J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by EmmaEvs

It's a fair cop. I'm on the naughty step.

Will it be better if I wipe them down first? Got no prob doing that. Easy.

Anyway where do you lot go skiing to pick up mud and grit? I've heard of off piste but that's ridiculous! :wink:

Tony_H wrote:Always take your boots to bed with you

I like this solution. Although if MrEvs reads this he will take you completely literally and then you will have a lot to answer for Mr H! :lol:

Ally I wouldn't mind the lockers with keys, but anything less I'm not keen on, even a combo locked room.

I've got a bit of an issue with someone in a hotel telling me what to do with my stuff when they're taking no responsibility for it whatsoever. :(

Ian Wickham wrote:

EmmaEvs wrote:Do they put the heated boot warmers in the rooms?

They normally do not allow boots in the room ...... you normally find the boot warmers in the ski and boot room.

Mmm. I take my boots back to my room. Nobody's tried to stop me yet and I wouldn't be too amused if they did, unless they were willing to compensate me if they went missing. First day of our first ski hol and MrEvs rented boots disappeared. That was just an inconvenience, if someone nicked our bought boots I'd be after a scalp.

Bandit wrote:EmmaEvs, do be cautious with commercial boot warmers. I wrote off a new pair of Conformable footbeds when I trusted one machine. The footbed shrivelled up because the machine overheated the footbed.Cost to me £100
I'll not stay anywhere that won't allow me to take at least my liners to my room.

:shock: Nightmare. Did you bury the offending boot warmer under a deep snowdrift? How do you know in advance whether the place has a problem with boots being taken to the room? It's not something they draw attention to in the brochures etc. Or am I just an awkward get while everyone else plays by this mysterious rule?!

Ally and Trencher - I think I'll avoid taking the liners out and just use a combination of moisture thingies I've bought, and a reasonable spell by the radiator. Am looking forward to putting my feet in snuggly warm boots this year :D

Last but definitely not least - yes Tony I have been skiing before Only to two different places though (snot my fault I'm a late starter - haven't you noticed I never get involved in 'serious' threads?!). In 'N' I get odd looks taking my stuff back to the room but nobody's pulled me. In Kitzbuhel we rented a locker at the bottom of the gondola.

Do they put the heated boot warmers in the rooms?

AllyG wrote:We are forecast heavy snow for this evening - but I'm hoping it doesn't happen - my snow chains haven't arrived yet!

The weather forecast seems to be very unreliable as regards snow/no snow. Throughout the day our forecast changes continuously. I suppose it must be a very hard thing to predict.

I hope all the roads/trains/planes/ferries do get going again soon :D

Ally

I've found that Ally. Our weather here wasn't really as predicted yesterday (even an hour in advance). I'm really hoping the snow has passed for the next (quick check) 7 days. Cardiff airport did well yesterday. In the morning they predicted closure until 4 and kept their website up to date all day. Most delayed flights were told to go through to security from the outset, and sure enough just after 4 flights started taking off again.

:shock: And I've been tugging on cold damp boots each morning. We won't be able to heat the packs you mention, but I can put my boots closer to a radiator for a short spell, maybe wrap a towel around them to stop direct heat on the plastic. I recently got some of these ball things that draw moisture so can stick those inside over night.

This is starting to look like a much cosier start to the season! Maybe my toes won't go numb now :thumbup:

I'm not convinced that the responsibility should automatically default to sub-contractors simply because they are employed for other duties. It leaves room for the outcome you describe i.e. if the sub-contractor can't manage it then it doesn't get done. It's typical 'tail wagging the dog'. If the vehicles must be multi-purpose, and the obstacle is that those other purposes are sub-contracted out, then maybe that set up is no longer fit for purpose and needs to be reconsidered.

I've no doubt that it does take specific skills to operate the machinery. But I don't believe that this should be a deal breaker either. If it's not viable to train and maintain skills in the UK, there's no reason why they shouldn't be imported from mainland Europe as and when required. Granted it wouldn't be cheap, but then again how expensive can it be to keep XX drivers on a retainer for 3 months of every year? The cost would surely pale in comparison to the impact of a grid locked country, and in comparison to the profits turned by the airline industry (despite the current climate). It's successfully done in other industries, using people from much further afield, which have barely a fraction of the funding available in this sector.

Logistical practicalities like route planning and priorities would need to be learned, but that's not impossible. We can learn from countries that already have the knowledge.

Maybe my points are a bit idealistic, I just believe that it's too easy to find reasons not to do stuff.

SwingBeep wrote:It's relatively easy to get your foot out of the stiffest 'plug' boot even when it's very cold http://www.zipfit.com/fittrick.html (scroll down to "TAKING THE STIFF COLD BOOTS OFF AFTER SKIING")

Putting them on, is (as Dave Mac alluded to) a different matter. Warming them in a heated boot bag http://www.skigearbag.com/ makes it as easy as putting a pair of slippers on. Although placing a large hot water bottle over the front of the boots works almost as well, especially if you can insulate your boot bag with bits of camping mat or something similar.

I just read the zipfit link with interest. When I bought my boots I was told never to leave them near a source of heat as the linings would go out of shape (or back to shape however you look at it). I did wonder at the time, whether it would be ok if I were to make sure I stuck my feet in the boots before they cooled down again. After all, I would only be doing (or redoing) the same as they did in the shop in the first place - wouldn't I?

Am I being thick? If I warm my boots every morning will I be wrecking the fit or the lining in some way?