Cold Feet

[ccwaskier]

Have any of you used hotronic footbeds? I have tried just about everything to keep my feet warm . . . new intuition liners, pro boot fitting, different socks, disposible heat pack, but my feet always go numb and get really cold to the point i have to go in and warm them up to prevent frostbite, which is a real bummer to lose skiing time sitting in the lodge. Even standing around in sorels which supposedly keep your feet warm to -20, it can be 40 and my feet are numb. I have tried to stay away from the hotronic things because they are expensive, need to be recharged everynight, and look like i would break them, but i don't know what else to do at this point. I am running out of options. Anyone used them or have any suggestions?

[mntlion]

they are another option, but if sorels dont keep you warm, not much else will


waterskiing perhaps?

[jstead]

Perhaps you need to have your boots refitted...

[Meathelmet]

i have the therm-ic moldable footbeds with the batteries.
since i am half the time in scandinavia freezing my ass of, i tough they might be worth the investment.
Tested them in -5´c a week ago,so i personally cant tell a shit about their usefullness.

Footbeds about 60€ (heat moldable,like comformables)
the battery 80€ (1 time used,the super-deluxe modell.18hours of heat on min, 4hrs on max,heats the footbed to +60´c or something.)
The footbeds were about 10€ more expensive than regular comformables,so that was a no brainer.

In the states they seem to be even cheper.

Fitted them to my randoboots,since that is where i definetly dont want to risk any frostbite.Prolly gonna fit them to my regular boots too.

I personally havent had that bad cold feet problems,only for longer times in below -15´c i get a bit chilly.

But, a frien of mine who has really problematic and chilly feet got them last winter. He totally swears by them. I tend to believe that they work too,since his bitching has been cut in a third after he got them... :)

So,if you need to get new footbeds,i could recommend them.

And if you dont, you can allways get the heatable thin element that you put under you footbed.Works relatively well too,i suppose.


So,search for Them-IC TM in some webstores or something.

PS.And you can get a AA batterypack to them too. By using a solarpanel and rechargable batteries might keep you going in some extremo places if you happen to need them...

[ccwaskier]

yeah, i was hoping it was boot fit, but my feet seem to be consistantly cold. Two pairs of AT boots and two pairs of alpine boots with high quality custom boot fitting. I wish it were the boots, but it seems to be my feet.

[Shredhead]

Hotronics work well, but it sounds like you may have a circulation problem.

[Tippster]

If your feet go numb then you're cutting off your blood supply. Try not cranking down your buckles so hard, or loosening them on the lift to regain circulation.

[ccwaskier]

yeah, seems to be a circulation and cold issue. I don't mind having numb warm feet, i just don't want frostbite. I unbuckle my boots on the lift and have tried skiing with them super loose, but that didn't seem to help. I just have messed up feet, i'll try the hotronic or something similar and hopefully that will help

[altagirl]

My feet and hands get numb cold too. And I don't see how it could be boot fit because it doesn't have to be in ski boots - merrell snow clogs, slippers, whatever. If I'm cold, my body seems to go right to restricting blood flow to my extremities. Tele boots seem to help because my feet actually get to flex and move and that seems to improve the circulation some. Or maybe because I'm working harder and therefore staying warmer.

I tried the Hotronic heaters and they seemed to work okay until I lost one of the battery packs - it fell off of my boot somewhere and that was that. I haven't sprung for a second setup. I was always messing with the cord, the tape that holds the cord in place, or forgot to charge them or some stupid thing. If they were less of a hassle I'd think about getting another pair.

[powder11]

after growing up ski racing in new england on race fit boots, Im wicked prone to frostbite. according to a specialist, there is irreversible nerve damage in my right big toe. anymore frostbite and I could lose my toe. I still like the responsiveness of a tight fitting boot, so I use hotronics. Ive blown through many batteries, they are a pain to maintain and require lots of customization with duct tape, but they keep my feet from frostbite. Im able to stay out all day worry free, so hotronics are a godsend to me.

