Snow Skills

For folks who have spent the effort to have their boot alignment checked, one of the best accessories you can invest in is a pair of Cat Tracks. It doesn’t make much sense to get your boot perfectly aligned to the skis and then proceed to mar and round off the soles of the boots by walking down the road to lunch every day. Cat Tracks preserve the trueness of your ski boots by protecting the soles from wear and tear while walking around on hard, gritty surfaces.

Cat tracks look like a mini version of a waffle iron, with a series of squarish cleats on the bottom of each half. Those cleats are intended to provide traction and soften the friction between your boots and the ground. The rubber material allows you to easily slip the toe piece and then heel piece over the sole; removal is easy as well by pulling on the heelpiece toggle.

Cat tracks are small enough to fold up into your pocket when its time to ski. Depending on the situation, it’s common at some ski areas to see dozens of pairs of these hanging on a railing at the bottom of a lift, marked with a flag of duct tape and the owner’s name.