We’ve all been there. The dreaded thaw after your toes have completely frozen over. The return of blood flow is slow and prickly at first before it develops into full-blown panic as circulation and not-so-great feelings return in full force. There are homemade remedies for this issue—some like to clap their boots together until the feeling goes away, while others have to remove their boots entirely and air the dogs out before putting them back in their plastic crates. Wouldn’t it be nice to just avoid this situation altogether and not have to sacrifice any time skiing? Thanks to BOOTDOC Hotronic, and its new XLP C battery-powered foot warmers, you can.
“We sort of internally treat the brands as one and the same, but they are distinct,” BOOTDOC Hotronic Product Manager Todd Carroll explains. “BOOTDOC is much newer, started in the early 2000s, and is focused on boot-fitting products and performance, like footbeds, foam liners and fit aids for boot fitters. Hotronic dates back to the 1990s and the XLP C is the latest iteration of the first product that Hotronic created, which is the battery-powered foot warmer. It came about from a need to update the product based on end-of-life for some very specific components in the previous iteration of the foot warmer, but it also tapped into advancements we made with heating and battery cells from the development of our XLP P battery system for our heated socks.”
The XLP C, available as a single battery pack (1C) or a double (2C), is an external heating system that is installed onto ski boots and is made for anyone and everyone looking to prioritize and maintain comfort without sacrificing fit or performance. For industry professionals like ski patrollers, instructors and athletes who find themselves in their ski boots eight or more hours a day, the XLP 2C foot warmer provides up to 24 hours of consistent heat on the first setting and up to 10-and-a-half hours on the highest (third) setting while the 1C is geared more toward the average skier, still providing the same level of heat just with half the battery capacity.
“With the average person using the [IC] foot warmer on setting two or three, we’re very easily setting them up for a bell-to-bell day of skiing. For someone who is not going bell-to-bell, we’re setting them up to ski all weekend without having to recharge the battery pack,” Carroll proudly states.
What’s even better? The capacity in the battery pack is delivered in a way that as the battery loses its charge and as the temperature outside decreases, the heat output of the XLP C remains the same. It’s a much more binary state than that of Hotronic’s competitors in that the battery is on and delivering the appropriate output temperature until the battery is completely depleted, there is no degradation of heat output. It’s also important to note that the XLP C is not designed to create a “fireplace toes” effect but rather to keep blood flowing to your feet and toes to maintain a comfortable temperature so you never have to think twice about going inside on an epic powder day.
Whether you’re a fair-weather skier with sensitive toes, a patroller looking for a more comfortable solution for your work shoes or a die-hard shredder hoping to avoid frost-bite this season, Hotronic’s XLP C is made for you. Backcountry skiers should also be delighted in knowing the XLP C functions seamlessly with touring boots, allowing you to wear your preferred socks and only add 150 grams per boot if you’re using the XLP 2C—even less if you’re using the 1C.
