NOTHING OCCUPIES THE ATTENTION LIKE KEEPING YOUR FEET WARM IN VERY COLD AND VERY HIGH PLACES, CONSUMING A LOT OF ENERGY, TIME AND AWARENESS SO YOUR FEET DON’T BECOME USELESS BLOCKS OF NUMBNESS THAT LEAD TO SERIOUS INJURY OR DYING. ESPECIALLY AT ALTITUDE, COLD FEET CAN BE A GAME STOPPER AND THE FEELING OF BEING UNABLE TO WARM YOUR FEET RAPIDLY BECOMES BORDERLINE TERROR.
KEEPING YOUR FEET WARM IS IT’S OWN PROCESS THAT ONCE UNDERSTOOD MAKES IT EASIER AND ALLOWS OTHER ASPECTS OF CLIMBING TO STREAMLINE AROUND IT. THE LAST DECADE HAS SEEN A QUANTUM LEAP IN CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT, AND INCLUDES SEVERAL FACTORS THAT MAKE KEEPING YOUR FEET IN WORKING ORDER MUCH EASIER.
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FEET GET COLD FOR SEVERAL REASONS
- THE REST OF YOU ISN’T PRODUCING ENOUGH HEAT
- YOUR FOOTWEAR ISN’T RETAINING HEAT, USUALLY BY BEING WET
- YOUR PROCESS FOR KEEPING THEM WARM DOESN’T WORK
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BOOTS
IF YOU’RE OUT MORE THAN A SINGLE NIGHT OR IN OPEN BIVIES WEAR DOUBLE BOOTS. EVEN TODAYS BIGGEST DOUBLE BOOTS ARE MORE STREAMLINED THAN SINGLE BOOTS OF A GENERATION AGO, WITH 6000m-STYLE BOOTS ROUTINELY BEING WORN ON HARD ICE ROUTES NOW. IF YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT WINTER CLIMBING AND ARE ALSO INVESTING IN OVERNIGHT GEAR, THESE DAYS JUMPING STRAIGHT TO DOUBLE BOOTS WILL GET YOU THE MOST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.
BOOTS FOR EXTREME COLD NOW CONTAIN LESS LEATHER TO ABSORB WATER, HAVE WARMER MIDSOLES TO REDUCE THE PRIMARY AVENUE OF HEAT LOSS, LACE UP SMARTER ALLOWING FOR BETTER CIRCULATION AND ARE MORE ERGONOMIC ALLOWING YOU TO MOVE MORE NATURALLY. THE IMAGE OF CRANKING ICY LEATHER BOOTS TO HALF WAY UP YOUR CALVES SHOULD BE ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOK.
INNER BOOTS, EVEN MORE SO THAN THE SHELLS, HAVE PROGRESSED EVEN FURTHER WITH NEW GENERATION INSULATION THAT BREATHES BETTER AND TRAPS LESS DEAD AIR. INNERS FROM SCARPA AND THE NORTH FACE ARE WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE BOOTS WARMTH IS, CONTAINING SIMILAR AMOUNTS OF NON-COMPRESSING PRIMALOFT AS SOME JACKLETS DO, AND CONFORMING TO THE FOOT QUICKLY. THEY PERFORM EXCELLENTLY AS AN INTERFACE BETWEEN IN THE WARMTH OF YOUR SHELTER AND BEING FULLY SHOD TO CLIMB, BRIDGING THE VOID WHERE THINGS CAN FAIL (SEE PROCESS BELOW). THEY DRY QUICKLY AND ARE EASILY MANAGED IN CRAMPED BIVIES, SOLVING THE MAIN FACTORS THAN GO ON TO RESULT IN DANGEROUSLY COLD FEET.
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SOCKS
IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO FULL WOOLEN SOCKS YOU ARE NOT SEEING WHERE SOCKS FOR EXTREME COLD HAS EVOLVED TO THESE DAYS. WHERE ONCE WOOL WAS THE ONLY OPTION, NOW HYBRID BLENDS AND FULLY SYNTHETHIC HAVE SURPASSED 100% WOOL BY A LONG WAY.
