Snow! It is coming! Run for the low lands, everyone!

[agentotter]

I know. I never call, I never write. I make my mother worry. But I'm alive, honestly! And things are going well, so I don't really have anything to complain about, which probably shocks you. SHOCKS YOU. I am becoming a new me who doesn't whine so much. And no longer eats cheese. I wonder if there's a correlation.

I have only two important things to tell you. First, that for NaNo I am once again working on my novel. It has Mounties and horses and a half-wolf who is deaf (but not dumb) and possibly some sexy times. Please pressure me to finish it, because the number of NaNos that have gone by with me failing to finish my first one is just depressing.

Secondly, it's starting to snow here in the mountains, and I have realized that I own no winter boots. My last pair, which weren't warm enough anyway, I completely destroyed with one winter of hard work in Montana. I'm willing to spend the money for decent quality boots (up to maybe around $100, I am not yet rich), but I don't know what to buy. I figure waterproof and insulated are a must, but I'd love something lightweight and minimalist that I can actually be athletic in. I'm planning to do some snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, working with horses, hopefully dogsledding, and undoubtedly a lot of shoveling.

But what do I buy? My usual "the cheapest thing they have at Payless that will probably not cause me to lose my toes" isn't going to cut it at 7,000 feet in the snow. Do I need ankle boots with gaiters? Boots that go up to my knees? Mukluks? Pac boots? Should I plan on getting something with a certain "comfortable to X degrees" rating? I FAIL AT USEFUL THINGS. Snow-dwellers, please advise me.

In others news, if you care what I'm up to and haven't been reading my other blog, just a reminder that it's there. You can also pick up the LJ feed at redroanpony. I've been posting a lot of pictures lately. It's good times.

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

it makes me feel better to know you too have an old partially finished novel knocking around. i'm not doing nano but i'm poking at an old project like that.

happy snow!

i have had very good luck with columbia brand boots in the past. but that's just me and i am not a mountaineer.

[abbylee]

I buy hiking boot style winter boots, and make sure they're rated for real cold weather. For deeper snow (or more warmth) I put on fleece lined snow pants. (I hate long underwear, and snow pants means your clothes will be dry underneath.)

Get lace-up boots. Seriously. You need the mobility. Make sure they're not snug - you need that breathing room to keep warm. And there's no reason to go any higher than what I linked - if the weather is such that you wish you were wearing higher boots, you should really be wishing you were wearing better clothing.

These are my current winter boots: http://www.altrec.com/the-north-face/womens-snowkat-ii-snow-boot
I don't actually like them, but only because they are too stiff for my physiology. My old pair (which have a hole in them) were Merrell brand boots that were very similar, and I loved them.

I haven't done much super-athletic in any of my boots, but I have gone for very long outdoor winter walks in them, as well as just standing around at the bus stop.

Yes, you want them to be warmly rated, but if you're planning on moving around while you're outside, they don't need to be rated to the actual lowest temperature it gets there (although it wouldn't hurt). My -25 boots are just fine for when it's -40. Some of them don't even have official ratings. If you're going with a good brand, you can worry less too. But definitely make sure you get ones that are supposed to be warm for your usual winter.