Getting race boots off at the car when very cold

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Getting race boots off at the car when very cold

Postby GHagen » Thu Sep 03, 2020 2:27 pm

We are getting ready to ski the new normal in the coming season. I ski in Colorado where it can be quite cold. If some ski areas require us to put on and take off our boots at the car, this could be a real challenge to me. I ski the Nordica WC 150 which needs some warm- up to get off. Diana has a client who has used a heat gun, but I don't want to melt my boot, just get it off. I purchased a Sun Valley Ski System boot threader, but it may be hard to engage in to a cold boot.
I sent an inquiry to the US Ski Team, but have yet to receive a reply.
Any ideas?
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Re: Getting race boots off at the car when very cold

Postby ToddW » Thu Sep 03, 2020 3:10 pm

G,

Please share anything you learn with the forum. I’m in 150 B2s and ski in frozen Vermont.

Todd
.
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Re: Getting race boots off at the car when very cold

Postby jbotti » Fri Sep 04, 2020 12:15 pm

The best I can think of is carrying a small hair dryer with you to an outlet (either indoors or out) and hitting your boots for 90 seconds with the heat, and then quickly walk to your car to take them off. I use a hairdryer in my mud room at my house in Montana and its a game changer. They make hair dryers small enough that you can even carry it with you all day while skiing if necessary. Here is a folding travel hair dryer. Looks perfect.

https://www.amazon.com/Conair-Vagabond- ... 201&sr=8-6
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Re: Getting race boots off at the car when very cold

Postby GHagen » Sat Sep 05, 2020 5:50 am

Thanks. Hair dryers work well, although I have never used one outdoors in subzero temps. Of course a vehicles electrical outlet can’t support a hair dryer. Perhaps stowing some shoes at the base with a hair dryer for a change might work.
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Re: Getting race boots off at the car when very cold

Postby Bearmani » Sat Sep 05, 2020 5:00 pm

I don't know if a heated ski boot bag that plug into your car will get it as warm as you'd like, but you can find several different brands on Amazon if you do a search.
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Re: Getting race boots off at the car when very cold

Postby GHagen » Sun Sep 06, 2020 8:44 am

Getting boots on is OK. I have the Hot Gear Bag.
Getting Frozen ski boots off at a frozen car is the question.
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Re: Getting race boots off at the car when very cold

Postby Erik » Sun Sep 06, 2020 9:39 am

Last year, I started using a portable little travel hair dryer that fits in my boot bag. I needed the extra help as I was recovering from foot surgery. I used the hair dryer in the lodge to help get the boot off the recovering foot, and it worked out great.

Since hair dryers and heat guns are high-current tools, I don't think you can get the amps you need by running an inverter off your car's DC circuit. Last year, I could not find any cordless battery-powered hair dryers on the market, but now there are several different rechargeable models on Amazon. I'm guessing that they would all work OK for one set of boots for one skier, but I don't know if they would have the run time to support multiple users. They seem to have integrated batteries, so you can't just swap in another battery pack. Only one of the models seemed to have a removable battery pack, but I didn't see any replacements. I'm guessing that we will see see many more cordless options coming to market in the next few years.

Since batteries don't work as well when they are cold, there might be additional considerations for insulating one of these portable hair dryers to keep it warmer in the car while you are out skiing.

I have a Milwaukee 18v battery heat gun that I plan to try out this winter. DeWalt, Ryobi, Craftsman, and Hercules (Harbor Freight) also have battery powered heat guns in the 18-20v range, so if you already have cordless tools in one of those battery platforms, it might be a cost-effective way to go. The DeWalt has two heat settings. Like their corded counterparts, the heat guns accept common attachments for diffusers, nozzles, and heat shields. The Milwaukee heat gun has a high current draw, so using a higher-capacity battery might be a good way to go.

I would recommend being very cautious about practicing with any heat gun to avoid overheating the boot. Heat guns can produce in excess of 900 degrees F, so it would have to be held at a distance from the boot. Practicing with a hair dryer first might be safer for learning where you need to heat the boot plastic for best effect, or practicing on an old set of boots. Another consideration for a heat gun is that the metal nozzle has no protection, unlike a hair dryer, where it is all encased in plastic. You would need to be extra careful about setting down a heat gun to avoid the nozzle touching something that would melt or burn.
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Re: Getting race boots off at the car when very cold

Postby j_unruh@hotmail.com » Sun Sep 13, 2020 2:47 pm

I also ski a lot in CO. My boots aren't as stiff as yours, but my last boots were close - Doberman 130s. They could be really hard to get on or off. I have been keeping my liners out of the boots - "racer style". I have also been using aftermarket liners, and I lace them around my legs. When the time comes to take the boots off, I will unbuckle and push the shells off the liners. On a warm day, I can just use my hand to push it off. On a cold day, I need to to start it with my hand, and then finish it my placing the toe of one foot against the top back of the boot and pushing. The foot push is easier when seated. That has always pushed the boot off.

Luckily, most of the time it isn't too cold at mid day or later. The problem might not be severe more than a few days. Personally, I am planning to not be able to go inside for more than a few minutes during an entire ski day. Given the latest data about restaurants and infections, I don't think going inside for more than a few minutes is worth the risk, even if we are allowed to do so.

In a job a few years ago, I regularly used an AC powered heat gun. It got very hot very fast, and it put out a lot of heat. It also stayed hot quite a while after use, with some parts hot enough to melt some plastics. Be careful.

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