IN THE CASE OF DOUBLE BOOTS THE ROLE OF A SOCK IS ONLY TO PROTECT THE FOOT AS AN INTERFACE. READ THAT AGAIN. ANY INSULATION COMES ABOUT 75% FROM THE INNER BOOT AND 25% FROM THE OUTER SHELL WITH NEGLIGIBLE FROM THE SOCK – AND THE WAY MOST PEOPLE WEAR THEIR SOCKS THEY ARE ACTUALLY COMPROMISING WHATEVER INSULATION THEY HAVE.
A SOCKS ROLE IS TO KEEP THE FOOT DRY AND FROM ANY FRICTION WITH THE INNER BOOT, MEANING ENCASING YOUR FOOT IN A LAYER OF DAMP WOOL THAT CANNOT DRY HAS THINGS WRONG REGARDLESS OF HOW WELL WOOL MAY RETAIN WARMTH WHEN IT’S WET. THIS MEANS SOCKS FOR COLD CLIMBING NEED TO BE FAIRLY THIN (LESS MASS TO ABSORB SWEAT), HIGHLY BREATHABLE AND (SO THEY DRY FAST WHEN TAKEN OFF) AND HAVE A DURABLE STRUCTURE TO MINIMIZE COMPRESSION. WOOL ISN’T GREAT FOR ANY OF THAT.
WHAT IS GREAT THOUGH ARE THE NEW GENERATION OF WOOL/PRIMALOFT SOCKS THAT RETAIN A DRY FEELING DAYS INTO NON-STOP USE AND DRY FAST WHEN IT’S TIME TO MANAGE THEM.
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BOOTIES
IN EXTREME COLD TENT BOOTIES ARE NOT A LUXURY, THEY ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF FOOT CARE. WHILST WEARING YOUR INNERS IN THE TENT IS GOOD FOR A SINGLE NIGHT, BEYOND THAT, BEING ABLE TO SWAP YOUR FEET INTO AN INSULATED BOOTIE SO THEY CAN CIRCULATE BLOOD, DRY OUT AND DECOMPRESS BECOMES VITAL.
THE ONLY MATERIAL IN TOWN FOR THIS IS SYNTHETIC INSULATION LIKE PRIMALOFT, AND THESE DAYS THERE’S VERSIONS ABOUT WITH AEROGEL IN THE SOLE AS WELL. A SYNTHETIC BOOTIE WON’T CLAG UP FROM MANK AND SWEAT, LETS YOU PUT THEM ON WITHOUT WORRYING IF YOU GOT SNOW ON THEM, WON’T FREEZE UP IN YOUR PACK AND YOU CAN GET INTO YOUR SHELLS IF YOU NEED TO GO OUTSIDE.
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PROCESS
IT’S FAR EASIER TO STAY WARM THAN TO GET WARM, WITH THE LATTER SOMETIMES BEING EFFECTIVELY IMPOSSIBLE. COLD FEET ARE A SIGN THAT SOMETHING DIDN’T GO RIGHT BACK DOWN THE PROCESS OF YOUR DAY, SOME OF IT RELATING TO GENERAL STAYING STAYING WARM, SOME OF IT SPECIFIC TO YOUR FEET. IN GENERAL
- EAT AND DRINK ENOUGH KCALS AND FLUID – IF THE FUELS NOT THERE TO GENERATE THE HEAT IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW YOU TRY TO RETAIN IT, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE NIGHT WHEN YOUR METABOLIM GETS LOW
- MANAGE MOISTURE – WET GEAR SAPS HEAT OUT OF EVERYTHING ELSE AND WHEN YOU ONLY HAVE X AMOUNT OF KCALS TO SPEND, BURNING EXTRA FROM COLD GLOVES, BASELAYERS AND SLEEPING BAGS SPREADS IT THIN TO GO AROUND.