[ole2planker]

The circulation problem is most likely Reynauld's Syndrome, which is most common in women. Something like 20 percent of all women suffer from it. One of my daughters suffers from it; in the cold her fingers and toes go from pasty white to yellow as the capillaries constrict. Unfortunately, she probably gets it from me, as my mother always had cold fingers and toes.

[warthog]

Do you smoke? It screws up your circulation sometimes. If so, stop. If not, get the hottronics- seems a worthwhile investment if you are in that much pain.

[DrRy]

If your feet go numb then you're cutting off your blood supply. Try not cranking down your buckles so hard, or loosening them on the lift to regain circulation.

In addition try buckling your boots from top to bottom at the start of the day.

When I was young I would have the same problem. I was buckling from the bottom up and that forces all the blood out your feet. And in no time your numb. A friend suggested top to bottom and now my feet stay warm.

Or, your circulation may not be so good.

[markcjr]

I have the same cold feet problems as stated above. The biggest help is making sure my feet are warm before they go in the boot. If my toes are already cold, they'll stay cold all day. I try to heat my boots under the car heater along with my toes till they're hot, and then put them on in my car. This helps quite a bit, but you scratch the inside of your car pretty good.
A friend of mine uses the tecnica "hot form" models. You can plug these into your car lighter on the way to the hill. Basically, I think you need to start the day with warm feet, and your chances of keeping warm are greatly increased.

[steved]

$.01....
...just adding onto markcjr's....if you have a semi-tough boot to get on...make sure you keep up the deep breathing while in the tussle to climb in, especially at the beginning of the day. If you're brain has become accustomed to an extra tight fit....you may be cutting off the curculation over the instep area without much notice! Try finding a boot with more space over the instep. That's made all the difference 4me...and I have a couple protruding veins that are sittin' ducks for pressure from above. Raynaud's(sp?) issue is a possibility. There is also a vein just above one's heel, that if pinched, can also cause loss of circulation in toes & forefoot.
..You've probably checked into this stuff before....
Good luck...

[DerJaeger]

The circulation problem is most likely Reynauld's Syndrome

Is there a cure for this? I seem to vaugely recall something about certain anti vascular constriction drugs -- although no doubt they have some terrible side effect effect, such as causing you to instantly bleed to death if you get a paper cut from a particularly sharp map.

[ZGnzo]

I've heard that Aspirin increases blood circulation.

[nhtele]

Well, since the attachment show what my feet used ot look like I use hotronics everyday. Battery loss is an issue, but avoidable with Duct Tape. They sell batts. singly as well.

[Obstruction]

You may want to add (NSFL)not safe for lunch on this thread. NHTele those are some seriously ugly piggies, must of hurt like a mutha.

[Core Shot]

The circulation problem is most likely Reynauld's Syndrome, which is most common in women. Something like 20 percent of all women suffer from it. One of my daughters suffers from it; in the cold her fingers and toes go from pasty white to yellow as the capillaries constrict. Unfortunately, she probably gets it from me, as my mother always had cold fingers and toes.

Beat me to it.

Except that its spelled variously as Raynaud's or Reynaud's Syndrome.

If your hands and feet are regularly cold, this could be you. Also, once they get cold, they stay cold. Keeping them warm at all times is the key. Frostbite can be a problem. Read as much as you can.

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=on&q=raynaud%27s+syndrome

[ole2planker]

Thanks for correcting the spelling and providing the google link. I was rushed when I posted before.

[skideeppow]

My feet and hands get numb cold too. And I don't see how it could be boot fit because it doesn't have to be in ski boots - merrell snow clogs, slippers, whatever. If I'm cold, my body seems to go right to restricting blood flow to my extremities. Tele boots seem to help because my feet actually get to flex and move and that seems to improve the circulation some. Or maybe because I'm working harder and therefore staying warmer.

