Preparing for Winter: #2 Snow Boots

Every single fitter at every shoe store in Sapporo, without exception, talks passionately—and usually at length—about snow boots, even when I mention I’m just browsing to budget for the winter. They don't seem to care whether I buy anything that day; they just genuinely enjoy every moment spent discussing soles, spikes, and waterproofing.

I’ve always been told that snow boots are consumables that should be replaced every year or two, and that a higher price tag doesn't guarantee better grip. Even in high-end boots that cost a fortune, when you slip, you slip.

According to their advice and my own observations, snow boots seem to fall into three main categories:

• Rubber boot styles that look a lot like Hunters but are much cheaper,
  
  including flock-coated ones with a velvety finish.
  
  
  
• Boots with specialized soles made of high-tech compounds or with custom-designed treads.
  
• Boots with spikes on the soles, which are either retractable or fixed.
  

Right now, I’m considering getting boots with retractable spikes on the soles. That way, I won't have to keep putting on and taking off detachable grips every time I step into a building or an underground station—which, honestly, is a bit embarrassing to do.