Boot up for snow-play

Snow fever, it comes regularly to this East Coast transplant. The relatives back there chuckle at me when I mention “going to the snow” — those poor folks don’t have the luxury of escaping it this time of year — but what else is this New England girl in SoCal going to do? You want snow, you head to the mountains and find some. 

Winter 2017 at Casa Kelly has been hectic in too many ways to list. Consequently, our annual snow adventures in the local mountains never happened. At this point in the year, it may be too late. Thankfully, Mammoth has a 300-inch(!) base snow depth. There will be snow-play to be had for months to come up there. And it’s only seven hours away (six, if Patrick is driving). A long weekend of skiing, meandering around the wintry town, and cocoa by the fire will do this snow-starved gal some good.

But only if my feet aren’t cold, and my winter boots have seen better days. My California-born hubby has never even owned a pair of winter boots. When we “go to the snow” he doubles up on socks followed by kitchen trash bags, followed by old high-top sneakers. I love him, but I won’t be seen with him walking about Mammoth in that sort of rig. So, I called in some recommendations from my friends from the snowy lands.

“Duck boots!” replied Cherie. “I couldn’t survive a North Idaho winter without them! They really are lifesaving [$39.99 for Guide Gear Lace-up Insulated Duck Boots at sportsmansguide.com].”

Cathy also touted the duck-boot style. “My husband loves his eight-inch L.L. Bean boots,” she answered. “He’s had the same pair for ten years. They are his go-to for snow-plowing. He also owns the slip-on style [$119 for the Original L.L. Bean Boot, at llbean.com; L.L. Bean Gumshoe, $99].”

“I like Columbia boots,” offered Mariana (Loveland Mid Omni-Heat Boot, $79.90 at columbia.com). “My German friend, though, recommends Moon Boots,” she added. At the mention of moon boots, my mind immediately drifted to Napoleon Dynamite and bad style choices I made in my junior-high years. But a quick online perusal uncovered a spunky option: Tecnica “Monaco” Waterproof Insulated Moon Boot. The eight-inch white, lace-up boot with its faux fur around the top and its negative-20-degree rating looked to be just the boot for wandering the streets of Mammoth ($159.95 at Nordstrom).

A few minutes later I was ogling the Tecnica Moon Boot Lem Leather boot for hubby Patrick. The eight-inch-high waterproof leather and synthetic black upper with lace-up closure looked like Pat’s kind of no-frills boot ($150 at zappos.com).

“Kamik makes some nice winter snow boots,” offered Meg. “I own the Kamik Sienna and they’re comfortable, warm, and have good traction when it gets icy [Kamik Sienna, $79 at the Walking Company].”

Six friends recommended Sorel boots. “Sorels last forever,” said Rose. “I own the Caribou boot and love them.” The nine-inch waterproof boot comes in a few colors; the gray-black was my favorite  ($89.98 at sorel.com).

“I love my Sorels,” answered John. “I own the Ankeny boot and they work well for shoveling and walking in snow [Sorel Ankeny Waterproof Boot, $69.83 at rei.com].”

Sue recommended her Sorel Joan of Arctic boots, which sounded fitting for my strong, fierce friend. “I think they are stylish for a snow boot, super warm for the cold days but also tall for the deep snow,” she explained. “They’re about a foot-high boot [Sorel Joan of Arctic Shearling Winter Boots, $109.83 at rei.com].”

“I bought the GW 1560 waterproof boots for my first winter here in Michigan and love them,” said Liz (GW Women’s 1560 Water Proof Snow Boots, $14.99–$26.99 on Amazon).

“Uggs are really awesome,” said Nancy. “When my feet were at their worst with pain and numbness with my autoimmune issues, I kept stealing my daughter’s Uggs. Fuzzy, warm, heavenly [Gradin Uggs, 139.99 at ugg.com].”