I tried the Hotronic heaters and they seemed to work okay until I lost one of the battery packs - it fell off of my boot somewhere and that was that. I haven't sprung for a second setup. I was always messing with the cord, the tape that holds the cord in place, or forgot to charge them or some stupid thing. If they were less of a hassle I'd think about getting another pair.
You should get the newer mount, the one that goes on the power strap. Lift does not hit them, battery is under your pant, unless you are an in the boot type of pant person, which i know you are not, and the new batteries last wicked long (i could here xover saying that on the lift). As for cold hands and feet. google rainodes (sp?). This affect lots of people, makes you super susseptable to cold (cold hands and feet in 50 degree weather).

[skideeppow]

Sorry did not read the whole thread before i posted.

Other suggestions, apply anti persperent to your dry feet prior to putting your socks on. YOu have more sweet glands in your feet than any other part of your body. If you perspire, the sweat freezes and creates problems.

Buy a snap dry to dry your boots out nightly.

Intuition EVA liners, the warmest thing made for your feet.

Instep pressure, make sure you have room there, over the dorsalis pedius. Any light pressure here will create numb and cold toes. Also check just behind the the inside ankle. This is the posteriur tibial artery and can also give you cold feet if there is pressure on it.

Hotronics rule, the new ones are insanely good.

(sorry for the spelling, tgr should have spell check).:biggrin:

[altagirl]

You should get the newer mount, the one that goes on the power strap. Lift does not hit them, battery is under your pant, unless you are an in the boot type of pant person, which i know you are not, and the new batteries last wicked long (i could here xover saying that on the lift). As for cold hands and feet. google rainodes (sp?). This affect lots of people, makes you super susseptable to cold (cold hands and feet in 50 degree weather).

Yeah - I think I actually lost it walking through the parking lot or something when my boots were unbuckled. Stupid.

I should really look into buying just one replacement battery and using them again. I've already been using boot dryers/heaters for years now. And I tried anti perspirant once, but it didn't seem to make any difference. I don't think it's a sweat issue anyway.

I wore seven layers yesterday, including a helmet liner, helmet, neck gaiter up over my face so not even my nose was sticking out and hood up on top of it all, and had heaters in my gloves. I was right on the verge of sweating when I walked up to the line, but after standing there for 45 minutes waiting for the lift to open, I made it through exactly one run before I had to go in and warm my toes and thumbs up because they felt completely frozen solid. I actually have to go with two pairs of glove heaters on really cold days - one set in the fingers and another set in the thumbs. It's stupid. At least Craig was cold yesterday too. Usually my hands are frozen and he's taking his gloves off on the lift and steam is rolling off of them because he's sweating to death. Pisses me off.

My stomach can't handle much aspirin, so that's out, but one of those sites on Reynauds recommended fish oil supplements. I can try that anyway.

[ccwaskier]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think i am going to go for the hotronics. I do have some pretty big veins right over my high arches, so that probably causes a problem. I never really worried about cold feet until last winter when I took a wilderness first responder course and saw all the pictures of severe frostbite. nhtele's pic's are bad, but some are much worse:

http://medeverest.webpark.pl/medycyna_wysokosciowa/odmrozenia.html

I am from washington where a lot of the time its not very cold, but now am going to school in colorado, where the cold seems to be more an issue. At least with the hotronics if my feet still get numb from circulation issues, i'll know they aren't freezing.

[skideeppow]

Yeah - I think I actually lost it walking through the parking lot or something when my boots were unbuckled. Stupid.

I should really look into buying just one replacement battery and using them again. I've already been using boot dryers/heaters for years now. And I tried anti perspirant once, but it didn't seem to make any difference. I don't think it's a sweat issue anyway.

I wore seven layers yesterday, including a helmet liner, helmet, neck gaiter up over my face so not even my nose was sticking out and hood up on top of it all, and had heaters in my gloves. I was right on the verge of sweating when I walked up to the line, but after standing there for 45 minutes waiting for the lift to open, I made it through exactly one run before I had to go in and warm my toes and thumbs up because they felt completely frozen solid. I actually have to go with two pairs of glove heaters on really cold days - one set in the fingers and another set in the thumbs. It's stupid. At least Craig was cold yesterday too. Usually my hands are frozen and he's taking his gloves off on the lift and steam is rolling off of them because he's sweating to death. Pisses me off.

