This is Mt. Amakazari. It takes 45 minutes from the campground parking lot to Arasugezawa. The fact that you can still ski there at this time of year?what a blessing! I didn’t mind hiking the trail with skis dangling from my pack. In fact, it was great exercise. And I must say, the combination of Achilles-brand rubber boots and Uniqlo’s steteco (lightweight innerwear) is absolutely perfect. (← I actually want to write a separate post just about that.)

Now, today's topic is “rubber-soled boots.” That's just a name I came up with on my own. Among the 75mm standard boots, I believe this category has the weakest torsional rigidity. The soles are quite soft?thin, really. And when it comes to this KARHU Convert cross-country boot in particular, even the upper lacks rigidity. On top of that, it's made of synthetic leather, so it gets clammy and wet.

So although I had these boots for a long time, I never got around to using them. And that period of non-use? A full quarter century! Hmm...

Interestingly, some of my clients use boots with this kind of sole. For example, ALPINA, CRISPI, or FISCHER’s boots... These are still being sold as current models, so I figured maybe I should at least try them out once.

That was part of the thinking behind this outing. As for how they skied?well, you can see in the video. But the weak soles make me feel that these boots just don’t have the structural strength needed for downhill use. I suspect the soles would start to peel off. Especially in the case of these boots, true to their name, they really are better suited for walking. The thin soles make it easy to feel the camber of the skis, so walking becomes quite enjoyable.

And yet, I still had the urge to try them out on a downhill run... It’s probably just a bad habit of mine. Gassho〜(hands pressed together in mock prayer).　　 July 5, 2025