How to Keep Your Ski Boots Smelling Fresh
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Carina Otero wearing her Salomon S/Pro 90 Ski Boots in Alpe d’Huez in January 2024
If you’ve read any of my other skiing articles, you may have noticed in almost all the photos taken from around the world I’m wearing the same ski boots. As with anything I buy, I like when my purchases are used to their full potential and built to last— but when it comes to ski boots, additional care must be taken to extend their life.
I bought my Salomon S/Pro 90 ski boots new ahead of the 2021-2022 ski season, and since have skied more than seventy days in them— and am pleased to report they are smelling just as fresh as when I bought them thanks to a few simple tips that I follow. Keep reading to learn my tips.
1. Wear a fresh, clean pair of socks every day
This may mean packing and bringing a clean pair of socks for every day that you plan on skiing, or being prepared to do laundry to wash your socks often. Never rewear the same socks for multiple days of skiing even if they “seem” clean, because overtime the build up of bacteria could potentially cause your boots to smell less-than-fresh. It’s easier to replace socks than it is to replace ski boots. If you’ll be doing laundry at your destination, my favorite laundry detergent to travel with is this pack of Liquidless Laundry Detergent Sheets.
2. Wear a single pair of high-quality merino wool socks
Not only can too-thick or doubled socks be uncomfortable, but they might also be too warm and cause your feet to sweat. When skiing in temperatures between 25 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, I like to wear Smartwool Light Cushion Merino Wool Crew Socks, and if it’s any colder than that I’ll opt for Smartwool Full Cushion Merino Wool Crew Socks. Merino wool has antimicrobial properties, and if you can avoid being too warm and sweating in your ski boots, you’ll be able to better manage their freshness.
Carina Otero wearing the same Salomon S/Pro 90 ski boots in Vail, Colorado in December 2021
3. Always bring your ski boots indoors overnight
Because your ski boots may be wet at the end of the day and depending on your accommodation arrangement, you may be tempted to leave them outside. However if left outside in colder temperatures, your boots may not be able to properly dry and could potentially still be wet (and miserable) when you go to put them on the next morning. Always bring your ski boots indoors and position them uncovered so they are able to get a bit of air flow— in other words, don’t keep them enclosed or sealed in your gear bag.
4. Use heavy-duty moisture absorbers overnight: Boot Bananas
When I’m skiing daily at the peak of the season, I am sure to place my Boot Bananas all the way inside my ski boots overnight, every night. The brand makes shoe deodorizers and moisture absorbers for all types of athletic shoes, but the Boot Bananas specifically for ski boots are considerable in size and weight and are seriously effective, ensuring that all moisture is absorbed, even that which can’t be felt to the touch.
5. Use a secondary set of cedar wood drying bags: Sidas
Because they are a bit smaller than my Boot Bananas, I feel my Sidas Cedar Wood Drying Bags don’t absorb moisture quite as quickly, but they do have a lovely clean scent that I enjoy. If I’m not using these to supplement my overnight boot-drying, it’s because they are stuffed inside my Hestra Heli Mittens. During the off-season when my Boot Bananas are stored in their air-tight plastic packaging, I’ll leave my Sidas Cedar Wood Drying Bags inside my ski boots before packing them up for storage, so that they are ready again and smelling fresh when I take them out the following year.
Carina Otero Wearing Gaiters over Salomon ski boots in Chamonix, France in March 2023 on a day after fresh snowfall
6. Wear gaiters over your ski boots
This was a bit of an afterthought, but I feel is a contributing factor as to why my ski boots continue to smell fresh after considerable use. I use gaiters over my ski boots on snowy days, when I’m planning to venture into powder, or on any day after a snowfall because I have a penchant for always wearing my most favorite, most comfortable, in-the-boot ski racing pant from Erin Snow. However, I do feel that the tight-fit of my gaiters over my ski boots prevents any snow from entering the top of my boot or from collecting over the buckles, more than an over-the-boot ski pant would. Because of this my boots experience less moisture overall, are able to dry overnight more effectively, and continue smelling fresh season after season.
Did you find any of these tips helpful or have any to add? Unfortunately this is not a guide on how to make smelly ski boots smell better, but rather how to keep new ski boots smelling new, season after season and year after year. Do you have any questions or comments about my experience? Let me know in the comments below!
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About the author
Meet Carina Otero, avid skier and the creator of She is Not Lost, an online community for celebrating female travelers and a blog providing helpful tips, useful information, and inspiration for your future travels. Carina’s passion for skiing and love of writing and photography have inspired a new blog to share her experiences and personal favorites relating to the sport:
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