Skip to main content

Got cold feet? Try on a pair of foot-warming K2 Spyne Heat ski boots

2018 K2 Spyne 120
Let’s face it — skiing is a cold-weather sport and the colder days typically mean better quality snow. We’ve all gotten chilled while waiting in a long chairlift line or as we’re assailed by turbulent winds during a suspended ride up the mountain. But the heat is all in your feet and the K2 Spyne 120 Heat ski boots allow you to say goodbye to frozen toes. 

If you typically run cold, you may have used boot heaters before, but most of them don’t fit well, only heat the bottom of your feet, and are made without the rigidity needed for high-end performance. The K2 Spyne 120 Heat offers a combination of temperature comfort and stiffness. The 120 model is made to bridge the gap between the 100 and 130 Performance Collection versions, engineered for the expert skier. The mid-stiff flex is provided by a Y-shaped insert in the back of the boot, which offers increased forward power and a bit of give on sharp turns.

Unlike third-party heaters, the Spyne heats your entire foot — from the tips of your toes up through your calf. K2 partnered with Thermic to produce the heat-moldable shell and liner. A button on the side of the liner allows you to choose between three different settings, with the lowest providing you 19 hours of heat. The batteries recharge via USB cord in about six hours, giving you more than enough time to recuperate even in the peak of ski season when you’re hitting the slopes from the first to last chair. 

This 360-degree provision of heat is unlike anything we have seen before directly built into ski boots, especially ones geared for such a high level of performance. The Spyne 120 Heat features a Powerfuse Spyne which provides for the reduction of lateral movement across terrain, energy interlock between the cuff and shell for a smoother flex, and Lux Fit Pro liners that combine heat-moldable and traditional foam. In addition, the boots are designed with a removable spoiler that can be adjusted, offering a lean angle between 12 and 14 degrees, as well as thermo plastic urethane hard shells.

The Spyne 120 Heat ski boots retail for $900. Check online or contact your local ski shop for more information.

Amanda Ellis
Amanda is an outdoor junkie and digital nomad with an insatiable hunger for gear. Based out of Raleigh, NC she travels to…
I turned my van into an office with a battery-powered AC and heat pump
An EcoFlow Wave 2 air conditioner and heat pump inside a Mitsubishi Delica van.

Like a lot of remote workers, I know I’m lucky to be able to work from home. I have a home office with a comfy leather chair, a skylight, and an oversized doofus of a dog, Marty, who reclines adorably on the couch behind me for Zoom meetings. But I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit I go a little stir crazy from time to time, yearning to work from somewhere other than the same place I eat, sleep, and relax.

How about a van? I bought my 1990 Mitsubishi Delica for camping, but it always seemed like it could serve as a mobile office with a view, if not for one critical shortcoming: For nine months out of the year in Portland, it’s too cold, and for the other three, it’s too hot. Without adding thousands of dollars for a battery power system, my best bet was heavy socks and gloves. But EcoFlow gave me a glimmer of hope at CES 2023 when I spotted the EcoFlow Wave 2. With an onboard battery, it promised to heat or cool anywhere, no external power system needed.

Read more
I was wrong. E-bikes are so practical, they’re a transit cheat code
An Aventon Level 2 ebike sits outside a grocery store.

Confession: Despite loving both bikes and gadgets, e-bikes never excited me. Compared to my bicycle, e-bikes seemed unfair. Compared to my motorcycle, they seemed slow. Compared to my car, they seemed impractical.

But with $1,500 federal e-bike rebates potentially on the horizon at part of E-Bike Act, I decided it was past time to reconsider. Not just because 30% off would make them way more accessible, but because the entire idea that e-bikes could be worthy of a rebate changed the way I looked at them: less as toys, more as transit. Had I written off an entire way of getting around because I was looking at it the wrong way?

Read more
Upway launches one of the best marketplaces for certified e-bikes, new or not
Man holding ebike from Upway in a field, lifestyle image.

This content was produced in partnership with Upway.
It wasn't too long ago that e-bikes were a rare sight, but all of that has changed, and rightfully so. Electric bikes are all over the road these days, and there are many brands either venturing into the technology, to launch their own versions of the sustainable transportation option or reiterating existing and traditional designs. From Aventon to Schwinn, or RadPower to Momentum, with so many opportunities, the prevailing question is, where do you go to find the best deals and the best information about these brands and their e-bike models? The answer is Upway, the number one certified electric bike provider and an official partner to many of the aforementioned brands.

What is Upway, exactly? It's a marketplace, specializing in e-bikes, featuring an inventory that's sourced from some of the best brands in the world. There are American brands -- like Specialized, Cannondale, and RadPower -- and European brands -- like Riese, Muller, and VanMoof. The best part is the discounts, offering up to 60% off retail, for a plethora of brands. Upway is on a mission to make sustainable mobility affordable for everyone. It's also one of the best places to go for a new or pre-owned e-bike, and here's why:

Read more