I was looking at the Harlick's custom boot package and noticed that they are offering heated insoles (Special Insoles and Sock Liners at bottom of page on left) for an additional $175 (ouch!). Does anyone here have those? If I were still working outdoors all winter I would seriously consider them.

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What a lovely idea! I should go for them anyway - I don't know about you, but my feet get seriously cold even when I'm skating, and I know how cold coaches' feet often get.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Just like the downhill ski ones. Why don't the other bootmakers make it possible to do this?

With a little insole modification or replacement, one could fit the chemical foot warmers made for skiers and hunters - they take much less space. But replacing them every time you skate would be a pain.

I was looking into "heat reflective insoles" (see any search engine). It's possible - alternating thin layers of aluminized mylar make good insulation, but I have no idea whether any of these actually work well, or whether they might not breath moisture as well as leather or felt insoles do.

Regardless, if your boots are cold when you get to the rink, try letting the boots get to room temperature before you put them on. The boot will start warmer, and it will fit to your foot better. I've used boot dryers to help, but based on a recent problem, even one designed not to go over 99 degrees F (37 degrees C) can distort the boot.

What I've done in wintertime is to put my boots on the floor of the car right under the spot where the heat comes out. Then I blast the heat all the way to the rink. By the time I get there (it's a half-hour drive), my boots are toasty warm.

I wish I had a way to warm my boots up! I can't really complain that I can't use this method, as I only have a 2 minute drive, but my boots are freezing. Don't know how I could let them "get up to room temperature" as suggested earlier, because room temperature at the rink is quite colder than actual room temperature (it is an ice rink...)

As of now, I try to breathe into my boots to get a bit of warm air, and massage my feet to get the blood moving a bit before I put them on. I've taken to putting my Gel pads into my pockets as I get ready to leave, so my body heat warms them up before I get to the rink.

Since summer is coming, I'm hoping I can leave all these concerns behind!

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

You can make boot warmers. Take an old pair of knee highs and pour in enough uncooked rice to fill the foot portion of the boots. Tie off or sew up the open ends. Throw them in the microwave for about a minute and a half and then put them in your boots. You do want to be careful not to get them too hot, so you don't affect the molding of the liners. It also helps to sew across in a few places to segment them so they fit into the boots more easily.

I really don't need boot warmers or heated insoles now that I'm inside all the time. In fact, my feet often sweat when I've been on the ice for a while.

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Dbny- thanks for the tip! I've seen that sort of thing before, so I can just throw those in on the drive

The chemical warming packs would probably work- but I hate things that can't be reused. They seem wasteful for a common occurance, and I just keep them in my car for emergencies.

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

I have seen people take their skates into the ladies' room and hold them under the hand-dryer to warm them up.

And when you are not using them for your boots, you can use them for your person! When you think they cost £10 to buy, but are so cheap and easy to make.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

The woman at the LTS check in table at the outdoor rink where I worked discovered mine, and always asked for them when I put my skates on - to warm her hands! YUK!

My daughter left hers in her closet when she went away to school, and I found them full of little holes and completely empty - they had fed more than one generation of mice -again, YUK!

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I use these ALL THE TIME in the winter. It's great for early-morning freestyles. (Thank you for the tip.)
I tie knots to make the segments rather than sewing them. After I take them out of my skates, I put them in my sneakers to keep them a bit warm while I skate.

When you microwave them, put them on a paper plate so you're not putting "foot stuff" on your microwave plate...

DBNY: You should have told that woman you have athlete's foot - that would stop the hand-warming quick. Bwahaha!

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Do you think lentils would work? We only have minute rice- and it doesn't seem worth it to go buy long grain rice...

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

I don't think minute rice would microwave well. I've been using some Arborio rice that I found in the back of a cabinet. I didn't know how old it was and it smelled "off", so instead of tossing it I made ricesocks out of the half-used package.

Lentils would probably work.

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Brown rice or wheat berries are the best. And if you want to stop them smelling of feet, or, indeed, to use them to loosen up a stiff shoulder or back, add a tablespoon or so of lavender flowers, and refresh periodically with essential oil of lavender.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

So, do the Harlick ones stay heated the entire time you skate? How do they work?

The Harlick ones use small batteries that you can clip to the top of your skate or to your skating pants or socks--or so they told me when I emailed them to ask.

Oh yes, I've seen those - one of our coaches has them, or had them a couple of years ago.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!