Hopefully you've been able to log some days on snow this year. I've been lucky enough to get quite a few days under my belt already and many of my chairlift discussions with strangers have been about helping to reduce their foot pain in their snowboard boots.
The following topics keep coming up as they are easy and free ways to help increase foot comfort - equaling more time on snow!
1) Drink Water. Seriously, drinking water helps to reduce inflammation - everywhere in the body. The old rule is drink 8 glasses a day . Also, you might want to leave the adult beverages until after you're done riding.
On another note, Drink Water just released an amazing new snowboard video. You can view it here: Drink Water ENERGY .
2) Clip your toenails. This one is so basic, but so easily missed - If you have a performance snowboard boot fit (toes firmly touching the end of the boot) that little extra bit of toenail can be the difference between a great day on the snow or a day in major pain.
3) Wear the same model socks. This is one of the biggest things that many people miss. The thickness of your socks directly impacts the way your boots fit. Ideally, you'll wear the same model sock the day that you try on and buy your boots as the days that you'll be snowboarding in them.
I believe that the need for snowboarding socks to be thick is totally overrated. I've been riding the same thin compression style sock for many years - often times in sub zero weather without cold feet. In fact, the extra warmth of a thick sock may actually work against you by causing your feet to sweat more.
Whatever type of socks work for you - stick to that one model because changing sock models changes the volume imprint in your boot and directly affects fit.
Bonus) Wear your boots around your house. Especially if you've recently acquired new boots - spending time in them while on your feet off the snow will help break them in and hopefully any fit issues that may arise will become evident (and you can fix them) before you're on the snow)
Use these tips this winter to score more time on snow - let me know your favorite boot fitting tips in the facebook comments.