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How do you deal with cold fingers and toes?

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have frigid, tingling fingers and especially toes when I ski. I've figured out how to solve the fingers problem -- wear only mittens, and put hand-warmers inside against the tops of my fingers. I buy them by the case. Really. No, they don't ever burn. They keep my handsies cuddlie-warm and happy.

But the toes are another story. I have boots with battery-powered warmers. No good. I put the things on high and they run out of juice before lunch (I ski 9:00 - 4:00, so no good). Plus, they just don't do enough. I've had them rewired, and the batteries checked, and all checks out fine. It's my toes.

I use toe-warmers (yes, I buy them by the case too) and attach them to the tops of my socks at the tip of my feet. That helps, and they stay warm all day and into the evening. But not good enough.

I bought boot gloves, these neoprene things which fit over my skiboots, and they help a lot. They cut out the wind that may seep in through the cracks along the top of the boot, or something. They help more than you would think, but not enough.

I've had my boots ground, pounded, lined, and canted and so on. My bootfitter and I intentionally worked on cutting out any cramping that might cut off circulation. It's questionable whether we've succeeded or not, and I know that cut-off circulation makes toes go cold. But I've spent lots of time getting the boots worked on, and my toes get cold in regular shoes too. My boots are the right size; that's been checked over and over.

So what do other people do? How do you solve this problem, if you have it? This year I'm thinking of taking aspirin when I ski to increase blood flow to see if that helps. I'm really desperate! Help!
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Oh, Liquidfeet, this is a good thread. I suffer from cold hands and feet all the time. I mean, my hands and feet are cold even in the summer, so this is a subject near and dear to me.

For hands: Yes, I have mittens, too. And I, too, buy hand warmers by the case and put them in my mittens. I also use glove liners. If it's really cold, I'll wear two pair of them. And this really seems to work.

For feet: I wear thin socks and I have custom boots that fit really well, so unless it's really cold I'm okay. When it is, I, too, wear the boot gloves, but I don't think they work very well (wish they did). I buy feet warmers by the case, and stick them to the bottoms of my feet, instead of the top. To keep them from scrunching up when I put on my boots, I bring a roll of tear-off packing tape to the slopes and use a little bit of that around the edges. That seems to do the trick.

I've always wanted to try those battery operated feet warmers, so I'm glad to hear your feedback on that. You saved me some money.

I've kind of resigned myself to just having cold feet. Usually it's not too bad. And if it is, I take a break. I'd certainly love to hear how other people deal with it.

By the way, I've never heard of taking asprin for the cold. Think it'll work???
 

Marigee

Angel Diva
My toes tend to get a little cold too, but not so bad I can't live with it. I have these great mittens that I discovered a long time ago in Colorado. They are called "toaster" and they are made by Swamy. They have a glove made of a thin wicking material inside the mitten. The mittens can be leather or synthetic. They have a zipper that runs down the side next to the thumb, so you can unzip and pull out the fingers (either to vent your hands - or do some task that requires fingers.) I have two pair and I love them. They are so toasty warm that I don't need hand warmers.
 

dburdenbates

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Wow, liquidfeet, sounds like your screen name should be frozenfeet instead. The toe warmers usually do the job for me. I already take an aspirin every day, so maybe it's helping and I don't realize it. I also take Gingko Biloba a few weeks before and during a ski trip. I take it as a preventative for altitude sickness (have no idea if it really works, but knock wood, I've never suffered from it), but it's supposed to be great for circulation too.

Of course, you could also have a hot toddie or two before skiing. It wouldn't help keep your feet warm, but you might not care anymore. ;)
 

Lynn

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
cold fingers/toes

This particular problem seems much more common to women than men.
I echo the recommendation of the Swany mitten with the zipper on the side which allows you to use the inner liner gloves for boot buckles. It provides a great spot to put those hand warmers on cold days. This mitten has taken care of my chronically cold fingers. I have used 2 warmers on really frigid days.

THe toes are a different story. I also keep the neoprene boot covers on all the time. I also had the hotronics sp? installed when I bought boots 3 years ago. I was told to not try to keep my toes warm with the system. You should have cool toes. I realized that in attempting to keep my feet warm, I always put in the toe warmers, would often sweat and then the feet would feel even colder in an hour. Keeping the temp consistent, but cool with the boot heater system does really work. I turn it up a notch while standing in lift line and undo a buckle across my feet. AT the top, I dial the temp back down a notch. The activity of skiing does work the circulation. The key is to NOT SWEAT! (when I got the boots/warmer, I was given these very specific instructions which are right ON!)
Thin socks are mandatory. i did not believe this for the first 12 years of skiing. Finally, I have learned the lesson.

