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NZRob

Skiing the Rock
Skier
Joined
Oct 8, 2017
Posts
407
Location
New Zealand
Cattracks for years and years. Lost a few hunks of fingernail thanks to them too. But that paracord/lanyard mod ^^ is gold!
 

BLspruce2

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Feb 3, 2018
Posts
90
Location
New England
All the Cat tracks mentioned work but I wear race ski fit boots which are painful and tight so here is my take. I have given up on sole protectors totally. I don't like skiing with them in my pockets and they disappear to easily no matter where you put them at the base lodge. Instead I wear old ratty shoes/boots to the mountain that I do not care if they get stolen. I do a quick change and leave them at the lodge.
 

Ross Biff

The older I get, the faster I was....
Skier
Joined
Jul 11, 2018
Posts
223
Cattracks for years and years. Lost a few hunks of fingernail thanks to them too. But that paracord/lanyard mod ^^ is gold!
Cattracks. I have been using boot laces for the pull up loops but the ski pass lanyard looks like a better bet and a little less of a hack if the ski area logo is visible! I clip them onto a small carabinier in the belt loop of my pants and don't notice them when skiing.
 

EricG

Lost somewhere!
Skier
Joined
Sep 16, 2018
Posts
1,331
Location
VT
I used Yak Trax this past season. 42 days and they still look great. Held up well. I dont carry them when skiing, I use a ZLoc and leave them at the base.

9CC25235-A4F5-44D9-9388-B07050367FE0.jpeg
 

oldschoolskier

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Dec 6, 2015
Posts
4,229
Location
Ontario Canada
My cattracks go into my thigh pocket. Let’s me ensure my soles are protected (at least my boot sole, not so sure about my spiritual one).

While they are not a perfect solution, they do the job required with a little care and effort considering the small size.
 

Marker

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Oct 16, 2017
Posts
2,351
Location
Kennett Square, PA & Killington, VT
I use Yak Trax to protect the solid soles on my boots, for traction, and the rocker action that makes walking much easier. The rocker action is what made me choose these over the other options originally and they have held up for 4 years. I agree with above that they fold over nicely to nestle the toe piece inside the heel. I wear cargo-style snowboard pants to get them big enough to fit me (6'6", 230 lb), which provide large leg pockets perfect for carrying the Traxs.
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
Skier
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Posts
4,806
Location
Whitefish, MT
I used to use Cat trax, because I used to walk to the slopes. Now I carry my boots to the lodge instead, walk on carpet to within 20 feet of the slope. End of day, ski to lodge, 20 feet back to carpet. If I couldn't do that, I'd definitely still be using them. Initially they are too tight for your boots, but over time they stretch until they are falling off. I found that a couple twists of the toe vs the heel section shortens them enough to extend their useful life. I still own them, they are still on the packing list for possible visits to other mountains, but I'm a huge believer in putting on warm boots in a warm lodge, so they could be getting carried back and forth unnecessarily for the next ten years.
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
but I'm a huge believer in putting on warm boots in a warm lodge,
That's just crazy talk for a westerner!
I don't get it though, why people enjoy subsidizing the lack of lodge space by enjoying booting up in a dirt lot where it's cold. We paid for an indoor locker at Jackson. At least several people could split it and there's room to boot up. Otherwise there's a lack.
Jackson has some outdoor paid lockers to store your stuff. That's insane. It's not like it costs $20 to ski there.
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
Skier
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Posts
4,806
Location
Whitefish, MT
There's plenty of room here to boot up, even free cubbies. But on Saturdays those cubbies are gone early.

I seriously don't see that many folks booting up in the lot. Maybe one or two here and there, but not even every day. It may depend on which lot you're in, tho. There's a lot near the main lifts that probably gets more of that since it's not close to the lodges.

The only people I know who boot up in the car are @Fuller and his wife, and they wear boot heaters. (They're from Florida, tho, so they might need the heaters even if they booted up inside.)
 

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,209
Location
NYC
That's just crazy talk for a westerner!
I don't get it though, why people enjoy subsidizing the lack of lodge space by enjoying booting up in a dirt lot where it's cold. We paid for an indoor locker at Jackson. At least several people could split it and there's room to boot up. Otherwise there's a lack.
Jackson has some outdoor paid lockers to store your stuff. That's insane. It's not like it costs $20 to ski there.

Jackson is truly ridiculous in that aspect. Even Ajax expanded their locker room at the base of the gondola over the years.
 

Big J

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Sep 10, 2017
Posts
589
Location
Fredericksburg Virginia
All the Cat tracks mentioned work but I wear race ski fit boots which are painful and tight so here is my take. I have given up on sole protectors totally. I don't like skiing with them in my pockets and they disappear to easily no matter where you put them at the base lodge. Instead I wear old ratty shoes/boots to the mountain that I do not care if they get stolen. I do a quick change and leave them at the lodge.
My wife and I do the same.
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
16,328
Location
The Bull City
Yak Trax hanging on the ski rack railing at the base lodge secured with my ski lock.... I'll boot up in the lodge if we get a really good parking spot. If we're out in shuttle bus hell or more than a quarter mile from the lodge we boot up at the car. Keep the boot bags on a DC powered heating pad for the 3 hour drive up so boots aren't that cold wherever we end up booting up.
 

