cold feet

[letsroll]

I have the nepal extreme's and my feet only get cold when I put on my crampons. I have switched to a thicker sock, but that does not seem to help. I seem to be fine in every other situation. My thought is that the cold is transmited through the sole so I was considering putting a foam pad between my boot and my crampon, an idea I got from overboots. Will this work? What kind of foam should I try? Has anybody done any thing simular?

[lummox]

are you making the strap too tight?

what crampons do you use?

[glassgowkiss]

it might have different cause. crampons will force your posterior calf muscle to work harder and tighten down, hence blocking the blood flow. putting custom foot beds into your boots would reduce this, since it would lock your arch better.you should strengthen your foot and posterior calf.

[carolyn]

I always have COLD/FROZEN toes. I think I might have some tissue damage in addition to the fact that I smoke, tho.

 

So far, learning to tie my boots properly has helped a great deal ( tightening them more at the top vs down by the toes).

 

Also, not wearing my crampons if I dont have to makes a HUGE difference. Thats not always an option, but when it is, take advantage of it.

 

Toe warmers can help, if you dont use them already.

 

footbeds are saviors...Im thinking of figuring out a way to dbl up on them.

 

I try to walk around as much as possible when Im in my boots, tap my toes frequently, etc.

 

Thicker socks might not always be the answer as they may make your boots tighter, constricting blood flow. I know for me and the fit of my boot, if I wear a thick sock there is no hope.

 

Glassgokiss has an interesting thought about strengthening the muscles. SOmething to consider for sure!

[letsroll]

I have Cassin C12. I could not get that strap tight enough to cut off circulation, I am always pulling on the strap to tighten them so I don't trip.

[Thinker]

what kind of boots?

[letsroll]

La Sportiva nepal extreme's

[glassgowkiss]

carolyn - what i was reffering as custom foot beds are heat molded superfeet or similar. esentially they are non corrective orthodics. they are molded to your feet. the generic one don't work and footbeds made by sportiva, scarpa and others blow chunks all the way. even 2 or 3 milimiter "sink" can cause a shit load of problems with your feet, like toe bunions, heel spurs (not talking crampons here), knee pain or hip pain. we are talking repetitive motion injuries. so not only strenghtening, but keeping them flexible too.

[chelle]

Have you guys/gals tried using a moisture barrier to see if that helps? Get a plastic bag and put it over your liner sock then put your other sock on top of it.

[iain]

do you get cold hands too?

[lummox]

gee. i dont know what the deal might be. i woulda said lossen the straps and or loosen your boots. cuz if you cant wiggle your toes much your screwed. you boots are way warm so i cant see how putting more insulation anywhere is gonna do much unless the temps are well below zero.

there is always the old axiom 'put on a hat'.

btw: i dig the patriotic username.

[fern]

My thought is that the

cold is transmited through the sole so I was considering

putting a foam pad between my boot and my crampon, an idea

I got from overboots. Will this work? What kind of foam

should I try? Has anybody done any thing simular?

 

Yes I have done it. It works a bit. I used 5mm evazote because

I had some handy. Other stuff that might work: foam draft tape

from hardware store, neoprene. I just taped it on with duct

tape. If the boots are already snug you don't want to cram

extra socks and footbeds and shakywarms in there, it'll just

inhibit circulation. Taking time to brush snow out of sole lugs

and caught in laces make a little difference too. It all adds up.

[carolyn]

Glassgokiss- Someone recently mentioned looking into heated superfeet. Thanks to your reminder, I looked them up on the net. The set up doesnt seem to be much different than what I use already...custom made superfeet and footwarmers.

http://ecom1.sno-ski.com/product228.html

 

How about some electric socks?!?!?!

[AlpineK]

Have you guys/gals tried using a moisture barrier to see if that helps? Get a plastic bag and put it over your liner sock then put your other sock on top of it.

 

I've used vbl's a couple times. Basicly you have a thin liner sock with the vbl over the top and then a regular sock over the top of the whole thing. This works fairly well when the temps are cold. Keep in mind that you want to have some talcum powder to dry out your feet every night.

