Built for Mountain Life: Why GearDryer is the Ultimate Snow Sports Boot & Glove Drying System

It’s been less than year now since we launched GearDryer, and in that time we’ve been thrilled to learn of folks who have put our GearDryers to good use for a lot more than just ski and snowboard gear. We’ve shipped our boot dryers to scientists in Alaska, coast guard professionals battling Hurricane Harvey, an NFL football team, food service workers in Mississippi, soccer moms, and hockey players. That said, we designed GearDryer with skiers, snowboarders, and mountain town dwellers in mind—simply because that’s who we are.

 

A Ski Boot Dryer is a Must-Have for Powder Days

 

A ski boot dryer might seem like a luxury, and make no mistake it is to a certain extant. But it’s the kind of luxury you wonder how you ever went without once you’ve got it. Powder days typically come in bunches—as the saying goes, ‘when it rains it pours.’ And when there are fresh tracks to be had, to borrow another phrase, you need to strike the iron when it’s hot and get as much of it as you can. These are the days when a GearDryer makes a world of difference, when you’re getting in as many runs as possible for several days on end.

 

Great powder snow (just like the fluffy stuff our Utah backyard is famous for) get’s everywhere, especially when you take a tumble. It gets in boots, gloves, helmets, and mustaches—face shots anyone. That’s not a bad thing—it’s a great thing—but it does leave gear soaked, and you want that gear dry for the next day of pow slaying. Being able to put on dry boots and gloves on every one of those deep days is just plain awesome. That’s what a GearDryer will do for you.

 

A Ski Boot & Glove Dryer is Also Ideal for Sweating and Cooling caused by Work/Rest Cycles.

 

But what about the rest of days you spend on the hill? I’m thinking of days spent carving groomers, teaching your kids to ski, or long days in the skin track earning your turns. In many winter sports, skiing and snowboarding especially, regulating your temperature can be quite difficult. Periods of intense aerobic activity are followed by periods of stationary rest (i.e. intense skiing followed by riding a chairlift). Your body is sweating and then cooling off, and that’s makes it tough to maintain a comfortable temperature. Even if snow didn’t get inside your boots and gloves, chances are high that you were sweating in your boots, gloves, and helmet at some point during the day, and your feet and hands can sweat a lot. Without a forced-air drying solution like GearDryer, all that sweaty dampness is going to remain inside the enclosed spaces in boots, gloves, and helmets for days. If you put on a pair of boots still damp from the previous day of use, you can count on being cold. And it doesn’t matter how hardy or tough you are—being cold just ain’t fun. Get GearDryer and get the wet and sweat out.

 

Tips for Using GearDryer to Dry Ski Boots & Gloves

 

We designed GearDryer to be as versatile as possible, and all the applications are not super obvious. So here’s a few tips on how we use the GearDryer for drying ski boots, drying gloves, drying helmets, drying goggles and more:

 

• GearDryer’s twist and lock drying ports come pre-assembled. On our wall mount boot dryer, the 90-degree fitting (which directs air into the toe of the boot) is positioned facing down, which is ideal for drying a ski boot or snowboard boot with the toe facing down. For really wet boots, we recommend turning the 90-degree fitting to face up, which allows the toe of the boot to face up and any water in the boot to drain.
• Simply remove the 90-degree fitting and you’re all set for drying gloves.
• For really wet ski boots—like walked through a river wet—we recommend removing the liner from the shell and putting the liner on the GearDryer. This will greatly speed up dry times.
• With heat switched on, GearDryer’s heat element will raise the temperature 25 degrees above the ambient air temp. If you’re looking to use the GearDryer as a boot and glove ‘warming’ solution, make sure the ambient air temp where the dryer is running is at least 75 degrees, this will give you approximately 100 degree air in the dryer—plenty for warming up boots and gloves during a lunch break. If you’re GearDryer is in the garage during the winter months where the average temp is about 50 degrees, GearDryer’s heated air temp will be about 75 degrees. This is completely sufficient for drying applications, but not as effective for a quick warm up.
• Our freestanding dryer is great for boots and gloves, but it is also awesome for goggles and helmets. All you have to do is remove two ports for drying goggles or four ports for a helmet. Set the goggles or helmet directly over the portholes and you’re good to go.