Hot wired: Accessories for ski season

This week's big dump has served as a timely, if chilling, reminder that winter has arrived, and with it the new ski season.

Snow may not have fallen everywhere across the country, but many who live nowhere near a mountain have been suffering icy cold feet and frosted ears.

For them, and for those planning to head for the hills, squeeze into some bulky boots and plunge down the snowy slopes, here are some extremity-warming ski accessories.

Being Austrian, Thermic Products has an incentive to come up with creative ways to keep its customers' bits warm. Its website illustrates five different degrees of foot frigidity with an associated percentage increase in risk of injuries. When feet are painfully cold, muscle performance apparently drops to only 65 per cent, and most injuries occur in this temperature condition.

Enter the Thermic Bootwarmer. Mains power models will dry out wet boots overnight, but even more appealing is the 12V version which takes power from the vehicle lighter socket. Place the Bootwarmer units in your boots (or gloves) as you head off for the slopes and by the time you get up the top they'll be toasty. Available at The Snow Centre in Auckland for $71.

That doesn't resolve the issue of creeping foot chill of course, but the ThermicSole will. For $110 these anatomical foam insoles, complete with heating elements, provide foot support and warmth.

At the heel of the insole is a flat cable which runs up the inside back of the boot and plugs into a power pack which you attach to the rear lip of the boot. The power pack pairs come separately. The Basix model, which has three heat settings, uses two (rechargeable) AA batteries and costs $120. All up that's $230, but you will have the happiest feet on the slopes.

There can be few sporting experiences to beat boarding or skiing to your own personal soundtrack, but those damn earbuds are forever falling out and headphones are a ski slope no-no. Besides, you need to be able to control the volume easily with bulky gloves on.

Helmets are gaining major popularity as fashion statements, and Leedom is one brand to have built quality speakers into the detachable drop liner of their helmets. The weatherproof sound cable, which connects the Soundtracks headphones to your MP3 player, includes an easy-press mute button and winding volume control. Press studs and velcro attach the headphones to the helmet. Leedom helmets cost around $150 while the optional Soundtracks pack is $90.

So there you are, head-to-toe warmth. Happy shredding.