(Cross) country life

“I have a pair of shoes for you,” said my friend Konstantin. “I found them at the dacha during the summer.” 

Kostya, like most of my friends, knows I have a wee bit of an obsessionette with footwear, so I was very excited to see what he’d unearthed. But I must confess I was puzzled by these. They’re beautifully made black leather lace-ups, in great condition. At the toe, the sole is composed of four layers of leather, stitched as well as glued, and longer than the shoe itself by about a centimeter. 

Inside, they are hand-lined with leather insoles, again stitched and glued. The outer soles (leather) are nailed on, with various little stamps from an awl. They are marked size “41” and “3” and there is no brand, so they are hand-made (and/or state-issue.) 

What most mystified me was their heels, which are triangular, and attached with a dozen nails. 

Of course, any Russian – and probably any winter sports enthusiast – will have instantly identified these: they are cross-country ski boots. The extended sole in front is for slotting into a ski, and if I understand the principle correctly the triangular heel allows for easier level and uphill travel. And the leather soles would be for smooth schussing across the snowy plains. I think.

Whatever. The temperature today is -16°C, with a wind chill of -20° and plenty of light, powdery snow. Perfect conditions for testing a pair of vintage ski boots, so your Shoeblogger laces them on and steps confidently onto the balcony. (You didn’t think I’d actually try cross-country skiing, did you?)

The boots feel quite comfortable, and while my fingers and camera rapidly start to freeze up, my tootsies are quite happy. Only problem is when I actually try to take a few steps in them and realise that smooth leather soles and an icy balcony eight floors up are a sure route to disaster. I skid around for a few minutes (hardly panicking at all) and then retreat back indoors. Whew. Great shoes, but I don’t think I’ll be swopping my lug-soled Canadian snow boots for them just the same.