Feet of Endurance
There are many things that can spoil a ski tour: avalanches, bad weather, illness or kit failure but there’s nothing like blisters to turn every step uphill and/or every turn downhill from pleasure to irritation to agony. I’ve just done 6 days in the Stubai and two of the team put up heroic performances in the face of horrific blisters. The accompanying shot shows the taping by day 5, though sadly it seemed that it may have been too little too late. The bleeding and suppuration underneath is something I just can’t bring myself to publish on the net. A nasty business indeed.
So to avoid this kind of bloodfest, we can take the following precautions:
· Don’t try and tour in downhill boots for more than an hour. Get some touring boots – they’re made for the job.
· Don’t hire boots. Buy them from a specialist bootfitter with a good reputation and allow a week for them to bed in and get corrections to the inner and/or the shell as required.
· As soon as you feel a hot spot on tour, get your boot off and get some Compeed on. I sometimes think I should buy shares in Compeed. Amazing stuff.
· Then put Strappal tape over the Compeed, preferably starting under the heel so it’s held securely in place.
· Leave the Compeed on for the rest of the tour and if it still hurts then just out on more layers of tape.
· Do plenty of calf stretching so your heels don’t lift when you’re skinning.
Happy skinning with intact skin!
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