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Tips for getting ready in the car

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I'm a life-long lodge booter-upper. That's not unusual for those of us who ski in the East. It's cold here, and I always like to socialize before I head out to the lift (isn't that right, @Abbi?). I already plan to bring a small rug to put on the ground beside the car, for putting on my boots. Does anyone have any other tips?
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Do not put your boots in the trunk, or the roof box. They will be cold! Depending on how big your car is, or truck, how many people, I like to keep my boots right beside the heater outlet. There are heated boot bags out there too.

Same with gloves/mitts!!
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Honestly, I've usually always tried to boot up inside of my car by pushing the seat all the way back. When it's super cold out anyway. As well as putting on the rest of my gear because sometimes there isn't a lot of room to have doors fully open etc. to put out rugs and stand outside. Some parking lots are really tight, though maybe not this season with Covid and trying to keep people distanced. Unless you are behind your trunk.. I never had anything special though, you just want to be more efficient than getting ready in the lodge and use cat tracks etc. depending how far you're walking from.

There actually ARE many who always boot up at their cars in the East, at least on weekends. I did for years before I started renting on mountain just this past season. It's no big deal, don't overthink it too much. :smile:
 

Christy

Angel Diva
I boot up in the car, but I'm in the PNW, and I don't do anything special. It does snow here a lot, so I often have to keep the doors closed and just wiggle into my boots as best I can.

if it's a slow weekday sometimes I treat myself by driving up to the drop off area, running my skis up to a rack at the base, then driving back down to the parking area. Walking very far with skis in my boots, or even using the Crystal shuttle in my boots carrying skis, is kind of hard.
 

Kimmyt

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It depends on how tall your car is and how tall you are. I like to use my open hatch to sit on like a bench when I'm in my Impreza, because my feet can easily reach the ground. When I take my Outback, I fully sit in my trunk/hatch of it and press my feet against the other side to put on my boots or just stand up to put my boots on. Or sometimes I will sit in the passenger seat and put on my boots with my feet on the ground, or if its super cold and windy slide back the passenger seat as far as it can go and I can boot up fully inside. If you drive a tall SUV and are short, it might actually be easier to boot up on a folding chair so you get the right leverage to get into your boots. Since I typically will lean against my car at some point I like to keep a crappy old towel in my trunk and can fold it over the bumper of the car so I don't get road dirt all over myself.

I pretty much always boot up in my car, but its also much more enjoyable now that I have boots with a great walk mode and gripwalk soles.
 

snoWYmonkey

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I am feeling super spoiled. Bought a double walled tall bubble camper shell 5 years ago. Splurged on a front lot parking pass and will be setting up my heater in the back for getting ready and lunches. No way am I hanging out in a crowded locker room with 200 people in a dank basement during my work breaks and to get ready. Expensive proposition, but so is missing a lot of work.

A lot of colleagues have the boot heater bag they plug into their 12 volt in the car.
 

gingerjess

Angel Diva
I am feeling super spoiled. Bought a double walled tall bubble camper shell 5 years ago. Splurged on a front lot parking pass and will be setting up my heater in the back for getting ready and lunches. No way am I hanging out in a crowded locker room with 200 people in a dank basement during my work breaks and to get ready.

This sounds like the way to live!
 

newboots

Angel Diva
@snoWYmonkey - Your method sounds like Mr. Blizzard's plans. He drives a van that has a rear heater in it. The back is empty because he uses it for loading tools in construction. His plan includes a cooler, a special hose rigged up from the heater to heat his boots (which are battery heated anyway), cushions to sit on, and who knows what else. (To be fair, Mr. Blizzard does suffer terribly in the cold, due to multiple episodes of frostbite as a child, skiing in old-fashioned leather boots that got soaked early on.) Of course, he also arrives at the crack of dawn so we are generally parked very close to the lodge.
 

SarahXC

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Carrying a little folding painting ladder like this has made booting at (outside) the car so much easier for me. It is firm to sit on so you don’t sink down and feel like your knees are in your chest as you try to maneuver your boots as you do in a camp chair. It seems to be a nice height to get a good angle for leverage for users between 4’9” to 6’1”. Bonus I don’t have to try to balance on the rear door opening or wheel to get to the roof box. When it’s cold I lay a crazy creek across it to keep my buns off the metal.


E14F0AA8-BF9F-4DDE-8CBD-45C29C15F4A2.jpeg
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
My ski buddy Bill has a folding step ladder in his SUV in order to deal with skis that go in the roof boxes. He used it during a late, late season trip when it was easier to boot up in the empty parking lot at Squaw or Mammoth than carrying a boot bag to a lodge building.

