Frozen feet?

[pompeiii]

Help. Lately, as it has gotten colder outside as well as inside the rink, my feet back started to freeze. The rest of me usually stays warm (even when I have to remove gloves, my hands are fine and I usually take off layers during practice), but not my feet. I skate in (knee high) tights.

I'm sure part of is is that during sychro practice, we don't always move enough (we're a beginner team so there is always lots of discussion time) and now that its colder, my feet just can't handle it. I'm tired of taking off my skates and limping through off ice due to my cold feet. Any suggestions beyond moving more? My feet aren't  usually as frozen when I practice or take private lessons, it's just during synchro. I'm trying to keep my boots in my office rather than the car on days I skate, but when it's only 60 in my office, my skates never get too warm. All suggestions are appreciated!

[Skittl1321]

I keep a heat gun in my bag and heat up my skates before putting them on.  (Warning: it smells, don't do it in a closed space. Mine aren't horrible, but a guy at my rink borrowed the heater and WOW that was painfully bad.)

A friend uses fleece bootcovers, and she swears it helps.

[sarahspins]

On days where I take off my skates and then have to lace them up again a couple of hours later to teach LTS, I will put hand warmers in the toe box so my skates are nice and warm when I put them back on (I take the hand warmers out and usually stash them in my pockets).  Leg warmers or insulated boot covers are also an option.

I agree that it's the standing still that does it - I almost never get cold toes when I'm actually skating, even when the rink is really cold, but I stand still (or don't move much) for 10 minutes and my toes will be frozen.

[blue111moon]

I had a coach once who used to line her boots with aluminum foil and claimed it kept the heat in and the cold out.  I've never done it myself but I've been tempted. 

I've found that the fleece-lined tights - either the full-footed or the knee-highs keep my feet warmer than plain nylon. 

One of the other coaches I know uses insoles called Heat Feet that she buys in a sporting goods store.  She claims they keep her feet toasty.

[Query]

A few coaches at a local rink use neoprene boot covers. They add a layer of insulation, but they are thick enough that they must get in the way of skating with "neat" (close) feet.

For me, stretching my boots in tight places helped. I also warm my boots by storing them indoors, and sometimes use a ski market boot warmer that plugs into my car's cigarette lighter outlet. I use the "Dry Guy" brand, which doesn't get over 99 degrees F - roughly body temperature, not hot enough to distort my boots. The AC version is too slow, because you have to wait at the rink for them to warm up. Rest room hand-driers, like hair driers, work quickly and well, but be careful, because they are hot enough to distort your boots and ruin your fit if held too close.

I tried the ski-market toe warmers too, and they make a huge difference, but aren't really needed if I start with warm boots. I also tried some of the insoles (for skier and backpackers market) that insulate better, but don't need them either. I guess my feet don't get as cold as some people's. But the toe warmers work really great for skiing. The chemical pack toe warmers are a bit pricey for daily use - $1/pair in bulk, but you might spend a lot more than that on other skating needs. The reusable ones that warm up in a microwave oven are too bulky for my boots, and they don't stay warm as long as the throw-away chemical packs.