Nordic Boots

Why nordic boots?
Nordic boots are the perfect multi-purpose tool for three outdoor sports: cross-country skiing, ice skating, and off-season roller skiing. Three sports in a single pair of boots is hard to beat.
For ice skating, the following features are highly desirable:
1. A stiff sole for efficient power transfer to the skate blade
2. A stiff upper that comes up above your ankle
3. Plenty of insulation for warmth and comfort
4. Light weight
5. (optional) Traction for walking on slippery slopes
For me, the single best thing about nordic boots is being able to put them on in a warm place and walk or drive to the ice, eliminating the frozen fingers and toes I used to suffer from when I hd to change into hockey skates or speedskates outdoors.
Once you’re at the lakeshore, it’s easy to step onto your nordic skates and secure the bindings without having to take off your gloves or mittens.

Skate/Combi vs. Back Country
I’ve always used recreational skate-ski boots. For me, they’ve offered the perfect combination of comfort, stiffness and ankle support, combined with light weight. So-called ‘combi’ boots are a close second; although a step down in stiffness and ankle support, they are equal to skate boots in comfort and light weight.
The one thing missing from skate boots is traction. They can be very slippery when walking across an icy parking lot. For that reason, skaters who need to walk significant distances gravitate toward back country boots with good hiking soles. This is especially true in Sweden, where skaters use public transportation and they often have to walk the last kilometer from the bus or subway station to the ice.
Back country boots are noticeably heavier. The bindings are also heavier. On a long-distance adventure I don’t want my legs to get tired from having unnecessary weight attached to my feet.
Back country boots used to lack ankle support and stiffness. However, great strides have been made in this area, particularly with boots such as the Alpina Alaska. In the future I see back country boots gaining an increasing share of the Nordic skating market. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll get a pair myself.

My Salomon RS Carbon skate boots: Still going strong after 10 years of skating and skiing.

Alpina Alaska back-country boots: An increasingly popular option for Nordic ice skating