[Paul_detrick]

O.K. you guys seem to know about cold feet, so maybe this has happen to you and you can tell me what to expect. I wrote in a earler report about getting frost nip on my big toes, two weeks ago when it was real cold, well I still have some numbness and have lost the nail on my left big toe, my right looks bad and should lose the nail soon. So here it is, yesterday was not cold(low 30's) but when we were driving home my feet still got the burn, hurt like hell for 15 mins. Is this going to happen til they heal or is it more permament. Not that it will stop me from climbing if there is ice here, but would like to know if you have had this happen? Thanks

[Bug]

it might have different cause. crampons will force your posterior calf muscle to work harder and tighten down, hence blocking the blood flow. putting custom foot beds into your boots would reduce this, since it would lock your arch better.you should strengthen your foot and posterior calf.

This is good advice. So is the custom insole idea. Toe raisers while you are watching TV. Wiggle toes constantly. Rotate ankles. All this while you are just hangin. Then go do real exercise.

I also use Aerogel footbeds under my custom footbeds. Good luck finding the stuff but it works well until you crush it. That takes about ten days of heavy hiking.

[cj001f]

Has anyone ever tried Sorbothane? Runner's stores usually sell insoles made of it, but it's also available in thin sheets.

[scott_harpell]

Paul. It really depends. Did you have instant discoloration? or did it come later? If you got frost bite, it could be quasi-permantent, but frost-nip cn do the same thing and will go away. Just be uber-careful man cause you are extremely succeptable now. Have you gotten it checked out? Don't wanna permanently screw that up. Losing a toe would suck, but then again it didn't stop messner.

[mike_m]

Paul--I got mild frostbite on my fingertips (flesh-color blisters, no discoloration, no nail loss)on a Denali rescue in 2000. I'm still very susceptible to the cold, although it's been getting better since. Was on Foraker last May and just got back from Ouray--no problems. I am just very careful about not letting my hands get cold or damp. Once they get cold, they don't rewarm very fast. So I just carry lots of spare gloves--3 or 4 pair per trip--and pay more attention to staying hydrated and fueled. Works for me, anyway. The hands are better, but not back to "normal" yet.

[carolyn]

mike added a good point of the importance of staying hydrated. Something else that comes to mind which a friend suggested is taking 2 aspirin before heading out, to thin the blood.

 

There are lots of good ideas being thrown around. Im sure if you play around with any or all of them you will find something that will help.

 

Iain asked about cold fingers.

Ive had some great success with keeping my hands/fingers warm this winter, even in below zero temps.

*crazycreek wrist warmers

*swingin' my arms like a windmill (20 times fwd/back each arm) before climbing and inbetween climbs.

*wearing mittens that DONT get wet and keeping them on rather than changing them and exposing the skin. Not always an option, but I do my best. When I do have to change gloves/mittens I make sure the extra pair is kept in a warm spot (ie/belay jacket) and I keep a pair of shakers in them so they are warm when I put them on.

*staying hydrated

*Not gripping my tools so hard (thank you glassgokiss for the reminder way back when).

*Dropping my hands at any break during the climb to shake em out and get the blood flowing.

[iain]

yeah I was just thinking s/he might be one of the many folks who have Raynaud's phenomenon, which apparently affects a lot out there who have no idea it even exists. Here is some info: http://my.webmd.com/content/healthwise/221/73956

[catbirdseat]

Gee, this Cold Feet thread has legs.

 

In my experience not only does aspirin thin the blood, but it seems to aid in maintaining or restoring hydration.

[letsroll]

Thanks for all the ideas. I am going to look into custome foot beds and try smaller socks. The asprin sounds good but how would it affect altitude on the body? Hydration, well I know I can do better in that area. I also found another idea while reading Adventure Mag. Murry Hamlet former director of the U.S. Army's Cold Injury Research Program "Try soaking your toes in ice water every day for a month like many fish filleters do with thier hands. With practice, the blood vessels in your feet will learn to dilate instead of contract when toughed by frigid air."

[Doug]

About the best thing I can do to keep my feet warm is to keep moving. I've played with various sock/liner combo's, including VBL's made from garbage sacks. My issue is that my feet sweat a lot and that too much sock or VBL will make my feet more wet.

 

Like everything else, there will be some things here that work for some people, and some things that don't. Get out there, experiment, and use what works best for ya!

 

Paul, I hope your feet get better. I had a slight case about 15 years ago, and it seemed that it lasted for 3 - 4 months.

[Thinker]

be aware that footbeds may change the way your boots fit....that was my experience. I bought Sole Orthotics, which slightly raised my feet in the boots, causing irritation to my heels. They also pushed my feet slightly forward, causing problems with the big toenails. Other than that, they feel great. My knees stopped hurting instantly.

 

I think it's best to get the custom footbeds at the same time you get new boots to make sure they will work well together.