thermic rather than Hotronic (EB only seem to sell one brand) but is this similar to yours?

http://www.ellis-brigham.com/cgi-bin/psProdDet.cgi?prod_code_in=710040

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I think I would agree with this - keeping core warm. We were discussing boot warmers, cold feet etc while having a drink yesterday lunchtime and before I read any of this and decided that it is really important to keep the core warm. If not just as pam w, says

Help!!

Tell me about boot warmers...

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