- KEEP MOVING – LONG COLD BELAYS ARE OFTEN UNAVOIDABLE, BUT PLAN TO AVOID THEM WHERE YOU CAN WITH OPTIMALLY MANAGED PITCH LENGTHS, RUNNING BELAYS WHERE FEASIBLE, STANCES WHERE YOU CAN MOVE ABOUT AND PRACTICING TO STREAMLINE THINGS THAT SLOW YOU DOWN OUT OF THE SYSTEM
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SPECIFIC TO YOUR FEET
- TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY – FROST NIP ISN’T A JOKE, IT’S A STEP TOO FAR TOWARDS FROST BITE AND SETS THE SCENE FOR FURTHER COLD INJURY. IF YOU CAN AFFORD THE OTHER ARTIFICES OF EXPEDITION AND ALPINE CLIMBING YOU CAN AFFORD THE GEAR TO KEEP WARM. AS THE OLD CLICHE GOES; IT WILL BE CHEAPER THAN SURGERY. COLD FEET CAN BE AVOIDED BY SIMPLE MEASURES MEANING THERE’S NO REASON NOT TO
- DON’T OVER-TIGHTEN YOUR BOOTS – CURRENT BOOTS FOR COLD CLIMBING ALL HAVE EASILY ADJUSTABLE LACE SYSTEMS, BUT STILL AVOID REALLY CRANKING YOUR FEET DOWN TIGHT ENOUGH TO COMPROMISE CIRCULATION. THIS IS A MATTER OF SIZNING THEM RIGHT – RECALL YOU DON’T NEED AN INCH OF WOOL AROUND THEM ANYMORE – AND PICKING THE RIGHT CRAMPON FOR THE JOB
- DRY YOUR SOCKS AND INNERS OUT OVERNIGHT BY WARMING THE TENT, KEEPING THEM IN YOUR SLEEPING BAG AND/OR INSIDE YOUR JACKET WITH YOU, SWITCHING TO BOOTIES ASAP AND HOLDING THEM CAREFULLY OVER THE STOVE IF NECESSARY
- DON’T PUT COLD BOOTS ON – NEVER LEAVE BOOT SHELLS OUTSIDE THE TENT OR IN THE VESTIBULE TO SUPERCOOL. EVEN IN THE MOST CRAMPED TENTS YOUR BOOT SHELLS COME IN WITH YOU, FIRST HAVING ANY ICE BRUSHED OFF, AND THEN KEPT OF A COLD FLOOR. THERMODYNAMICS STATES THAT HEAT WILL ALWAYS DESCENT TOWARDS COLD, SO NICELY WARMED SOCKS AND INNERS WILL START BLEEDING THEIR WARMTH INSTANTLY INTO COLD SHELLS MUCH FASTER THAN THEY COULD WARM THEM ONCE YOUR’RE OUTSIDE WITH METAL STRAPPED TO THEM, SO AFTER WAKING START GETTING THE SHELLS WARMED UP, PUTTING THEM ON BEFORE GOING OUTSIDE.
- IN OPEN IN BIVYS, STILL GET ALL THE ICE OFF THEM WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF AND STUFF THEM IN YOUR PACK OR UNDER YOUR HEAD TO MINIMIZE SNOW GETTING INTO THEM. A GOOD IDEA IS TO KEEP THEM INSIDE YOUR BIVY BAG IF POSSIBLE
- SET YOURSELF UP TO LEAVE THE TENT WITH FEET AS DRY, RELAXED AND INSULATED AS POSSIBLE. IF YOU WILL HAVE TIME BEFORE HEADING OFF AVOID TIGHTENING YOUR LACES JUST YET SO YOU CAN MOVE THEM AROUND. ESPECIALLY IN THE COLD OF MORNING, STARTING WITH COLD FEET MAKES IT VERY HARD TO GET THEM WARM.
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