Warm Substitute for Plastic BC boots

[Remix]

I have a situation in that my feet are not happy in any plastic teleboots (even garmonts) which I use for warmth for back country overnights.

I have tried and tried, including getting the boots blown out until they actually became too short and I got black toe.

My nephew got me a set of Brooks overboots and I found a pair of Fisher La Sal 75 mm boots really cheap. These are leathers with some insulation. I was wondering if anyone used these overboots with non-plastic boots around camp.

Like I said, I bought the light plastic tele's for warmth, not turning or going down narrow trails.

The impossibly expensive solution is Silvretta 500's and Koflach's.

 

[spencer]

Silvrettas and Koflachs are not a good combo if you want to ski. If you merely want to get places on the skis with skins and do some sliding downhill, they are fine, but the Koflachs are not stiff enough to turn skis very well.

do some searching on the site for alpine touring, silvretta, etc. and you'll find a couple of threads from last year where we discussed this.

Have you tried going to a serious tele or downhill shop where they customize footbeds, plastic shells, etc.?

What size are your garmonts?

spencer

 

[dave.m]

Remix,

A couple of thoughts jump to mind....

1) I assume you are talking about the OR Brooks Ranger overboot. I have a (now discontinued) version of that called the X-Gaiter, which lacks the fabric bottom of the Brooks. As I understand it, the Brooks was made for plastic mountaineering boots and will accomodate snap on crampons put on OVER the fabric bottoms of the Brooks. I can't imagine how this would work with a 75mm ski boot. Perhaps you could modify (and void your warranty) by cutting a slit in the front to accomodate the duckbill? Even then, I would be concerned about fit issues in the binding interface.

2) As a benchmark, I've used the following combination down to -15F but I can't say that I had much margin of error:
+ OR X-Gaiter
+ Uninsulated leather hiking boot
+ Heavy wool sock
+ Vapor Barrier sock
+ Liner sock.

Of course, YMMV. More info on VB's here:
http://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/DirtbagPinner/vb.txt

3) I would focus on what kind of nordic boot you need first, and then consider how to make it warm. It is quite a jump from a floppy touring boot like the La Sal to a plastic boot. I would barely put the La Sal into the same camp as the old Snowfield. My thoughts on boots are here:
http://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/DirtbagPinner/bc-boots.html
and matching them to skis is here:
http://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/DirtbagPinner/quick-picks.html

4) If you have plastic boots and can live with their performance, you might consider upgrading to thermo-moldable liners, which should give you a custom fit while providing a lot (I mean a lot) more warmth. I think Sierra Trading post has liners for cheap right now. You can bake 'em yourself (holler for links) or go to a good boot fitter.

5) If the La Sal is more the type of boot you want (it is a really light boot), I would think the best way to add warmth would be with a rubber randed "Super Gaiter" that is insulated with Thinsulate or some such. No idea who, if anybody, is making them currently. Anybody? Ah, found one by Mammut. http://tinyurl.com/arl9n

 

[spencer]

about crampons and ski boots

spencer

 

[Remix]

Thanks for the advice...yah I tried some different pieces of foam around the inside edge of my foot before we decided to blow out the boots. I am 29.5--they said the shell is the same for 29 and 29.5 and only the liner is different.

As far as the silvrettas + koflachs go--the only option for me is ebay--I mean to use them basically as an approach ski.

Dave.M- I was not thinking of skiing in the overboots, just using them around camp.

Thanks for the links and advice!

 

[dave.m]

Thanks for the advice...yah I tried some different pieces of foam around the inside edge of my foot before we decided to blow out the boots.

Thermo-moldable liners are totally different to adding foam to a boot liner. The latter is how one tries to adjust an old fashion boot liner to take up excess room.

Thermo-modable liners are very different. You litteraly bake the liner in an oven and put your foot in the soft hot liner while it is in the shell. As it cools, it custom forms to your foot. Intuition is one of a few after market manufacturers of these.

Dave.M- I was not thinking of skiing in the overboots, just using them around camp.

Ah! If the problem is cold feet in camp....

Ski in VB socks to keep your socks and boots dry from sweat. Take the VB socks off in camp.

Booties of some sort would help too, of course. The Brooks will certainly work for that but a big Polargaurd bootie might suffice too.

 

[DougPaul]

I was not thinking of skiing in the overboots, just using them around camp.

Ahh--thats very different from skiing in them.

I have 3 suggestions--booties, booties, and booties.

Booties tend to get damp very easily, so polyester fill is preferable to down. It may also be worth adding an insulating felt insole. (My booties have a thin layer of ensolite which crushes in time. The insoles supply the lost insulation.)

Also useful for late night visits to the woods.

Doug