Temperatures and comfort in ski boots…

My wife loves skiing but doesn’t enjoy having her feet prisoner of her ski boots. Her relationship with that stiff footwear has never been idyllic. Things like cold feet to which women are more prone than men. 

Their higher percentage of body fat compared to men provides less insulation than muscle tissue, which generates more heat. Estrogen levels can also affect how the body regulates temperature and can contribute to feelings of coldness. 

This of course is exacerbated by a smaller body size along with a larger surface area to volume ratio. Finally, when it's cold, the body prioritizes keeping vital organs warm by constricting blood vessels in the extremities. Women generally have a more pronounced response in blood vessel constriction, leading to colder extremities. 

We finally vanquished the cold feet situation two seasons ago when I equipped her ski boots with the Hotronic heating devices. This left us however with another problem, a form of heat edema, which in the context of ski boots refers to a condition caused by a combination of factors related to wearing ski boots for extended periods. 

The edema refers to fluid buildup in the tissues, often causing swelling. In the case of ski boots, this swelling might occur in your feet and ankles due to restricted circulation and pressure. Also ski boots can trap heat, especially during intense activity or during spring skiing conditions. This can contribute to increased sweating and further fluid accumulation.

We’ve also begun to resolve that problem by “punching” bumps in the outer shell of my wife’s ski boots (photo), and I still have to make room under her navicular bones, in the instep area and right where the tongue is attached to the liner. 

You could say that it’s work in progress. But what is not?