Frostbite / Frostnip

[Mazderati]

Went to the local hill on Saturday and think I may have a taken home a mild case of frostbite on one of my big toes. No significant black or white discoloration (maybe a little red), no blistering, and no significant swelling. But, about one square inch of skin on the tip of my big toe (just the tip - that's what she said), is numb. It feels like that one area is asleep but the pins and needles of resurgent blood flow never happen. I'm not sure how deep the desensitization goes but I can still feel pressure.

I had a few things working against me on Saturday including new boots and single digit temps for parts of the day. The liner was snug since it was new, so I undid all the buckles after most runs. The unfortunate side effect was snow that crept into the shell and melted, giving me cold, wet feet.

Is this shit frostbite? Does it go away over time? I'm guessing that toe is going to get colder, easier from now on, but I do hope the feeling comes back.

[mntlion]

feeling will come back in a few days/weeks

it will always get re-damaged easier now.

[Mazderati]

Well that sucks. Bootgloves and fanny pack, here I come.

[Tye 1on]

feeling will come back in a few days/weeks

it will always get re-damaged easier now.

true story.

personally i've been lucky with toes, unlucky with fingers, from bad decisions 10-15 years ago. Couple years ago they re-frostnipped on a late fall road bike ride, i stopped a mile in, set the bike down, and damn near cried the little fuckin digits were in so much pain. Hopefully you won't see that. Don't think there's anything you can do at this point other than trying to keep 'em warm from here on out...

[snowmonster]

Then the toenail will fall off as a new nail grows back. The new nail will look strange and ridged but eventually it grows into a regular looking nail. Just in time for next season when it gets frozen in January and the cycle repeats itself. Happens to me every year. Worst part is walking around the beach in summer with a black toe.

[MakersTeleMark]

Happens to me every year. Worst part is walking around the beach in summer with a black toe.

Sweet 1st world problem.

[Arcava]

I believe after a 1st grade frostbite the skin takes about 7 years to heal, ofcourse during that period you're more vulnerable to frostbite and so its really hard to actually get back to normal

[neufox47]

I frost nipped my toes two weeks in a row now... Dumbass I know. Biting the bullet and getting hottronics... Don't think I have any other option at this point.

[Tye 1on]

I frost nipped my toes two weeks in a row now... Dumbass I know. Biting the bullet and getting hottronics... Don't think I have any other option at this point.

cayenne? [not kidding]

[gatorboy]

Sweet 1st world problem.

I laughed, but then felt a twinge of guilt for laughing at his discomfort. Damn It!!

[Missing Sock]

Then the toenail will fall off as a new nail grows back. The new nail will look strange and ridged but eventually it grows into a regular looking nail. Just in time for next season when it gets frozen in January and the cycle repeats itself. Happens to me every year. Worst part is walking around the beach in summer with a black toe.

This.

Still getting the pins and needles feeling in my big toe 10 years after I originally had the frostbite/nip.

[brutah]

doesn't sound too bad at all.....

when you get woken up in the middle of the night by the burning of the feeling coming back to your toes then you've had frostbite..... when your toe swells up and blisters and you can't walk right for a week or feel the bottom of your toe for six months then you've got frost bite........ a little numbness is just what i call a typical lift served ski day.

[Pegleg]

feeling will come back in a few days/weeks

it will always get re-damaged easier now.

Yep, that's my experience. I now put a footwarmer in the toe of my boot every day, unless it's above freezing. Thought about getting hottronics, but did the math and it's cheaper (if not more enviro) to just use disposable toewarmers.

[neufox47]

cayenne? [not kidding]

Tried that last year. It helped. But I felt like the shitty chem. toe warmers were more effective. The problem with them being, my boots really don't have that type of room in the toes, and they are so finicky. Sometimes they are really warm, sometimes they barely work. I use VB socks, so the moisture shouldn't be an issue.

Maybe I bring some cayenne on my hut trip, as there's no way I'm going to have 4 days worth of batteries.

[Pegleg]

I think cayenne helps you FEEL warmer, but it doesn't actually make your feet warmer in terms of temp. So, if you've already damaged nerves, I don't think it'll help your situation. You need to keep the actual temp of your toes up, not try to trick your brain into thinking that they are warmer than they are.

I've tried a bunch of different toe warmers, and it seems like the ones that are specifically made for feet with the adhesive on them work best in the enclosed environment of a ski boot. If they're not heating up enough, they're probably not getting enough air; loosen your buckles on the lift or during a rest and they should warm up again. And for a multi-day trip, it's easy enough to toss a pile of them in your bag since they take up little space and don't weigh much.

[Tippster]

Sounds like a circulation problem to me - less blood flow = less warmth, right? Been to a bootfitter lately?

[brutah]

I think cayenne helps you FEEL warmer, but it doesn't actually make your feet warmer in terms of temp. So, if you've already damaged nerves, I don't think it'll help your situation. You need to keep the actual temp of your toes up, not try to trick your brain into thinking that they are warmer than they are.

cayenne pepper rapidly increases the circulation system, so your feet are getting more blood. more blood=warmer feet.

the problem with toe warmers for me is that I have a very aggressive boot fit, so they actually reduce the space in the toe box to further restrict circulation and make my feet colder. the only solutions i have found are a. thinner socks, or b. bigger boots, or c. having a bootfitter punch out the toes or d. intuition liner or e. occasionally go inside and warm feet or f. a combo of the above. never tried cayenne pepper, did do a detox which included cayenne pepper and it made me feel gooooood. but after i lost feeling in my toe for multiple months, i take frostbite seriously. I'll even stop when i'm ob, take off my boot and rub my foot warm/put them in a down coat for a bit.

I'm not a fan of hotronics. never had em but i imagine i'd lose the battery on the back plus it weighs extra. also they're costly.

Also, i just got touring boots and they're way awesome as far as comfort and my feet not getting cold. not sure i'd want to rock them in bounds though as i tend to be tough on gear cause i'm a big'un. I can wear my touring boots all day whereas i usually need to take my boots off when skiing in bounds after sometime. my best advice would be to create an artificial toe that can operate in subzero temps and then just cut off your toes, replace em and never worry bout it again.

[Mazderati]

There's no damage to the toe nail and there is skin between the end of the toe nail and the frostnipped tip of my toe that is undamaged. Even sitting around the house, my feet become cold very easily. I think this, plus the new boots, plus the cold temps, plus having the boots on all day added up. Bummed that this shit is more likely to come back. My big toes hit the front of the boot when I'm not leaning on the cuffs, but I think the fit is pretty good. I already have some boot gloves to try. Probably try a set of Intuitions, too.

[Tippster]

Sounds to me like you have a pair of boots that would fit someone else's feet perfectly - yours not so much. Did you do a shell fit before you bought them?

[Mazderati]

I think the shell fit is good. Just measured somewhere around half an inch of space at the heel with my big toe brushing against the front of the boot. Lange RX130 FWIW.

[Chainsaw_Willie]

I get numbness at the end of my big toe on my left foot fairly frequently in my touring boots, but it's not frostbite. It's because the liner's just a tad bit short and I get toe bang in the end of the boot. Happens with my hiking boots too. Sensation always comes back within a week.