Mammoth May 2018
Mammoth resort May2018 - 1.jpg
 

kiki

Angel Diva
Honestly, I've usually always tried to boot up inside of my car by pushing the seat all the way back. When it's super cold out anyway. As well as putting on the rest of my gear because sometimes there isn't a lot of room to have doors fully open etc. to put out rugs and stand outside. Some parking lots are really tight, though maybe not this season with Covid and trying to keep people distanced. Unless you are behind your trunk.. I never had anything special though, you just want to be more efficient than getting ready in the lodge and use cat tracks etc. depending how far you're walking from.

There actually ARE many who always boot up at their cars in the East, at least on weekends. I did for years before I started renting on mountain just this past season. It's no big deal, don't overthink it too much. :smile:
I am like Missy and usually boot up in car by pushing back seat. I keep my boots on the floor of the passenger side of the car so they stay warm and soft and easy to put on. I put my coat, gloves and helmet on the passenger seat so after I park I can put it all in in the car.
 

MrsPlow

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Any recommendations for boot dryers that don't screw up custom liners? We've had the luxury of leaving our boots in a locker in a nice warm locker room for the past few winters - no lockers this year due to covid, so they're coming home with us every day. It's only a short drive to the ski hill so don't need to keep them warm in the car, just dry them out.
 

contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Any recommendations for boot dryers that don't screw up custom liners? We've had the luxury of leaving our boots in a locker in a nice warm locker room for the past few winters - no lockers this year due to covid, so they're coming home with us every day. It's only a short drive to the ski hill so don't need to keep them warm in the car, just dry them out.
The stand up boot dryers (Costco sells them sometimes) have a "fan only" option, which blows room temp air.
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm a life-long lodge booter-upper. That's not unusual for those of us who ski in the East. It's cold here, and I always like to socialize before I head out to the lift (isn't that right, @Abbi?). I already plan to bring a small rug to put on the ground beside the car, for putting on my boots. Does anyone have any other tips?

You?!!!! You are so quiet and retiring!! Honestly, I liked the social mornings before we went out. Nice to figure out what everybody was doing.

I have been thinking about this problem. And have no suggestions yet! I have booted up at a friends car in Utah. But Utah, even when cold, isn’t the bone chilling, wet cold we get in New England. I’m not sure what my arthritic and Raynaud’s affected hands are going to make of trying to close boot buckles outside! A mat of some kind is certainly in order. I’m not one with good feet, either. I am not looking forward to walking in ski boots. And can I park as close as I have been able to by getting up early and hanging around the lodge for half an hour or more?! Sit in my car for ages? Or will I have to walk from God knows where!? I know this will all sort itself out. But I am having a moment of :hurt:
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Any recommendations for boot dryers that don't screw up custom liners? We've had the luxury of leaving our boots in a locker in a nice warm locker room for the past few winters - no lockers this year due to covid, so they're coming home with us every day. It's only a short drive to the ski hill so don't need to keep them warm in the car, just dry them out.

I just take my liners out of the shell and let them air dry over night.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Honestly, I've usually always tried to boot up inside of my car by pushing the seat all the way back.
When I've had a reason to boot up in the car, I've done it in the back seat. Pretty straight forward when I was driving my own minivan. When in a rental SUV, still find it easier in the back seat than the front seat. But I'm petite so that helps too.
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Any recommendations for boot dryers that don't screw up custom liners? We've had the luxury of leaving our boots in a locker in a nice warm locker room for the past few winters - no lockers this year due to covid, so they're coming home with us every day. It's only a short drive to the ski hill so don't need to keep them warm in the car, just dry them out.

I have these- even have a Car charger plug - they circulate warm air .
https://www.rei.com/product/891154/dryguy-travel-boot-dryer 1601635423680.png
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
And can I park as close as I have been able to by getting up early and hanging around the lodge for half an hour or more?! Sit in my car for ages? Or will I have to walk from God knows where!? I know this will all sort itself out. But I am having a moment of :hurt:

Oooo, good point, Abbi. I hadn't even thought of that. Good parking was a big reason for coming early. At least we could pass the time in the lodge.
 

BackCountryGirl

Angel Diva
I put my boots on the heated passenger seat; but that might not work if you have a passenger. And, definitely invest in cat tracks if you'll be doing more walking while booted!
 

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