My stomach can't handle much aspirin, so that's out, but one of those sites on Reynauds recommended fish oil supplements. I can try that anyway.

That is nuts, i would see a circulative specialist at the U. Good luck!

[altagirl]

That is nuts, i would see a circulative specialist at the U. Good luck!

I don't know that there's much point. I think I'd be diagnosed as a typical woman (most of my female friends go through the same thing and many of them won't even attempt skiing at all when conditions are like Sunday's). My symptoms aren't even close to being severe as far as the charts and diagnosis on the Reynauds Syndrome websites go. If it's severe you'd get waxy or blue hands just from cool temps or rummaging around the freezer for a minute. I'm not anywhere near that bad. And treatments basically focus on staying warm, maybe taking some aspirin, and being careful in the cold, unless you have exceptionally severe symptoms.

I'm sure the doctor would say something pretty similar to what my Dad would say: "Quit standing around in 5 degree weather and high winds trying to get first tracks and you won't be cold". I'll suck it up and get some extra heaters and it'll be fine.

[RXevolv]

Hi all Maggots!!! This is my first post here. :biggrin:

One thing that can really help most circulation issues, including Raynaud's, is the supplement Niacin - which is Vitamin B3. This supplement will increase your overall circulation, especially to your extremeties.

Be warned though, it can also cause what is known as a "niacin flush", which is where your face, arms, whatever, becomes VERY red, from the increased circulation. This lasts about 30 min. to an hour or so.

I hope this can help!

[altagirl]

Thanks. I'll have to try that.


(Being helpful = Good way to make your entrance too. ;) )

[Buzzworthy]

AG,

Just the other day I opened a box (yeah, still not moved in up in Cove completely) and saw my Hottronics heaters and foot beds. Got them when I was in Breck one year.

I have no idea if they work and would have to find them again, but you have have em if I can find em again. I did not see the charger, so I have no clue if they are still good.


I really hated messing with the cords and lost one as well, mom got me a new one since I was still on their meal ticket.


I have HORRIBLE circulation to my feet, they are cold right now, but mine is hereditary (sp) and I did get frostbite land surveying on my big toe years ago.

Ski boots do not keep my feet warm, bottom line. But when I snowboard in soft boots and can flex and whatnot, my feet are so hot they sweat sometimes. Below 10 degrees, hands and feet are cold no matter what.


PM me if you want me to dig em out again. Or I can check back here, whatever.

Buzz

[XtrPickels]

I have thermic heaters mounted on my footbeds and I don't think they work at all? Is this a thermic problem? Did i somehow install them wrong?

On sunday, granted it was cold as hell, but I took my boot off at lunch and stuck my hand inside, didn't really feel any warmth coming from the heater pad. This was setting 2. Turned it up to setting 3 and they were a little warm by the end of lunch, but the battery ran out within an hour.

What happens if you put the heating pad on upside down? I don't think i did that, but now I'm wondering... its either that or they are ineffective

[Johnny Gunn]

Have any of you used hotronic footbeds? I have tried just about everything to keep my feet warm . . . new intuition liners, pro boot fitting, different socks, disposible heat pack, but my feet always go numb and get really cold to the point i have to go in and warm them up to prevent frostbite, which is a real bummer to lose skiing time sitting in the lodge. Even standing around in sorels which supposedly keep your feet warm to -20, it can be 40 and my feet are numb. I have tried to stay away from the hotronic things because they are expensive, need to be recharged everynight, and look like i would break them, but i don't know what else to do at this point. I am running out of options. Anyone used them or have any suggestions?


I've been using the hotronic footbeds for the past 9 years, since my feet suck at staying warm. I've tried a lot of things (even pepper in my socks) and the hotronic's seem to work best for me. If your expecting that there gonna keep your feet toasty warm on cold days, they won't. But they do allow me to stay out longer in the cold than I could without them. The rechargable batteries have been improved over the last couple of years to hold a charge a lot longer. I don't use them everyday only when the temps drop below -12 C. You do have to take care when wearing them from getting damaged on such things as chair lifts. Mine have taken a good beating and are still working fine.