Blisters

[Stephen]

I’m seeing some other posts referencing blisters, especially heal blisters.
I have had great success with the products, below.
Before starting, I think it’s fair to say that one can go only so far in mitigating blistering — if the boots don’t fit right, it’s hard to avoid getting blisters.

Background:
Started out the season with new Alfa Guard boots.
Went skiing with some friends.
Heal started feeling a little hot, but I thought “I can put up with that.”
A few miles later, I thought “Maybe I should just take a look.”
As you can guess, way too late. Skin was gone. It was only going to get worse, 3 miles into a 9 mile ski.
I was about to man up and just put some duct tape over it. Smarter, more well prepared people were along.
The solution was:

Band-Aid Brand Hydro Seal Adhesive Bandages for Heel Blisters

These are phenomenal! Seriously. They are not your normal “Band-Aid.” I was able to finish that 9 mile ski with minimal discomfort. They will stay on for days.
The way they work is to create an energy absorbing buffer between skin and friction point.
I now have a life-time supply, because I have pretty much figured out how to avoid getting a blister, which is next.

If you know you may get a blister in a certain area, e.g. heal, then: 3M Micropore Surgical Paper Tape is the way to go.


If you first use this tape, you will likely think the adhesive will not hold. All I can say is that it has stayed on my heal for up to 5 days of skiing. It may finally wear through, or start to peal off, but only after days, or dozens of miles.
It becomes like a second skin to protect my skin. If you use it, don’t worry too much about the wrinkles when you apply it — they don’t seem to cause any problems.

I have well over a 100 miles (maybe 200) on the Alfa boots, and would still be afraid to not use the Micropore Tape.
The heal counter just seems hard and unforgiving. There seems to be nothing there that can conform to the heal. There is great padding above the heal, which helps hold it in place, but nothing for the bony part of the heal to conform to. I put up with it because in every other respect the Alfa Guard boots really work well for me. I get cold feet very easily, and have not had cold feet yet, with single digit F lows, and my toes are very happy with plenty of wiggle room.

Hope this helps others with blister problems!

[mikesee]

Interesting finds. Thanks for sharing.

On the paper tape, what do you think the ideal size is for application to heels/ankles? Will 1" conform better to all the curves than 2"?

Does overlapping it seem to matter? Does it stick as well to itself as it does to skin?

[Woodserson]

Interesting.

So in Europe there has been a product called COMPEED for ages and ages. Looks like Band-Aid finally got onto the bandwagon. I have a whole stash for myself here, I always bring back a bunch of packages and then hand them out liberally when I see poor people using medieval blister mitigation techniques.

COMPEED has also started showing up in the States a few years ago.

The US is super weird in this regard. We still use WWI-era under-armpit crutches for instance. And complicated moleskin cut-away towers around blisters. Bonkers. 100 years behind.

[bauerb]

welcome to my mobile pharmacy. Band-Aid Tough Strips are the best of what is pictured in terms of adhesion. the Water Block band-aids are useless because 90% of the strip in gauze, 10% sticky...not enough sticky surface area to stay put. I bought some alternates to the Tough Strips because the local shop was sold out of Tough Strips. Notice my dwindling stack of Athletic tape. I started with 9 rolls, am now down to 2.5 rolls

my pre-skiing procedure:
1. ensure both feet are dry
2. apply a small amount of Neosporin. wounds heel more slowly at altitude. the ointment also reduces friction on the blister( or post-blister in my case...the surface skin is long gone)
3. Apply tough strips
4. wrap ankles with athletic tape as if you were taping a sprained ankle: ankle stirrups, figure 8 and ankle wrap to lock
5. après-ski : having bandage scissors makes life a lot easier.

its been a few weeks with this treatment protocol, my guess is that within 7-10 days, based on the rate of callousing, I would no longer need bandages on ankles.

[Tom M]

I'm a big fan of 3M micropore tape as well. The adhesive of this tape is activated by moisture, so if you are applying it to dry skin, it helps to moisten the skin with a damp cloth before applying the tape. Also be careful when pulling up your socks so it stays in place. Once your foot starts to sweat, the tape will almost bond to your skin. That is an important point. If you apply the tape over an existing blister, be careful when trying to remove the tape. It will probably tear the blister open. I think the micropore tape is best used for prevention of blisters.

[Woodserson]

Seriously try the stuff Band-Aid Stephen posted, or my Compeed that I posted. Use it preventatively. Or afterwards. It doesn't matter. Don't necessarily pull it off, it's like a second skin and lasts several days, through showers, etc. I've used it for over a decade now and it still "sparks joy" when I use it.

Bauerb, if you PM me your address in Whitefish I'll send you some complimentary for you to try, no money down, no risk! It certainly looks like you have a system... bud dammmmnn maaaannn

I definitely see the advantage of the 3M micropore if your foot is all sweaty and stuff, you want dry feet for best adhesion of the Compeed.

Bauer, serious offer.

Also, you've not written a word about your new skis? (unless I missed a post in your archive)

[Stephen]

Adding to what has recently be said:
First off, I’m not saying there aren’t other products out there that will work just as well — I just know first hand about these products.

If you already have a blister, use the Band-Aid Hydroseal Blister product.
It is not snake oil — it really works. I was really impressed.
Stays on for days, lets the blister heal, will eventually fall off (days later).
It’s not the same as the waterproof bandages (and Tegaderm is better for that — used it for a surfboard fin cut, so I could get back in the water sooner).

On the Micropore tape, I use the 2” wide stuff and cut a piece about 3” or 4” long, mitre the corners, and wrap it horizontally around my heal.
It’s a flat plane, so gets wrinkles in it. I used to try and mitigate that, but realized the wrinkles don’t matter.

This is after being on my foot for 4 or 5 days (my feet aren’t winning any beauty contests!).
.

[Woodserson]

This is after being on my foot for 4 or 5 days (my feet aren’t winning any beauty contests!).

You do love posting the foot pics, don't you?

[Stephen]

[bauerb]

@Woodserson thats a very kind offer and I appreciate it. I've been here nearly a month, but my time in Whitefish is rapidly coming to an end. my last ski day will be Saturday....so I think I can make it with my blister system.

at some point I'll do a write up on the Summitcone 106...I do talk about them in my videos while I am using them, but that audio would be nearly impossible for anyone to locate. basically I liked them before I bought the used K2 Mt Baker AT setup, and after skiing both skis now for a few weeks, the summit cones are sooo much nicer to ski downhill. turning the summit cones is effortless while making tele turns AND they are much nicer to ski alpine style parallel turns. I think the reason is simple: they have alot more shape than the K2's. even though we've received about 4ft of snow since I've been here, the snow comes 3-6" at a time, so no major pow days, which is where the 106's would probably feel most at home. the tips are super wide...overkill for packed snow. as far as going uphill, and I mean straight uphill, I prefer the AT setup. I'll do a proper review later, and will try to include ski video clips that talk about the skis

meanwhile, here is an obligatory foot pic:
before skiing - not the prettiest tape job, but I am rationing my athletic tape since I don't know where to buy more out here. as you can see in the After pic, I am using enough to hold things in place

after skiing