How to Buy Heaters for Ski Boots

Do you suffer with cold feet every time you go skiing? Ever wish you could have ONE day of comfortable skiing without having to stop every 15 minutes to warm your feet? Well, there is an answer. During the past 10 years, several manufacturers have come up with a number of models of boot heaters that are designed to keep your feet warm and dry on cold, blustery days. Powered by small, rechargeable batteries that mount to the back of your boots, boot heaters work like small electric blankets. The heaters are installed underneath your footbeds or insoles below the ball of your foot, the place that is most often affected by cold weather. A cable runs under your foot, along the back of the boot and outside to a battery. Here's how you get them installed.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A properly fitted pair of ski boots
• Custom fitted footbeds (optional)
• A pair of socks

1. Begin by working with a qualified boot fitter who specialized in fitting ski boots and footbeds. Installing boot heaters may effect the way that your feet fit into your boots.

2. Be sure to wear the same type of sock during your heater installation as you normally wear while skiing. Even the thickness of a pair of socks can change the way a boot fits.

3. Speak with the technician and decide which type of heater is right for you. Different models come with various battery lives and are often inversely related to how well they keep your feet warm. Choose a pair of boot heaters that meet your needs and will keep your feet warm for as long as you typically ski. You don't want the battery running out of power when you still have several hours of skiing left in the day.

4. Have the boot heaters professionally installed in your boots. This will often require that they remove some of the material from the bottom of your footbed or insole for a proper fit.

Tips & Warnings

• Look carefully at the battery life of the heaters. If the heaters will only keep you warm for a few hours of use, consider buying an extra set of batteries.
• Consider bringing your ski pants with you to make sure that they will go over the outside of your boots with the heater batteries.
• Resist the temptation to install boot heaters yourself. Even the smallest addition to the inside of your boots can radically change the way that they fit.
• Avoid buying the cheapest, least expensive model heaters. Just because they work for hunter's or fishermen's boots doesn't mean that they'll work for your ski boots.

Resources

• Cozy Feet Boot Heaters
• Hotronics Boot Heaters