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
Moderator
Contributor
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Feb 9, 2016
Posts
18,096
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75% Virginia, 25% Colorado
I don't get it though, why people enjoy subsidizing the lack of lodge space by enjoying booting up in a dirt lot where it's cold.
Probably because lockers are one of those things people seem to think they are getting screwed on and refuse to pay for; even when they might be spending several hundred dollars on their day of skiing overall.

I was surprised at how many folks boot up in the parking lot at Loveland, and how small the locker room is. (It's fairly nice though, with bathrooms, changing rooms, and reasonably priced lockers.) I guess if you go someplace frequently, and they don't have free cubbies or lockers, then paying for even a moderately priced one can add up. Copper has a nice boot room (at least, the one I used) too, but with expensive lockers ($20 for the day for one large enough for my boot bag).

I'm also, like you, surprised that people don't demand boot up rooms and cubbies at more places, and that resorts haven't found that to be any kind of discriminator or necessity to get more people to the resort.
 

Bill Miles

Old Man Groomer Zoomer
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SkiTalk Supporter
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Nov 16, 2015
Posts
1,315
Location
Hailey, Idaho
I boot up at the car, take the parking lot shuttle to minimize the walking, and replace the heel and toe pieces every couple years. I can still get them for my 8 year old speedmaqchines online from Nordica.
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,453
Probably because lockers are one of those things people seem to think they are getting screwed on and refuse to pay for; even when they might be spending several hundred dollars on their day of skiing overall.

I was surprised at how many folks boot up in the parking lot at Loveland, and how small the locker room is. (It's fairly nice though, with bathrooms, changing rooms, and reasonably priced lockers.) I guess if you go someplace frequently, and they don't have free cubbies or lockers, then paying for even a moderately priced one can add up. Copper has a nice boot room (at least, the one I used) too, but with expensive lockers ($20 for the day for one large enough for my boot bag).

I'm also, like you, surprised that people don't demand boot up rooms and cubbies at more places, and that resorts haven't found that to be any kind of discriminator or necessity to get more people to the resort.
You don't need lockers. Just space. We skied at Loveland 2 days, booted up in the upstairs eating area and left our bags there. Sure, they weren't locked. At least there's space. Not enough for bags.
Killington actually has free bag check.
 

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
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Feb 9, 2016
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18,096
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75% Virginia, 25% Colorado
You don't need lockers. Just space. We skied at Loveland 2 days, booted up in the upstairs eating area and left our bags there. Sure, they weren't locked. At least there's space. Not enough for bags.
Killington actually has free bag check.

I don't need lockers either, but at least cubbies are nice, so I know it's OK to leave things. I don't like leaving my bag in random areas when I'm not sure it's allowed... although sometimes it's obvious whether or not it's allowed. Since I don't know Loveland well, it was easier to just use a locker and be certain.
 

Fuller

Semi Local
Skier
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Posts
1,522
Location
Whitefish or Florida
There's plenty of room here to boot up, even free cubbies. But on Saturdays those cubbies are gone early.

I seriously don't see that many folks booting up in the lot. Maybe one or two here and there, but not even every day. It may depend on which lot you're in, tho. There's a lot near the main lifts that probably gets more of that since it's not close to the lodges.

The only people I know who boot up in the car are @Fuller and his wife, and they wear boot heaters. (They're from Florida, tho, so they might need the heaters even if they booted up inside.)

We warm up the boots first thing in the morning, put them in the bags and 20 minutes later they go on when I'm parked in my favorite spot in the parking lot. Which by the way is free, and approximately 3 steps from sliding downhill to the main lodge and chair lift. We usually spend 10 minutes inside doing final preparation for the day and we can stash the backpack in the free cubbies. No CatTracks needed.
 

Noodler

Sir Turn-a-lot
Skier
Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Posts
6,314
Location
Denver, CO
Probably because lockers are one of those things people seem to think they are getting screwed on and refuse to pay for; even when they might be spending several hundred dollars on their day of skiing overall.

I was surprised at how many folks boot up in the parking lot at Loveland, and how small the locker room is. (It's fairly nice though, with bathrooms, changing rooms, and reasonably priced lockers.) I guess if you go someplace frequently, and they don't have free cubbies or lockers, then paying for even a moderately priced one can add up. Copper has a nice boot room (at least, the one I used) too, but with expensive lockers ($20 for the day for one large enough for my boot bag).

I'm also, like you, surprised that people don't demand boot up rooms and cubbies at more places, and that resorts haven't found that to be any kind of discriminator or necessity to get more people to the resort.

I have skied at LL for almost 20 years and I have never locked up anything there and never had anything stolen (knock on wood). Most locals just shove their stuff along the heaters.
 

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