Treat Your Feet Right

Published November 14, 2012 12:00AM

There’s a reason it feels so good to take off your boots at the end of a long day on the mountain. It’s torture in there for your feet. Squished into an unnatural positon while you slog through snow, ice, and water; it’s a wonder they don’t fall right off (something that’s been known to happen in more extreme conditions). Stave off cramps and frostbite with these helpful tips:

Winter Foot Care: Upgrade Your Insole

Great gear will only get you so far. You have to be kind to what goes in it too. Here are some tips for taking care of your feet on the slopes.

The quickest way to improve the fit—and warmth—of your boot is to get an insole that molds to your foot. An off-the-rack model like Masterfit’s EZ-Fit Snow ($40) or Sole’s Chris Davenport Signature Series ($50) will help significantly. But we strongly recommend tailor-made insoles from Surefoot. Custom work costs $215, and you have to get your foot measured at one of Surefoot’s 39 outlets, but it’s time and money well spent.

Winter Foot Care: Crank the Heat

Great gear will only get you so far. You have to be kind to what goes in it too. Here are some tips for taking care of your feet on the slopes.

Boot heaters that work while you ski are exactly what they sound like: absolutely amazing. Hotronic’s FootWarmer Power Plus e3 ($219) fits between the liner and shell of your boot and takes up to 60 minutes to install. Four settings allow you to adjust the temperature: hot on the chairlift ride up, cool on the powder line down.

Winter Foot Care: Less Is More

Great gear will only get you so far. You have to be kind to what goes in it too. Here are some tips for taking care of your feet on the slopes.

One pair of thin-to-midweight ski-specific socks is all you need. We’re fans of Wigwam’s Xenon Pro ($22) and SmartWool’s PhD Light ($24). But our absolute favorite is Fits’s Light Ski ($24), a merino-wool blend that stays in place all day, never bunches up, and left us totally blister-free.