Liquid feet, give these a try and see if you feel the difference.
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
You know, someone once actually told me that they use anti-perspirant on their feet to keep them from sweating in their ski boots. I think this is a little extreme and I'm not sure it works, but I bet it keeps their feet from getting too smelly! :D
 

Lynn

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I have heard that same recommendation. Once I stopped wearing thick socks with newer, custom fit boots, the regimen I followed resulted in dry socks. I am fortunate to not have smelly feet even when they do sweat, but I realize that is a gift. My other deficits balance that out!:p
 

snowflake

Certified Ski Diva
I too use the hotronic boot heaters and I like them. I too was told they wouldn't keep my feet warm, but they as a warmer buffer between your feet and the cold. Idea is to the snow takes the warmpth from the boot heater instead of your feet. They are the only thing that has worked for me. My feet get so cold sometimes that I can't feel them, without the boot heaters I'd be in trouble.

I have also heard and seen some women using crushed red pepper and putting that on their feet before they put them into their ski boots. They claim it works, but I"ve never tried.
 

ISki

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Oh boy, cold feet and hands are definitely a problem.

Hands - Leather Mittens - Grandoe "Knockout" mittens or something similar.

Feet - 2 pairs of socks: a thin pair of ski socks and a thick wool pair. It's not foolproof but it helps. I can't tell you how many times I've been told not to wear 2 pairs, especially by male ski shop employees, but I stick to what works.

Also, ski hard. Make turns. Keep active. Don't stand still.
 

Thatsagirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'll probably sound crazy, but instead of focusing on keeping your hands and feet warm, focus on keeping your body core warm. The reason your hands and feet aren't getting enough blood to keep them warm is because your core is cold and your body is sending all the blood to your core to warm you up. No kidding! Women's bodies are designed to protect their core and ultimately keep a fetus warm and protected.

So, make sure you buy adequate ski clothes and wear layers so you can control how hot or cold you get. Do not skimp! :cool: Wear wicking long underwear, tops and bottoms. Wear a microfleece. If necessary, wear a mid-weight fleece vest too. Wear Goretex or other fabrics that are waterproof/breathable to keep out wind, cold and wet from snow. Of course, you should still pay attention to what you wear on your hands and feet. Socks should be thin and made of wicking fabric. The warmest gloves are probably going to cost you $60 and up, and mittens are always warmer than gloves. Boots should be fitted by an expert to make sure that circulation isn't being cut off. Always wear a hat, and if you like wearing helmets, they will provide extra warmth!

Also, pay attention to what you eat. The night before, eat a big dinner, carbs if you aren't on a restricted diet. Coffee is a diuretic, so stay away from it on ski days. Eat a healthy breakfast on ski days. Don't skip it, even if you usually don't eat breakfast. Stop for a good lunch too. Stay hydrated. Oh, and wind down at the end of the day with a hot toddy or a peppermint schnapps hot chocolate near a fireplace. ;)

Hey, I ski at Jay, which everyone agrees is one of the coldest places on Earth, so I know what I'm talking about! :D

Thatsagirl
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I've also found that my entire body stays a lot warmer if I wear a face mask. I HATE how it looks, but on a really cold day, it makes a big difference in how I feel overall.

Also, if my hands get really cold, I stand at the side of the trail and windmill my arms. That seems to help somewhat.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
If my feet or hands get cold, then they are usually wet/damp as well. I'll change socks at noon to keep them dry. I've tried corn starch, baby powder and I've heard of the anti-perspirant thing too. So, I'm looking for good socks, so far its the Lorpen's with the silk in them. I've been known to "windmill" the arms too to get the hands warmed up. But usually the best thing is to head in and warm everything up. Like Jay Peak, Tremblant is very cold in January. I've been known to sit on the chair and pretend that my feet or hands are in Florida, while the rest of my body is on the chair. It sometimes works. I find Thatsagirl's layering post informative for anyone that hasn't skied in cold temps. This year I'm finally trying upper body underwear. I've always used a turtleneck and sweater/fleece. But as I get older I'm finding things colder.
 

Shellski

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I thought I had it bad. I suffered for years with cold feet and toes, but when I got new atomic boots with the pre-wiring, I bought the heaters, happy feet ever since. That, and not ever putting cold boots on cold feet (ie in the parking lot). Hands, I use the best gloves I can get, and put warmers in between the gloves and the inners on extreme days.
 

Thatsagirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Lots of great advice here! :smile:

Jilly, I used to wear a regular turtleneck too. But cotton really isn't the best insulator. And it doesn't wick at all. Many years ago, I bought a zip-T Patagonia capilene top. Now, I won't wear anything else. That's my base layer/T-neck solution now. I like the zip-T better than just a crewneck base layer because it helps keep my neck warm and I can unzip it a bit if I start feeling overheated.

For socks, I like the Smartwool, which uses merino wool. Ultimax by Wigwam makes a nice sock too.

Thatsagirl
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I wear the same top and sox as Thatsagirl (well not exactly the same; you know what I mean). Works great.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I'm waiting for stock at our local shop for base layer. I have bought a crew neck type from a store here in Canada that specializes in work wear. They do construction type stuff, nurses uniforms and all kinds of outdoor wear. It's microfleece, but I think I'd like a zip. So we'll see what Helly Hansen or Sierra designs comes out with. Local guy is getting behind in stock for this kind of stuff right now. But heading into Toronto on the weekend and might hit the big retailers to see what they got. We can't get the battery packs for the atomic boots from the same guy you buy the boots from. The battery packs are imported by somebody else than Atomic. (Atomic warehouse is 3 miles from where I'm sitting and the maintenance guys are here weekly, so I ask!)
Wonderful way to market a product!
 

Thatsagirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ski Diva said:
I wear the same top and sox as Thatsagirl (well not exactly the same; you know what I mean). Works great.

:D :D :D

At least I know who to borrow clothes from now!

Thatsagirl
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ski Diva said:
For feet: I wear thin socks and I have custom boots that fit really well, so unless it's really cold I'm okay. When it is, I, too, wear the boot gloves, but I don't think they work very well (wish they did). I buy feet warmers by the case, and stick them to the bottoms of my feet, instead of the top. To keep them from scrunching up when I put on my boots, I bring a roll of tear-off packing tape to the slopes and use a little bit of that around the edges. That seems to do the trick. (This is a quote, but I obviously don't know how to do it right.)

Since my big problem is with the feet, especially toes, I am interested in how you do this. You say foot warmers - are these the "ToastyToes" that are shaped like half moons? Or are they as long as your foot and foot-shaped? I've never put my ToastyToes on the bottom. I'll try that this winter. And I'll tape around the edges to keep them in place.

As far as the batteries go, I have Atomic T-9 boots with HotTonic warmers. Now that I know that they are not supposed to keep the feet warm, but just keep the boot warm, I'll go back to trying them. However, the only way the batteries will last is if I continuously turn them on and off, or up and down, but there's a problem. I need my GLASSES to see the teenytiny bars indicating how I've got them set, and I don't wear glasses on the slopes. Don't they know people get far-sighted as they get OLD??????? Will try this anyway and work on not geteing myself in a tizzy about it.

Jilly said:
If my feet or hands get cold, then they are usually wet/damp as well. I'll change socks at noon to keep them dry. I've tried corn starch, baby powder and I've heard of the anti-perspirant thing too. (This also is a quote)

My feet often don't sweat. Same for hands. But just in case, I've got the spray antiperspirant and I'll go back to using it.

Everyone: This is great advice. Thanks.
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
liquidfeet said:
Since my big problem is with the feet, especially toes, I am interested in how you do this. You say foot warmers - are these the "ToastyToes" that are shaped like half moons? Or are they as long as your foot and foot-shaped? I've never put my ToastyToes on the bottom. I'll try that this winter. And I'll tape around the edges to keep them in place.

I use the half moons. And I just take a thin bit of tape (you don't want to cover them up too much; that'll keep oxygen from getting to them, and that's what makes them work) and just tape the edges to my socks, coming up along the sides of the feet (hope this makes sense). I came up with this all by myself (she said proudly), and it really seems to work. The adhesive that comes on those things doesn't work worth beans.

(Note: here's how to quote text. Click on "quote" in the message box you want to quote. Then delete anything you don't want, leaving [/QUOTE] at the end, and
at the beginning.)
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Thanks, I'm ready to try taping the half moons to the bottom of my socks under my toes. Seems like since heat rises, that would be more effective than putting them on top as I do now. I'll probably try using duct tape.

I used to duct tape hand warmers to my hot chillys over my quads (of course leaving room for oxygen to get to them), three per thigh. That was sweet! But now I just wear a second set of hot chillys over the first, then the ski pants on top of that.
 

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