It’s raining so hard, the rooster’s tail is down.
Welcome to winter ! it is 50F, raining hard and the chickens are happy !
A self-respecting ski blog should never have pictures of chickens in it… but it rained all day today, so I had to come up with an alternative narrative. (just like the White House press secretary).
I decided to make the best of a soggy day to re-mold my ski boots liners which have already packed down after 36 ski days. Depending on the liner, they usually can be molded 3-4 times. I have never had to mold liners a second time, so we’ll have to see how this turns out.
It’s a simple process but it needs to be done carefully. The first step is to place the footbed under the bare foot, wrap the toes with a neoprene cap, and cover footbed+foot+toecap with a ski sock. That will leave wiggle room around the toes, and ensure that the footbed is well positioned inside the liner. These particular liners need to be heated at 248 degF for 10 minutes, and then the ski bum inserts foot into liner, then liner into boot shell,
quickly but gently to prevent pinching or distorting the liner. After buckling the boots, the ski bum has to stand with toes elevated and shins against the cuff in a ski like position for 10 minutes, or as long as it takes for the liner to cool down. It’s quite hot and tight at first, but the result is a snug and comfy fit. Usually, the last step of the process goes better with a cold beer in hand.
When I bought these boots I was warned that the liners were thin and cold – and indeed they are – but I prioritized low weight and shell volume knowing I could always upgrade the liners with better ones. The boots were really cheap since it was the previous year’s model. (Thrifty ski bums can ski more). Hopefully, they’ll last longer this time; otherwise I may have to invest into a thicker more resilient liner like the Intuition Luxury liner which we bought for John this year; he says they are warm and comfy, and I’ve been a little jealous…
Finally, since this blog has stooped low enough to show chickens, I might as well add a rainbow picture, taken at 3:45pm today after picking up Hazel from school.
Manon Belzile 