Q. Cold Feet
First I love the site. I have been riding for about 8 or 9 years now and
have never had warm feet. I do smoke and know that that cause poor
circulation especially in the feet. I ride Burton Ruler boots w/ a pair of
their riding socks. I have also tried different pairs of socks with minimal
success. What do you suggest/
Any help would be great. Thanks
Steve
Jeremy King answers:
I have dealt with cold feet often, I've never bothered to try all those
"fancy" socks with all the hype about keeping your little toes warm, because
I've seen how much of a let-down they are. Most of the time cold feet is due
to your boots being too tight and cutting off circulation.
One suggestion is spend the extra couple of dollars for form fitting
insoles.
If you're looking for a cheaper option, there are always those little "hot
chillies" pouches that when they hit air, warm up instantly.. the only
downside ot those, is that you have the equivalent to a small beanbag in
your boots...
A trick I've found is that when my toes start to get cold, I take a quick
break inside.. let my boots air out, and most of the time my boots stay warm
the rest of the day....
Gavin Ehringer answers:
Wear socks that don't have holes! Seriously, your boots may be too tight,
cutting off circulation. Buy boots late in the day, when your feet are
swollen from standing all day in front of the burger grille at the
McDonald's where you work. Wear the same type socks you plan to wear on the
mountain ‹ bring your own, if you can, or buy some with the boots. I find
that thick socks don't help me and I lose proper feel of my board edge, so I
just wear regular ol' athletic socks or even men's synthetic dress socks.
Your boot has plenty of insulation.
When properly laced up, your feet should be snug in the boot with no
tight spots. You should not, however, feel any movement of your foot back
and forth, so that the piggies slam into the toe box. If you have a proper
fitting boot but still have cold feet, you can buy electric socks with
heating wires built in (popular among motocross riders) or heat packets that
fit in the boots and keep your feet toasty all day.
Chickie Rosenberg answers:
I have two suggestions. One has to do with your feet, the other with
your body's heating system.
My feet were also cold in my snowboard boots and I had the proper boot
fit, footbed, and socks. One way I solved the problem was to have a Raichle
ski boot liner which was super warm substituted for my Burton liner. It was
the excellent idea of a boot fitter at a ski shop.
The second part of my answer is predicated by a question. Do you wear a
hat? And better yet, a helmet? Think of your body as a house and your head
is the chimney. If your head is not covered and kept warm, then all the
body heat escapes like heat going up a fireplace chimney. Because of the
loss of body heat, your circulatory system reacts by bringing more blood to
protect the body organs (kidneys, etc.) and it does so by calling in
reinforcement from the outer regions... your extremities. It may sound like
strange advice, but if your feet are cold, you should put on a warm hat.
Kevin Ryan answers:
Are you wearing thin moisture wicking socks? I've heard that thick ones can
make your boots so tight they block circulation.
Are your boots very tight?
Are your toes cramped?
Have you tried custom foot beds?
Are you anemic?
How cold is it outside when your feet are cold?
Steve answers Kevin:
Yes my socks are thin and are supposed to wick moisture (whether they do or
not is a different story)
-My boots are not very tight and my toes are not cramped.
-Custom foot beds???
-Anemic? Thin blood? No
-Not very cold, this weekend was 7-10 degrees at Stratton They tend to be
cold even when its 20 degrees out.
I do like to wear my bindings tight, better responsiveness, but when I stop
I always loosen them otherwise it really starts to hurt.
Gavin Ehringer answers:
Used to be, women had to suffer by wearing men's boots. Women's feet tend to
be wider in front and narrower in the back than men's feet, and women also
have shorter and thicker calves (sorry, gals, but it's a fact). As women
became a bigger percentage of snowboarders, more and more companies began
churning out boots that better fit women's feet and calves. All boots are
built on "lasts," which are template shapes based on "average" feet. But
different boot makers use different lasts, built on different standards of
foot anatomy. When you are looking for boots, try on lots of models from
different manufacturers to find one whose lasts best approximate your own
foot shape.
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